It’s Robot season!  First Robotics teams all over the country are getting prepared for regional competitions and the East Tennessee area is no exception.

Dr. Uday Vaidya, IACMI-The Composites Institute CTO and The University of Tennessee Governor’s Chair worked with approximately 30 students at a STEM event in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF).   Dr. Vaidya and several of his University of Tennessee Engineering students worked with Hardin Valley, Bearden and Catholic High School First Robotics students on the fabrication of belly pan using hot wire contouring tool, hand layup and vacuum bag molding.  See the photos below to preview the hand laid carbon fiber composite structures created during a recent robot build night.