Outstanding Students
The graduation project of 2020 is destined to be extraordinary.
Rebirth through professional restructuring.
Forged through the trials of the pandemic.
During the days and nights of the pandemic, Zhang Yahui, a student from the Class of 2016 in Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, sparked design inspiration at home, far from school, overcoming countless difficulties with hard work and effort, step by step towards the finish line of his graduation project. Let’s take a look at Zhang Yahui’s journey in his graduation design!
Zhang Yahui
Class of 2016 Mechanical and Electronic Engineering
This graduation project is titled:
Design of the Head System of a Humanoid Robot
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Humanoid Robot Head System
Design Description
Using 3D modeling software for the design of the robot head, totaling about sixty components, consisting of the head shell and five sets of transmission systems, capable of performing five actions: blinking, horizontal and vertical rotation of the eyeballs, opening mouth, and turning head. The power is provided by five 9g servos, controlled by PWM pulse signals. Communication is accomplished via a Bluetooth module, with an Android phone used as the host, developing software using MIT App Inventor, installed on the phone, to communicate with the Bluetooth module. Data processing and conversion are done on the Arduino UNO R3 development board, with the controller and C language programming being the core of the entire control system.
Q
What difficulties did you encounter? How did you overcome them?
When starting the design, Zhang Yahui encountered many problems. First was the software issue, not knowing which programming software and app development software to choose, and how to solve communication problems. As we all know, there are many communication methods, such as Bluetooth, WIFI, Lora, or controllers, but without any understanding, he could only research bit by bit. He also encountered many issues with hardware selection; hardware could be chosen from microcontrollers or Arduino and other series of hardware. After careful consideration, Zhang Yahui finally chose the UNO board. He considered that the smaller the servo, the better, because the head has limited space. He spent a long time resolving the communication issue between the UNO and the Bluetooth module after reviewing a lot of information.
The most troublesome issue was the materials; due to the pandemic, delivery was difficult. It took half a month for the robot’s head parts to arrive, and the materials also took half a month. After the materials arrived, he found that they were insufficient and lacked many other types of self-tapping screws, having bought five hundred screws, and the delivery time also took nearly a month. Once all parts and materials were ready, assembly began. Due to the low precision of PLA, the head parts needed a bit of sanding during assembly, not too much or too little, which took about a week to finish. The final step was debugging, which consumed a lot of manpower and resources, and everything was completed by the end of April.
Q
What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of your graduation project?
The strengths: This design possesses the basic shape of a human head and can perform some basic human actions. All parts of the robot’s head are compact and practical, and the internal structure is complex. Designing multiple transmission structures within a compact structure without conflict requires a lot of thought and effort. This design of the robot head system integrates most subjects of the major, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of abilities.
The weaknesses: The precision of the materials is insufficient, leading to a lack of refinement in the head shell. Personal capability and limited time prevented this design from being perfect; if energy allowed, a complete robot could be made. The head could be equipped with cameras or industrial cameras for recognition functions; although this design did not achieve that goal, space for the camera was reserved for future students to continue the research. Not being able to install a speaker or a human-machine dialogue system is also a regret.
Q
What do you miss the most about your alma mater?
I miss the football matches, playing drums, and the time spent with my brothers the most. It taught me that college students must be full of vigor and learn to take responsibility.
Even though we only got third place in the football match, it was really exciting to fight alongside classmates and brothers.
Even though playing drums in the dorm was fun, it was really embarrassing after being reported.
Even though dining with brothers was enjoyable, cleaning the dorm the next day was really exhausting.
Time makes people grow and urges them to strive
Having traveled so far, looking back, I realize that my alma mater is the warmest. When entering Tianhua, many students cannot immediately adapt to college life.
Q: Reflecting on your initial entry into campus, what changes do you see compared to your past self?
Military training was painful, but it taught me endurance.
Morning and evening self-study sessions were tiring, but they taught me punctuality and self-discipline.
During the first year, being disconnected from the internet and having full classes every day made me realize that college is not for playing.
The strictness of professional teachers made me understand that entering society requires facing more rigor.
May we always cherish our original intentions, perseverance, and love
The flowing water of the east, the falling leaves. Four years of time suddenly feels extended, many fragments of the past are vivid, Zhang Yahui shines with brilliance, expressing heartfelt words.
I hope that junior students cherish their time in school, and never lose themselves in college; they must plan for their future. If you want to take the postgraduate entrance exam, prepare early, starting as early as sophomore year. Only after entering society do you realize how important learning is. If you want to work in mechanics, you must study mechanical principles and mechanical design well during college; if you want to work in embedded systems, you must study C language, microcontrollers, PLC, and other subjects well, and have practical skills. Computer-aided design software is essential, as you will encounter it in any job. In addition to studying, also cultivate your hobbies and interests in music, sports, and art for well-rounded development, and the road will become wider and wider.
Evaluation from the supervising teacher, Zhao Yanni:
Zhang Yahui’s graduation project uses Arduino UNO R3 and software developed with MIT App Inventor to control the start and stop of servos and their forward and reverse movements, designing five sets of transmission mechanisms to work with the electric A machine to control the movements of the eyes, mouth, and neck, realizing the control of various parts of the robot’s head.
He possesses strong self-learning ability, innovative awareness, and comprehensive qualities for analyzing and solving problems. The five sets of transmission mechanisms he designed fully demonstrate his excellent mechanical structure design ability; using 3D printing technology to print the robot head showcases his solid 3D modeling skills; using electronic control technology to control the movements of the head demonstrates his strong electronic circuit debugging ability; and programming in C language showcases his flexible logical programming skills.
Throughout the design process, Zhang Yahui was always proactive in communicating with me about the progress of his graduation project, including hardware selection, program standardization and completeness, and parameter settings for debugging. Zhang Yahui’s tenacity and perseverance in continuously solving problems are qualities we need in our future work and life, and they are also important goals for our school, Tianhua University, in cultivating student qualities.
Gratitude to the teachers
During my university studies and graduation project phase, the teachers provided me with a lot of help and advice, giving me a general direction. When encountering problems during the graduation project, Teacher Zhao Yanni always helped me solve them, providing ample advice on software, programming, and hardware selection, which saved me a lot of detours. Additionally, Teacher Zhang Qiangsheng’s classes left a deep impression on me; I sincerely admire this teacher for his hard work and dedication to education. It was also through Teacher Zhang Qiangsheng that I gained a basic idea of my future plans and understood which direction I should strive for. It also made me realize that as an engineer, one must be rigorous! Also, teachers from the School of Engineering, such as Fan Jiangling, Zhao Ke, Fan Junyan, Zhu Longjun, and He Yan, each have a serious attitude towards work and a nurturing approach towards students, which has greatly benefited me. Finally, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my counselor, Teacher Jin Mei, and every teacher at the School of Engineering. Words cannot express my gratitude; I sincerely wish you all good health and success in everything.
Gratitude to the School of Engineering
The debate competitions, morning and evening self-study sessions, classic readings, and a series of cultural and moral training in the School of Engineering have sharpened my mind. In this excellent academic atmosphere, I have learned to never give up in the face of difficulties and to aim high while being practical. At the same time, the laboratories and student innovation studios in the School of Engineering provide us with various professional equipment and books, freely accessible to students, allowing me to turn the ideas in my mind into actions, greatly enhancing my professional skills. Over time, I was able to successfully complete this graduation project. Here, I wish the School of Engineering to thrive in the era of artificial intelligence!
Gratitude to Tianhua
The flowers blooming in spring, the swans dancing gracefully on the lake in summer, the falling leaves in autumn, the frosts of winter, the teachers’ earnest teachings, the heartfelt conversations with friends, the sounds of reading at the entrance of the self-study room, the four years of nurturing at my alma mater are etched in my heart, sweet in memory. I wish my alma mater continuous growth and prosperity, with blooming achievements. I will always remember the school motto, “Learn for the sake of being a good person,” and witness Tianhua’s infinite spring with Tianhua students, hoping for a brighter future for our school!
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Submitted by the New Media Center of the School of Engineering
Written by Fan Yangyuan
Edited by Li Jintao
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