CAVS-E visits CPSD tech ed campus

Special to The Canton News 

CAVS-E (Center for Advanced Vehicle Systems - Extension), in Canton, is an engineering extension office of Mississippi State University. One of its focuses has been to bring focus to robotics usage in Mississippi manufacturing. To that end, CAVS-E contacted Mr. Michael Ellis, Principal of the Canton Public Schools technical education campus, and Mr. Wayne Day, auto body repair coordinator and teacher. They arranged for a hands-on demonstration of robots programmed to travel to a destination while avoiding items blocking its path; virtual reality goggles used for technical training (replacing a spark plug on a car); and programming a robot arm to stack wooden planks and ring a bell.  

Students were very interested in the robot that avoided them when they stepped in its way.  Also, according to the students, the virtual reality training was more difficult than it looks. It showed that training was needed to manipulate robot arms to use a screwdriver, a wrench, and turn to the left or right.

Students were enthusiastic about hearing and seeing the effects of programming the robots to do tasks required. Mr. Day said his students were enthusiastic and engaged.