IDEA Lab Helps Local Robotics Team Reach World Championship

Lab director happy to witness the impact of the new lab sooner than expected

Sacred Heart University’s IDEA Lab hosted an open house for the FIRST Robotics teams back in December of 2019. During the open house, FIRST Robotics Connecticut director, Carol Scully and Sacred Heart professor of engineering Tolga Kaya, introduced the equipment capability to robotics students and their coaches. Wilton High School’s robotics team, Singularity Technology, were the IDEA Lab’s frequent visitors as they worked closely with lab manager Cedric Bleimling and Graham Hughes, junior at SHU School of Computer Science & Engineering, to assemble parts of their robot.

Singularity Technology’s robotic design was lacking an intricate design that could only be accomplished with high precision metal manufacturing equipment that the IDEA Lab has. With the assistance from Bleimling, Kaya, Hughes and the IDEA Lab’s equipment, Singularity Technology was able to make intricate metal pieces using the lab’s waterjet cutter landing them a spot in the robotics’ world championship.

The IDEA Lab is an 11,000-square-foot prototyping facility that promotes a problem-based, community-involved, innovative environment through digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing. The lab includes desktop and commercial 3D printing capabilities, laser cutters and computer numerical control (CNC) systems, along with assembly studios.

Singularity Technology comprises of 10 members: five are on the main team, which builds and programs the robot, and the other five are on the test and prototype team, which focuses on the development of the robot.

“We find the equipment at the IDEA Lab to be extremely valuable to our robots’ mechanisms; we would definitely like to visit in the future,” said Navod Jayawardhane, build team member and co-captain of Singularity Technology. 

“This is by far one of our biggest accomplishments at the IDEA Lab in terms of outreach. I anticipated the outcomes in a few years, but not this soon,” said Kaya.

The state championships took place at Windsor High School on Feb. 22.

Singularity Technology team members Navod Jayawardhane, left, and Rishabh Raniwala, right, with SHU student Graham Hughes in the IDEA Lab.