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Caption: Team Autobots from WKU Mechanical Engineering finished second in 2021 ASME International Student Design Competition. Team members are (from left) Connor Stewart of Hanover, Indiana; Zane Denner of Irvington; Lauren Coolbaugh of Lexington; Evan Bratcher of Evansville, Indiana; and Brandon Wilson of Bowling Green.

Two teams of WKU Mechanical Engineering seniors successfully participated in the annual Student Design Competition held by American Society of Mechanical Engineers International. This year’s competition was held virtually with teams demonstrating performance of their creation by video submission.

The objective of the event was to design and build a remote-controlled robot that would move weights while navigating across a playing surface. Power was to be provided by a single AAA battery capable of being recharged while on the robot through solar or wind energy.  

Team Decepticons -- Colby Buelow of Bowling Green, Matthew Coolidge of Elizabethtown, Brenden Lyon of Bowling Green, Justin Phillips of Crestwood and Casey Busch of Louisville -- had a robot that moved through the initial brackets of the competition before being eliminated in the international event. 

Team Autobots -- Lauren Coolbaugh of Lexington; Connor Stewart of Hanover, Indiana; Brandon Wilson of Bowling Green; Zane Denner of Irvington; and Evan Bratcher of Evansville, Indiana -- had a robot that progressed through the elimination rounds and into the final four. This team went on to win second place in the international competition.

Faculty Advisor and Professor Chris Byrne said the WKU mechanical engineering students performed admirably throughout the months leading up to and during the competition. “Student experiences in the ME curriculum prepared them well for the design competition and the entire Mechanical Engineering Faculty are proud of their accomplishments,” he said.

Contact: Chris Byrne, chris.byrne@wku.edu