Young scientists at the chair for construction machinery

As part of the science project week of the Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Gymnasium Dresden, we welcomed three 7th grade students to our chair. The students dealt with the question "How to automatize an excavator?" Thereby they should get to know how to approach a scientific problem. In a theoretical basic part, the students first learned about the structure of an excavator, the functioning of the hydraulics and different types of excavators. This was followed by an analysis of the kinematic relationships of the working equipment of a mobile excavator. In the next step, it was necessary to determine the dimensions of the working equipment for a real excavator, for which the students used a CAD program. In order to deepen the knowledge gained, a round of excavator driving and a lecture on the subject, held by Prof. Will, could not be missed.

To automate an excavator, it is necessary to calculate the position of the working equipment (angle) from the target coordinates of the bucket tip. The young scientists derived these mathematical relationships and finally transferred them into a program code. The result was a program with which an excavator model could be inversely controlled. Finally, the students presented their results in a lecture at school.

We enjoyed working with the students and are looking forward to continuing the project next year.