Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Day 14: Presentations in Zurich

After a grueling brainteaser by Professor Michael to start off the day, the gang all went down to robot laboratory in the basement to work on coding proximity sensors.
After a grueling brainteaser by Professor Michael to start off the day, the gang all went down to robot laboratory in the basement to work on coding proximity sensors.

The class split into groups of two and were given the task of calibrating a robot with built-in proximity sensors so that the robot could avoid obstacles in front of it. Some were successful, but others, like me, came so close. So close.



With an early lunch, the group took a train and a cable car to get to ETH Zurich to see some presentations on students’ senior projects. This university is ranked number one in Europe, and number three in the world, so these presentations were bound to be impressive, and let me tell you, they were.



The first group to present invented a physical simulator for catheter-insertion surgery. This simulator mimicked ultrasound video projection as well as the human body itself, including the beating of a heart of a human heart valve using mechanical parts.



All the other presentations were equally impressive, ranging from a plane that harnessed wind energy, to a self-balancing package-delivery robot, to a plane that could fly in the air and dive into the water and start swimming.



After the presentations, the students split up with some staying to sightsee in Zurich, and others going home to get free dinner from the cafeteria. Anyone who knows me knows that I chose the option for the free dinner. The group that stayed in Zurich walked around Langstrasse and got some kebab burritos and chocolate. Ultimately, it was an intriguing and tasty day for everyone.




-- Philip N.