The rescue robot dog model convinced 18 judges of the prestigious international competition not only by its features but also by its humanity when applied to life.
At the Intel ISEF International Science and Engineering Competition held in the US in May 2023, Le Minh Duc, a 12th grade math major, and Le Nguyen Trung Kien, a 12th grade IT major from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC), confidently expressed their love for scientific research and passion for creativity. The four-legged robot model to support search and rescue of people (rescue dog robot) in landslide areas was one of 12 science and technology projects that surpassed 1,200 other projects to win the special prize in the robot and computer category.
Minh Duc (right), Trung Kien (left), with a robot dog with flat feet that won a special award at the international science and engineering competition - Intel ISEF 2023
MISSED AN ICE CREAM BUT FOUND A SOULMATE
Studying in two different specialized classes, they never talked but coincidentally, when they went down to the cafeteria to eat ice cream, around the beginning of grade 11, these two male students met each other. At that time, Le Minh Duc, a male student in the specialized math class, passed by the Science Research Club and saw the image of a "warrior" in the robot competition Le Nguyen Trung Kien, a specialized IT class, highly focused on programming and controlling a robot to solve the task of taking care of patients in the hospital. Minh Duc saw that Trung Kien had the same passion and research goals, so he "missed the ice cream" to become... soulmates from the research room, as Duc shared.
Since then, the two male students of two specialized classes at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted have been eating, studying, and researching together. Talking about the idea to research and create a rescue robot dog model, Trung Kien said that it originated from the landslide at Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant (Thua Thien-Hue), where mud, soil, and rocks collapsed, paralyzing traffic and causing rescue work to encounter many obstacles, leaving 30 people missing, shocking the whole country. "We thought about researching a four-legged robot that could move into landslide areas and difficult mountainous terrain that humans could hardly access to rescue and rescue in time," Kien said.
From the idea, with his strengths, Trung Kien researched the actual terrain, geology and mission-solving features. Minh Duc deployed the assembly and operation model to create a robot dog with the mission of scouting with cameras and carrying things. The new point of this model is that the robot has flat feet, and can move on mud in landslide environments.
Minh Duc and Trung Kien are becoming the "spiritual guardians" of the Scientific Research Club of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted.
ROBOT DOG WITH FLAT FOOT
To get to the model as it is today, these two students said they had to "destroy and rebuild" dozens of times. Researching the strengths and movement characteristics from land animals to underwater animals to create the robot dog's feet, with his English ability, Trung Kien researched many documents around the world to optimize the ability to move.
The rescue robot dog's feet were designed with a duck-like structure so that it could swim underwater, while the mesh membrane could increase the contact area on the mud surface. However, in a mud and rock landslide environment, the feet must have the most optimal stiffness to ensure the movement process. So Trung Kien and Minh Duc designed and modeled the foot mesh, a spring suspension system based on the scale structure of the Pirarucu fish (scientific name Arapaima Gigas), known as the "bulletproof vest" fish in the Amazon. "Not only can the robot dog move without sinking in the mud and soft soil surface, but it also demonstrates its "bulletproof" ability, when we use many sharp objects to challenge it without being injured," Trung Kien shared.
The flat-footed robot dog is a novelty compared to the robot models participating in the Intel ISEF 2023 competition.
Kien and Duc said that in the future, when they have more access to technology and are trained at higher levels, they will develop robots with new versions and more diverse and rich features.
Le Minh Duc is one of 14 Outstanding Young Citizens of Ho Chi Minh City 2023 voted by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union. Minh Duc not only shines with outstanding and admirable academic achievements and scientific research but is also an inspiring example for many other young people with his efforts and simple deeds.
Spreading love and passion for scientific research
Returning from the competition, with a special award for the new features and humanity of the research topic, two students from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted said: "There is nothing but passion and nurturing love for scientific research".
Be confident and pursue your passion is the motto of Trung Kien and Minh Duc.
"If you don't have passion, it's hard to pursue research, exploration and creation for a long time. When you don't love it, you will feel like it's too long and you won't want to continue. But if you like it, you can pursue it for a long time and always find ways to nurture it. Besides, the environment is also a very important factor. When I see people around me who also have "fire", passion, and challenge themselves, I will follow suit," Kien said about his will to nurture his passion.
Not only nurturing their passion for pursuing the idea of creating robots for daily life and supporting people, Duc and Kien also spread their love for scientific research. Now, the two "seniors" Minh Duc and Trung Kien are becoming the "spiritual leaders" of the Scientific Research Club of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted. "When you have a passion, you should confidently pursue and commit to the things you love. We have the right to make mistakes and the freedom to fail, but the important thing is what we realize after those mistakes. Just be confident and pursue it," Duc shared.
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