Garrins Metàl·lics team

Origins linked to the degree in Mechatronics Engineering

The first Garrins Metàl·lics team was formed in the 2012-2013 academic year and was made up of students from the Faculty of Sciences, Technology and Engineering (FCTE) of the UVic-UCC. Over the course of these years, the main participants have been students from the degree in Mechatronics Engineering. In the degree, they gain skills in the construction of mobile robots for recreational and industrial applications, or in research on collaborative robotics in industrial environments. Other participants are students from the former degree in Electronic Engineering and the current degree in Multimedia. Applications and Video Games.

Beyond robotics

Having a robotics team in the University means that technological challenges can be posed to a group of students interested in this field, beyond the theoretical and applied knowledge that the degree studies already provide. Pau Gardela, a team member, notes that “the learning we obtain is very varied.” He considers that “the best thing is that we can consolidate all the knowledge gained during the course by practicing and dedicating time to it”.

Juli Ordeix pointed out that, in addition, “tournaments promote entrepreneurship, and values such as teamwork, creativity, effort and solidarity.” It is, he said, a perfect complement to the training of future professionals, since “students end up with a profile that is of great interest to companies, given that they know how to tackle complex problems to find an appropriate technological solution for them, which helps them to face real challenges.” These skills enrich the curriculum vitae of graduates in Mechatronics Engineering, who are already in high demand, as evidenced by their employability figures: almost 9 out of 10 students are in work six months after completing their studies.

Finally, having the Garrins Metàl·lics team has advantages for the University, “because it helps to spread information about mechatronics and the corresponding degree in a fun and interesting way,” concluded Ordeix.

Over the course of these ten years, a total of 47 students have passed through the team, of which only 12 are girls. “This is a real reflection of the imbalance that exists between men and women in the field of technology and engineering; there is, therefore, a lot of ground to cover in this regard,” pointed out the team coordinator.

The day to day of the team

Asked what the day-to-day life of Garrins Metàl·lics is like, Marc Genevat, professor at UVic-UCC and coach of the team, said that the tasks are very diverse and depend a lot on the stage of the season. “At the beginning it is very important to know the rules of the annual competition challenge well, and to come up with different strategies,” Genevat stated. Then, the process of designing the robots and their systems begins. In parallel, the competition field is constructed and the elements that will make up the systems are defined. The work is divided between the members of the team. He added that “first the systems need to be programmed, so that the routines that the robots will execute in the competition can then be programmed.”

The coach also noted that apart from the development of the robots, it is important to manage and get sponsors for the team to cover the costs of purchases and the trips to the competitions. Other aspects that need to be managed are social networks, the events in which the team participates and the audiovisual material for the competition (posters, videos, etc.). In short, “creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and communication are fundamental aspects of the team's day-to-day life,” concluded Genevat.

Team members have the facilities and tools needed to develop the competition robot, and a room for management tasks and meetings. The team’s robot is the Garrinator, which has undergone significant evolution over the years, resulting in the different versions.