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Home Engineers’ Multidisciplinary Summer Projects Were Presented in Riihimäki

Engineers’ Multidisciplinary Summer Projects Were Presented in Riihimäki

Group 3 further developed the automation of the ice cream machine. Once the ice cream is ready, the system automatically dispenses it into a cone and presents it to the customer.

The Riihimäki campus was buzzing throughout the summer as 13 groups of engineering students in Information and Communications technology, Mechanical Engineering, and ICT Robotics worked on joint projects. At the end of July, the groups presented the projects’ stages and results, alongside practical demonstrations that were open to the public.

Student Assistant Inka Kaalikoski gave comments about the summer projects to reporter Petri Lyly from Aamuposti newspaper.

The majority of the groups consisted of students from different degree programmes. The expertise of students with varied backgrounds enriched the perspectives required for carrying out the projects and gave students the opportunity to become familiar with interdisciplinary working in practice.

Project topics varied according to the students’ skills and interests. What the groups had in common was their international composition and using English as the primary working language.

The photos show the ice-cream machine working automatically, a robot filling and emptying bottles in a loop, and a Rover robot.

Practical automation

Group 7 built a customised, modular tabletop conveyor that demonstrates an automated production line. The final version will include a belt constructed entirely from scratch, fitted with a motor, sensors for detecting items, and a PLC-based control system for the setup.

Ryhmä 7:n demoversiossa linjasto kuljetti kilonpainoista sokeripakettia käyttäjän napinpainalluksen mukaan kumpaankin suuntaan
In Group 7’s demo version, the production line transported one-kilogram packets of sugar in both directions in response to the user’s button press.

The students demonstrated their work proudly and enthusiastically. The group’s strong team spirit was evident in everything they did.

Practical work in robotics can be challenging but rewarding

Information and Communication Technology student Eemil Tuomonen particularly likes working with hardware as well as programming.

Eemil says that the lecture on machine vision given at the start of the course was particularly memorable. At the end of the project, his team, Group 4, developed an automated system for filling and emptying bottles. The bottles move along a conveyor belt and a robotic arm fills and empties them, after which the cycle starts again.

The biggest challenge during the project was the conveyor belt, which appeared to be intended for use only with a specific robot. In the end, the student group got the belt to operate reliably by switching to a different controller.

What I enjoyed most was the robot itself. This was the first time I’d had the chance to use a larger, professional-grade robot. I have previous experience with smaller educational robots from vocational college and with EV3 robots from the robotics club.

Students will continue their studies with their own degree groups this autumn with many valuable lessons and experiences gained over the summer.

Yesterday isn’t good enough for
tomorrow

At HAMK, you develop future-proof expertise. We don’t hand
you ready-made answers. We give you the skills to think,
learn, and act in a world that keeps changing. Our teaching is
shaped by instructors with real industry experience and strong
connections to companies in their fields.

Riihimäki campus offers both Finnish and English-language engineering courses, which will produce the multiskilled professionals of the future. The campus is also a home base for many of HAMK’s research activities. For example, the 3D printers and robots used in the courses provide excellent support for practical learning.