The trainees visited AgileX Robotics for technical communication

On October 24, 2020, industrial design undergraduates from the School of Systems Design and Intelligent Manufacturing (SDIM) of South China University of Science and Technology, as well as postgraduate students from 2019 and 2020, went to AgileX Robotics (Dongguan) Co., Ltd. under the leadership of Professor Xiaoping Hong for on-site inspection and learning. AgileX Robotics Co-Founder, CTO, SDIM Corporate Mentor Yixuan Jiang, as well as colleagues from the R&D Department and Business Team provided the students with on-site technology demonstration and industry experience sharing.

Professor and student of Intelligent Design and Manufacturing (SDIM) from South China University of Science and Technology attended AgileX Robotics for technical exchanges.

Yixuan Jiang led teachers and students to visit the SCOUT 2.0 robot chassis production line, and through the actual operation of representative products such as TRACER (indoor AGV), HUNTER 2.0 (FRONT-STEER UGV), SCOUT MINI (high-speed off-road UGV), analyze the characteristics of each series of products, the product design process and the design points of the robot chassis.

Yixuan Jiang analyzed the characteristics of AgileX Robotics' various product series for teachers and students.

Yixuan Jiang also explained to the students that the qualities required to be a true "systems architect" must be from a business perspective, combining their own technical entrepreneurial spirit. Yixuan Jiang said that a systems architect is the instructor of the technical path and the lifeblood of the development team. A true systems architect not only has mastered textbook knowledge and solid skills, but also possesses the ability to think systematically from point to point and the judgment to grasp the truth in complex environments. They must be individuals with a strong professional background, rich practical experience, teamwork, communication skills, independent learning ability, and lifelong learning ability.

Yixuan Jiang shares the technology entrepreneurship course with students

Through this demonstration, students combined with business product examples, learned and intuitively understood user pain points and demand analysis, using design thinking to design products, product development processes, circuit design, Raspberry Pi embedded programmable logic, sensor applications, signal processing, computer vision, prototyping and iteration processes, processing and assembly methods, and the knowledge taught by the instructors in the course. All students expressed that they gained various new experiences by reviewing their course knowledge and textbook learning. This is precisely the goal of blended learning in the new SDIM engineering teaching model.

The SDIM Industrial Design specialization will officially launch in Fall 2020. This semester's learning project is "Mobile Transportation Vehicle." Students will learn and master design, machinery, materials, electronics, advanced manufacturing, and other disciplines throughout the process.

Students actually operate and have an intimate understanding of the essential elements of robot design.

Students visit AgileX Robotics' on-site chassis production line

At the beginning of the university's establishment, AgileX Robotics established a close cooperative and interactive relationship with the university. Its founders, Jidong Wei and Yixuan Jiang, based on their personal experience, strongly agree with the new engineering teaching model. The two young entrepreneurs were recruited as the first group of corporate mentors at the university's first "Da Vinci Challenge Camp - Winter Camp" in 2019, and have visited the university numerous times to provide guidance and exchanges on new engineering teachings. In the future, the two parties will continue to cooperate in depth in personnel training and technological research and development.