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Ask the Experts - Robotics

WPI Venture Forum
May 11, 2010
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Campus Center - Odeum C

Paul Ventimiglia
WPI Student, Robotics Engineering
Winner:
NASA Regolith Excavation Challenge 2009

Paul Ventimiglia, of Paul's Robotics, and his team, won the 2009 NASA Lunar Regolith Excavation Challenge! The team at Paul's Robotics works on many robots for a variety of competitions and real-life challenges. The leader of the team, Paul Ventimiglia, has been working in robotics for many years and is currently a Robotics Engineering student at WPI. If you have a problem for which you would like a robotics solution developed, please don't hesitate to talk to us during the networking event at the WPI Venture Forum May 11, 2010 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Paul's Robotics began as an effort by Paul Ventimiglia to compete in Battlebots tournaments. While in high school, he and his dad, Anthony Ventimiglia, spent many hours in their basement constructing their first combat robot. "Tantrum" was entered into the Battlebots 5.0 tournament.

Paul continued working on ever-changing entries with a variety of friends with much success. In 2006, as a college freshman, he won the BotsIQ championship and has won several tournaments since then.

In 2008, Paul learned about the Regolith Excavation Challenge and formed a team with good friends and fellow roboticists to make an entry. Although the timeframe was short, a truly unique robot was created and brought to the event. No teams were able to successfully complete the challenge, so the team immediately set their sights on the following year's tournament.

Through all of this, Paul and his team have continued to successfully compete in Battlebots tournaments as well as continue to dream up a variety of different robots to solve many different issues. While their short-term goals are set on winning the Regolith Challenge, the group is poised to taking on tougher and tougher robot development challenges.

Ken Stafford
Director, WPI Robotics Resource Center
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Mechanical/Robotics Engineering
Team Leader, FIRST Robotics Team #190

Ken came to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester MA in 1994 as the department head of Aerospace Studies/Commander of the Air Force ROTC program.  Shortly after his USAF retirement, he was hired in 1998 as an Engineering Consultant to manage the major WPI student design competition teams including the WPI/Mass Academy of Math and Science FIRST robotics team (#190).  Under his leadership, mentorship of this team has grown to become one of the most popular student activities at WPI.  Since his arrival, the team has been rewarded with more than 60 local, Regional, and International awards and trophies—culminating in the 2007 World Championship. 

With a BS in Mechanical Engineering and MS in Aeronautical Engineering, he is currently assigned as Director of the new Robotics Resource Center.  He is a key member of the interdisciplinary team that developed the Robotics Engineering curriculum and established WPI’s new RBE bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degree programs.  He teaches both high school (on-campus summer courses) as well as undergraduate robotics courses and is a sought-after academic advisor to undergraduate and graduate robotic projects.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: May 07, 2010 11:00:09