Mechatronics Meltdown: BBCC Event Showcases Technology with Interactive Fun
Feb. 20—MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College (BBCC) is set to host Mechatronics Meltdown on Saturday, an event designed to excite fans of the future.
“A lot of people don’t know that we actually have robots here at Big Bend,” said Justin Henley, Mechatronics Club advisor.
The event will feature high-tech robotics and mechatronics from various BBCC programs, including agriculture, computer science, manufacturing and process technology, and STEM fields.
“We are so excited to welcome the community to our Mechatronics Meltdown,” club President Anthony Simon wrote in a statement to the Columbia Basin Herald. “The event will have demonstrations and activities for all ages and will showcase some of the amazing programs Big Bend has to offer.”
Henley described a range of interactive activities planned for attendees.
“We’re going to have little drone tanks that you can play laser tag with using an iPad,” Henley said. “We’re going to have robotic arms that you can use to try to pick and place blocks. The ag department is going to have a little seed planting station where you can come and you can plant a seed and take it home with you, as well as showing off some of their technology. And I think they’re going to have an RC tracker obstacle course and some little mini drones to fly. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
This event marks the second year for the Mechatronics Meltdown. Previously, the college has organized events centered around the Raspberry Pi, a small, cost-effective computer used by students for coding.
Many of the machines on display Saturday will be controlled by Raspberry Pis, Henley noted.
“Instead of doing a Raspberry Pi event and talking about just the computer science applications of these boards, we wanted to bring the mechatronics in, the mechanical and the electrical and everything else, to show you that you can do more than play video games and write code with these boards and with technology,” Henley said.
The Mechatronics Club has approximately a dozen active members. Besides the equipment used in college programs, club members will showcase their own projects.
“They’ll have a drawing machine that they built that could be used as a router or a laser or anything else, but we’ll have it set up as a drawing machine, and then some 3-D printer modifications that they’ve done,” Henley explained.
Attendees can enjoy free cookies and coffee supplied by the club. A food truck will be available for those seeking more substantial refreshments. The event is free and open to all ages, though it’s primarily aimed at individuals aged 8 and older, according to Henley.
The club will also hold a raffle with items donated by faculty and staff. Raffle tickets can be earned by bringing a non-perishable food item or by collecting stamps at each display. The raffle draw will take place at the end of the event, and winners do not need to be present.
“Everything that we touch today has a computer attached to it,” Henley said. “What I’m talking on right now is a supercomputer and it fits in our pocket. The days of not working with technology are gone. Rather than have it be something that’s intimidating, we really wanted to showcase the ways to have fun with technology and maybe learn through having fun as well.”
