Students participate in a robotics design workshop hosted by Cowbots Robotics at the Engineering building on the Edinburg campus/Vaquero Radio
Cowbots Robotics hosted a two-hour workshop Thursday on the Edinburg campus aimed for members and students.
The organization introduced them to Onshape, a cloud-based computer-aided design platform used to create and develop mechanical parts and robotic systems.
The workshop aimed to teach students the basic features of the software and how it can be used to design components for robotics competitions.
Eduardo Bello, president of Cowbots Robotics, said the organization’s unique essence makes it different than others.
“So, of course, experience is always welcome, but, like, we’re always looking for passion. That’s passion, interest and perseverance,” Bello said.
Cowbots Robotics competes in the VEX U robotics competition, where members design, build and program robots to solve engineering challenges each season.
Gilbert Saenz, external vice president of the club, said the mission and overall objective is to embrace robotics culture.
“We take anybody in. We believe that robotics is for everybody, and our mission is actually to spread robotics all over the RGV,” Saenz said.
In addition to competing, members of the organization regularly volunteer and mentor younger students interested in robotics and engineering.
Diego Sepulveda, the VEX coordinator for the club, explained the process behind how the club is perceived.
“But the thing that’s unique about our organization is that we’re not only doing that aspect of it, but we’re also outreaching, and we’re going to elementary schools. We’re going to middle school, high school competitions, and we’re volunteering for those events,” Sepulveda said.
Organizers said workshops such as Onshape help introduce students to tools used in real engineering environments while also encouraging collaboration and innovation.
For more information about Cowbots Robotics and future workshops, students can visit the organization’s page on V Link.
