Chris Allen

MEng Mechatronics and Robotics

Why did I choose mechatronics and robotics?
I always knew for a long time prior to uni that I wanted to do some kind of engineering. Originally I planned to study pure electronic engineering; mainly because as a child I’d built simple electronic things such as a radio with my dad and that was the course my brother had done. But during A-levels I started to develop an interest in things that came more under mechanical engineering. When I discovered the mechatronics course it seemed like the perfect option to combine the two interests.

Why did you decide to study at Leeds?
I had always seen Leeds as a great university for an engineering degree. When I looked elsewhere there were some universities that taught mechatronics as a completely separate class. Here at Leeds the teaching is split between the two schools of mechanical and electrical engineering and you are in the same lectures with other relevant courses. As this is exactly what the course is (a 50/50 split between the two areas) that appealed to me much more than being taught separately

So far what has been the best part of the course?
One of the great things about this course is the mixture of skills you get; having knowledge over both aspects of engineering puts you in a great position to contribute to wide area of tasks. The most enjoyable parts are the variety of hands on labs and projects from metal work with lathes and milling machines to building electronic circuits on PCBs. My personal favourite part has been the individual third year project. I was lucky enough to build my designed robot and it was really rewarding to see something I had spent months researching and designing actually turn into a real model!

You've undertaken a couple of summer internships whilst who have been here, tell us more...
I have done two summer internships and they are something I would recommend to everyone if you get the chance. My first was working on the ‘Djedi’ robotics project that involved designing and building a robot to explore places in the Egyptian pyramids that have not been accessed since they were built. My main job was a complete redesign on the bodywork using CAD software. Major components had to be repositioned and it was my job to find the optimum position and create the new design around these. At the same time I also had to improve the strength of the casing whilst trying not to add to the weight if possible. I contributed towards many other aspects including the initial design of a new vehicle to get round a major stumbling block in the project. My second summer internship was an EPSRC funded 10 week placement that had to be based on the very latest research, a taster of a PhD. For this I explored the current robotic snake arm technology with the aim to design and build a snake arm robot of just 12mm diameter with as long a length as possible.

One of the main skills I gained from the first placement was the use of SolidWorks (the 3D CAD software). It has given me a competency far greater than what I had from the solidworks part of the course. It also gave an insight into problems and setbacks that can occur when producing a real product. With many parts needing to manufactured or ordered in it helped me learn how to manage my time so that it is not wasted whilst waiting on these to arrive. Of course, it’s always nice to earn some money too!

I believe that having had such work experience is a massive bonus on my CV. I think being able to back up a good degree with some relevant work experience helps to make you stand out from other candidates and makes you much more employable. The experience also helped me decide the career path I would ideally like to take. As it happens, I actually came across a job opportunity that required ‘competent use of solidworks’, this is something I wouldn’t have felt able to apply for without my summer internships.

What other activities are you involved in at university?
This is now my third year as captain of the Men’s 1st Badminton squad. We have weekly training sessions and BUCS matches, but I also get involved with the organisation and running of the club as a whole. Joining a society has been a great way to meet new people and socialise outside of the course.

I also spent one year being the main coach of the whole BUCS squad. This was great on improving my confidence when delivering a coaching session to a group, but also transferred over to engineering making me much more competent at delivering a presentation about my work.

What would you say to students thinking of studying this course?
I have had a lot of fun during my 4 years at Leeds and I am glad I choose this course and this university. The course gives a great opportunity to experience things from programming iPhones to learning how cars handle. Don’t think just because of the name that the course is solely based around robots only! There is the odd robot specific part, but you may be surprised at how many products actually class as a ‘mechatronic system’.