Under the framework of SMCS"Pathfinder Program," the Origin Future Engineering Lab serves as a research laboratory centered on engineering practice and entrepreneurial spirit. Students participate in real engineering projects as "research engineers"—from defining requirements and designing solutions, to implementing mechanical structures, developing software, and debugging systems—experiencing the complete robotics development process.
GT1 is the first engineered outcome born from this system.
In just five weeks, the research team completed a "general-purpose robotic dog" prototype with basic mechanical structures and preliminary intelligent capabilities, built from discarded materials.
This time, we visited the Origin Future Engineering Lab for an in-depth conversation with Teacher Sam and the student team, aiming to uncover the real path behind this rapid growth.
Moving forward, the GT series is planned to evolve into a more comprehensive "general-purpose robotic system," featuring autonomous navigation, identity recognition, and the ability to perform complex tasks (e.g., real-world service applications).
At the Origin Future Engineering Lab, robotic prototypes are built from the ground up.
In terms of materials, the research team chose discarded wooden boards from the campus as the prototype carrier for GT1. Without an industrial shell or standardized components, the structural design gained greater freedom and openness.
Lacking standardized parts, the team had to handle cutting, drilling, measuring, and structural assembly themselves, building a complete mechanical system from scratch.
This is not just hands-on skill training; it is also the development of engineering decision-making ability—how to select materials, make connections, and build structures under constraints so that the system achieves basic operability.
(discarded wooden boards on the SMCS campus)
zero cost, easy to cut, available in various sizes, and perfect for rapid prototyping.
At this stage,
what they are experiencing is
prototype development in a lab setting,
not a hands-on exercise in a classroom.
Within the framework of the Origin Future Engineering Lab, a robot is not merely a single-point technical product, but a complex system supported by multidisciplinary collaboration. Behind it lie multiple upstream and downstream robotics engineering processes, including materials science and mechanical structures.
From being "assembled" to "walking stably," GT1 experienced multiple structural failures along the way, including uneven force distribution, center-of-gravity shifts, and motion-induced shaking.
Through repeated investigation, the research team gradually pinpointed the root cause in the structural design itself and accordingly launched a new round of iteration:
Redesigning leg structures to expand the support area
Adding anti-slip pads to the feet to improve contact stability
Continuously optimizing connection methods to find better load paths
On site, to address the issue of an unstable center of gravity, the students once again attempted to make adjustments by optimizing the leg structure.
Throughout this process, the team members not only completed structural optimization but also gradually deepened their understanding of materials and structural engineering:
If the mechanical structure is the "body,"
then the software and AI system
are the "nervous system."
In the development of GT1, the team built its intelligent system around core technologies such as software, artificial intelligence, and network communication, enabling GT1 to achieve coordination between control, power, and mechanical execution, as well as basic human‑robot interaction capabilities.
As more functions were added, problems gradually emerged: command failures, incorrect actions, module conflicts, and other issues began to appear intensively.
The research team then started solving problems on their own, using AI assistance to locate issues, and systematically debugging and optimizing from code logic, communication interfaces, down to the execution chain.
Meanwhile, the mechanical and hardware teams adjusted the structure and circuits in parallel, achieving coordinated software‑hardware fixes.
On site, we also saw a familiar face—Ian. He was debugging with a teammate.
This process pushed the project
from functional development
toward system integration,
and gradually helped the team members
build cross‑module engineering thinking.
Completing a robotic dog prototype in five weeks is not the finish line.
At the Origin Future Engineering Lab, the development process of GT1 represents a complete robotics industry chain. What the team members encounter in the project is not just a single skill, but the cross‑disciplinary integration of structural design, hardware implementation, software systems, and artificial intelligence.
This is precisely the core goal of the lab—
As GT1 continues to evolve, the students' abilities grow in parallel:
from their initial understanding of materials and structures, to gradually mastering the construction and integration of electronic control systems;
from incorporating AI capabilities such as voice and vision, to understanding at a system level the collaborative relationships between different modules and developing complete system integration thinking.
At the same time, through continuous iteration and external presentations, they also begin to develop product‑oriented thinking and basic technical communication skills.
In the next phase, GT1 will continue to evolve: a robotic arm, higher load capacity, richer interaction methods (like facial expression display, face recognition) are already in the pipeline.
In the future, they may take GT1 to competitions, or on a longer path, become engineers, developers, or even enter broader technology fields.
And the starting point of all this is at the Origin Future Engineering Lab—building a real, functioning robotic system from scratch.
From a discarded wooden board to a mechanical system with preliminary intelligence, the birth of GT1 is not merely the presentation of a project outcome. It is more like a validation of a "research paradigm"—
At the Origin Future Engineering Lab,
students step into real engineering contexts as researchers,
building systems amidst uncertainty,
and forming understanding through practice.
In an era where AI and engineering are deeply integrated, the "future" is no longer just knowledge to be taught—but something that can be built from scratch, with their own hands, by a group of young engineers.
繁体
