Next kickoff: TBD (not planned yet)
What is HARPA?
A free-form robotics club for all amateur and aspiring robotics hobbyists. The formfactor, technologies and approach to building robots is completely up to each team or individual. We just provide a nice place to work on your hobby robotics projects.
An introductory tutorial project is meant to offer a guiding goal to build towards, but it is merely a helping hand in the process of building freeform hobby robots. Many participants build cool conceptual robots for the heck of it without specifically tackling the challenge. The goal is building cool robots!
How is HARPA organised?
Every Thursday evening after 17:00, the HARPA-ers gather at their leisure at the Hanze Makerspace to work on their robotics projects. The Makerspace sponsors you with components, tools, space and guidance. Need components, prints, lasercuts, crafting materials, or else? Let de Makerspace know and we’ll go fetch it (within reason). Want to take it all home after you’re done with it? Source the majority of your own parts directly or you can compensate us for part of the total cost of just the parts.
The evenings are open, there are soemtimes workshops for newer members and coaching available to those in need from the group of lecturers that likes to hobby on robotics just as much. It’s organized by a bunch of robo-curious teachers, for anyone who wants to share that hobby!
Why does HARPA exist?
Robotics is an inspiring, practical and generally awesome way to get more hands-on with technology. It’s a domain that combines electronics, mechanics, programming and many other disciplines together into exciting physical end products. A perfect opportunity to learn through experimentation we thought.
While many robotics clubs may choose a formal international competition as their end goal, we wanted to keep it a little more open; keeping the challenge in-house allows robots to be more freeform, more creative and more experimental!
That doesn’t mean competition participation is out of the question! But we want to draw more people into the hobby first.
Can I join HARPA?
Sure! Any student or staff member of the Hanze or RUG can join in on the fun. Technical background or not, we provide the same opportunity to all students to start experimenting with robotics. Engineering-focused students are very welcome to come put their technical skills to the test, as much as any social-, sports-, legal-, business- or otherwise background students are welcome to take their first steps into the field.
Just show up or contact us at makerspace@org.hanze.nl with questions. We’re in the Makerspace 3D printer space every Thursday after 17:30ish
You’re invited to the weekly build nights, the club Whatsapp group and receive regular HARPA updates and support from the Makerspace team!
Meet the Bots
Since May 2023, the HARPA roboticists have been hard at work creating a team of clever, cute and crazy robots. Wheeled, legged and propellored frames fly, drive and walk across the makerspace every thursday evening getting ever better and better at their tasks. Take a look!
Hexawheel
Bicopter
Foambot
Omnibot
Hexawheel
