Mechanical Engineering Students Build Unique ‘Marshmallow Robot’

Kiefer Neumann ’23 ’24 M.S. places a marshmallow underneath the robot that he and his classmates built over the course of the spring semester. Their creation, dubbed "Daryl the Delta Robot" (named for one of their classmates), picks up the marshmallow and deposits it in the nearby paper cup.

Neumann and his fellow members of "Team Too" – Brian Sanfilippo ’23, Ian Robinson ’23, and Peter Violano ’23, all mechanical engineering majors, created the unique robot as part of their robotics course. While it was a hit with their classmates and professor, Neumann admits it was challenging to build.

"We were interested in doing something unique," said Neumann, who will begin pursuing his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University this fall. "The math behind it was not easy to figure out and implement, and it involved a lot of background research. But the marshmallow element was interesting."

It was Robinson who came up with the idea for the robot. Each team member tackled a different part of the project. By spring break, Team Too had approximately two thirds of their project completed. Not only did their "marshmallow robot" have to work, it also had to "look cool." They settled on a theme that reflected the colors, fonts, and theme of the construction equipment company Caterpillar.

"We wanted to make it interesting for our class," explains Robinson. "That’s why we wore vests for our presentation and went with the construction theme. It was lots of fun to decide on the colors and pick the theme."

Although the robot could pick up a marshmallow with a claw – much like a claw crane that can pick up a child’s toy at an arcade – and do it with style, the process wasn’t easy. Robinson says they spent many long nights working on the robot.

Unlike the claw that could grasp a marshmallow, the students learned not to have too firm of a grip on their expectations of what their final prototype would look like. As they modified their robot from one that could grasp a marble to one that could pick up and transport a marshmallow, the assignment taught them how to be flexible. They say that, from the Computer Aided Design (CAD) modeling to the coding, the project taught them to adapt.

"We learned not to leave the coding to the end," explains Robinson. "It seems straightforward, but it’s not. You can’t wait. We had several failed design attempts, and the entire top part is different from what we had a week before."

The students’ professor, Cheryl Li, Ph.D., was impressed by the students’ work. While she has seen a variety of innovative and creative projects, she says this one stood out.

Dr. Li, who holds doctorates in mechanical engineering and in educational psychology, is a strong proponent of project-based learning, a student-centered approach that emphasizes active and hands-on learning. She encourages her students to collaborate and problem-solve.

"Over the years, I’ve constantly been amazed by the innovative and entertaining project ideas that my students come up with, such as this marshmallow-picking robot," she said. "I believe project-based learning promotes increased engagement and motivation, deeper learning, and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. I am convinced this method is beneficial in preparing students for real-world challenges and encouraging lifelong learning."

The members of Team Too say the project has already been beneficial. Neumann, Sanfilippo, and Robinson also collaborated on their capstone project as part of a multidisciplinary team. In addition to the many marshmallows they ate while working on and demonstrating their robot, they took away some valuable experiences that they believe will prepare them to excel long into the future.

"It was a great opportunity to work with other mechanical engineering majors and to manage deadlines," said Sanfilippo. "Everything about this was valuable. Plus, designing the claw was fun, as well as challenging."