Contact: Chriss Swaney
412-268-5776

For immediate release:
March 13, 2002

Carnegie Mellon Students Host Medical Robotics Competition To Simulate New Surgical Tools

PITTSBURGH—A handful of Carnegie Mellon University engineering and computer science students will help area high school students design, build and program a robotic arm for use in a simulated surgery exercise. The event, led by engineering students Tom Lauwers and Fayette Shaw, give area high school juniors and seniors hands-on experience in problem solving skills. The seven student teams will use a Dutch-based software called LEGO's Robotics Invention System to build their robotic arm. The engineering system features a programmable microprocessor for use with various LEGO building pieces. Participants include teams from Shady Side Academy, Shaler, Taylor Allderdice, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills and Quaker Valley high schools The event sponsors are Carnegie Mellon's Medical Robotics Technology Center , Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Club and the Engineering Research Consortium. Carnegie Mellon, John Hopkins and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are consortium members.

WHEN: 2 p.m., Sunday, March 17
WHERE: Newell-Simon Atrium, Carnegie Mellon University (off Forbes Ave., Oakland)