DinoCars School Project

Engineers solve technical problems. Practice makes perfect! For 20-25 interested students from grades 9-11, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics offers the Dino-Cars workshop as part of the school project weeks "Build. Race. Analyse. Your path to becoming a technology professional".

In a nutshell: What do the participants have to do in the project?

Design a holder to use your mobile phone as a sensor system.
Create the mount with 3D printing and mount it in a suitable place on the vehicle.
Learn why rubber bands and foam make a great low pass filter.
Analyse the recorded data to determine speed, cornering speed and lap times.
Discover how AI helps to analyse the data.

Background - how did the project come about?

In the winter semester 2024/2025, Master's students on the predominantly English-language Mechatronics degree programme carried out a project with the company IFM on the topic of autonomous, self-driving agricultural and construction machinery. Under the supervision of Prof Dr Jörg Wollert, they were tasked with converting, electrifying and automating a standard pedal car within a semester as part of the Advanced Mechatronic Systems teaching module. DINO-CARS is a company from Münsterland that specialises in the manufacture of go-karts and trampolines. The Dino-Cars form a cost-effective platform for the development of drive-by-wire and autonomous electrically powered vehicles.

What is the project about?

These converted go-karts are now available for school project weeks: In the "Dino-Car-Workshop: Build.Race.Analyse. - Your path to becoming a technology pro", pupils construct a smartphone holder using CAD and 3D printing in order to use the mobile phone as a multi-sensor system for a dino-car (go-kart). Physical parameters such as speed, cornering speed and lap times are recorded and analysed using digital tools.
At the end of the workshop, the students compete in teams and individually in a go-kart race. The recorded data is optimised and analysed using AI and both the winning team and the best-placed individual are determined. Both winners receive a printed mobile phone holder as a prize, which they can later attach to their own bike, for example.

What basics are taught to the participants?

The workshop teaches the basics of technical design, data acquisition and data analysis. Concepts such as low-pass filtering (rubber bands and foam) and initial approaches to artificial intelligence are used in the analysis. The project combines technical practice with modern digital methods and thus creates a direct link to professional practice in engineering and technical professions. The project thus serves to provide career and study guidance and is tailored to the following STEM professions:

Mechatronics engineer
Mechanical engineer
Technician - mechanical engineering
Computer scientist - computer engineering
Industrial engineer (subject area: mechanical engineering)

What is the timeline?

The students spend two days of the project week in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics at FH Aachen: one day in the CAD/CAM laboratory (design) and one day in the GoetheLab for Additive Manufacturing (3D printing). They not only learn how to plan, design and manufacture a technical product (= mobile phone holders) on modern 3D printers, but also gain an insight into university life. A visit to the student dining hall (Mensa) is also included at lunchtime.

Sample agenda for a project week

Monday, 8:00-13:30: Introduction to the topic
Tuesday, 8:00-13:30: Planning / construction of the mobile phone holder with CAD
Wednesday, 8:30-15:30: GoetheLab, FH Aachen: 3D printing of the mobile phone holder
Thursday, 8:00-13:30: Attachment of the holder, data analysis, test runs
Friday, 8:00-13:30: Dino-Car race, evaluation

The project therefore takes a total of 29 hours (minus 1 hour lunch break on Wednesday).

History:

Participating schools:

30 June - 4 July 2025: Inda-Gymnasium, Aachen

Dino-Cars School Project