Professor Arlo Caine has recently established the Applied Math Lab where students get real-world, hands-on learning, applying what they’ve learned in class. He said, “I thought it would be awesome if math students could engage with devices like a robot arm.” Caine had the support of Department Chair Swift in converting a conference room into a lab. With some grant money, he bought a 3D printer and robot arm. Then, while at a robotics trade show, Caine met the CEO of Carbide 3D, an engineering alumnus who donated a Shapeoko 3D CNC Router. Students will get the experience of writing their own software for the CNC router.
Caine has been on the advisory board of Kane Robotics since 2019. Their mission is to build robotic tools for people to automate dull, dirty, and/or dangerous tasks. For his sabbatical spanning 2023 to 2024, he worked as a consultant, basically filling the role of a senior engineer in product development. He built a robot weld grinder with a vision tracking system that allows it to follow a variable weld. “I got the whole perspective, from writing code, to machining parts, to assembly - even talking with customers about the products. Now I can use that experience to advise our students,” Caine said.
One of the students working in the lab is a mechanical engineering major. He's creating a drawbot. It’s a two-axis robot that can draw. It’s more challenging than it sounds. There are two servos and they require computations to solve what rotational motion is needed to duplicate lines. “You have to translate math into computer code that can execute movements,” Caine said. That’s applied math.
Graduate student Blaine Behen is working on his thesis project to optimize automation tasks using collaborative robots. He shared, “Currently we’ve been working on ‘computer vision’ and creating a 3D scanner. We’re using a depth sensing camera that takes pictures while it is rotated around an object by a robot arm. The photos are meshed together using linear algebra and coding via Python to create a single 3D scan that can then be printed with a 3D printer to scale. The project also involves creating de-noising algorithms for more accurate scaling.”
“This research project has been one of the most important experiences of my education thus far. This has meant exposure to valuable mathematical ideas, technologies, equipment, and most importantly, guidance. Because of the innovative and practical ideas of Professor Caine, I'm confident this experience will translate well towards my professional career,” Behen said.
Senior Sylvia Wagner is planning to go to graduate school and teach math. Caine has tasked her with explaining how students are using the lab and developing outreach materials. “I helped prepare a hands-on activity exploring 3D surfaces and I'm editing the Applied Math Lab's website,” Wagner said.
She said, “Working in the Applied Math Lab has given me the opportunity to learn a lot about the many different projects that my peers are investigating in the lab, to practice and explore different ways to explain mathematics, and to help prepare the lab for future students.”
Professor Arlo Caine joined Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics in 2011. His empathy and openness to learn helps him connect with students. He was honored with a College of Science Distinguished Teaching Award in 2022 where he shared his teaching philosophy, “I look for ways to experience being a student.”
