Hydrogen Fuel Cell Robot Project

In the winter of 2002, a group of Science Club students along with teacher Tobin Hahn and community mentor Jonathan Peakall developed the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Robot Project (HFCRP).  The students chose this project because it had not been done at the high school level.  Furthermore, the students felt that learning about fuel cells and informing others about this technology was one way to move our society toward a paradigm of sustainability. HFCRP caters to the environmental concerns of the community and fulfills a need for educational opportunities in the physical sciences. The two overall goals of the program are to promote student interest and learning in the physical sciences and to educate students and the community about sustainable energy. A grant from MUSE, a local organization, provided start-up funding for the project.

Nearly a year and a half after its inception, HFCRP has produced a fully functional robot powered by hydrogen gas.  Technically, it is a remote controlled vehicle, but will be upgraded with autonomous navigation (infrared and sonar) and a wireless camera during this upcoming school year.  The project has been a huge success, garnering recognition from many renewable energy and fuel cell enthusiasts across the world via the Internet.  Locally, Harry the Hydrobot, as the robot is affectionately called, has also been popular.  Members of the Science Club have given presentations in grammar and middle school classrooms as well as in the community.

On a recent field trip to the Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC) in Arcata, students learned that many of the problems and challenges they confront with this project are the same ones confronted daily by researchers on the cutting edge of fuel cell technology.  This real-world experience in fuel cell technology is unprecedented at the high school level.

Student responses to HFCRP have been positive.  One student said the project "...forced me to think in different ways and made me realize that there are many different options for...the future, and I could be part of them."  Another girl stated, "Even though I was only in the club for about a semester, I increased my knowledge of fuel cells and energy sources dramatically."  Along the same lines, a member said, "During the year I didn’t have a clue about how a hydrogen fuel cell worked and now I consider myself a connoisseur of fuel cells if you will.  I have gotten much valued public speaking practice and have learned about how something should be taught to others."

The development of the Sustainable Energy Technology Program through a grant from British Petroleum will help to provide students in the traditional classroom setting experience with cutting edge energy technology.