Last Wednesday, the STEM Racing teams Velocitron, Paragon Racing, and Proteios visited MechSpace at University College London (UCL) for an exciting day of engineering workshops and hands-on activities. The visit provided valuable insight into the design, manufacturing, and testing processes involved in STEM Racing while helping us develop new technical and teamwork skills.

The day began with presentations from several UCL Racing projects, including the Formula Student, Drone, Rover, Rocket, and Echo teams. Students learned about the challenges involved in designing and building competition vehicles and gained an appreciation for the dedication and innovation required in engineering projects.

One of the highlights of the visit was the LEGO Robotics Challenge, where teams programmed robots to navigate a course as quickly and accurately as possible. This activity encouraged problem-solving, coding, teamwork, and creative thinking in a fun and competitive environment.

During the manufacturing workshop, led by Caroline, a former STEM Racing World Finals winner with Recoil Racing, we learned about the three main manufacturing methods used in STEM Racing: CNC machining, laser cutting, and FDM 3D printing. We explored the advantages and limitations of each process and were introduced to key engineering concepts such as additive and subtractive manufacturing. We also had the opportunity to see professional CNC machinery and learn about its operation.

The final session focused on racing and aerodynamics. We learned how airflow affects vehicle performance, exploring concepts such as drag, downforce, and aerodynamic efficiency. Students identified key parts of a race car, viewed a STEM Racing track and CO₂ cartridges, and tested their reaction times using racing simulators.

A special mention to Noah from Team Velocitron who won the team a trophy for ‘Most Insightful Questions asked’.

The visit to MechSpace was an important step in our STEM Racing journey. Throughout the day, we developed skills in problem-solving, coding, communication, teamwork, design thinking, and engineering analysis. The experience helped us move beyond trial-and-error approaches and towards making informed engineering decisions based on scientific principles and real-world manufacturing knowledge.

We would like to thank the staff, students, and volunteers at MechSpace and UCL Racing for providing such an engaging and inspiring experience. We look forward to applying what we have learned as we continue to develop our STEM Racing cars and prepare for future competitions.

Team Project Managers: Steve (Paragon Racing), Phoebe (Proteios) and Isaac (Velocitron).