A mixed reality approach to undergraduate robotics education

Abstract

Teaching robotics to undergraduate students requires a course framework that allows students to learn about robotics in stages, without being overwhelmed with details. Such a framework must also provide the students with a motivating application environment that challenges them to apply what they have learned. Robotics competitions have proven to be an excellent method for motivating students, so the frame-work should be portable and robust enough to be used for competitions, and flexible enough to provide a range of envi-ronments that can become more challenging as students be-come more adept. Finally, the framework should provide re-peatability and control for evaluating the student’s work, as well as for performing research. In this paper, we overview a mixed reality approach that meets these criteria, and describe its use in an advanced undergraduate course.