Design of a Modular Educational Robotics Platform for Multidisciplinary Education

Abstract

Mobile robotics is inherently a multidisciplinary field due to the interaction of hardware, software, and electronics to create a machine that can sense its environment and then autonomously navigate in the world to achieve some goal or task. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, courses on mobile robotics draw students from various disciplines including computer science, computer, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering. However, teaching mobile robotics to students from multiple disciplines presents some unique challenges. For example, students in such a course may have divergent interests and skillsets. Computer science students may not take a controls course; electrical engineering students may not be familiar with kinematics; mechanical engineering students may not have electronic sensors experience. Therefore, the prerequisite knowledge and skillsets of the students will affect the course topics as well as how they are presented. These challenges also influence what types of assignments are given and how they are assessed.