Robot-based Learning : Toward Cultivation of Information Technology Skills for Mechanical Engineering Students

Abstract

Today there is increasing development of products in which embedded microprocessors are installed in a wide variety of industrial fields including mechanical industries. Mechanical engineers will be asked to develop such embedded systems in the future. To educate mechanical engineering students who possess information technology skills, for five years we have offered practical classes in which the students build a mobile robot with an embedded microprocessor and compete in a robot-triathlon race. The students have an incentive to program their robot to finish the race. We call this style of learning “robot-based learning.” In this paper, we discuss the efficiency of and problems in our practical classes as derived from information gained in surveys. In addition, we verify how the engineering design abilities of the students are improved through their participation in these classes.