A Multidisciplinary Model For Using Robotics In Engineering Education

Abstract

The use of robotics to provide hands-on instruction across the various disciplines of engineering and computer science is no longer the prohibitively expensive proposition it once was. With the emergence of inexpensive robot kits that encompass a background in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science, robotics can now play a central role in the education of students in these disciplines. A critical obstacle to this goal, however, is the lack of familiarity that students in each discipline have for the other fields of study, making a thorough understanding of overall robotics design principles quite difficult. This paper presents a model for multidisciplinary cooperation that alleviates this problem and elevates robotics to a potentially pivotal position in engineering education.