Engineeering Education Resulting in Skilled, Inventive and Innovative Professionals, How?

The use of robots in all areas of production increases continuously. At the same time the robots are used to solve more and more complex tasks. Engineers have to develop, design and implement these complex robots. In this paper we present the idea of combining the theory and exercises with project- and team-work. Our goal is to ensure that the students understand complex and abstract mathematical approach to Control Theory through lectures, simulations, exercises and robot project. Motivation to study mathematical content of control theory increases when theoretical problems are related to robot project and teamwork help them to design working model. However, the future engineers have to deal with problems requiring skills to understand complex abstract mathematical solutions and it is necessary to train students in problem solving. Practical exercises, simulation and project work help them to understand the problems but do not give them necessary training to develop their analytical mathematical skills. The combination of mandatory assignments including mathematical control problems with robot project gives the necessary support to develop students’ analytical skills and enhance their understanding of abstract mathematics. Examples of mandatory assignments are given. We also present students’ own evaluation of this course.

Proceedings of the 9th International CDIO Conference, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 9 – 13, 2013.