GIFTS: Using Robotic Arm Project to Introduce Students to Engineering Design Through Experiential Learning

The purpose of this GIFTS paper is to propose a unique idea to introduce students to experiential learning through the use of industrial-based robotic arms in a first-year course. In Fall 2024, this project based learning (PBL) idea was piloted as a comprehensive lab module and a group project in two sections of a multidisciplinary first-year engineering design course. Through the use of robotic arms, students are exposed to coding, optimizing the routing of the arm, and creating full simulations of the program. As part of this lab-based course, students learn 3D modeling using SolidWorks for the first six weeks and then work on this robotics module for the next four weeks, followed by a final project utilizing the skills learned in the course. Through collaborative work and guided MATLAB exercises, students learn how to move the robotic arm through cartesian movement, joint movement, and gripper controls. At the end of the module, students will be able to create a pick-and-place protocol inside MATLAB, which creates a full simulation of the movement, outputting it to the arm and completing the pick-and-place protocol on the arm itself. This lab project helps students get familiarized with the engineering design process while working on an engaging project. Preliminary feedback from students has been positive, and students have mentioned that they loved working on this project as it exposed them to the world of robotics and coding in a very interactive way. The goal for this GIFTS paper is to share this idea with the first-year instructional community and gather feedback on how to improve it for the future. In the upcoming semesters, we plan to expand this offering to more sections and gather more data, such as student surveys and other assessments, to see the effectiveness of this idea while building out modules around vision and machine learning.