Ultra-Small Electric Vehicles for STEAM Education

Students need to develop a clear understanding of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) from an early stage. Mechatronics education can address the STEAM concept. However, it tends to focus on sensors, electrical systems, and electronic control rather than on mechanical or electrical engineering. Moreover, mechatronics education programs related to mechanical or electrical engineering are limited, and those available are designed for university-level learners and assume prior foundational knowledge. Therefore, this study aims to develop a mechatronics teaching material primarily for junior and senior high school students to help them learn the contents of STEAM connected to information technology, data science, and AI systems based on mechanical or electrical engineering. A small one-seater electric vehicle (EV) powered by cost-effective ultra-compact low-power batteries is designed and manufactured. A C-language program is uploaded into a microcontroller, and the control circuit is implemented in the EV. Subsequently, driving tests are conducted using six Evolta AA rechargeable batteries (7.2 V and 1.05 Ah in total) as the power source. Using the on/off controller, the vehicle travelled 1,460 m. A pulse width modulation controller enabled the vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 0.45 ms -1 and come to a stop after travelling 3 m. The program was executed 326 times. These results demonstrate the suitability of EV for classroom use. Finally, an example application of the teaching material in high school engineering education was presented.