The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Iowa aims to revamp its approach to the instruction of robotics laboratories. Currently, hands-on robotics instruction is provided by the Modern Robotics and Automation course. In the current form, this course teaches the basics of robot kinematics, automation, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The class has four weeks of labs that consist of learning basics of two KUKA robots, the KR 6 R700 (KORE), and the LBR iiwa 14 R820. Prior to starting each lab, students receive a manual that introduces them to robot features and provides clear expectations for the lab. Based on student feedback, the course will be divided into two separate classes so the students can gain a deeper understanding and assimilation of two main subjects, IIoT and Robotics. The IIoT course will be offered each Fall semester, and with Robotics in the Spring. The new Robotics course will be completely dedicated to teaching student’s robotics principles and gaining hands-on experience with KUKA robots. With this separation, lies an opportunity to rethink the pedagogy of hands-on robotic instruction. Thus, using the results of this study, the course will be modified for the Spring 2021 semester. 

  
The KORE is a familiar robot among the teaching assistants, in which students by the end of the semester can create their own application on the smartPAD. Those applications include stacking square blocks and drawing on a piece of paper, allowing students to get experience coding in KUKA Robot Language. On the other hand, since the LBR iiwa is a relatively new robot in the lab, students don’t have a pre-defined application or task to complete. The students get a chance to learn how to jog and to program the LBR iiwa but do not get the experience of programming on Sunrise Workbench. Since most students in the class do not have a background in Java, the teaching assistants have to spend large amounts of time to teach them the basics of the programming language. 

  
Therefore, to find the most effective way to conduct the labs, this research consists of two parts. First, since the LBR iiwa manual has not proven to be a completely effective teaching tool, we have explored different approaches by using student surveys and researching other university and manufacturer manuals. Based on the results, a custom manual was created for the LBR iiwa that contains students’ suggestions and what is necessary for each lab. Second, an application has been created, in which students will be able to learn and practice coding. Thus, with this research, we will optimize the students' experience in the class by reshaping the labs for the LBR iiwa robot.


Reshaping Robotics Laboratories by Optimizing Students Experience

Division / Sponsors: 
Aerospace, Bioengineering, Applied Mechanics, Design Engineering Division, Advanced Energy Systems, Manufacturing Engineering Division, Noise Control and Acoustics, Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Prognosis (NDPD), Nuclear Engineering Division, Process Industries Division, Fluids Engineering, Heat Transfer, Materials, Microelectromechanical Systems, Safety Engineering and Risk Analysis, Computers & Information in Engineering


Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2020/volume/84478

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