Use of Robotics in First-Year Engineering Math Laboratory
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Session F1C Use of Robotics in First-Year Engineering Math Laboratory Rod Foist and Grace Ni Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering, California Baptist University 8432 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92504 [email protected], gni@ calbaptist.edu Abstract - According to National Science Foundation was to increase student retention, motivation, and success in (NSF) research, engineering mathematics courses with a engineering. The WSU model focuses on a novel first-year laboratory (“hands-on”) component are more effective engineering math course, taught by engineering faculty, in helping students grasp concepts, than lecture-only which includes lecture, lab, and recitation. The course uses approaches. Beginning in 2008, California Baptist an application-oriented, hands-on approach—and only University (CBU) received NSF funding through Wright covers the math topics that students actually use in their State University to develop a first-year Engineering core engineering courses. Klingbeil et al reported in 2013, Math course (EGR 182) with laboratory projects. Our based on careful assessments, that the results have been new College of Engineering currently offers nine degrees encouraging [2]. They also point out that a student’s and all freshmen must take this course. The lab projects success in engineering is strongly linked to his/her success aim to illustrate key mathematic concepts via hands-on in math “and perhaps more importantly, on the ability to experiments representing each discipline. Two new connect the math to the engineering”. That is, to see the projects were introduced during the 2013-2014 school relevance of math to engineering. year. This paper reports on a trigonometry-with- Beginning in 2008, California Baptist University robotics lab. A companion paper describes a calculus- (CBU) received NSF funding through WSU to develop this themed project using electronic filters. The new type of first-year engineering math course (EGR 182) trigonometry lab runs for two lab sessions. In the first and create laboratory projects. Our new College of session, students focus on taking angle-versus-lengths Engineering offers ABET-accredited degrees in Civil, measurements with a sun-dial-like instrument and Mechanical, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, plus calipers. The simple Plexiglas “sun-dial” simulates a six other degrees. All freshmen must take EGR 182. The two-link planar robotic arm. Given an angle, students lab projects aim to illustrate key mathematic concepts via dial it onto the instrument, then measure the x and y hands-on experiments representing each discipline. lengths; or vice versa. They also create MATLAB function and script files to cross-check and validate the HANDS-ON APPROACHES TO ENGINEERING EDUCATION measurements. In session two, a computer-controlled The use of hands-on or learn-by-doing approaches is humanoid robot replaces the “sun-dial”. Students type becoming widespread in engineering education. Another in shoulder and elbow joint angles, watch the robot name for this is “problem-based” learning. The STEM Lab move its arm, then hear the robot report verbally the Report states [3]: final location coordinates of its hand. Conversely, robot “Throughout higher education in engineering, colleges are hand coordinates can be typed in to determine the requiring students to pull their gaze from a text-book to resulting joint angles. Also, MATLAB files are edited to perform real-world, hands-on, team-based project learning. create equivalent files tailored to the robot. After In short, they are teaching students to become engineers by running the new lab for two semesters, no statistical data having them work as engineers.” has yet been acquired regarding final grade Furthermore, they claim that research shows that such improvements. However, student feedback indicated a “project-based” learning works at all ages, even as early as high level of popularity with the lab. They felt that it pre-school. As an example of this, Ghalia [4] showed how showed a good real-world application of math concepts even high school geometry students’ outcomes improved by and was a “cool way” to introduce robotics. using electrical engineering hands-on projects to illustrate geometry and its importance to solving real-world problems Index Terms – lab project, mathematics with engineering in radar. Observations in the classroom also indicated applications, robotics, trigonometry greater student interest (i.e., enjoyment). Aloul et al [5] INTRODUCTION stated that first-year engineering courses often use problem- based curriculum to “…ensure that students find relevance The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded an initiative in the Physics and Math courses being taken in the first two at Wright State University (WSU), circa 2004, to “redefine years of engineering.” the way engineering mathematics is taught”[1]. The goal 6th First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference August 7 – 8, 2014, College Station, TX F1C-1 Session F1C Drawing from the above references, the key benefits of LAB PROJECT ON APPLICATION OF TRIGONOMETRY IN hands-on approaches for students are better outcomes, ENGINEERING AND ROBOTICS seeing the relevance of math (and engineering) with real- world examples, deeper understanding, more enjoyment, Historically, the trigonometry lab runs for two weeks. and persistence in engineering. Originally (without robots), in the first week, students focused on taking angle-versus-lengths measurements with USING ROBOTICS TO TEACH MATH a sun-dial-like instrument (shown in Figure 1) and calipers. Using robots to teach programming and math concepts is not new [6]. Over 40 years ago, MIT educator Seymour Papert used his “turtle robots” to teach programming. More recently, educational researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Academy have used robots to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, with a focus on math [7]. The academy’s mission is to help teachers excite their students about math and science [8]. Educational resource companies are also turning to robotics to teach math. The “RobotsLAB BOX” is an award-winning teaching aid that uses a set of robots to teach math and includes 50 specific math lessons [9]. FIGURE 1 The current paper’s contribution is to provide a complete lab THE SUN-DIAL LIKE INSTRUMENT. project that includes the use of a humanoid robot’s arm motions as a simple, fun, and enlightening real-world The simple, Plexiglas “sun-dial” simulates a two-link application of trigonometry. A computer interface program planar robotic arm (Figure 2). Given an angle, students dial for controlling the robot (described below) was developed to it onto the instrument, then measure the x and y lengths; or enable this activity. vice versa. In addition, they began to create MATLAB function and script files to cross-check and validate the EGR182 – INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS FOR measurements. The second week focused on finishing the ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS MATLAB work, and repeating any measurements, if necessary. Finally, students must write a carefully- CBU’s EGR 182 is a 4-credit course. Based on the WSU formatted lab report. model [1], it has a lecture and lab, but no recitation component. However, tutorial sessions are provided twice weekly throughout the semester. As in the WSU course, the lecture addresses only the “salient math topics” which are needed in the core engineering courses—such as trigonometry, vectors and complex numbers, systems of equations and matrices, and calculus. We use the textbook developed by the WSU authors [10]. The weekly lab session meets for 90 minutes and provides hands-on lab projects that illustrate selected math topics from the lecture material. Students work in teams of FIGURE 2 two to perform the lab experiments and write a carefully POLAR-RECTANGULAR COORDINATES FOR SIMPLIFIED TWO-LINK PLANAR formatted report. A substantial part of the lab grade is based ROBOTIC “ARM”. on the written report, since we believe that good writing is In the new lab, week one is much the same, but with important in an engineering career. A nearly-complete fewer measurements (and fewer MATLAB files required). sample lab report is provided for the first lab report, to serve However, in the second week, a humanoid robot, called as a guide to proper writing. In lab one, the MATLAB “NAO”, replaces the “sun-dial”. The robots were purchased software tool is introduced, and this tool is woven into with a grant provided by the W. M. Keck Foundation. A nearly all of the other labs during the semester. user-friendly computer interface was developed (see below) Two new projects were introduced during the 2013- so that during the lab, students type in shoulder and elbow 2014 school year. This paper reports on a trigonometry- joint angles, watch the robot move its arm accordingly, then with-robotics lab (an upgrade to an existing lab). A hear the robot report verbally the final location coordinates companion paper describes a calculus-themed project using of its hand. Students can also specify the coordinates of the electronic filters. robot hand, watch the robot move its arm, and hear the corresponding joint angles reported by the robot. In addition, students edit their MATLAB files to create 6th First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference August 7 – 8, 2014, College Station, TX F1C-2 Session F1C equivalent files tailored to the robot (which includes real- world elbow offsets not found in the “sun-dial”). Very little programming or knowledge of the robot is required, but a pre-lab assignment requires students to watch a short introductory video, read the lab assignment, and take a short on-line quiz. The key trigonometric equations from week 1 (for sun- dial), which are used or modified in week 2 (for robot), are given below (defined in Figure 2): FIGURE 3 x = x1 + x2 (1) HUMANOID ROBOT NAO - T14 MODEL. y = y1 + y2 (2) x1 = l1 cos θ1 . (3) This lab project was focused on the forward and inverse y1 = l1 sin θ1 . (4) kinematics of NAO’s left arm, with 2 DOF for the shoulder, x2 = l2 cos (θ1 + θ2) (5) 2DOF for the elbow and 1 DOF for the wrist, namely y2 = l2 sin (θ1 + θ2) .