The Development and Introduction of a New Bachelor of Science Degree in Robotics Engineering at Lawrence Technological University: a Review of the ﬁrst Two Years

Paper ID #9803

The development and introduction of a new Bachelor of Science Degree in Robotics Engineering at Lawrence Technological University: A review of the ﬁrst two years

Dr. Robert W Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Robert W. Fletcher joined the faculty of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Lawrence Techno- logical University in the summer of 2003, after several years of continuous industrial research, product development and manufacturing experience. Dr. Fletcher earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington, a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Systems from Lawrence Technological University, in Southﬁeld, Michigan, and the Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Chem- ical Engineering focusing on Electrochemical Engineering, both from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. He teaches a number of alternative energy courses and is leading LTU’s efforts to establish a full energy engineering program that addresses both alternative and renewable energy systems, as well as energy conservation and optimization of traditional energy systems. He also is the Director of the Alternative Energy program at Lawrence Tech and serves on the faculty advisory board for the Robotics Engineering Program at Lawrence Tech. Page 24.1195.1

c American Society for Engineering Education, 2014 The development and introduction of a new Bachelor of Science Degree in Robotics Engineering at Lawrence Technological University: A review of the first two years

ABSTRACT: Robotics engineering, long considered a composite of various engineering disciplines, has developed over the past two decades to where it now has identifiable areas of technical focus, as well as scientific engineering expertise, and is now becoming a focused discipline in its own right. We find that industry now specifically seeks engineering talent concentrated in the robotics field possessing multidisciplinary skills and systems understanding. Also, students entering university engineering programs now often have developed great interest and understanding in robotics due to their participation in competition programs such as First Robotics and Robofest. Because of this voiced need from industry and interest possessed by entering engineering students Lawrence Technological University developed a new multidisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in robotics engineering. The degree was launched in the fall of 2011 with direct support and input from Lawrence Tech’s math and computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering departments. The robotics engineering degree is currently administered through the Lawrence Tech mechanical engineering department. In this paper the author reviews the approach used to develop the overall objectives of the degree, the challenges of curriculum development and its structure, and how to negotiate through the difficult decisions required when selecting what the most critical multidisciplinary aspects of each of the three supporting departments without the risk of academic technical content dilution.

Also reviewed in this paper are several other important aspects encountered in the development of this new degree such as benchmarking of other programs, the seeking, collection and incorporation of industry input and their partnerships, the approval of this new program through the university’s “new programs” approval process, the recruitment of current and new faculty to support the program, and strategy currently employed for addressing assessment and eventual ABET accreditation of the program. Each of these aspects is a great challenge for any new program, but due to the complexity and the interdepartmental multidisciplinary requirements of a robotics engineering program great care and effort was made to assure that the foundational aspects of the program such as projects, research, and student learning were all complementary to current and future success of the program. The author also discusses innovative approaches used in teaching within this program. The perspectives and impact of multidisciplinary designs, approaches, and experiences of the robotics engineering degree program on constituents including students, faculty, administration, career services and employers are also reviewed. Lastly, documented feedback from students is also provided that give their perspective on the program.

Introduction:

In the fall of 2011 Lawrence Technological University launched a new Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering degree. This degree is currently managed and administered in the A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Tech, and was done so because the mechanical engineering department has the most experience at the university with administering new engineering programs, has the most faculty involved in robotics research, and was formally Page 24.1195.2 asked by the college of engineering to develop and lead the program. Faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering and computer science departments, however, each extensively contributed to development of the program curriculum. Faculty from these departments now also teach required specific courses from within their own respective departments as well as the new integrated core-courses required for this engineering degree. The BS in Robotics Engineering at Lawrence Tech is one of three known such degrees in the United States, the other two being Worchester Polytechnic Institute, the first to offer a BS in Robotics Engineering, and University of California Santa Cruse, that also initiated a BS in Robotics Engineering degree in the fall of 2011.

Starting any new degree or program at a university can be a daunting undertaking. This is especially true for a cross-functional degree involving three separate departments, which were the mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and the computer science departments. Fortunately, the initial impetus and evolution of this degree was simultaneously envisioned and embraced by both faculty from the various academic departments and the administration at Lawrence Tech. Because of this joint interest the development of a robotics engineering degree the effort became an objective of the 2011–2016 Lawrence Technological University College of Engineering Strategic Plan. Clearly, this joint acknowledgment of the need for and value of a robotics engineering degree by Lawrence Tech faculty and administrators has contributed to its rapid development and implementation. The process of creating and realizing this new degree at Lawrence Tech has been both challenging and rewarding. This paper reviews the approach in developing the degree, and the progress made two years into its existence.

Background - Robotics at Lawrence Tech:

Lawrence Technological University is located in Southfield, Michigan, two miles directly north of the City of Detroit, and was founded in 1932 with direct assistance from Henry Ford. This close proximity to the “Motor City” has created a long-standing affiliation with the automotive industry and to the industrial base supporting the design, development and manufacturing of wheeled vehicles. Manufacturing, automation and robotics have long been critical components of a competitive automobile industry and Lawrence Tech has educated engineers in support of these areas since the school’s creation. Over the years Lawrence Tech has supported manufacturing and automation systems development at Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation, and “the factory of the future” at General Motors.

In the late 1990s various Lawrence Tech faculty members began significant work in robotics, automation, unmanned vehicles and mechatronics. Much of these efforts were in collaboration with industry partners. In 2000 Dr. C.J. Ching began the Robofest® competition for middle school and high school students. 1 Robofest® is a robotics competition where students develop and program small autonomous robotic systems to undertake a specific task in a competitive environment. By 2003 Lawrence Tech computer science student teams began competing in the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) primarily sponsored by the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Since then Lawrence Tech has competed every year in the IGVC competition, and has fielded multiple, independent autonomous vehicle teams, in some cases from various colleges within the university, in the Page 24.1195.3 IGVC competition. In parallel to these efforts members of the Lawrence Tech mechanical engineering department’s industry advisory board began to inquire about and request the development of a possible degree in robotics engineering. In 2003 the mechanical engineering department partially responded to these requests by establishing the Master Degree in Mechatronics, with a broader emphasis than just robotics. At the same time significant work was underway in the US military developing unmanned and autonomous vehicles. 2 Lawrence Tech has had many connections and development activities over the years with the United States Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the Detroit Arsenal, both of which are located in the Detroit, Michigan metro area. Also, Lawrence Tech received significant research TARDEC funding in the mid-2000’s for alternative energy storage and power systems in autonomous wheeled robotics. Over the years TARDEC has had great interest in robotic systems development, and continues to communicate this to Lawrence Tech.

By 2007, as a result of these many related robotic, automation and autonomous vehicle development activities, it became clear to Lawrence Tech faculty that the research, design and development of robotic related mechanical, electrical, computer and software systems where in many ways unique, and could not be easily grouped into the traditional and often separate sub- disciplines of mechanical, electrical, computer and software engineering. It was also evident to faculty that regardless of whether the robotic system was an autonomous unmanned vehicle, a self-teaching robot on the assembly line, or a surgical robot in the operating room, there were many over-lapping commonalities, related problems and similar engineering challenges that were particularly specific to those robotic systems. The integration of mechanical hardware, sensors and sensor fusion, the need for signal processing, controls, appropriate software structure and algorithms, and the needed consolidated computer processing and embedded systems all pointed towards the need for a robotics-specific discipline.

In parallel to these faculty activities there was a growing interest by administrators in the Lawrence Tech Provost’s office and also by the Dean of the College of Engineering Dean, Dr. Nabil Grace, to expand engineering programs into new areas. Based on previous and current faculty research work, industry desire, and the growing student interest in robotic competitions at Lawrence Tech a robotics engineering degree was gaining viability. By early 2010 and at the request of the Dean of the College of Engineering, Lawrence Tech formed a faculty exploratory committee to assess the possibility of offering a BS in Robotics Engineering. The committee was comprised of faculty members from mechanical engineering, computer science and electrical and computer engineering. Thus, the efforts to start a BS in Robotics Engineering degree at Lawrence Tech were initiated.

Robotics engineering as a stand-alone engineering discipline:

One of the questions discussed at great length within the Lawrence Tech faculty robotics exploratory committee was if robotics was a legitimate engineering discipline, or if it is merely a composite of multiple interdisciplinary engineering fields, and should best be left as such. This concern is not unique. Recently Enrique Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering at UC Davis, commented that he does not feel a formal robotics engineering major is necessary at this time. 3 The issue of robotics being an interdisciplinary field is well documented. 4 Several Page 24.1195.4 universities have used robotics courses and projects to emphasis the importance and to help develop interdisciplinary student activities. 5-8 Universities have also used robotics as a method of introducing first-year students to the broad discipline of engineering and for improving student retention. 9-12 But these do not necessarily answer the question of robotics as being a distinct engineering discipline.

Probably the most critical aspect of developing any new bachelor of science in engineering degree program is if there are meaningful, long-term opportunities for students after they graduate from a program. In other words, does the degree fill a legitimate need and provide viable long-term opportunities for the graduates of the program? The exploratory committee was well aware of the need to develop a program around an engineering science and not around a specific given technology.

The exploratory committee felt that these opportunities available to a student graduating with a BS in robotics engineering needed to be in two areas. The first required area of opportunity for graduating students must be with industry. Does industry see the need, and does it also value and desire to hire students who possess such a bachelor degree? Lawrence Tech found that in consulting with its industry advisory board members, and also with numerous representatives from industry who were not on the school’s industry advisory board that there was an overwhelming interest in graduates with such a degree. These industry contacts were from a broad and diverse set of businesses ranging from automotive, to light manufacturing, to the aeronautics industry, agribusiness, the medical field, and even the amusement and entertainment industries. Most industry representatives with whom this was discussed were very helpful and provided many worthy suggestions as to skills sets desired in graduates and the nature of the curriculum they though most beneficial. Industry clearly stated to the exploratory committee that the degree was needed, would be valued and was highly desired. But the most important way that these industry representatives voiced support for the program was with commitments to hire program students as co-op students, and also to hire program graduates. Statistics from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) back up the support of the school’s industry representatives. IFR data show continued growth (with some slight reduction in 2012) of robotic system sales in the automotive industry, the electrical/electronics industry, the rubber and plastics, metal and machinery, and all other major manufacturing industrial sectors. The worldwide market value for robot systems in 2012 was estimated to be $26 billion. 13 In addition, the Lawrence Tech Office of Career Services, the career placement support for students and companies at the school, has repeatedly been asked over the years to provide names and resumes of Lawrence Tech students with experience and background in robotics and automation systems. The level of requests for robotics engineering talent has continued to grow each year. 14

The second area of opportunity is for students was felt to be in pursuing post-graduate education in the specific discipline of robotics engineering. Fortunately there are numerous universities with Master of Science in robotics engineering degree programs, and several universities with doctorate in robotics engineering programs available in the United States. These are known and well-respected universities available to students for graduate studies, and Lawrence Tech felt that these were clear indicators of students graduating with a BS in Robotics Engineering would have ample opportunities should they wish to pursue additional robotics education after graduation.

Page 24.1195.5 Another primary aspect to answering the question if robotics engineering as a viable degree is the level of student interest in the field. There is no question that middle school, high school and college level students have a great interest in robotics. The rise of robotics competitions for these groups points to vast interest. This too, has been well documented. 15 A more recent review of this shows the increased level of interest and involvement. For example, Robofest®, sponsored by Lawrence Tech, is a variety of competitions and events where middle school and high school students design, construct, and program their robots. Since 2000, over 14,000 students have competed in Robofest®, including teams from thirteen US states, England, Canada, China, France, India, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and Singapore. 1 In addition FIRST now reports that their 2014 FIRST Robotics Competition has 2,850 teams with 71,250 high-school students (Grades 9-12), the 2013/14 FIRST Tech Challenge has 3,000 teams with 30,000 high-school students (Grades 7-12), their 2013/14 FIRST LEGO League has 23,000 teams involving 230,000 children (Grades 4-8), their 2013/14 Junior FIRST LEGO League has 3,800 teams involving 22,800 kids, ages 6 to 9 (Grades K-3) and that there over 64,000 mentors and adult supporters as well as more than 66,000 other volunteers serve as event volunteers, or operational and affiliate partners.16 This level of pre-college student interest in robotics is unparalleled and growing. Because of such student competitions new students entering Lawrence Tech over the past several years have repeatedly asked about the university starting a robotics engineering program.

The growing number of successful and well-attended collegiate robotics competitions also indicates the level of university student interest in the field. Below is a partial list of recently held university robotics competitions. Lawrence Tech teams have competed in some of these competitions. The exact number of university students involved in these competitions is not readily available, but verbal communication and personal correspondence with individuals involved indicate that five to eight thousand students participate each year in these events.

• Trinity College (Connecticut) Annual fire-fighting home robot contest • AAAI Grand Challenges that focuses on human robot interactions • The Mobile Autonomous Systems Laboratory, a university-level vision-based autonomous robotics competition • VEX U, a university level VEX Robotics Competition for university students (ages 18+). • NASA's Annual Robotic Mining Competition • DARPA Robotics Challenge • IGVC autonomous ground vehicle competition • AUVSI Foundation and ONR's International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition • AUVSI Foundation's International Aerial Robotics Competition • Marine Advanced Technology Education Center Competition • AUVSI Foundation's Student Unmanned Air System Competition

Gerard T. McKee, stated in 2007 “The bottom line is: Students want to study robotics. And the question is: What is the robotics community going to do about it? The answer is two-fold. The robotics community must define a set of bachelor’s degree programs in robotics, and to support this it must establish the robotics body of knowledge.”17 Clearly, industry and student interest are key factors. These are not, however, the only criteria for establishing a viable new engineering degree. McKee correctly points out the second requirement is for the development of a topic Page 24.1195.6 specific knowledge base. In regards to the establishment of a robotics body of knowledge, Lawrence Tech faculty reviewed this and discovered that there has been a dramatic and rapid increase in the level of published research in the field of robots and robotics, particularly since 1999. There are now over thirty prominent and respected journals in the field. Some examples of the international flavor of these journals include: The International Journal of Robotics Research (United States), Robotics and Autonomous Systems (Netherlands), the Journal of Field Robotics (United States), Advanced Robotics (United Kingdom), the International Journal of Robotics and Automation (Canada), the International Journal of Social Robotics (Germany), and the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics (Japan).

In addition, Figure 1 below documents the rapid growth of robot and robotics related journal and conference articles and conference proceedings published over two-year intervals since 1989, as provided by Compendex®. Also related to the establishment of a robotics body of knowledge is the number of dissertations and theses completed in the field. Figure 2 documents the number of dissertations and thesis (also via Compendx®) over the same time period as given in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows a corresponding rapid growth since 1999 in the field. Admittedly, the two are probably related. As individuals compete there graduate dissertations and thesis they would also typically present their work (and the work of their advisors) at conferences, and submit documented evidence of their work to journals for publication. Whatever the relation, the mounting research specifically dealing with robots and robotics strongly suggests a focused and concerted attention is now being devoted to developing a significant body of knowledge to this as a specific research field, thereby clearly beginning to fulfill one of McKee’s key requirements.

Figure 1: A Compendex® listing of “robot” or “robotics” related journal publications since 1989. The chart shows a relatively flat number of publications until 1999 when a

rapid growth in the number of technical papers can be seen. Page 24.1195.7

Figure 2: The number of completed academic dissertations and thesis in the area of “robots” or “robotics” since 1989. This chart also shows a relatively flat number of publications until 1999 when a rapid growth the number of papers can be seen.

Based on these data, there is sound evidence that the specificity of work now ongoing in the field of robotics suggests that these efforts may best be listed under its own category called Robotics Engineering. This is supported by Jacob Rosen, Bionics Lab Director and Professor of Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz who supported the creation of their stand-alone robotics engineering discipline in 2011 “This is, in a sense, the story of robotics. There is no one sub- discipline in engineering that can claim it.” 18 Because of these many reference points as well as ongoing research at the school Lawrence Tech faculty and administration came to the conclusion that there was indeed enough evidence to support the view that there is now a clear and distinct field defined as Robotics Engineering, and that a creating a bachelor of science degree in the field was now warranted.

Creating the Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering at Lawrence Tech:

Benchmarking: A benchmarking effort of robotics programs, degrees and curriculum content at universities within the US was initiated in the early summer of 2010. Numerous universities within the US offered one, or more courses in robotics. Several of these university’s websites were reviewed for general course content and the various schools offering courses of particular interest were directly contacted for details. General information was compiled regarding number of credits, lab verse lecture, textbooks, etc. When possible, course syllabi from universities were

obtained. Page 24.1195.8

At the time of this exploratory work in 2010, only one US university, Worchester Polytechnic University (WPI), recently started to offer a BS degree in robotics engineering. Lawrence Tech contacted WPI about their program. Numerous and very helpful conversations with WPI faculty and administrators were invaluable in providing detailed understanding of their BS in robotics engineering. The WPI program has now been well documented and information about their BS degree in Robotics Engineering can be found elsewhere. 15, 19-22 In December 2010 a team of Lawrence Tech faculty traveled to WPI for an on-site visit and face-to-face conversations regarding their program. WPI representatives were welcoming, supportive and more than willing to share their experiences in the development of their robotics engineering program. Lawrence Tech greatly valued WPI’s assistance and insights.

A review of available advanced degrees in robotics (both MS and doctorate) was also undertaken. The advisory committee paid particular attention to the course offerings and their content in such programs to gain an understanding of the areas of focus and knowledge base expectations for such degrees. These were very helpful in developing curriculum content in the Lawrence Tech program.

Industry partner’s input: As mentioned above, Lawrence Tech has long had a standing relationship with industry in the areas of robotic and automation systems. There are a number of industry contacts that Lawrence Tech as developed over the years that were very willing to step forward and provide substantive feedback as to what they need to see in a robotics engineering degree graduate. As could be expected, each industry partner came to the discussions with interests pertinent to their specific needs. But in general the industry representatives emphasized the need for graduates of the program to possess solid and fundamental robotic-systems knowledge, along with programming, and a sound understanding of sensors and controls within a robotic environment. Industry input and feedback was critical in the development of some of the more nuanced aspects of this degree.

Faculty knowledge base: As mentioned previously Lawrence Tech faculty had been involved with robotic systems for several years. They too have developed a substantial knowledge base regarding major aspects in the field. Faculty who had been involved in robotics research, robotics related industry projects, and who had previous automation experience were consulted, and several served on the exploratory committee, and still serve on the program's faculty advisory committee. Adjunct faculty, who also had work experience in the robotics field, were also consulted about the establishment of a robotics engineering degree. This collective knowledge base amongst faculty with meaningful, fundamental, as well as applied working experience was invaluable in developing a detailed set of baseline criteria for the program. Each faculty member brought broad, and in some cases unique knowledge to the discussions that provided critical understanding as to where knowledge gaps existed within the current education of engineers at Lawrence Tech and where students tended to be strong in their understanding of robotic systems. This was especially helpful in developing a focused curriculum content for the program.

Curriculum development: By early 2011 the faculty exploratory committee was formally converted to a faculty advisory committee to provide guidance on program curriculum development. The advisory committee met on several occasions to list the critical components of Page 24.1195.9 a robotics engineering degree based on their working knowledge, input from industry, and cross referencing from benchmarking done of other robotics programs and courses around the country. The general core curriculum of 32 liberal arts credits (discussed further in section 5 of this paper) is set and required for all students by Lawrence Tech. Typical four-year undergraduate engineering degrees in most engineering disciplines following a two-semester academic year are between 126 and 136 credits. After math and physics, software and programing courses, as well as other engineering course requirements the challenge for the advisory committee was to determine what content to include and how to integrate it into a program that did not expand the degree into a five-year degree, nor require more than 136 credits. The advisory committee also understood that the program could not essentially be just a combination of mechanical engineering/electrical engineering/computer science degrees. One simply cannot teach students everything from all of these different programs. The fundamental components of each field and how they contributed to robotics had to be extracted and distilled from each program with the curriculum then built around those critical elements. The robotics engineering degree had to be a separate and stand-alone degree while still drawing upon the strengths of each of the three departments involved. Lawrence Tech faculty well understood that developing a viable four-year program is challenging and can make one wonder if it is realistic. This is why not only the content of the program was an emphasis, but also how the content was to be delivered. It was felt that the traditional instructional methods of formal classroom settings followed up with a separate laboratory experience (which might or might not be taken by the student in the same semester) would not be an acceptable approach.

Because of these faculty concerns a consensus was reached early in the curriculum development discussions that a series of four new unified robotics courses should be the backbone of the program and that innovative instructional methods needed to be employed. These four unified robotics courses had to be both lecture and lab to most effectively assure the learning experience. The method of introducing a concept in lecture and then immediately applying it in a lab setting (often on the same day) was very attractive to faculty. This is quite innovative and new to Lawrence Tech engineering programs. Repeated cycles of lecture-then-an-immediate-lab application, lecture then lab-application, and lecture then lab-application throughout the semester was felt to be the strongest teaching method for the program and could allow for adequate material coverage in the program. One faculty member has described this process as “just-in- time learning”. Lawrence Tech provides laptop computers complete with all needed software for their entire academic period at the university. Laptop software for simulation, design and applications are used daily in the program. With the help of significant visual graphics it was felt that the ability to construct robotic systems via computer simulation was very important, and are now part of the educational aspects of these robotics courses. Also, because of the specific nature of the needed controls for robotic systems, and that Lawrence Tech did not have current courses that best fit these needs, two additional control courses were developed. These six new robotics engineering core courses are discussed in more detail later in this paper.

Degree approval process: A 36 page proposal in support of the Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering degree was written in March 2011. The proposal provided an overview of the proposed program, and among other topics discussing how the program would be marketed and outlined possible recruitment strategies, reviewed program resource requirements including staffing and facilities, and outlined an appropriate accreditation assessment plan. An Page 24.1195.10 implementation plan with a financial analysis including the projected enrollment was also provided.

The proposal was submitted to the electrical and computer engineering department, mechanical engineering department, and computer science department’s faculty for review and feedback. Once this process was completed the proposal document was submitted to the Engineering Faculty Council and then the College of Engineering Department Chairs and the College of Engineering Dean’s office for college approval.

After formal approval by the College of Engineering the proposal was submitted to the university’s Provost for review/approval and then final submittal to Lawrence Tech’s Board of Trustees for review and approval. The program was formally approved and officially implemented by the university in the late spring of 2011.

Concurrently, while the proposal approval process was underway, program laboratory space was identified with a 624 ft 2 lab area initially set aside for use. Needed lab equipment and a possible laboratory coordinator/instructor was identified. Once the program was officially approved the proposed lab space was prepared, the needed lab equipment was purchased and the lab coordinator/instructor was hired. A significant marketing effort with printed brochures, formal university documentation, and website design was undertaken by the university to publicize the new program.

The Lawrence Tech BS in Robotics Engineering:

Objectives and outcomes: There is no formal Robotics Engineering degree accreditation at this time. Accreditation of the program, therefore, is to be done by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET under the General-Basic Level Criteria. The ABET outcomes will also be used to assess the undergraduate goals of the university. A detailed assessment plan has been developed for the BS in Robotics Engineering and is kept as an internal document within the mechanical engineering department.

The stated educational objectives of the Robotics Engineering program are as follows: 1) To educate robotics engineers who are capable of solving multidisciplinary technical problems in a global work environment. 2) To produce robotics professionals who apply ethical judgment and use effective communication skills to implement engineering solutions. 3) To produce individuals who contribute to contemporary engineering solutions with community involvement and aspire to lifelong learning.

The student outcomes of the robotics engineering program at Lawrence Tech are adapted from and based upon the ABET outcomes a through k with outcome c being modified to pertain specifically to robotics. An additional outcome beyond the standard ABET a through k outcomes for the program with an emphasis in entrepreneurship was added which is referred to here as outcome l: Page 24.1195.11 c) an ability to design a robotic system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints, such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability; l) an ability to combine robotics engineering knowledge with entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship opportunities, and to bring an entrepreneurial mindset to the to the field of robotics engineering;

ABET accreditation: ABET accreditation is a requirement of all engineering bachelor degrees at Lawrence Tech. As stated previously, there is no degree accreditation for the Robotics Engineering discipline, at this time. Accreditation of the program will be done by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET under the General-Basic Level Criteria. A detailed assessment plan has been developed for the BS in Robotics Engineering and is kept as an internal document within the mechanical engineering department. The first students entered the program in the fall of 2011, and the first group of students are expected to complete their degree in the spring of 2015. Formal ABET review and assessment of the program is scheduled in 2016.

Curriculum content: Lawrence Tech offers courses both day and evening engineering degree programs over three academic semesters (fall, spring, and summer) for a given academic year. The fall and spring semesters consist of a fifteen teaching weeks plus an additional week for final exams. The summer semester is ten teaching weeks, with final exams offered on the last class session of the tenth week. The number of teaching contact hours in fall/spring or summer course offerings are identical. The summer semester usually is comprised of core first and second year general education courses with some (but not a full complement) third and fourth year engineering courses, as well as technical electives.

All students at Lawrence Tech, regardless of college or discipline must take a series of general core-curriculum liberal arts courses consisting of language and literature, leadership, communications, and social science classes for a total of 32 credits. Two “zero” credit courses are also required and include the COM 3000 Writing proficiency Exam (which is a one-time writing assessment to assure students have the ability to communicate comprehensively by written word) and a capstone leadership course (which meets weekly and comprises certain leadership projects, develop portfolio, and through participating in various leadership workshops).

The Lawrence Tech BS in Robotics Engineering is a 136 credit-hour four-year program that currently resides in and is administered by the A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering. The curriculum is comprised of six core robotics engineering courses supported by a select group of relevant mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering and computer science courses. Existing courses were used whenever possible, thereby minimizing the development of needed new courses. In most engineering programs at Lawrence Tech students can earn an engineering degree in in either traditional day courses or in the evening courses. Due to constraints in instructional staff availability only one section of the core undergraduate robotics engineering courses, however, are currently offered each semester and year during the afternoon only, so as to permit both day and evening student enrollment. Page 24.1195.12

The course listing is given below. Note that the last digit of each course number indicates the number of credits for that course. Freshman Year: FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER COM 1001 University Seminar LLT 1213 World Masterpieces 1 COM 1103 English Composition MCS 1424 Calculus 2 MCS 1414 Calculus 1 MCS 2514 Computer Science 2 MCS 1514 Computer Science 1 MCS 2523 Discrete Mathematics EGE 1001 Fund. of Engr. Design Projects COM 2103 Technical/Prof. Communication SSC 2413 Foundations of Amer. Exp. EME 1011 Foundations of Mechanical Engr. TOTAL 16 credits TOTAL 18 credits

Sophomore Year FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER MCS 2534 Data Structures MCS 2423 Differential Equations MCS 2414 Calculus 3 PHY 2423 University Physics 2 PHY 2413 University Physics 1 PHY 2431 University Physics 2 Lab PHY 2421 University Physics 1 Lab EME 4603 Intro. to Mechanical Systems EME 2012 Mechanical Engin. Graphics MCS 3863 Linear Algebra SSC 2423 Development of American Exp. ERE 2024 Unified Robotics I LDR 2001 Leadership Models & Practices TOTAL 18 credits TOTAL 17 credits

Junior Year FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER EEE 2214 Digital Electronics and Lab EME 3011 Intro. to Engineering Projects EEE 2123 Circuits & Electronics EEE 3233 Microprocessors EME 3133 Kinematics/Dynamics of Mach. EME 4613 Intro. to Thermal Systems ERE 3114 System Modeling & Control MCS 3403 Probability & Statistics ERE 3014 Unified Robotics II ERE 3024 Unified Robotics III COM 3000 Writing Proficiency Exam LDR 3000 Leadership Seminar LLT 1223 World Masterpieces 2 TOTAL 18 credits TOTAL 17 credits

Senior Year FIRST SEMESTER SECOND SEMESTER EME 4252 Senior Project Fundamentals EME 4253 Senior Capstone Project EEE 4243 Embedded Systems EME 4xx3/5xx3* Technical Elective* ERE 4113 Discrete Control EME 4xx3/5xx3* Technical Elective* EGE 3012 Engineering Cost Analysis EME 4xx3/5xx3* Technical Elective* ERE 4014 Unified Robotics IV LLT/SSC/PSY 3xx3/4xx3 Junior/Senior SSC 2303 Principles of Economics Literature, Social Science or Phycology LDR 4000 Leadership Capstone Elective TOTAL 17 credits TOTAL 15 credits

Page 24.1195.13 *All students can select 4XX3 courses from EME, EEE, MCS, or ERE for their electives. Only those students maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA may select 5XX3 courses from EME, EEE, MCS, or ERE for their electives. The XX designation represents generic course numbers available to the student.

Course prefix abbreviations in the above curriculum list are COM – Communications, EEE – Engineering Electrical Engineering, EGE – Engineering General Engineering, EME – Engineering Mechanical Engineering, ERE – Engineering Robotics Engineering, LDR – Leadership, LLT – Language and Literature, MCS – Math and Computer Science, PHY – Physics, PSY - Psychology, SSC – Social Science.

Six new core courses for the BS in Robotics Engineering were developed. These include ERE 2024 Unified Robotics I, ERE 3014 Unified Robotics II, ERE 3024 Unified Robotics III, ERE 4014 Unified Robotics IV, ERE 3114 System Modeling and Control, ERE 4113 Discrete Control. The program concludes with a three-semester capstone project developed by student teams over three consecutive courses. The capstone courses, administered by the mechanical engineering program and selected due to the maturity of this course sequence, are EME 3011 Introduction to Engineering Projects, EME 4252 Senior Project Fundamentals, EME 4253 Senior Capstone Project, and taken sequentially. A brief description of each course is given below:

ERE 2024 Unified Robotics I: This is the first course in a four course sequence combining both the theory and practice of robotics engineering and primarily serves as a foundational introduction to robotics. The objective of this course is to introduce students to robotics history, applications and the components of a robotic system, robotics programming and software design, robotics software engineering and microprocessor programming, basic control, sensing, and perception algorithms, electric circuits, analog sensors, electromechanical actuators and microprocessors, forward kinematics, generalized coordinates, spatial rotation matrices, and constraints, robot dynamics. The course has integrated lecture and laboratory sessions that are collaboratively taught by faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. The laboratory sessions consist of hands-on exercises and team projects where students design, build, and program robots and related sub-systems: lecture 2 hours, lab 2 hours. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: c, d, g, k

ERE 3014 Unified Robotics II: This is the second course in a four course combining mechanical engineering, electrical & computer engineering and computer science to develop both the theory and practice of robotics engineering. The objectives of this course are to have the students gain a detailed working knowledge of energy methods and the virtual work principle, analytical dynamics and multi- body robot dynamics, constrained generalized coordinates and Lagrange multipliers, robotics software engineering, microprocessor programming and single-board-computing for robotics, basic control, sensing, and perception algorithms. The course has integrated lecture and laboratory sessions that are collaboratively taught by faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science. The laboratory sessions consist of hands-on exercises and team projects where students design, build, and program robots and related sub- Page 24.1195.14 systems: lecture 2 hours, lab 2 hours. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, b, c, d, k

ERE 3024 Unified Robotics III: This is the third course in a four course sequence combining mechanical engineering, electrical & computer engineering and computer science to develop both the theory and practice of robotics engineering. The focus of this course is actuator design, embedded computing and complex response processes. The principles of operation and interface methods for various actuators will be discussed. Various feedback control mechanisms including motion control and force control will be implemented using software executing in an embedded system. The necessary concepts for real-time processor programming and signaling, manipulation and locomotion will be introduced. The laboratory sessions will culminate in the construction and programming of a robotic system that exemplifies methods introduced during this course: lecture 2 hours, lab 2 hours. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, b, c, d, e, k

ERE 4014 Unified Robotics IV: This is the final course in a four course sequence combining mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science to develop both the theory and practice of robotics engineering. The focus of this course is navigation, position estimation, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and communications. Control systems as applied to navigation will be presented. Human robot interaction (HRI) and remote sensing for mobile robots will be introduced. Advanced topics such as cooperative robotics, robot vision, and sensor fusion can also be introduced. The laboratory sessions will be directed towards the solution of an open-ended problem over the course of the entire term: lecture 2 hours, lab 2 hours. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, b, c, d, e, k, l

ERE 3114 System Modeling and Control This course addresses mathematical modeling of lumped mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems, system modeling, linear time invariant system theory, Laplace transform, transfer functions and block diagrams, introduction to state-space formulation, time response and frequency response analysis, stability analysis, an introduction to linear feedback control and system design using root locus and frequency domain techniques: lecture 4 hours, 4 hours credit. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, k

ERE 4113 Discrete Control This course addresses critical control skills required for robotic systems. Topics include the Z- transform, properties of the z-transform, model description, system discretization, pole placement, feedback using multiple discrete inputs (state space method), discrete observers- controller systems: lecture 3 hours, 3 hours credit. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, k

EME 3011 Introduction to Engineering Projects: This course introduces the student to the design process, matching engineering specifications to customer requirements, prototyping, product testing and evaluation, project planning and management. Students will select senior projects, form project teams and submit a project pre- Page 24.1195.15 proposal. A detailed orientation to metal shop fabrication facilities is also provided, if the student has not already had this exposure. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, d, f, g, j, k

EME 4252 Senior Project Fundamentals This course is the first course in the senior engineering project sequence. Students will be introduced to the processes and tools to be used in design projects and will form teams to apply the tools to solve an engineering problem. The course covers conceptual and embodiment design and includes: Customer needs definition, QFD, Engineering requirements, specifications, concepts, alternatives and calculations, Preliminary design, FMEA and DVP, Sustainability plan, Financial estimates. Students will submit a proposal with timing and budget for subsequent completion in EME 4253 Senior Capstone Projects. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, k, l

EME 4253 Senior Capstone Project This course is the second course in the senior engineering project sequence, during which students complete the final design build, and testing of, the project proposed in EME 4252. Student teams produce a final working design, prepare and present progress reports, oral presentations, and a final written report. ABET outcomes (and modified outcomes) covered by this course: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, k, l

A time line table of the Lawrence Tech BS in Robotics Engineering degree program roll-out is provided below that lists the sequence of events, actions and major milestones for the program.

Table 1: A Timeline table from 2010 through 2016 for the Lawrence Tech Robotics Engineering Program Calendar Robotics Engineering Program Activity Spring 2010 Robotics Engineering Exploratory committee formed Robotics programs benchmarking, local industry support assessment, assessment Summer 2010 of faculty support Development of program goals, objectives and outcomes, visit appropriate Fall 2010 universities for benchmark references Write program proposal, develop advertising materials, develop admission Spring 2011 guidelines, program approved by university board of trustees Hired laboratory instructor, course development, secure lab space, define lab Summer 2011 equipment needs Launch academic program, began admitting students to program, continued to Fall 2011 develop courses

Spring 2012 Course development, instructional faculty identified, instructional faculty needed

Summer 2012 Lab equipment received, set up robotics lab, course development Course development, industrial support, begin ABET documentation

Fall 2012 Page 24.1195.16

Spring 2013 ERE Unified Robotics I course first offered Summer 2013 Course development ERE 3014 Unified Robotics II and ERE 3114 System Modeling and Control Fall 2013 courses first offered Spring 2014 ERE 3024 Unified Robotics III courses first offered Course development, hire additional robotics faculty member, tech electives Summer 2014 course development ERE 3024 Unified Robotics IV and ERE 4113 courses first offered, internal Fall 2014 ABET program review, offer first tech electives, tech electives course development Spring 2015 Preliminary ABET program review, tech electives course development Hire additional robotics program faculty member, continued program Summer 2015 development Fall 2015 Finalize ABET documentation 2016 ABET program review and approval

Current Status of the Program:

To date there are only three universities offering the BS in Robotics Engineering degree in the United States. These schools are Worchester Polytechnic Institute, Lawrence Tech, and the University of California Santa Cruz. There are no similar bachelor of engineering degree programs within the State of Michigan, and outside of these other two schools on the east and west coast there are no other such programs with the exception of Lawrence Tech UC Santa Cruz’s.

As of this writing, ERE 2024 Unified Robotics I has now been completed twice with a third offering now underway in the spring of 2014. ERE 3014 Unified Robotics II has been offered once, as has ERE 3114 Systems Modeling and Control. In the spring of 2014 ERE 2024 Unified Robotics I and ERE 3024 Unified Robotics III will be offered. The first group of robotics engineering students will also be enrolling in their EME 3011 Introduction to Engineering Projects course in the spring of 2014 to begin their capstone project sequence. All Unified Robotics courses have been team-taught by faculty from the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science departments. The consensus amongst faculty instructors is that the process has required some minor challenges, but that it has worked very well. Regular communication and discussions between the course instructors has helped assure content continuity and consistency.

Enrollment in the program has steadily grown over the past two years and inquiries about the degree are now coming inform potential students from around the US and globally. Figure 3 below plots the program enrollment over the past six semesters with a well-based projection for the fall of 2014. Initially a concern among some faculty was that the robotics degree could potentially cannibalize students from the three contributing programs. Very little evidence of this has been encountered. In fact, the opposite has been seen. Many students enrolled in the robotics degree program also choose to dual enroll in a secondary engineering discipline. A survey of Page 24.1195.17 students in the program has indicated the robotics engineering students would probably not have come to Lawrence Tech without the availability of the robotics degree, and therefore, they were not wooed away from any existing degree programs offered at Lawrence Tech.

The courses ERE 4014 Unified Robotics IV and ERE 4113 Discrete Control are to be offered in the fall of 2014. Two technical electives for robotics students relating to energy storage and also embedded systems are also in the development stages at this time.

Several internships and co-op opportunity for summer 2014 employment are also being developed for students within the program.

Figure 3: The enrollment growth of the Lawrence Tech robotics engineering program since its initial offering in the fall of 2011. The projected anticipated enrollment for the fall of 2014 is also provided.

Program assessment from students:

The Lawrence Tech bachelor degree in robotics engineering is still early in its development, and limited data regarding job placement are available, but some initial student assessment data are now available. Lawrence Tech generally considers student survey and assessment data as proprietary. But a summary, with some specific responses are provided here to provide the reader insight regarding the program start-up and the student view of the program. The feedback data discussed here are from sophomore, junior and senior students currently enrolled in the program.

Fifty percent of the students in the program participated in robotics activities when they were in high school, with the vast majority of those students who did, participated in First Robotics. This Page 24.1195.18 suggests that high school robotics competitions and robotics activities do generate significant interest in high school students to consider majoring in robotics engineering.

When these students were queried as to why they came to the Lawrence Tech robotics program their responses varied, but all stated they were very interested in robots and the robotics field, and thought they would be an interesting career area. A surprising number of students indicated they wanted to eventually start their own businesses in robotics. One student summed up their reason for pursuing a robotics engineering degree in this way: “I have always dreamed of owning my own robotics business. I wanted to have as much knowledge as possible in order to be a business owner with a thorough understanding of my product.”

The majority of students stated how they were surprised at the level of programming required in the robotics degree. There are two aspect in interpreting this feedback. First, most high school robotics competitions have limited programming requirements. Second, the connection in students’ minds between making a robot actually do something and the need for software code is rather weak. Lawrence Tech will continue to monitor this, as it might have an impact regarding early course work in the course sequence.

When asked what are the most beneficial aspects of the Lawrence Tech robotics engineering program 90% of the respondents stated the immediate connection of classroom teaching with laboratory applications-based learning was the most beneficial aspect of the program. While not totally new in education the direct combination of class instruction and lab application is rare. This is one of the key innovative aspects of the robotics engineering degree at Lawrence Tech that was by design built into the program at the inception of the degree. Classroom sessions and lab sessions are unified and integrated so that materials covered in the class are quickly applied the same week in a lab session. In some cases the materials covered in class are reviewed in the lab session on the same day.

Eighty percent of the students surveyed rated the degree program as good-to-excellent. A few acknowledged that this degree program was still new, and that some kinks in the initial course offerings were to be expected. Specifically, students felt that while courses were very good, they indicated that some courses that were team-taught by faculty could be better coordinated between the instructors. These comments pertain to the unified robotics courses which are team- taught by faculty. This was both anticipated and expected by faculty, and each time these courses are offered, end-of-semester reviews by those faculty occur with discussions and specific action areas listed on how improvements can be made.

Forty percent of the students enrolled in the degree program indicated that they currently have part-time employment with companies where robotic systems are used and that they are responsible for some aspect of those industry robots. The majority of the students indicated that they had high confidence that they would find employment after graduation. As mentioned earlier, a few intended to start their own robotics companies.

When asked about their intent to pursue a graduate degree in robotics, thirty percent stated that they intended to immediately go on to graduate school. Another forty percent of the respondents indicated that they wanted to initially find employment after graduation and then pursue a Page 24.1195.19 graduate degree at a later time. Lawrence Tech viewed this as a very positive indicator of the quality of, and the longer-term view possessed by students in the program. This also is critical information that will continuously be assessed for the value of developing graduate degrees in robotics engineering in the future at Lawrence Tech.

Summary and future work:

This paper summarizes the work done and current status of the robotics engineering degree program at Lawrence Technological University. The groundwork for the establishment of a bachelor of science in robotics engineering has been ongoing for well over a decade at Lawrence Tech. Faculty research and student involvement in robotics competitions, as well as industry interest and new entering student desire have all contributed over the years to the exploration of offering this degree. The degree was approved by the university’s board of trustees and launched in 2011 with the first students admitted to the program in the fall of 2011. The program consists of four unified robotics courses as well as two additional core control courses for a total of six new courses to initiate the program. Other courses were drawn from the existing engineering curriculum form the mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science programs at Lawrence Tech. Current enrollment in the program at the writing of this paper is at thirty-one students.

For future work in the program the following items are underway: 1. Develop additional technical electives for students with a senior standing in the program. 2. Possible industry sponsored senior projects or other possible student competition based senior projects are now required. This work will be done in the spring of 2014. 3. Additional lab equipment must be procured for expanding the unified robotics courses to give students dedicated work spaces and hardware. 4. The program will need to hire at least one new faculty member over the next year to adequately support the program. 5. Full program assessments are now taking place and must continue over the next year to prepare for program ABET accreditation. 6. A formal research focus must be developed to provide the groundwork for expanded undergraduate projects as well as to lay the groundwork for a possible future master degree in robotics or to support the current master degree in mechatronics. 7. Eventually it is anticipated that the program will need to step out from under the supervision of the mechanical engineering department and become its own stand-alone program. This, however, is not anticipated to take place until program enrollment grows to a level that permits such action.

Acknowledgements:

Lawrence Technological University wishes to thank the faculty and directors of the Robotics Engineering program at Worchester Polytechnic Institute. The people at WPI helped make a daunting task much easier. Lawrence Tech faculty cannot express their gratitude and appreciation enough to the WPI faculty and staff for their great help. Lawrence Tech deeply thanks them for all their support. The advisory committee owes a special thanks to Michael Page 24.1195.20 Gennert, of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, for his many helpful suggestions regarding how best to proceed with the unified robotics courses.

The author also wishes to thank the following individuals who served on the advising committee for the development of the bachelor of robotics engineering degree at Lawrence Tech and who directly contributed to the development and success of this degree; without these remarkable individuals support, ideas and vision the BS in Robotics Engineering degree at Lawrence Tech would not have been possible:

Dr. Giscard Kfoury; Mechanical Engineering Dr. Chris Riedel; Mechanical Engineering Dr. Philip Olivier; Electrical Engineering Dr. Vernon Fernandez; Mechanical Engineering Dr. Badih Jawad; Mechanical Engineering Dr. David Bindschadler; Math and Computer Science Dr. C.J. Chung; Math and Computer Science Mr. James Kerns; Mechanical Engineering Dr. James Mynderse; Mechanical Engineering

The author also acknowledges Dr. Chris Riedel, Dr. Giscard Kfoury, and Mr. James Kerns for their significant and helpful input regarding the creation of this paper.

Lastly, the author and Lawrence Tech wishes to thank its industry sponsors and supporters. Representatives from COMAU, Inc., Dynalog, Inc., U.S. Army TARDEC, and FANUC were particularly helpful. A special thanks goes to FANUC and COMAU who have been especially supporting in the development of the degree and have stepped forward and offered donations to the program.

References:

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