The RoboCup Nanogram League: An Opportunity for Project-Based Undergraduate Education in Microsystems

The new "nanogram league" of the international RoboCup competition creates an opportunity for project-based, undergraduate, microsystems education. The RoboCup problem was broken into three parts: general microrobot design and fabrication, machine vision and control, and design of a microrobot system to perform the RoboCup tasks. The design and construction of microrobots were the focus for a senior elective on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Concurrently, the vision portions of the problem were used as a project for a Machine Vision course. Students from both classes then formed design teams to create a system for competition.