Project in robotics at The Copenhagen University College of Engineering

In this paper we present the development process of the small, autonomous mobile robot. The development of the robot is the main part of the interdisciplinary undergraduate course (4^th semester, 20 ECTS points) at The Copenhagen University College of Engineering, Denmark. The aim of the course is to teach the basics of mathematical modeling, control theory and how to complete the engineering design project from the specification to the working model of the specified product. During the course we work in teams and build the robots, which perform a compulsory task decided by professors and a free task decided by us (students). Each team consists of 3 to 5 students and has an appointed supervisor, who is one of the supporting professors attached to this course. The course ends with a competition where the fastest, most precise and most elegant robots - 3 STARS - win prizes. This paper describes the process of learning new disciplines, especially control theory, by combining the theory and practical design. We describe our learning process throughout the project, the advantages and disadvantages connected to this learning by doing method. Finally, we compare the time schedule planned at the beginning of the semester with the actual one.