Robotics in Education: Plastic Bottle Based Robots for Understanding Morph-Functionality

Abstract

in this paper, we introduce our robot package for educational use. The main characteristics are the followings: robots are built by connecting plastic bottles and RC servo motors with glues so that technical skills such as machining are not required for students; three types of robot controllers, such as manual controller, autonomous controller, bio-signal interface controller, are provided so that students can experience autonomous robots and bio-signal interface techniques. Thus, this package provides opportunities to design both robot structure and control architecture and, moreover, to experience new engineering technologies. So far, we have conducted robot education courses for undergraduates and graduates three times. The first course purposed to teach students morpho-functionality, which is a concept of embodied artificial intelligence. As results, all the students have designed locomotive robots and understood morpho-functionality. In the second and third courses, students have experienced to control locomotive robots with bio-signal interface techniques. Thus, we have shown that this educational package provide variety of robot techniques and, depending on course hour and students target, we can modify course programs.