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WIP: Designing an Immersive Robotics Curriculum with Virtual Reality

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Engineering Design Graphics Division (EDGD) Technical Session 2

Tagged Division

Engineering Design Graphics Division (EDGD)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/48292

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Paper Authors

biography

Jordan Osborne Illinois State University

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Jordan Osborne is a Lecturer in the Department of Technology at Illinois State University, where
he teaches courses in Engineering Technology and Computer Systems Technology. Before joining the university faculty,
Jordan manufactured and designed switchgear power distribution systems. He has also worked in the electronics manufacturing industry to develop circuitry for high-resolution media broadcast. His research interests include interdisciplinary STEM education and applied educational technology.

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biography

Jeritt Williams Illinois State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-5117-8915

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Jeritt Williams is an assistant professor of Engineering Technology at Illinois State University, where he teaches applied industrial automation and robotics.

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Yi-hsiang Isaac Chang Illinois State University

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Dr. Yi-hsiang Chang is an associate professor in the Department of Technology at Illinois State University. He received an MSME degree from Carnegie Mellon University, an MSIE degree, and a PhD in Technology from Purdue University. Dr. Chang's research interest includes Kaizen thinking, human spatial cognition, and eXtended Reality applications for teaching and learning.

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Abstract

This work-in-progress aims to contribute to research and practice by describing how Virtual Reality (VR) technology may be used to enhance conventional graphical (offline) programming and simulation in industrial robotics and manufacturing systems integration courses. While industrial automation and robotics have experienced rapid advancements in digital twin and simulation technologies, the literature for practitioners in engineering education remains limited. To address this need, we present an innovative curriculum and teaching pedagogy designed to provide students with an immersive experience through the integration of VR. This is accomplished using industry-grade software with consumer-grade VR headsets for programming and creating simulated robotic work cell digital twins. Student activities involve fundamental concepts such as coordinate systems, jogging, transformations, and path planning. These concepts are intended to provide the students with the essential skills needed to quickly transition to the development of application-oriented projects such as material handling, which can also be designed and simulated in the virtualized environment. This project provides an initial investigation into the following questions: 1) To what extent does VR support acquiring the procedural knowledge and motor skills expected in robotics programming? 2) To what extent does this curriculum contribute students' mastery of robotics programming principles and ability to apply these skills in complex tasks? 3) To what extent does this curriculum influence students' interests toward a future career in a related field? Preliminary results from an initial pilot test are discussed. Opportunities for future teaching and research are presented.

Osborne, J., & Williams, J., & Chang, Y. I. (2024, June), WIP: Designing an Immersive Robotics Curriculum with Virtual Reality Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48292

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