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Session 2220

Using ROBUS in Electrical and Computer Engineering Education

François Michaud, Mario Lucas, Gérard Lachiver, André Clavet, Jean-Marie Dirand, Noël Boutin, Philippe Mabilleau, Jacques Descôteaux

Université de Sherbrooke (Québec Canada)

Abstract

ROBUS (ROBot University of Sherbrooke) is an autonomous mobile robot designed to facilitate interdisciplinary engineering design in Electrical Engineering (EE) and Computer Engineering (CE). Its primary purpose is to serve as an integrated platform for a project called INGÉNIUS that introduces electrical and computer engineering simultaneously to a large group of first-year undergraduate students registered in these two distinct programs. Divided in thirty-five teams of six or seven, these students are being initiated to various aspects of electrical and computer engineering such as electric circuits, electronics, sensors and actuators, logic circuits and CPLD, microprocessors, real-time C programming, robotics, technical drawing and communication. This way, ROBUS gives hands-on technical and teamwork experiences early in the curriculum. The robot is used in six different courses, and an interdisciplinary team of professors also work together to coordinate these activities. At the end of the second semester, teams participate in a robot competition where the objective is to design an entertainment robot for children with learning disorders. For fourth-year students in EE and CE, ROBUS is used in more advanced undergraduate courses such as Microprocessor Interfaces, Real-Time Systems, Robotics Projects and also in one graduate course on Artificial Intelligence. The projects done in these courses are oriented toward giving more advanced capabilities to ROBUS, help developed complete autonomous robots and to teach specific concepts. This paper gives a description of ROBUS and how it is used in these activities.

I. Introduction

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke offers two distinct bachelor engineering degrees, one in Electrical Engineering and one in Computer Engineering (which has been initiated six years ago). Even though both programs share some activities and that students are placed in an environment that involves electrical and software considerations, students are still having difficulties integrating and applying the engineering knowledge and skills that they learn. To avoid this problem, we thought that more could be done to develop this ability early in the curricula. We also wanted to put students in situations closer to the reality of the profession by making them work on projects that involve multidisciplinary considerations, design and analysis abilities, autonomous learning, teamwork and communication skills.

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Michaud, F., & Lucas, M., & Lachiver, G., & Clavet, A., & Dirand, J., & Boutin, N., & Mabilleau, P., & Descoteaux, J. (1999, June), Using Robus In Electrical And Computer Engineering Education Paper presented at 1999 Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina. 10.18260/1-2--8034