A project-based strategy for teaching robotics using NI's embedded-FPGA platform

This paper discusses our project-based teaching and learning approach to infuse robotics education into our Control and Instrumentation programme at the KFUPM university. In the last two years, various practical projects were assigned to students either as course projects or as capstone design projects in the area of control engineering using the National Instruments (NI) embedded robotic platform. The assigned projects focus on designing and equipping the robotic platform with environment-sensing (light, temperature and sound) capabilities, control operations for path planning and obstacle avoidance. Using the NI platform as a test bed for our teaching approach has resulted in the design and implementation of a successful prototype that enables students to experiment with various sensing, control and communication techniques on this platform, thus turning it into an intelligent mobile robot capable of implementing complex and computationally demanding control and estimation algorithms. Finally, the survey we conducted to assess the educational content, and value to students, of our proposed approach shows that our strategy has been so far fruitful and gives us ample encouragement to pursue it and develop it further.