While students entering mechatronics courses are often expected to have mastered thernbasics of computer programming, they are rarely prepared to deal with writing software for anrnembedded microcontroller. Most have only written programs to run on relatively large computersrnwith no mechanism for direct interaction with the hardware or real world. This paper describes thernelements of Stanford's undergraduate mechatronics course that are used to introduce students tornprogramming on an embedded microcontroller directly connected to an autonomous mobilernplatform. The philosophy behind the approaches taken, the content of the lectures preceding thernlaboratory assignment, the assignment itself, the software framework provided and the physicalrnplatform are discussed. In addition, the electronic and mechanical evolution of the platform isrndiscussed with reflection on the shortcomings that were discovered over the past 6 years of coursernofferings.
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