INTRODUCTION TO PRE-ROBOTICS: EXPLORING A NOVEL APPROACH FOR TEACHING MECHANICAL DESIGN

摘要

Educating young engineers in the field of design has always been a challenging task. In particular, teaching some of the aspects of robotics and mechanisms design in a non-mechanical curriculum by far introduces additional challenges. This paper presents an overview of a teaching approach and pedagogical challenges of the author for the past 18 years in teaching (or creating a learning objectives) of the basics of mechanical design methodologies and experiences to sophomore students enrolled in the Engineering Science program. One of the main components of the course syllabus is the notion of design synthesis of a pre-robotic mechanical device. First, the functionality of this device is shown to the students. Next, the students need to propose various design alternatives with mechanical and technical specifications. This paper outlines the method of how the students are guided through the design experience while exploring the basic steps of the design process and specifications.