Introduction of mechatronics concepts in a robotics course using an industrial SCARA robot equipped with a vision sensor

Abstract

In the new millennium the disciplinary boundaries within engineering education will be diffused as engineering education responds to growing number of innovations and product development at the interfaces of traditional disciplinary boundaries. Industrial robots provide an excellent teaching tool for introducing students to the burgeoning field of "Mechatronics" which integrates mechanism design and analysis, soft computing, sensing and electronics from a holistic perspective. A team-based student project in a senior level interdisciplinary "Robotics" course is discussed in this paper. The project is designed to demonstrate flexible and agile manufacturing concepts to students by integrating imaging and motion using an industrial selective compliance articulated robot arm (SCARA) robot. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.