MAKER: Development of smart mobile robot system to help middle school students learn about robot perception

Abstract

Robots are key to manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment, and aerospace exploration feature. The industry is in great need of qualified professionals that can meet the demand of the ever-changing technologies and latest innovation. Robot perception is greatly researched and in demand on most fields in this industry. Blending these subjects in the classroom can be expended to motivate students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Image and video capture using a cell phone camera and VEX sensors can be explored into more depth in the middle school classroom. This study examined the use of VEX sensors and an iPhone 6 camera as an introduction to robot perception to middle school students. VEX line followers, ultrasonic rangefinders, and an iPhone camera were used to perform object recognition and conduct robot navigation within a classroom robotics competition field setting.