Teaching mechatronics, robotics and automation with Arduino

Abstract

The Arduino platform has become extremely popular at all levels of technical education in the last two decades. In addition to low-cost hardware, the platform offers users a free development environment (IDE, compilers). Thanks to the huge community of users, hardware expansion modules (so-called shields), extension software (libraries) and educational materials (books, tutorials and examples) are easily accessible. This offers an ideal environment for incorporating Arduino into teaching.In the last few decades, we can observe the pressure of industry for multidisciplinarity of study programs, and not only at technical universities. Above all, the traditional division into engineering and electrical engineering fields is losing its justification. As various surveys show, rather than a narrowly focused specialist, a universal graduate is required. This leads to the inclusion of an increasing number of courses focused on electrical engineering, electronics, robotics, automation and hardware programming in engineering study programs and vice versa. Arduino is offered as a suitable platform for the implementation of some tasks, not only in courses at universities, but also at secondary and elementary schools.An important addition to the Arduino hardware platform is a possibility to create a virtual circuit and simulate it in the TinkerCAD online environment. This environment allows not only the integration of electronic components, but also the possibility of creating a program and its subsequent testing in simulation. The graphic level of the environment and the simplicity of operation make it very attractive even for less experienced students and pupils. The system offers either text-mode programming or graphical programming in a Scratch-inspired tool. This is especially useful for teaching pupils in primary schools to eliminate typos and syntax errors.Another important tool for teaching robotics and automation together with Arduino is the possibility of interconnection with the MATLAB-Simulink software, which offers a development environment for Arduino as a freely installable add-on module. This will allow you to incorporate a number of functions from many other MATLAB toolboxes into the developed Arduino application.The text of the paper mentions several examples of the use of Arduino, TinkerCAD and connection with MATLAB-Simulink in teaching mechatronics and robotics for students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, in regular lessons for secondary school pupils and in the hobby group for elementary school pupils.