A Hybrid Physical-Virtual Educational Robotic Arm

In the field of robotics education, introductory courses would ideally utilize heavy industrial arms for hands-on learning. This would provide students with valuable experience in joint programming, which involves direct control of each joint motor in the robotic arm to accomplish desired path planning and differential movements. This practice requires consideration of the physical properties of the large arm such as its large mass. However, the use of heavy industrial robotic arms has several drawbacks. They are large and expensive, require specialized maintenance, can pose safety risks, and they typically do not allow for direct control of the joint motors. The use of a small, lightweight, toy-like arm is not suitable since their lightweight construction means they do not exhibit behavior associated with heavier arms. Robotic arm simulators using a virtual arm doesn’t offer the same level of hands-on engagement and excitement as a physical arm. In this paper, a hybrid solution that combines a small physical arm with a virtual arm is proposed. The simulations controlling the virtual arm is used to dictate the behavior of the small physical arm making the small arm behave as though it is a large heavy industrial arm. This approach provides students with the experience of working with a large industrial arm, but without the associated difficulties. The hybrid approach was implemented and used in our Introduction to Robotics course where the completion rate of the two relevant homework assignments was increased from 57.0% to 78.1% and a survey of the use of the physical arm indicates students overall agree it helped them get motivated to complete the assignments and enriched their learning experience. This approach offers a promising solution for practical robotics education.