Walking Robot: A Multidisciplinary Design Project for Undergraduate Students.

Abstract

The advances in computer technology have made many forms of industrial automation possible. Machines that help to enable this automation are usually controlled by computers through software. The design of such machines will involve engineering professionals working together as an interdisciplinary team. For engineering students to gain some experience on this design practice, a project course in which the students designed and built a walking robot was offered at the College Park campus of the University of Maryland. A walking robot competition with a comprehensive rules package provided the design objective for the project. The competition rules, the organization of the project, and the actual account of the project in a particular year are presented in the paper.