Developing climbing robots for education

This paper presents a practical course that introduces students to the development and construction of a mobile robotic system. Using a wheeled climbing robot for metallic walls as an example, the course aims at teaching practical skills in engineering as well as developing soft skills like project management and teamwork. To increase motivation and allow the construction of a working system in the limited time available during one university term, the students are provided with several pre-made components and software tools. In the paper, the general structure of the course is presented and the different deliverables are detailed along with the supplied components. The paper ends with some example designs students came up with during the first time that the course was held in winter 2003/04 and an evaluation of the learning effect that was achieved.