2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work-in-progress paper will describe a novel approach to introducing soft robotics content to undergraduate mechanical engineering students through student-generated modules. Soft Robotics is a new and growing field that places emphasis on developing robotic solutions that prioritize compliant materials, embodied intelligence, and biomechanics in their design. Despite its short history, Soft robotics has gained significant momentum in industry and academic spaces, indicating a potential shift in the way robotics are used in industry and society. Soft robotics education has yet to fill the gap compared to the research advancements in this field. Our project explores the potential for student-generated soft robotics modules to impact the learning and interest in soft robotics of both (a) the students designing the modules and (b) the students participating in the modules once they are developed. Our project leverages a course structure at our institution called engineering clinics, which are a modified version of capstone design experiences. Within engineering clinics, our third and fourth year students engage in multi-disciplinary, team-based projects developed and mentored by faculty. The ten students in our clinic project were split into three teams of 3-4 students each and tasked with 1) surveying existing soft robotics principles, designs, and applications, 2) creating a soft robot prototype, and 3) designing an activity that could demonstrate a fundamental engineering principle with their prototype. At the end of the semester, student module-designers were asked to self-report their growth in learning outcomes associated with the clinic experience, reflect on the impact of their experience on their interest in soft robotics, and discuss the impact of the clinic experience on their preparation to pursue soft robotics or another engineering career in the future. Next steps of this project will involve surveying our student participants in the modules which can provide the opportunity to explore the differential impacts of designing soft robotics modules versus participating in the modules as a student. The results of this paper will focus on the preliminary patterns of learning we observed in the first-semester of clinic students designing soft-robotic learning modules. This work shares an innovative approach of involving students in the generation of educational material and capturing the impact of their involvement on their own learning within the field of soft robotics.