2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Open-source Robotics for Academics: A Platform that Grows with the User

Presented at Robotics and Circuits

Robotics is an ideal tool for illustrating connections between multiple disciplines such as computer science, electrical and mechanical engineering. It is also a wonderful way to get young people interested in, involved in, and excited about the possibilities of STEM. However, there are some challenges that may limit the ability of some diverse or resource limited communities from being able to access the benefits of robotics education. These barriers include the excessive cost of educational robotics platforms and lack of a knowledge base for novice educators to access.
The “Robotics for the Streets” initiative was implemented in 2022 through the generous support of the Open-Source Hardware Association and Sloan Foundation to diversify STEM by using open-source robotics to increase access to and visibility of STEM technology. There was also a goal to illustrate to academics how to use open-source robotics to support their teaching, service, and professional development goals.
Open-source robotics builds on the principles of open-source hardware and software. They both encourage publicly available models that afford collaboration through modification, making, selling, improvement, and distribution. This represents a shift in the traditional method that academics use for research and publishing but a necessary one to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in STEM. By not putting work products behind journal pay walls or conference registrations, resource-limited communities are not blocked from accessing them.
The open-source robots described here are comprised of half 3d printed parts and half commercially available off the shelf parts. All the CAD files, printer files, code, and videos for these robots are available online on YouTube, GitHub, HacksterIO, and Instructables. In the past, the open-source robot platforms, Flower∞Bots, have been used by organizations such as Black in Robotics, Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club as well as university professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, K-12 teachers, K-12 students, and STEM enthusiasts around the world. This paper highlights the modularity of the Flower∞Bots and suitability for users with varying expertise.

Authors

Dr. Carlotta A Berry http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-7341 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Carlotta A. Berry is a professor, author, researcher, mentor, role model, prolific speaker, and a STEM trailblazer. In her efforts to increase the number of women and historically marginalized and minoritized students earning degrees in computer science, computer, electrical, and software engineering at her university, she co-founded the Rose Building Undergraduate Diversity professional development, networking, and scholarship program in 2008. Since its inception, there have been approximately 40 graduates and the number of women at the university has increased to 25%.
In 2020, to achieve her mission to diversify STEM by bringing robotics to people and bringing people to robotics, she launched her business, NoireSTEMinist educational consulting. She also co-founded Black In Engineering and Black In Robotics to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in STEM. Her innovative strategies to normalize seeing Black women in STEM including performing robot hip hop slam poetry, writing Black STEM Romance novels, conducting robotics workshops, creating open-source robots, sharing Black STEM digital AI art, and using social media to educate the world about engineering and robotics have proven to be groundbreaking and successful.
One of her proudest accomplishments was receiving FIRST Robotics Competition volunteer of the year award for being a judge, judge advisor, and chair of regional and district planning committees for over a decade. This is second only to serving as co-leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and then mentoring those same girls on the Gamer Girlz FIRST Lego League and VEX robotics team.
Through her innovative work in engineering education and STEM outreach, she has appeared in several print and digital media including Forbes, Black Enterprise, New York Times, and CBS News. She has also been recognized with several national awards including the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) fellow, ASEE Electrical and Computer Engineering Division Distinguished Engineering Educator, Grace Hopper Celebration Educational Innovation Abie Award, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Undergraduate Teaching Award, Indiana Business Journal Women of Influence, and Society of Women Engineers Distinguished Engineering Educator.
Katie Nicole Faith Collins Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Alejandro Marcenido Larregola Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology [biography]

Alejandro Marcenido is a senior Mechanical Engineer with minors in Robotics, Computer Science, Economics, and Entrepreneurial Studies. He is an international student from Spain, Madrid, and will be pursuing a career in robotics.

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