2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Development of a Mixed Reality Robotics Testing Environment
In a multidisciplinary field like robotics, it can be challenging to teach or learn fundamentals and concepts using regular educational tools and methods. As robotics education grows, new tools are needed to sustain student interest and make advanced concepts more accessible. Mixed reality (MR) is one such tool that offers safe and controlled complexity, combining robotics simulation with real-world experimentation to enhance and improve students’ engagement in learning complex topics. For example, motion planning algorithms are essential in both undergraduate and graduate robotics programs; however, students often struggle to connect abstract planning results with the behavior of a physical robot. To address this gap, a mixed reality framework pipeline was developed by integrating a motion capture system, simulation software, a mobile robot, and a ceiling-mounted movie projector to create a hybrid environment where physical and virtual entities interact seamlessly.
To validate that this setup is working and to demonstrate the feasibility of bridging motion capture with simulation in a live setting, motion planning algorithms were tested with different simulated obstacle configurations. Algorithms such as the Rapidly-Exploring Random Tree (RRT) and its optimal variant, RRT*, are widely studied in simulation and robotics. The proposed system allows students to observe the difference between these algorithms on a physical robot in a simulated environment. The contrast between a feasible path (RRT) and an increasingly optimal path (RRT*) reinforces the tradeoffs between rapid feasibility and path quality. In addition, visualization tools were used to display the planned path in simulation and the actual path traveled by the physical robot, which were accurately aligned.
The integrated system also demonstrated strong potential for educational outreach. In one event with more than one hundred students, participants observed the physical robot navigating a projected simulated environment with obstacles and engaged with questions, providing qualitative evidence of the system’s value as a teaching tool.
This work could contribute to engineering education by showing how mixed reality can make theoretical robotics concepts tangible, provide safety, reduce costs in experimentation, and engage students through interactive visualization. Future work will include structured classroom observations and expanded outreach activities, as well as extending the system to swarm robots and more advanced visualization techniques such as perception sensors.