Bots and Blocks: Presenting a project-based approach for robotics education

2026-03-15

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of traditional computer science curricula, which often lack sufficient hands-on experience to cultivate the integrated hardware-software and engineering competencies required for tackling industrial robotics challenges. To bridge this gap, the authors propose a hybrid pedagogical approach that combines agile development, project-based learning (PBL), and interactive instruction, centered on the Robot Operating System (ROS). Students engage in a semester-long development of a robotic software ecosystem grounded in real-world scenarios—such as automated disassembly of building blocks—to foster deep, applied understanding. Implemented successfully in a digital technologies program, this model significantly enhanced students’ comprehensive engineering practice, collaborative teamwork, and ability to apply theoretical knowledge, offering a replicable teaching paradigm for robotics education.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Computer Vision: Vision for Robotics & Autonomous Driving
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Planning

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Robustness and generalizability of Web mining methods

Abstract

To prepare students for upcoming trends and challenges, it is important to teach them about the helpful and important aspects of modern technologies, such as robotics. However, classic study programs often fail to prepare students for working in the industry because of the lack of practical experience, caused by solely theoretical lecturing. The challenge is to teach both practical and theoretical skills interactively to improve the students' learning. In the scope of the paper, a project-based learning approach is proposed, where students are taught in an agile, semester-spanning project how to work with robots. This project is part of the applied computer science degree study program Digital Technologies. The paper presents the framework as well as an exemplary project featuring the development of a disassembly software ecosystem for hardware robots. In the project, the students are taught the programming of robots with the help of the Robot Operating System (ROS). To ensure the base qualifications, the students are taught in so-called schools, an interactive mix of lectures and exercises. At the beginning of the course, the basics of the technologies are covered, while the students work more and more in their team with the robot on a specific use case. The use case here is to automate the disassembly of build block assemblies.

Problem

• robotics education
• project-based learning
• practical experience
• theoretical skills
• industry readiness

Innovation

• project-based learning
• Robot Operating System (ROS)
• agile education
• robotics education
• disassembly automation