Fire-fighting robots and first-year engineering design: trinity college experience

Abstract

This paper describes a new first year engineering course, ENGR 120: Introduction to Engineering Design-Mobile Robotics, which immerses students in a highly motivating team-based engineering design experience-development of an autonomous, competitive, fire-fighting mobile robot. This course also introduces students to design as it is practiced in industry and to the philosophical dimensions of engineering design. The paper presents results of assessment surveys and student comments about their experiences in ENGR 120, and it relates course learning outcomes to the ABET basic outcomes a-k.