Low Cost Robotic Car as a Way to Teach Mathematics

This report describes the development of a low cost open source semiautonomous
robotic car and a way to communicate with it. It is a continuation of
prior research done by other students at FAU and published in recent ASEE
conferences.
The objective of this project was the development of a new robotic
platform with improved precision over the original, while still keeping the cost
down. It was developed with the aim to allow a hands-on approach to the
teaching of mathematics topics that are taught in the K-12 syllabus.
Improved robustness and reliability of the robotic platform for visually
solving math problems was achieved using a combination of PID loops to keep
track of distance and rotation. The precision was increased by changing the
position of the encoders to the shafts of each motor. A mobile application was developed to allow the student to draw the
geometric shapes on the screen before the car draws them. The mobile
application consists of two parts, the canvas that the user uses to draw the figure
and the configure section that lets the user change the parameters of the
controller.
Results show that the robot can draw standard geometric and complex
geometric shapes. It has high precision and sufficient accuracy, the accuracy can
be improved with some mechanical adjustments. During testing a Pythagorean
triangle was drawn to show visually the key mathematics concept.
The eventual goal of this project will be a K-12 class room study to obtain
the feedback of the teachers and students on the feasibility of using a robotic car
to teach math. Subsequent to that necessary changes will be made to
manufacture a unit that is easy to assemble by the teacher.