Designing Robotic Systems: Preparation For An Interdisciplinary Capstone Experience

The Robotics Engineering (RBE) program at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute officially began in 2009. Although the program had a small number of early graduates in 2009, based on current and projected enrollments it is expected that there will be a substantial number of students who will be graduating in 2010 and beyond. When the number of program graduates is relatively low, advising students and scheduling sufficient time for student teams seeking to complete a capstone design project has a relatively small impact on faculty productivity. As the numbers grow, this impact becomes significant. For many institutions, this is a driving factor in the implementation of fourth year capstone design courses that of efficiently managing faculty time.