Abstract:

The key technologies that sustain the concept of Industry 4.0 define comprehensive and multidisciplinary competencies needed by industrial engineers in their professional careers. Big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and autonomous robots are some of the knowledge fields required by a new generation of engineers. On the other hand, smartphones will become more and more essential tools in the new intelligent factories as user interfaces to control machines and robots. Therefore, smartphone programming is another area in which engineers will work in the future. The final degree project gains opportunities as a suitable framework in order to prepare the undergraduates for this new concept of industrial production and smart factories. In this sense, the present paper proposes the use of the educational LEGO Mindstorms platform, a programmable robotics kit based on interconnectable blocks, sensors and actuators that is adaptable to the needs of each project. Thanks to the platform the student trains his/her innovation and design skills for the mechanical structures as well as determines the most suitable solution for the sensorial and drive systems. In addition, through programming under Java, Android smartphones may remotely control the LEGO robot, or even extend the robot's functionality through the onboard vision cameras. This way, final degree projects that combine mobile robotics and smartphones are a look into the future industrial model and a challenging problem in which the student tackles new concepts usually not covered in the traditional industrial engineering study programmes. This project-based learning approach provides a clear added value to the student in his/her future labour in the Industry 4.0.

Keywords:

Industry 4.0, Innovation, Technology, Mobile Robotics, LEGO Mindstorms, Smartphone, Android.