Abstract:

The Open Robotics Workshop has been in existence for nine years within the School of Engineering of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. One of its essential objectives has been the formation of engineers. Its success lies in involving students who want to professionally train through the development of robotics, mechatronics and artificial intelligence technological products, made with the financial support of various institutional projects, the last of these being IT102121 Design of mechatronic devices for support in emergencies, all of them with 3 years duration.

The implementation of these products by students is based on educational tools like problem-based learning, collaborative learning and pedagogical robotics.

The steps followed in the development of the products addressed can be summarized as follows: it begins with an extensive study of the state of the art of the device to be created to proceed to the search for possible solutions; then a group of experts evaluates the viable options; the final design is proposed; it is subjected to an optimization process; the detailed design and its construction are carried out; it is put into operation and finally various tests are made to evaluate its operation.

Some of the technological products that have been obtained are: various mobile robots, manipulator arms, a victim search system with thermal images and user interfaces. This has led to the completion of bachelor's and master's theses, the submission of articles in congresses, the generation of social service programs for students, the participation in national and international competitions and the formation of high quality graduates that implies the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes such as: leadership, experience, learning, expertise, tool management, problem solving, among others.

Until 2016, students were required to carry out thesis research in order to graduate, so there were many students interested in addressing the design of the mentioned technological products. As of that date, various degree options were created, which caused a notable decrease in the number of students who decided to graduate through theses and, therefore, of students interested in joining this formation initiative.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students worked two or three days a week in the aforementioned Robotics Workshop facilities. It was easy to hold follow-up meetings, which were always face-to-face. Due to the pandemic, the participation of students was significantly reduced, in addition to the fact that the meetings had to be changed to virtual ones.

Changes in the ways of obtaining bachelor degree, in the methodology for the implementation of technological products and the experience of their application in the last two years, have not changed the importance of carrying out projects for professional formation, but they have caused difficulty in the achievement of the objectives in time and form, as well as in the quality decrease of the integral formation of the students.

Therefore, it is necessary to promote this initiative by making the activities carried out by the student more attractive and rewarding. Likewise, it is advisable to devise new work strategies that include both face-to-face and online activities, which allow constant progress and, simultaneously, maintain the interest of students in their development.

Keywords:

Technological products, problem-based learning, mobile robotics, pedagogical robotics, methodology, mechatronics.