Fostering integrative thinking through an online AR-based robot system analysis

This study explores an approach to learning robotics with augmented reality (AR) technology. The authors developed a learning environment for AR experiences with the virtual model of the mobile robot TurtleBot2. The environment was implemented in a workshop given online to second-year industrial engineering students as part of the course ‘Engineering of Production Systems’. The experience that was developed by the authors using Vuforia Studio was practiced by the student from their homes, using Vuforia View. In this practice, the students disassembled the virtual robot, learned about its main components, assembled it again, equipped it with a new component, and performed maintenance operations. In the evaluation study, the authors found that AR experiences contributed to students’ understanding of the robot system and to fostering their integrative thinking. Results of the study indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach to learning robot systems, especially when students cannot access robotics labs.