Enhancing STEM skills with the design of mobile robots: an experience with technical secondary school students

An education model with pillars on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is increasingly necessary to prepare our students for future jobs. A didactic tool that can engage students in STEM is robotics. A study area of robotics, mobile robotics is a rich tool that generates enthusiasm in students and involves diverse disciplines. While commercial robotic platforms for education exist, their high cost and limited customizability often pose challenges, particularly within the Brazilian public education system. This paper presents an experience with ten technical secondary school students focused on developing two distinct low-cost mobile robots: a differential drive and an omnidirectional one, sponsored by a research foundation. The primary objectives were to investigate the impact of a maker-approach environment on the enhancement of STEM skills and to provide accessible robotic platforms for future educational projects. Students, divided into pairs, worked collaboratively on various aspects of robot development, including chassis design, power supply, motor drive, data acquisition, and simulation and coding, utilizing computational tools like Tinkercad, AutoCAD, Arduino IDE, and ROS 2. This project aimed to answer how such an initiative could foster specific STEM competencies and what challenges and perceptions arise from the students’ perspective. The experience demonstrated that students not only developed STEM skills but also contributed valuable robotic platforms to the academic community. The initiative underscores the importance of foundational support in equipping the Brazilian education system to prepare students with skills vital for future professions.