Using robots as a means of integrating manufacturing systems engineering education

For many engineering departments, or schools, the largest change to the teaching programme in recent years has been the introduction of Manufacturing Systems Engineering Courses and specialist Engineering Design courses. These courses, introduced since 1988, in response to special initiatives and a recognition of national need, are intended to be different in both structure and content from the traditional mechanical and electrical engineering degree courses. Traditional engineering courses in general, but those in both mechanical and electrical engineering in particular, tend to be structured using subjects, or modules, having well defined boundaries to the curriculum material,which makes them strongly self contained, conceptually progressive and technically more complex as new principles are introduced each year, with fewer simplifying assumptions imposed on the analytical model. Manufacturing Systems Engineering courses are specifically designed to move away from the traditional engineering approach of teaching separate engineering science subjects, which produces highly specialised engineers, to a more integrated teaching approach. They are designed to produce engineers with multidisciplinary skills, thus allowing them to function successfully within modem manufacturing industry. The rational introduced for these degree courses is based on exposing the students to a number of themes. The authors look at how robots can play a role in integrating manufacturing systems engineering education.