MATLAB Tool Allowing Wireless Control of Arduino Robot for Early Introduction of Robotics into Curriculum

In modern Electrical Engineering degree programs, MATLAB is often one of the first coding experiences a student is exposed to. Most introductory robotics courses that combine hardware and software require students to understand C (typically learned during junior year) or require part of the course to teach coding syntax. In order to introduce robotics and cyber-physical systems earlier in the curriculum, we have developed an interface to allow students to remotely control a wireless microcontroller (e.g., Arduino MKR 1010) using MATLAB. This interface comprises two halves: 1) a MATLAB class that abstracts UDP commands transmitted over Wi-Fi, and 2) a custom C++ library for receiving, parsing, and responding to commands over UDP, as well as streaming data back to the client. The interface leverages students' existing knowledge of MATLAB and bypasses the need for C programming, allowing students to get early exposure to hardware-software integration, signal processing, edge computing, end-to-end platform development, and systems engineering. Our interface facilitates data observation, recording, manipulation, and analysis. Students have access to live data streams, real-time plots of sensor values, and the ability to use the command window to run and test individual commands outside of scripts. We deployed this system in an introductory class where students perform various mechatronic lab exercises and complete a final project where their robot navigates a maze then collects and classifies objects using sensor data and neural networks. We surveyed two semesters of students at the end of the course, and students reported that using this interface enhanced their learning experience despite varied responses about the difficulty of implementation. With the growing importance of data science in electrical engineering, tools like our interface play a crucial role in exposing students to cutting-edge robotics and cyber-physical systems earlier in the degree program. Our interface has been made available on GitHub for any who wishes to implement it.