Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Project

 

In the Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Project – MATLAB meets LEGO Mindstorms –, students will deepen their learning content from the lecture “Mathematical Methods in Electrical Engineering” by controlling LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots using MATLAB, thereby expanding their knowledge in a practical context. The project is a mandatory course in the 1st semester of the Bachelor of Science program in Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Science and is conducted by all chairs of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology as part of a block event with compulsory attendance.

For project dates, see RWTHOnline.

Project Contents

In addition to assembling LEGO Mindstorms EV3 machines and robots and creating independent creative constructions, students will implement mathematical methods learned in lectures and exercises using MATLAB and apply them in programmed control processes and robot behavior patterns. Bluetooth will be used as a wireless communication channel between PC and LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robot, allowing deeper understanding down to the packet-based communication protocol of the Bluetooth interface.

Students will learn to control the sensors and motors of Mindstorms EV3 robots under MATLAB through several experiments using the specially developed RWTH – Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox. In addition to programming control processes, mathematical methods such as discrete integrators, sampling, edge detection of discrete signals, complex numbers, polynomial fitting, and coordinate transformations must be applied. Furthermore, more complex problems must be independently solved by students through skillful processing of digital measurement data, algorithm development, subsequent robot control under MATLAB, and creative application-related LEGO Mindstorms constructions. For example, a robot should be programmed to behave as autonomously as possible within a given environment. The environment can be captured with various sensors such as ultrasonic sensors, sound sensors, light sensors, and pressure sensors.

The experiments conducted in this project are divided into two categories: mandatory experiments and elective experiments. Six mandatory experiments are carried out by each student regardless of their supervising institute. These include building LEGO robots while exploring how sensors and motors work along with establishing the packet-based communication protocol for Bluetooth using self-written MATLAB programs. The elective experiments present students with more complex problems based on foundational knowledge acquired from mandatory experiments. By realizing their own creative robot constructions, control algorithms, and visualization methods under MATLAB they solve predefined tasks. Additionally, both motivated students and project supervisors have the opportunity to expand elective experiments with their own application-related tasks. Overall scope for project experiments is structured as follows.

Mandatory Experiments: Elective Experiments:
  1. Robot Construction
  2. Bluetooth and Touch Sensor
  3. Sound Sensor
  4. Motors
  5. Light Sensor
  6. Ultrasonic Sensor
  • Circuit Course Robot
  • 2D Scanner
  • Robot Arm
  • …

Documentation of experiments, further information, and announcements regarding the project can be found in the registration-required Moodle Room.

RWTH – Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox for MATLAB

To control LEGO robots via MATLAB over a wireless Bluetooth communication channel, the RWTH – Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox for MATLAB has been designed and implemented. It offers high-level functions that enable very simple control of LEGO EV3 sensor technology and motors while also providing direct representations of control functions based on an open-source LEGO communication protocol within MATLAB.

The toolbox is licensed as OpenSource Software under GNU GPL (GNU General Public License) and can be downloaded for free at https://git.rwth-aachen.de/mindstorms/ev3-toolbox-matlab .

Furthermore , contributions from interested users towards further development of RWTH – Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox for MATLAB through active participation are highly welcome.

Questions & Contact

 

When should I enroll in this project?

In your first semester! The project is integrated into your first-semester curriculum. Only then overlaps with other mandatory courses will be avoided.

Will I definitely get a spot? Where will I conduct this project?

Students who register before enrollment ends will all be admitted to take part in eTests, receiving guaranteed spots upon passing them. Your group preference choises will be taken into account when assigning spots whenever possible. You may alleviate scheduling conflicts outside this project’s time frame through appropriate preference choices of the institute or chair, takings its location into account. However, there’s no entitlement to allocation based on your group choices.

Is attendance mandatory?

Yes.

Exceptions apply only for illness (max. one day, medical certificate required) or after obtaining an adjustment (application for reasonable accommodations, “Nachteilsausgleich” to be submitted to examination committee, not to the mindstorms team). After consideration, exceptions may also apply for compulsory courses during higher semesters. No exceptions granted for vacations, flights etc.

What should I do if there’s a scheduling conflict due to another course I’m taking?

Check whether it’s indeed about a compulsory course. Voluntary additional courses/test related to other examinations are no compulsory courses! First check with the other chair about alternative scheduling options. Only if it’s impossible, contact us via our email address below with meaningful and complete details (course name, absence reason, contact person regarding declined rescheduling). We’ll strive towards finding solutions that can uniformly apply across all reported cases.

Why haven’t I received any response regarding my inquiry yet?

Over 500 students participate annually in this project. Unfortunately, this leads to many inquiries, processing these takes considerable time. Obvious unjustified requests (especially absence requests due to vacations/flights or reschedulable appointments ) might not receive individual responses.

Why don’t I see any additional materials yet?

Materials related to Matlab along with obligatory eTest information exist within Moodle Room. Students won’t gain access until AFTER registration deadlines conclude.

What’s “the new version” ?

We continuously develop this project further. For winter semester ’25 /’26 we plan testing new versions based around Arduino or Lego Spike among others. Approximately 24 students may participate, expressing interest by selecting group 25 during sign-up process. After group allocation, the individual persons will receive personal follow-up regarding further arrangements. Contact

Many questions can be resolved in the direct contact with the respective supervisors, after your assignment to the institute/chair.

However, if you really require assistance beforehand please reach out to the central support team via email: Mindstorm@lfb.rwth-aachen.de.

Please provide full information, including your matriculation number and, in case of scheduling conflicts, the RWTHOnline LV number of the other mandatory event.

 

Veröffentlichungen

  • “Teaching Practical Engineering for Freshman Students using the RWTH – Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox for MATLAB”, Alexander Behrens, Linus Atorf and Til Aach, Matlab – Modelling, Programming and Simulations, InTech, Oct., pp.41-6-5, 2010, *invited paper* Read according chapter online or download the whole book.
  • MATLAB meets LEGO Mindstorms – hands-on Projekt für Erstsemester, Alexander Behrens, relatif – Campus-Magazin Aachen, no. 8, pp.16–17, November, 2009, (Download) or (relatif no. 8)MATLAB meets LEGO Mindstorms – hands-on Projekt für Erstsemester “Ich habe of bemerkt, daß wir uns durch allzu vieles Symbolisieren die Sprache für die Wirklichkeit untüchtig machen.” – Christian Morgenstern. Wer hat diesen Gedanken nicht auch schon oft während einer Grundlagenpflichtvorlesung mit Christian Morgenstern geteilt. Denn gerade Vorlesungen des elektrotechnischen Grundstudiums behandeln zu Beginn…
  • MATLAB Meets LEGO Mindstorms – A Freshman Introduction Course Into Practical Engineering, A. Behrens, L. Atorf, R. Schwann, B. Neumann, R. Schnitzler, J. Ballé, T. Herold, A. Telle, T.G. Noll, K. Hameyer and T. Aach, IEEE Transactions on Education, vol. 53, no. 2, pp.306—317 2010, (BibTeX) (Download)Abstract In today’s teaching and learning approaches for first-semester students, practical courses more and more often complement traditional theoretical lectures. This practical element allows an early insight into the real world of engineering, augments student motivation, and enables students to acquire soft skills early. This paper describes a new freshman introduction course into practical engineering, which has been established within the Bachelor of Science curriculum of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of RWTH Aachen University, Germany. The course is organized as an eight-day, full-time block laboratory for over 300 freshman students, who were supervised by more than 60 tutors from 23 institutes of the Electrical Engineering Department. Based on a threefold learning concept comprising mathematical methods, MATLAB programming, and practical engineering, the students were required to transfer mathematical basics to algorithms in MATLAB in order to control LEGO Mindstorms robots. Toward this end, a new toolbox, called the “RWTH-Mindstorms EV3 Toolbox,” was developed, which enables the robots to be controlled remotely via MATLAB from a host computer. This paper describes how the laboratory course is organized and how it induces students to think as actual engineers would in solving real-world tasks with limited resources. Evaluation results show that the project improves the students’ MATLAB programming skills, enhances motivation, and enables a peer learning process.
  • First Steps into Practical Engineering for Freshman Students Using MATLAB and LEGO Mindstorms Robots, Alexander Behrens, Linus Atorf, Robert Schwann, Johannes Ballé, Thomas Herold, Aulis Telle, Acta Polytechnica: Journal of Advanced Engineering, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 44–49, June, 2008,  (BibTeX) (Download)Abstract Besides lectures on basic theoretical topics, contemporary teaching and learning concepts for first semester students give more and more consideration to practically motivated courses. In this context, a new first-year introductory course in practical engineering has been established in the first semester curriculum of Electrical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Based on a threefold learning concept, programming skills in MATLAB are taught to 309 students within a full-time block course laboratory. The students are encouraged to transfer known mathematical basics to program algorithms and real-world applications performed by 100 LEGO Mindstorms robots. A new MATLAB toolbox and twofold project tasks have been developed for this purpose by a small team of supervisors. The students are supervised by over 60 tutors at 23 institutes, and are encouraged to create their own robotics applications. We describe how the laboratory motivates the students to act and think like engineers and to solve real-world issues with limited resources. The evaluation results show that the proposed practical course concept successfully boosts students’ motivation, advances their programming skills, and encourages the peer learning process.
  • Freshman Engineers Build MATLAB Powered LEGO Robots, Til Aach and Alexander Behrens, MATLAB Digest | Academic Edition, The MathWorks, vol. 2, no. 3, August, 2008, (BibTeX) (Download) Freshman Engineers Build MATLAB Powered LEGO Robots Students at RWTH Aachen University put math and signal processing theory into practice by using MATLAB and the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 education kit to build and program robots—including one that reads Morse code and another that parks itself autonomously. …
  • Studienstart als Lego-Tüftler , RWTHinsight Artikel 01/2008, (Download)“SOS” morst der Lego-Roboter mit einem Stift auf das Papier. Drei kurze, drei lange und nochmals drei kurze schwarze Striche. Doch anstelle hektischer Betriebsamkeit angesichts des Hilferufs schauen Martin Riedl und seine drei Kommilitonen äußerst zufrieden auf ihren selbst gebauten und programmierten Roboter:…