The course gives students a basic understanding of how to control everything from simple motors and temperatures to complex systems such as robots, wind turbines and drones. Although the theory is universal, it has proven crucial to connect it with practice.
Here, the robots play a key role.
From theory to practice
When instructor Christian Andersen took over the course in 2013, there was virtually no practical content in the course, and his verdict was clear: This simply won’t do. That's why he and two of his colleagues put their heads together and built Regbot. The purpose was to give students the opportunity to test control techniques in practice through concrete tasks.
Through several exercises, the students learn, amongst other things, how to make the robot run straight and at a certain speed using control algorithms. The culmination is an advanced task where the robot must balance on two wheels – a precision challenge where the theory is really put to the test.
Popularity among students
Originally, the robots were introduced to diploma students, but interest quickly spread. Civil bachelor students also wanted access to the practical dimension, and this led to an expansion of the robot fleet.
Today, we’ve built around 70 robots, all of which are actively involved in teaching. They each have names – originally named from a list of the most popular girl names in Denmark in 2014. Christian's wife decided that.
The robots also have their own stories. Every year, a few disappear, but every once in a while one reappears – sometimes in unexpected places. A few years ago, the mall in Lyngby called. They’d found an abandoned robot. It was a happy reunion, when they returned it to the fleet.
The robots live on
Although Christian has since passed the torch to new teachers, the robots remain a permanent part of the course. The current teachers have chosen to continue and develop the concept, which emphasizes the value of the robots as a learning tool.
At the same time, the technology behind the robots has been continuously upgraded. The electronics have been improved several times to both ensure the availability of components and increase functionality. This has also had a side benefit: the same basic electronics are now used in other courses, which testifies to a broader pedagogical and technological application. We believe that many more can benefit from the technology, so a description of the robot and all the software is available to the public. Anyone and everyone can use it.
High demand
The importance of the robots now extends beyond the original course. A new program at DTU Construct has expressed a desire to use the course as part of their teaching.
And even though the course has grown from about 100 participants to now about 200, we said yes.
Of course, it’s not without challenges. The future students are expected to participate largely online, which requires that they can borrow robots to take home. To meet the need, an expansion of the robot fleet to about 100 units is planned, financed by DTU Construct.
When another department requests the robots, it says it all: They’re not just a supplement, but a fundamental part of the teaching.
A model for future education
The development of the control engineering course shows how practical elements can significantly enhance technical education. The robots have not only strengthened students' understanding – they’ve also made the course so attractive that demand is now growing across departments.
With more robots and even more students, one thing is clear: when theory gets wheels to run on, interest follows.
