Project-Based Learning Activity with Robotics: A Low-Cost Case Study

This article describes the course that marked IME's institutional movement toward the adoption of good practices in engineering education. The motivation for the course, its structure, the timeline and the pedagogical conception are outlined in the text, intending to contribute with knowledge exchange in engineering education. Special emphasis was given to the robotics competition held at the end of the course, considering how it happened, the materials used and how it contributed to reach the course's intended learning outcomes. In 2022, the student teams built autonomous robotic manipulators to load ultrasonic levitators. This project-based learning activity proved to be quite difficult for the students, but the effort worth it. All the learning objectives were met and at the same time it was extremely motivating for both the students and the teaching team.