MecQaBot: A Modular Robot Sensing and Wireless Mechatronics Framework for Education and Research

Abstract

We introduce MecQaBot, an open-source, affordable, and modular autonomous mobile robotics framework developed for education and research at Macquarie University, School of Engineering, since 2019. This platform aims to provide students and researchers with an accessible means for exploring autonomous robotics and fostering hands-on learning and innovation. Over the five years, the platform has engaged more than 240 undergraduate and postgraduate students across various engineering disciplines. The framework addresses the growing need for practical robotics training in response to the expanding robotics field and its increasing relevance in industry and academia. The platform facilitates teaching critical concepts in sensing, programming, hardware-software integration, and autonomy within real-world contexts, igniting student interest and engagement. We describe the design and evolution of the MecQaBot framework and the underlying principles of scalability and flexibility, which are keys to its success. Complete documentation: https://github.com/AliceJames-1/MecQaBot

Figures (6)

• Figure 1: Photographs of the mobile robots built using the MecQaBots framework since 2020: (a1) OmniWheel Chassis Teaching Lab Setup. (a2) RC Car Chassis Teaching Lab Setup. (b1) 1/10th Scale AGV (2019); (b2) LiDAR Mapping-Based AGV (2022); (b3) RC Car CV AGV (2024); (b4) Makeshift RC Car Arduino AGV (2021); (c1) OmniWheel CV Bot (2023); (c2) Object Avoidance & CV Bot (2023); (d1) Aerial Robot based on Raspberry Pi (2022); (d2) Gazebo Simulation of LiDAR-based Aerial Robot (2021); (e1) MURC Dual Camera Bot (2024); (e2) Truck Chassis CV Robot (2022); (e3) Raspberry Pi Tiny Robot Car (2021); (e4) Differential 4WD Mobile Robot(2021);
• Figure 2: MecQaBot Hardware | Software System showing the connection between Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Sensors, Actuators, Wireless Network, and Software packages used.
• Figure 3: (a) ROS and its ecosystem with some of the major hardware-software components used in our work (b) Different software applications that support using Linux OS on Windows or Mac OS
• Figure 4: Core Components of Wireless Mechatronics | Mobile Robotics: A structured visualization of the essential areas—Electronics, Mechanical, Software, and Communications—illustrating the key concepts that integrate to form a complete robotic system.
• Figure 5: Heatmap and Grouped Bar Chart showing Understanding Levels and Time Allocation in WFH vs. Lab