<p>We were wondering if anyone has any feedback or thoughts on Robotics Engineering. My son is considering applying to WPI's Robotics program. We like that it is a mix of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering as well as computer science, all areas of interest to him. He loves Robotics (and all that that entails) as well as Artificial Intelligence however we were wondering if there is a future in that, so to speak.. Would he be better off just going for a mechanical engineering degree with a minor in computer science? Could a Robotics degree be too watered down? Also, does anyone know of any other schools that offer a degree in Robotics? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance : )</p>
<p>Robotics teams are so much fun! If he enjoys it, why not do it! Plus, it is great to have that experience. I am on my robotics team at school and I use so much of my computer science knowledge to program the robots. So if he is minoring in CS, he’ll like the programming aspect of robotics a lot.</p>
<p>I would say either Computer Engineering would be a good option for undergraduate study if he is interested in robotics. But he probably would have to to graduate school to specialize in AI. ME is another hot option because the physical design is done by ME mostly (in school). </p>
<p>Robotics is an interdisciplinary subject. Basic robots are just simple programming. But when you start talking about real AI then you have an interdisciplinary work… all science and all engineering. ROFL.</p>
<p>Biology, psychology, neurology, physics, chemistry, engineering… of course it’s up to the area the AI is for…</p>
<p>But if your son is interested in ME and minor CS, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that route. CS knowledge can be very handy, and sometime can be a life-saver.</p>
<p>Honestly I’m a little tired of these engineering newbies who either want to play with robots, or make video games, or make iphones. </p>
<p>Start with a fundamental area like EE, CS, ME. make yourself a well rounded and competent engineer. When you have a very solid grasp of your fundamentals, you can then pursue robotics as a career or maybe in grad school. But I guarantee after a few years of studying a field these childish dogmas will be history and your eyes will be opened to more interesting areas!</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, for all your responses… As much as some people might think the only thing these engineering newbies want to do is play with robotic toys, that is not the case, at least not with my son. No childish dogmas with him. He wants to get a well rounded education… My question, therefore, is whether a Robotics Engineering degree (which is offered at WPI at both the undergraduate and graduate level) is worth pursuing. This degree, interestingly enough, combines the fundamentals of EE, CS and ME as well as Computer Emgineering. One would think that this would make one a well rounded and competent engineer. But I would love a little more feedback as to whether pursuing all of these at one time is a good idea. Thanks again for everyones responses : )</p>
<p>It would probably be best to pursue robotics in a graduate program, where they are more prevalent and practical. Pursuing it as an undergraduate which incorporates mechanical, electrical and computer engineering seems like you are only getting a broad idea of all of these areas but not really great in any of them. Also, as mentioned before, more complex robotics projects require people specialized in each of the different areas. One person with little knowledge of all the aspects of a robot is not as good as many people with great knowledge of a specific part of a robot. </p>
<p>Also getting a robotics degree would be a poor choice if you want to move around to different projects other than robots. You will have knowledge of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, but you will not be as useful as someone who got a degree specifically in one of those fields.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to pick which aspect of robotics you like best (physical design, programming, AI) and choose the major corresponding with that aspect. Who knows, you might find a whole new path that you want to pursue?</p>
<p>Thanks NotCloseToFour… This is very eye opening. I agree that it makes much more sense to have several different engineers from different disciplines working on a major project. With the jobs robots are tasked with doing, there isn’t always a lot of room for error. I will definitely be asking my son which aspect appeals to him most - design (ME), prgramming (CS/CompE - what is the difference anyway??), AI (CS) or the electrical aspect (EE)? Do I have these right?? Anyway, thanks again…</p>
<p>Cousin does heart values, design, manufacture and placement.
Son does hand robotic design and implementation
Both are MEs and no specialized training in artificial devices.</p>