EPICS in IEEE: A Well-Oiled Machine Helps Boost STEM Learning in Mexico

Development of the “RoboMeshA” multi-robot system by a university team provides high
schoolers in Guadalajara with practical, hands-on access to technology and its applications.

In Guadalajara, Mexico, many high schools have highly motivated teachers and talented students with a strong interest in STEM, but their lack of access to advanced technologies and resources can limit students’ exposure to meaningful hands-on activities and practical experiences.  That was until a team of engineering students from ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara — many of whom are members of the IEEE ITESO Student Branch and participants in ITESO’s Applied Professional Projects (PAP) program — stepped in to address that gap. And since launching their EPICS in IEEE-driven, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society-funded project entitled “RoboMeshA: a Multi-Robot System to Boost STEM Learning,” they’re helping high school students experience robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and other prominent STEM fields in a practical, aspirational way.

“RoboMeshA is a portable, self-contained, educational platform that brings hands-on experiences in robotics and AI to students who don’t necessarily have access to a robotics lab, specialized furniture, a stable institutional network, or pre-installed software,” explained student team member Fernando Vidal Luna, a fifth-year mechatronics engineering major at ITESO.

Based on its design, students connect directly to RoboMeshA through a user-friendly web browser and can interact with the robot using both manual and sequential control modes while observing its real-time behavior, which includes omnidirectional motion, obstacle detection, and avoidance using ultrasonic sensors.

“Many students are interested in technology, programming, or robotics but don’t have the opportunity to work with complete systems that combine mechanics, electronics, software, and control,” shared fellow team member and fourth-year mechatronics engineering major José S. González. “RoboMeshA allows students to see how all these disciplines work together in a tangible and understandable way.”

 

“A Mobile Learning Laboratory”
According to Faculty Advisor Dr. Jorge Alberto Lizárraga Rodríguez, the RoboMeshA project involves a multidisciplinary team of some 15 engineering students, faculty advisors, and collaborators from IEEE’s Guadalajara Section. In terms of community engagement, “we’ve partnered with local high schools CETI Colomos and Prepa ITESO, both educational sites where our platform can be validated in authentic classroom settings while receiving valuable feedback from students and teachers,” he said.

Project Lead/Faculty Advisor Dr. Luis Fernando Luque-Vega noted that RoboMeshA incorporates numerous technologies.

“To date, we’ve developed two fully functional RoboMeshA units and are implementing a modular coupling system that will allow four robots to operate together in different configurations, expanding the platform’s educational and research capabilities,” Dr. Luque-Vega said.  “Each RoboMeshA integrates a Raspberry Pi-based embedded system, an omnidirectional mecanum-drive platform, LiDAR, computer vision, ultrasonic sensing, and AI-powered autonomous navigation.  A browser-based interface built with Python, FastAPI, React, and WebSocket makes the platform portable, accessible, and easy to deploy in schools without specialized software.”

“One of our main objectives was to ensure that RoboMeshA integrated the same technologies students will encounter in industry and research,” added Dr. Lizárraga.  “The project combines mechanical design, embedded systems, control engineering, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and software development into a single robotic system that functions as a mobile learning laboratory.”

Team members confirmed that the project wasn’t without its challenges.

“One key challenge involved the robot’s structural design,” Luna said. “It wasn’t only about making a chassis where all the components fit and the design had sufficient stability, rigidity, and weight distribution, but also about ensuring that the electronics were protected while still being accessible for maintenance, testing, or changes.”

“It was also challenging to design a platform that could be used by students with different levels of experience,” González added. “We wanted the first interaction with the robot to be simple and intuitive such that students could simply power the robot, connect to its network, and begin interacting with it rather than having to deal with software installation, extensive configuration, or troubleshooting.”

 

Since addressing these obstacles, the project has made great progress. Among other achievements, the team successfully validated their RoboMeshA units through a hands-on STEM workshop at CETI Colomos and also presented both a research paper and a research poster on their project at the 3rd Engineering Congress of the Jesuit University System (SUJ) at Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Tlaquepaque, Mexico in May 2026.

 

Internally, the project helped its participants build important technical, problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills.

“The project strengthened my understanding of mechanical design and simulation, electronics integration, PCB design, motor control, I2C communication, web development, WebSocket handling, Python programming, backend/frontend architecture, and AI algorithms,” Luna shared.  “And professionally, I learned how to manage my time better, plan by stages, listen more, and, above all, become more empathetic.”

“Seeing how a design moves from a digital model to a physical system has been particularly valuable,” González said of his experience, “and working with students from different backgrounds also taught me the importance of listening to other perspectives and considering the needs of the final users.”

 

Inspiring and Empowering Others
As the team works to build two more RoboMeshA platforms and validate the technology across other educational institutions, they have high hopes for RoboMeshA’s role locally and globally.

“I hope that RoboMeshA is adopted by schools, universities, and IEEE Student Branches across Mexico and around the world and that it becomes a model for how engineering education can integrate innovation, service, and community engagement,” Dr. Luque-Vega said.

“I’d love RoboMeshA to become an educational platform that can be adopted and adapted by many institutions regardless of their available resources or infrastructure,” Dr. Lizárraga said.  “If RoboMeshA inspires more young people to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, we’ll have achieved one of our most important goals.”

Students Luna and González hope that RoboMeshA can bring educational robotics to more spaces, especially where no formal robotics laboratories reside.

“We’d love RoboMeshA to help reduce the distance that often exists between students and real engineering experiences, making the first contact with robotics simpler, more practical, and more inspiring,” Luna said.

“I’d like the project to help reduce the gap between theoretical education and practical experience and create opportunities for students to discover their interests and abilities,” González concurred.

All team members expressed gratitude to EPICS in IEEE for helping to make their vision a reality.

“Many students have great ideas and motivation but lack a way to start or bring a project to a real community,” Luna shared.  “In our case, the funding we received from EPICS in IEEE and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society enabled us to buy components, build, integrate, and test RoboMeshA outside the lab, and develop useful technology with a clearer purpose.”

“EPICS in IEEE’s framework encourages engineers to think not only about solving technical problems but about the people and communities who will ultimately benefit from the technology and the context in which it will be used, and to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, validate their work with real users, and continuously improve their designs based on feedback,” Dr. Lizárraga said.  “Those are real-world experiences that are difficult to replicate within a traditional classroom or laboratory.”

“When students realize that the technology they develop can inspire others and improve lives, engineering becomes far more meaningful,” Dr. Luque-Vega noted.  “I encourage prospective participants to see the EPICS in IEEE program not simply as a funding opportunity, but as a chance to connect universities, IEEE volunteers, and local communities around a shared purpose that truly advances technology for the benefit of humanity.”

“Ultimately, EPICS in IEEE projects encourage students to think about how engineering can solve real problems and create positive impacts within communities while providing the financial support that transforms ideas into real products or platforms,” confirmed González of his experience with the program.  “For me, our RoboMeshA project reinforced the importance and power of combining technical knowledge with social impact and creating solutions that can inspire others, expand opportunities, increase accessibility, and empower communities.”

 

For more information on EPICS in IEEE or the opportunity to participate in service-learning projects, visit https://epics.ieee.org/.  “EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) in IEEE” is an initiative which provides opportunities for students to work proactively with both engineering professionals, technological innovation, and local organizations/partners to develop solutions that address global community challenges.