Mechatronics Education at Kettering University: Development of Learning- Specific Hardware and Software

A series of learning-specific electronic circuit boards and associated software has been developed to support mechatronics education in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Kettering University. The boards are designed to interface to the Toshiba TLCS-900H Microprocessor Trainer and Evaluation Board. The purpose of these boards is to provide mechanical engineering students of mechatronics with robust hardware that readily permits interfacing of sensors and actuators to microcontrollers used in mechatronic applications. Further, the boards feature signal conditioning circuits for use in conjunction with sensors, and driver circuits for operating high-current actuating devices. Supporting software has been written to permit ready use of the features of the hardware with only a functional knowledge of electronics, thus helping mechanical engineering students realize the full potential of mechatronics applications in an introductory course. Additionally, a stand-alone microprocessor board with flash memory has been designed and fabricated to permit students move out of the development laboratory and readily embed the electronics portion of a mechatronics device into their projects

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

The Design and Development of a Multi-Disciplinary Project in Embedded Systems Design

As has been noted over the past ten years, “The wall between computer science and electrical engineering has kept the potential of embedded systems at bay. It is time to build a new scientific foundation with embedded systems design as the cornerstone, which will ensure a systematic and even-handed integration of the two fields.”[1] In Baylor University’s School of Engineering & Computer Science, the Embedded Systems course in the Department of Computer Science, and the Embedded Systems Design course in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have been offered independent of each other in the recent past. In the past year, however, this is beginning to change, with plans developing to combine the project portion of the two courses into one multi-disciplinary group project. This paper will document the two courses – scope and sequence, as well as emphasis, equipment used, and delivery style – highlighting the need for a new and innovative approach at the systematic integration of software and hardware in the design and development of a mutli-disciplinary group project. The beta test of this group project is occurring in the fall 2017 semester, with full first-time full-scale deployment during the spring 2018 semester. The results of this beta test will be discussed, and the lessons learned and planned modifications to the course will be considered.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Design of an embedded microcomputer based mini quadrotor UAV

This paper describes the design and realization of a mini quadrotor UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that has been initiated in the Systems and Control Laboratory at the Computer and Automation Research institute of the Hungarian Academy of Science in collaboration with control departments of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The mini quadrotor UAV is intended to use in several areas such as camera-based air-surveillance, traffic control, environmental measurements, etc. The paper focuses upon the embedded microcomputer-based implementation of the mini UAV, describes the elements of the implementation, the tools realized for mathematical model building, as well as obtains a brief outline of the control design

Designing of Flexible Multi-Microcontroller Based Training System

In traditional Embedded Control Technology courses, students learn to develop assembly language programs to control peripherals, handle interrupts, and perform I/O operations. However, students find the subject is difficult as the subject is presented in a lecture format. Unfortunately, this Embedded Controller Technology (ECT) course is a compulsory course in any electrical or electronic field of engineering. This paper aims to describe development of a flexible multi-microcontroller training system based on 8-bit microcontroller in Microchip, Freescale (formerly Motorola) and Intel family. For this reason, a new laboratory evaluation tool (UMP-EVT) specifically will be designed to be as a learning tool for those who intend to learn microcontroller and for use in the academic environment. With an extensive of this training system, it could let the user to get start with their microcontroller application efficiently. In addition, it is further boosted by the introduction of Integrated Development Environment (IDE) features in order to create user-friendly environment. By using this UMP-EVT, users are exposed to practical experience of the microcontroller and provide an easy path to learn this intelligent electronic device in short time. In this respect, this UMP-EVT would be applicable for education and expose the electrical engineering students to the understanding fundamental of microcontroller in electronic design field

Intelligent Systems Development in a Non Engineering Curriculum

Much of computer system development today is programming in the large - systems of millions of lines of code distributed across servers and the web. At the same time, microcontrollers have also become pervasive in everyday products, economical to manufacture, and represent a different level of learning about system development. Real world systems at this level require integrated development of custom hardware and software. How can academic institutions give students a view of this other extreme - programming on small microcontrollers with specialized hardware? Full scale system development including custom hardware and software is expensive, beyond the range of any but the larger engineering oriented universities, and hard to fit into a typical length course. The course described here is a solution using microcontroller programming in high level language, small hardware components, and the Arduino open source microcontroller. The results of the hands-on course show that student programmers with limited hardware knowledge are able to build custom devices, handle the complexity of basic hardware design, and learn to appreciate the differences between large and small scale programming

Development of IoT applications in civil engineering classrooms using mobile devices

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Chacón R, Posada H, Toledo Á, Gouveia M. Development of IoT applications in civil engineering classrooms using mobile devices. Comput Appl Eng Educ. 2018;26:1769–1781. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.21985], which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.21985. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-ArchivingThis paper presents academic efforts aimed at integrating methodologies associated with the use of mobile devices, the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the role of experimental education in civil engineering. This integration is developed by encompassing the use of sensors, microcontrollers, civil engineering problems, app development, and fabrication. The proposal provides an explorative way of approaching the numerous possibilities that arise in civil engineering when it comes to IoT, automation, monitoring, and control of civil engineering processes. The used tools represent accessible and affordable ways for application in classrooms and in educational laboratories for beginners. The initial explorative approach implies the fusion of three realms: (i) the phenomenology and mathematics of varied civil engineering problems; (ii) the systematic use of digital fabrication technologies and electronic prototyping platforms; and (iii) the creative and visual way of developing codes provided by block-based development platforms. This integration of perspectives is an attempt of approaching civil engineering mathematics to technology and arts with a rigorous scientific approach. A set of different examples is presented with the corresponding findings in educational terms. These examples are developed in a constructive, scaffolding-based way and may contribute as a potential alternative in the development of open-source teaching labs in civil engineering schools.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Development and Implementation of Mechatronics Education at Kettering University

The Mechanical Engineering Department at Kettering University has completed development of a significant new component of education in mechatronics. The work began in the fall of 1997 as the principal part of an award for “Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement” by the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation. It has culminated with the successful implementation of two undergraduate courses in mechatronics, two mechatronics laboratories and a website to support the educational endeavors of the mechatronics students. As will be described in this paper, the first course and its laboratory exercises are designed specifically to provide the students with meaningful experiences in the applications of mechatronics design principles. The knowledge gained in this first course will be applied in the second course, where the fundamental focus is to provide a complete experience in the innovation, design and fabrication of a new mechatronic product. This is all done in a team environment. The long-term goal is to integrate business management students into the product development team to provide marketing support