Mobile Robot Lab Project to Introduce Engineering Students to Fault Diagnosis in Mechatronic Systems

This document is a self-archiving copy of the accepted version of the paper. Please find the final published version in IEEEXplore: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TE.2014.2358551This paper proposes lab work for learning fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in mechatronic systems. These skills are important for engineering education because FDD is a key capability of competitive processes and products. The intended outcome of the lab work is that students become aware of the importance of faulty conditions and learn to design FDD strategies for a real system. To this end, the paper proposes a lab project where students are requested to develop a discrete event dynamic system (DEDS) diagnosis to cope with two faulty conditions in an autonomous mobile robot task. A sample solution is discussed for LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots with LabVIEW. This innovative practice is relevant to higher education engineering courses related to mechatronics, robotics, or DEDS. Results are also given of the application of this strategy as part of a postgraduate course on fault-tolerant mechatronic systems.This work was supported in part by the Spanish CICYT under Project DPI2011-22443

Introduction of Mechatronics Specialization through Concentration Areas in the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Technology Programs

The last few decades have experienced an explosion of technology, both in industry and in customer products. A large variety of embedded systems from various areas of applications, digital electronics, internet of things, automatically controlled products, and ultimately mechatronics systems are part of the everyday life. The changes in the industries, consumer markets and implicitly in the job markets, impose changes in the academic programs and curricula. Recently, mechatronics undergraduate programs started being developed in 2 or 4 years colleges across the nation, mainly driven by international companies operating in countries that already offer mechatronics degrees ranging from high school to doctoral programs. Most of the time there are independent mechatronics programs, mainly at the community college level, but mechatronics areas of specialization were also developed under either electrical or mechanical engineering programs, through senior elective courses. In the College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University there are currently well established, accredited electrical and mechanical engineering technology programs, and steps are being taken to introduce the option for mechatronics specialization. A mechatronics concentration area was already introduced under the mechanical engineering technology (MET) program with new courses developed to provide skills in mechatronics, hydraulics, and simulation of mechatronics systems, complementing the existing courses focusing on automation, industrial robotics, computer integrated manufacturing, and computer numerical control. The electrical engineering technology (EET) program, with a current curriculum that includes a large number of courses to provide the foundation for mechatronics, is taking its turn in the development of a mechatronics concentration area. This paper discusses the introduction of mechatronics specialization through concertation areas in the mechanical and electrical engineering technology programs at Old Dominion University, with emphasis on the implementation challenges. This specialization model offers students the choice to incline the balance between the electrical and mechanical components of their mechatronics education through their major and minor selection, and in consonance with their individual strengths and preferences

Development of a Mechatronics Design Studio

Mechatronics is a combination of mechanics, electronics and information technology intended to raise the intelligence level and flexibility of products and devices. There is a need to develop programs and laboratories in Mechatronics to create an understanding of how new technologies influence the traditional methods of designing products and manufacturing systems. A model Mechatronics Design Studio has recently been developed to support the Mechatronics and Manufacturing Automation courses offered at Cal Poly\u27s Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department. Laboratory experiments have been developed and several student projects have been completed. In this paper, an overview of the design studio and select student projects is provided

Overview of modern teaching equipment that supports distant learning

Laboratory is a key element of engineering and applied sciences educational systems. With the development of Internet and connecting IT technologies, the appearance of remote laboratories was inevitable. Virtual laboratories are also available; they place the experiment in a simulated environment. However, this writing focuses on remote experiments not virtual ones. From the students’ point of view, it is a great help not only for those enrolling in distant or online courses but also for those studying in a more traditional way. With the spread of smart, portable devices capable of connection to the internet, students can expand or restructure time spent on studying. This is a huge help to them and also allows them to individually divide their time up, to learn how to self-study. This independent approach can prepare them for working environments. It offers flexibility and convenience to the students. From the universities’ point of view, it helps reduce maintenance costs and universities can share experiments which also helps the not so well-resourced educational facilities

Factors Influencing Students’ Acceptability of Mechatronics Engineering Course: Evidence from Mbeya University of Science and Technology, Tanzania

This study examined factors Influencing Students’ acceptability of Mechatronics Engineering Course. The study utilized the descriptive survey research design and quantitative research approach to address the research problem. A random sample of 138 respondents was drawn from the population of 260 students taking mechatronic engineering at Mbeya University of Science and Technology. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The statistical treatment of data was done through descriptive statistics in terms of mean scores. The study established that acceptability is influenced by both learning factors and employability factors. Mechatronic engineering program promotes students learning motivation due to its collaborative and interactive nature. Students’ learning motivation was highly influenced by the way the course focused on hand on skills, thus stimulating the learning environment. Based on the conclusions, it is recommended that to increase acceptability of the course among students, the program should be designed in such a way that it sharpens practical skills among students. This can be achieved by establishing mechatronic workshops which should be furnished with necessary equipment and facilities to allow students to acquire practical skills for self-employment. Finally, technical training colleges and higher learning institutions which offer mechatronic engineering programs should invest in supportive learning and teaching facilities. Availability of facilities is also necessary to cultivate learning motivation among students

Industry 4.0 Competencies as the Core of Online Engineering Laboratories

Online laboratories are widely used in higher engineering education and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have taken on an even greater relevance. At Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico, well-established techniques such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL), Project-Oriented Learning (POL) and Research-Based Learning (RBL) have been implemented over the years, and over the past year, have been successfully incorporated into the students’ learning process within online and remote laboratories. Nevertheless, these learning techniques do not include an element which is crucial in today’s industrialized world: Industry 4.0 competencies. Therefore, this work aims to describe a pedagogical approach in which the development of Industry based competencies complements the aforementioned learning techniques. The use and creation of virtual environments and products is merged with the understanding of fundamental engineering concepts. Further, a measurement of the students’ perceived self-efficacy related to this pedagogical approach is carried out, focusing on the physiological states and mastery experiences of the students. An analysis of its results is presented as well as a discussion on these findings, coupled with the perspectives from different key stakeholders on the importance of the educational institutions’ involvement in developing Industry 4.0 competencies in engineering students. Finally, comments regarding additional factors which play a role in the educational process, but were not studied at this time, as well as additional areas of interest are given

Skill-Based Teaching For Undergraduate STEM Majors

This article presents a case study that illustrates the paradigmatic shift in higher education from content-centered teaching to learning-centered academic programs. This pragmatic change, triggered by the STEM movement, calls for the introduction of success measures in the course development process. The course described in this paper illustrates such a goal-driven approach to the development of an entire multidisciplinary curriculum in mechanical engineering and mechatronics. The effectiveness of this new curriculum was confirmed by findings of a survey of graduates of the first six graduating classes who studied on the basis of this curriculum.