Lab experiences for teaching undergraduate dynamics

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 443-466).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.This thesis describes several projects developed to teach undergraduate dynamics and controls. The materials were developed primarily for the class 2.003 Modeling Dynamics and Control I. These include (1) a set of ActivLab modular experiments that illustrate the dynamics of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems and (2) a two wheeled mobile inverted pendulum. The ActivLab equipment has been designed as shareware, and plans for it are available on the web. The inverted pendulum robot developed here is largely inspired by the iBOT and Segway transportation devices invented by Dean Kamen.by Katherine A. Lilienkamp.S.M