ME 454Mechatronics
Interfacing of electro-mechanical hardware to microcomputers and microcontrollers for data acquisition, data analysis, and digital control. The course addresses the need for today's mechanical engineer to understand the architecture of engineering systems and not just the mechanical hardware. The course has a significant lab component in the form of weekly, two-hour labs. Examples of lab topics include the design and building of a complete autonomous vehicle including the drive system, steering, sensors, obstacle avoidance, and computer control.