Aerospace Engineering Controls Lab

Terry Knight — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:05:00 GMT

The aerospace engineering and engineering mechanicals undergraduate controls laboratory at the University of Texas, Austin, is open to juniors and seniors who have completed a feedback controls systems course and are ready to apply their understanding of classical and state space control theory in the lab. University of Texas Lecturer and Principle Engineer of Controls and Simulation at National Instruments, Jeannie Falcon, Ph.D., shows us around and demonstrates the experimental hardware of the lab, including a linear translational plant and a control loop system that operates on linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control allowing students to do state feedback and LQR control.

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Lawrence Tech Mechatronics

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:28:00 GMT

Professor Vladimir Vantsevich introduced Lawrence Tech’s master’s degree program in mechatronic systems engineering in 2006. This unique high-tech educational program, the first in Michigan, includes research options for students. Mechatronics degree programs, common in Europe and Asia but still a rarity in the United States, meld mechanical, electrical and computer engineering disciplines. Vehicles rely more and more on sophisticated electronics and computer controls. Vantsevich was very familiar with this approach after a nearly 30-year academic career in Belarus, where he specialized in designing driveline systems and control devices for multi-wheel-drive vehicles. To outfit the laboratory, equipment and software was contributed by Bosch, dSPACE, Eaton, Festo, Kistler Instrument, KUKA Robotics and National Instruments. Chrysler contributed nearly $50,000 for academic support programs and also donated hardware. This high level of interest indicates that the private sector sees good things coming from the program. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in robotics, aerospace, automotive and other industries will benefit if there are more American engineers available to bring mechatronics to the product design and production process. The suppliers will benefit if the next generation of engineers understand how to take advantage of the specialized engineering equipment and software.

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Educational Videos : Mechanical

Aerospace Engineering Controls Lab

Lawrence Tech Mechatronics