Newly developed 'take-home' toolkit for ACSE's Mechatronics students

Over the past few months, a number of academics and technicians from ACSE and the Diamond have collaborated to develop a take-home toolkit for our Mechatronics module, which aims to bring the lab to the student’s homes.

This is a great example of how the University and are staff are adapting to these challenging times to help support our students and further their learning.

The toolkits include basic mechatronics components, such as Arduino microcontrollers, sensors, actuators, coupled with online practicals and simulation projects, as well as parts to assemble and control a robot arm, like the example in the picture below:

Take home kit for ACSE Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering students

The Mechatronics module is taken by both second-year undergraduate students and MSc students in the Robotic and Mechatronic programme. 

The learning outcomes include:

  1. Capture and analyse the specifications of basic mechatronic components and systems, including sensors and actuators for mechatronic and robotics systems 
  2. Integrate and interface (on industry-relevant hardware and software) basic mechatronic components and sub-systems
  3. Create from first principles simple mechatronic systems to achieve specific functionality
  4. Present a developed mechatronic system at sufficient technical detail for an expert audience to appreciate the design, analysis, and performance of a mechatronic system 
  5. Use industry standard CAD and hardware tools/platforms to design and analyse mechatronic systems 

Our mechatronics students will learn about methods to represent, analyse, and design mechanical, electrical and computational systems, and their integration into mechatronics systems. Using a take-home toolkit, they will gain hands-on experience, practicing working with sensors, actuators and microcontrollers based on Arduino platform. Projects will also be run in which students will learn the formalisation of mechatronics systems in simulation. 

Second year students will also have the opportunity to assemble a robot hand with wooden sticks and servo motors, and control its motion. All of the necessary items will be available in the take-home toolkit.

This mechatronics module was designed with the goal of students experiencing the excitement of building and controlling mechatronics systems. If our students cannot come to the mechatronics lab, then we'll get the lab to them.

Dr Dana Damian

ACSE Lecturer

Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

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