Mechatronics Curriculum Demonstrator An Educational Experience

The University of Hartford mechatronic curriculum incorporates a language-neutral teaching approach for mechatronics system design courses that links the educational experience more closely with the processes and projects found in industry. Mechatronics education at the University of Hartford focuses on four categories; components (sensors and actuators), computer interfacing electronics, systems (modeling, analysis, simulation, and control), and language-neutral visual programming environments for implementation. The last category is especially important when one considers the extent of general software knowledge in mechanical engineering and the complexity of the language based software development process for developing real time embedded applications. The goals of this paper are to describe (1) the University of Hartford mechatronic curriculum, (2) the language-neutral teaching approach for mechatronics, and (3) a low cost technology demonstrator, developed and refined by the authors, which is suitable for studying the key elements of mechatronics including system dynamics, sensors, actuators, and computer interfacing.