The goal of this project is the development of an interdiscliplinary controls and robotics engineering laboratory for undergraduate electrical and mechanical engineering majors, based on an integrated computer network of automated data acquisition, analysis and control tools. Personal computers are interfaced to analog computers for simulation and to actual hardware for control and automation of typical manufacturing operations and industrial processes. These personal computer workstations are networked to existing supercomputer capabilities. In addition, the student workstations are networked to an instructor's station to allow for real time student-instructor interaction. The laboratory allows expanded coverage of traditional controls topics and permits the introduction of appropriate advanced control techniques including adaptive control for machining operations.
