Engineering the future: an integrated engineering design experience

Abstract

Engineering Integration is a two-quarter course sequence with EE, ME, and CpE students experiencing the engineering design process through a mechatronics design project. A previous "work-in-progress", this course is currently being delivered for the second year. Interdisciplinary student teams of 4 members each receive a "request for proposals" describing the autonomous-vehicle project with constraints and requirements. The project requires the development of an autonomous surface vehicle capable of navigation using the Global Positioning Satellite system. The vehicle is required to deliver a series of "tags" to specific locations and return to the original position. Obstacle avoidance throughout the test course is necessary. The teams gain experience in the essential skills of the design process and engineering project management, including teamwork, scheduling, resource allocation, cost analysis, reporting, and documentation. The course conforms well to new ABET considerations, including the emphasis on multi-disciplinary team design and technical communication skills.