The aim of this paper is to analyze the surface scaling forces which are present at the interface between micro objects and a substrate. Experiments conducted in this work characterize the aggregated micro forces including capillary and van der Waals. These forces collectively form the interfacial shear strength in between the flat micro components and a flat substrate during the process of micro scale object pushing. The relationship between the magnitude of surface forces and parameters such as velocity of pushing, relative humidity and temperature, hydrophilicity of the substrate, and surface area are also empirically investigated. This work also proposes an inexpensive experimental setup as a platform to replace Atomic Force Microscopy for force characterization of micro-scale parts.
This paper is concerned with the implementation of an innovative interactive learning tool in teaching a Mechatronics Engineering course at the University of Waterloo. The course deals with digital logic, PLC programing, and assembly language. The interactive tool, developed at Top Hat Monocle Inc., was used in teaching the assembly language part of the course. The interactive tool has two components: students’ electronic devices and a front-end website in which the instructor has control to launch demonstrations and quizzes and receive students’ responses. Students are connected through WiFi connection or their smart phones. In this study, students’ performance was evaluated using the final exam scores and the surveys. The exam results showed about 23% improvement. According to the results of the survey administered at the end of the term, students who participated on the interactive simulation and quizzes agreed that it helped the concepts “stick in their memory better”.
This paper focuses on precision automated pushing of multiple micro objects. An adaptive control system is proposed to accurately push and position the micro objects on a substrate. Each micro object exhibits different characteristics in terms of the surface micro forces governing the manipulation process. The controller is designed to compensate for the effect of the micro forces whose aggregated magnitude varies during the process. An experimental setup is designed to validate the performance of the proposed controller. The results of the experiments confirm that the proposed adaptive controller is capable of learning to adjust its parameters effectively, when the surface micro forces change under varying surface and ambient conditions.
In this paper, automated micro-sized objects manipulation is investigated. The novelty of the proposed method lies on the compensation of all the nonlinear scaling forces which are dominant over gravitational force. A dynamic neural network has been added to a PD conventional controller for automated micromanipulation control. Weight-updating rules have been obtained in such a way that the system is uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) in the sense of Lyapunov. Simulation results for controlled pushing of a micro-object have been illustrated and the efficiency of the method has been shown by comparing its result with that of a linear controller.
This paper is concerned with the review of active learning methods implemented in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering courses. The active learning methods are categorized into two groups of in-class activities without the use of computers and computer-based classrooms. The strategies to encourage university instructors to adopt active learning methods are also discussed. The paper also addresses the pilot project for the implementation of a novel computer-based experiential learning in the course of “Robot Manipulators: Kinematics, Dynamics, Control” at the University of Waterloo, Canada. A Student Interactive Learning System (SILS) has been developed for in-class activities in this course. The SILS system has two components: students’ mobile devices and a front-end website in which the instructor has control to upload the demonstrations and quizzes and receive students’ responses. The students are connected to the website through the WiFi connection. Findings of an initial survey, which was conducted at the start of the semester, revealed that majority of the students find the conventional classroom passive and believe adding interactivity in the lecture enhances their in-class learning experiences.
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