Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to have a profound impact on modern industrial processes. In this post-graduate course, students will review how AI algorithms work and then explore the current capabilities, risks, applications, evolution, and ethics of AI in advanced manufacturing and mechatronics. Having identified an opportunity to use AI at their workplace, students will conduct cost-benefit analyses to enable informed decision-making for AI investments. Students will examine strategies for monitoring the integrity of AI solutions. Finally, students will identify factors used to evaluate the success of implementing an AI solution, including cost, quality, delivery, and performance metrics.
The interconnected and digitized nature of Industry 4.0 delivers numerous benefits to manufacturing organizations, but also introduces cybersecurity challenges. In this post-graduate course, students will learn to identify cybersecurity threats, and vulnerabilities throughout the manufacturing environment. Students will illustrate why cybersecurity challenges must be addressed and then follow a standard-based systematic approach to tackle them. Students will learn the importance of continuous attention to cybersecurity to stay ahead of evolving threats and vulnerabilities, and how to build this ongoing attention to cybersecurity into their organizations. The course enables students to communicate effectively with stakeholders about cybersecurity.
In this post-graduate course, students will advance their ability to communicate accessibly and inclusively throughout organizational change in the manufacturing industry. Students will practice leading and communicating about change throughout its lifecycle, from proposing the change, to supporting an organization during change, through to evaluating the success of the change. Students will learn strategies to create psychological safety within their teams and with stakeholders through open communication, inclusive practices, clear processes, and collaboration. The skills students learn in this course will support their role in organizational growth and innovation.
In this culminating course of Mechatronics program, students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the manufacturing workplace. Working closely with their workplace supervisor and the course instructor, students will identify a need of actual interest to their company or for local companies and communities. After devising a solution, students will draft a technical report analyzing the requirements to implement the solution and evaluate the return on investment. Students will prepare a pitch and present it either to the class or to company leaders. Students may develop and oversee the implementation of their solution.
Is a robot the solution to automating your manufacturing process? Building on their knowledge and experience in advanced manufacturing and mechatronics, students in this course will review the types of robotic systems available and learn to identify inefficient processes and “dirty, dull, or dangerous” tasks. Students will examine key performance indicators and investigate the requirements and constraints that inform a robotic systems solution. They will learn how to organize a team of specialists and tradespeople to design, install, commission, and deploy a robotic system. Finally, students will explore strategies for predictive maintenance and continuous improvement of the manufacturing process.
By the end of this post-graduate course, students will be able to describe the Industry 4.0 Revolution in manufacturing, giving real-world, local examples. After reviewing the capabilities of Industry 4.0 approaches, students will examine existing processes and products to identify opportunities for improvement. Applying their knowledge of the hardware, software, and sensors required to generate and retrieve data, students will determine what data should be collected and how data can be analyzed to drive process decisions without human intervention. Finally, students will discuss considerations and strategies for designing for future innovations and capabilities in advanced manufacturing and mechatronics.
In this post-graduate course, students will synthesize principles of innovation, project, and technology management required to support and lead projects in technology-driven manufacturing environments. Students will review the basic practices for project execution based on Project Management Institute concepts and then tailor project management methodologies, ethical considerations, and effective communication strategies to the manufacturing environment. Students will examine project scope, estimation, planning, and scheduling. Students will explore strategies for tracking management and engineering activities to ensure that work remains aligned with plans and requirements. Students will apply these principles, strategies, and skills in the mechatronic systems Industry Project.
In this post-graduate course, students will trace the complete mechatronic system life cycle, from sales and suppliers to production and performance. Students will define the functional requirements of a mechatronic system based on customer and user needs and then develop high-level designs by translating those functional requirements into technical mechatronic system specifications. Students will examine and justify the ethical, environmental, societal impact of their design choices and formulate the return on investment of the design. Students will practice project and change management principles and strategies that they will implement later in the mechatronics Industry Project.
In this post-graduate course, students will follow a roadmap for integrating embedded systems into mechatronic applications from start to finish. After surveying the hardware and software of embedded systems, students will identify mechatronic system requirements and select sensors and actuators. Students will apply appropriate communications protocols to collect data and then select control systems and signal processing methods tailored to each mechatronic application. Finally, students will develop strategies for diagnosing faults and refining embedded systems to continually improve performance, power efficiency, and resource utilization in mechatronic systems.
In this post-graduate course, students will apply design, integration, and project management skills required to implement mechatronic solutions but scaled down to mechatronic cells that perform specific functions. Students will begin by investigating the technical and financial feasibility to perform given mechatronic functions and design computer-aided design (CAD) models and schematics that integrate mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and control components. Students will work in teams to install and troubleshoot mechatronic cells. Once the cells are operational, students will analyze logged data to develop strategies for predictive maintenance. Finally, students will propose improvements to their mechatronic system and estimate the return on investment.