UWS: Bachelor of Engineering - Robotics and Mechatronics

In this unit rigid body kinematics is analysed from the freedom-and-constraints point of view and graphical approaches to velocity and acceleration analyses are covered. The unit looks at how one or more particles move in one, two or three dimensions and how forces cause these movements. It also looks at how forces and couples cause the movement of a single rigid body in two and three dimensions. The movement of multi-body mechanisms and gear trains, and the geometry of gear teeth and cams are studied.

Mechanics of Materials is the study of the stresses and deformation of a body made of any elastic solid material, and how these are related to the body’s shape and the load applied to it. This unit looks at how and why structural components including bars and beams deform and break. It concentrates on how these are affected by the geometry of the body and loading. Types of loadings considered include normal loads, torsional loads and bending loads. The main objective of the unit is to introduce students to the aspects of stress, strain and internal force development in the components and the methods to determine the deformation and deflections of the components. Energy methods and impact loadings are also considered.

This unit aims to equip students with the tools needed for the design and analysis of electrical and electronic circuits. The unit also introduces various techniques of circuit analysis, convolution, mutual coupling, frequency response and two ports loop.

This unit further develops skills in the analysis, design, practical implementation and testing of the main analogue electronic circuits. Topics covered are: semiconductor diodes and their applications, Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT), Field Effect Transistors (FET), analysis of BJT and FET, design of discrete operational amplifiers, and operational amplifier characteristics and circuit configurations.

This unit introduces students to the study of specialized, dedicated and embedded control oriented devices through the in depth study of one of the members of the 8051 family of microcontrollers and the Omron programmable logic controller (PLC) and associated pneumatic cylinders as actuators. The unit introduces the hardware and software details needed to apply microcontrollers and PLCs to general situations in computer, electrical and mechanical engineering. Students write assembler code and compose ladder diagrams to achieve control along with the physical interfacing needed to external devices. This unit integrates knowledge, acquired in other units, of physical devices and processes through microcontroller and PLC applications thus enhancing employability.

The aim of this unit is to provide an introduction into the fundamentals of manufacturing operations, automation and control technologies including numerical control and industrial robotics. In addition, material handling and identification technologies will be discussed as well as manufacturing systems. The latter will examine single-station manufacturing cells, manual assembly lines, automated production and assembly lines as well as flexible manufacturing systems. Mechanical behaviour of common materials used in manufacturing will be studied, and their suitability for various manufacturing processes including metal cutting, sheet-metal forming, bulk deformation and abrasion. Properties and processing of polymers and reinforced plastics will be examined especially with respect to rapid prototyping and rapid tooling.

This unit provides the essential background to understand the behaviour of engineering systems subject to vibration and analyse hydraulic systems for generation and/or application of fluid power.

This unit introduces basic concepts of power and machines, including an introduction to modern power systems and transformers, and fundamentals of electromechanical energy conversion. It also covers magnetic circuits, modern permanent magnet materials and their characteristics, and balanced and unbalanced three-phase power systems.

This unit provides students with a solid background in digital logic design. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of digital logic with number systems, basic logic devices and Boolean algebra. Analysis and design of combinational and sequential logic circuits is covered in detail. Design with programmable logic devices is introduced.

This unit introduces the fundamental principles of electrical machines: DC generators and motors, induction motors and synchronous machines. The unit also introduces various special purpose electrical machines, such as permanent magnet machines, step motors and reluctance machines.

This unit introduces the fundamental concepts of automatic control engineering. It covers traditional and contemporary design and analysis techniques; the concepts required to design continuous time and discrete time controllers. Matlab is utlilized considerably.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Robotics. The kinematics, dynamics, control and sensing aspects in robotics will be introduced. In addition, the concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and their applications in robotics will also be introduced. There will be considerable use of MATLAB in the unit.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Mobile Robotics. The areas of mobile robot mechanics, localisation, map building and path planning of mobile robots will be introduced. Various sensors and their applications in mobile robotics are also to be introduced.

This unit explores the art of managing physical and human resources and the knowledge to plan, deliver and maintain the physical infrastructure for civilisation in an economically sustainable way.

This unit introduces the student to the flow of fluid in closed conduits, and to the mechanisms of heat and energy transfer; both directly and via thermodynamic cycles. The application of this knowledge to the design of systems, to the enhancement of their function, and to the optimisation of their performance is also studied. The unit includes a review of the generic limitations of energy availability, and the exploration of renewable forms of energy generation and utilisation. Upon completing this unit, students will be able to use the principles of fluid flow, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to design engineering systems.

The aim of the unit is to integrate the basic skills of mechanics, mechanical systems and automation in the practice of engineering design as applied to mechatronic devices and systems. The ability to perform detailed design analysis of such machine elements as bearings, brakes, clutches, belt drives and shaft and motor systems is the intended outcome of undertaking this unit and project based tasks will form part of the learning process and team work experience.

Students will undertake 12 weeks fulltime (37.5 hours per week) employment (or equivalent) to obtain relevant workplace experience in Engineering under the supervision of professional engineers in one company or more.

This is a multi-disciplinary research project aimed at encouraging students to participate in solving multi-disciplinary problems. Where possible these will be real-world problems for engineering companies and/or local councils in Western Sydney.

This unit covers all topics associated with the measurement of physical quantities and the instrumentation required to accurately present this information to a controller. Transducers used to measure common physical quantities are presented in detail, while instrumentation includes a detailed analysis of zero-span circuits, Wheatstone bridges, Instrumentation amplifiers, isolation amplifiers, voltage-to-current and voltage-to-frequency modules used for faithful signal transmission, digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital circuits. The application of these modules in modern measurement equipment – multimeters, digital CROs and PLC/PC interfacing modules is discussed.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Robotics. The kinematics, dynamics, control and sensing aspects in robotics will be introduced. In addition, the concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and their applications in robotics will also be introduced. There will be considerable use of MATLAB in the unit.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Mobile Robotics. The areas of mobile robot mechanics, localisation, map building and path planning of mobile robots will be introduced. Various sensors and their applications in mobile robotics are also to be introduced.

This is a multi-disciplinary research project aimed at encouraging students to participate in solving multi-disciplinary problems. Where possible these will be real-world problems for engineering companies and/or local councils in Western Sydney.

This unit introduces the student to the flow of fluid in closed conduits, and to the mechanisms of heat and energy transfer; both directly and via thermodynamic cycles. The application of this knowledge to the design of systems, to the enhancement of their function, and to the optimisation of their performance is also studied. The unit includes a review of the generic limitations of energy availability, and the exploration of renewable forms of energy generation and utilisation. Upon completing this unit, students will be able to use the principles of fluid flow, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to design engineering systems.

The aim of the unit is to integrate the basic skills of mechanics, mechanical systems and automation in the practice of engineering design as applied to mechatronic devices and systems. The ability to perform detailed design analysis of such machine elements as bearings, brakes, clutches, belt drives and shaft and motor systems is the intended outcome of undertaking this unit and project based tasks will form part of the learning process and team work experience.

In this unit we explore materials from a design perspective - their properties, qualities, typical applications, their cost and the environmental impact associated with their extraction, use and disposal. We also look at how they can be formed using contemporary and emerging processing techniques - from sand casting to rapid prototyping. Lectures are supplemented with live demonstrations of materials processing techniques and students undertake materials research and a design for manufacture project.

This unit introduces students to the internal structure of microprocessors and its fundamental operations. Topics include assembly language programming, interrupt processing, CPU functions, memory organisation and peripheral programming. Intel 8088 microprocessor will be discussed in great detail. Embedded processor will also be covered.

This unit provides honours level students with the opportunity to undertake research on a specialist topic within their Key Program of undergraduate study.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Robotics. The kinematics, dynamics, control and sensing aspects in robotics will be introduced. In addition, the concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and their applications in robotics will also be introduced. There will be considerable use of MATLAB in the unit.

To develop an understanding of the basic concepts involved in Mobile Robotics. The areas of mobile robot mechanics, localisation, map building and path planning of mobile robots will be introduced. Various sensors and their applications in mobile robotics are also to be introduced.

This unit provides honours level students with the opportunity to undertake research on a specialist topic within their Key Program of undergraduate study.

This unit introduces the student to the flow of fluid in closed conduits, and to the mechanisms of heat and energy transfer; both directly and via thermodynamic cycles. The application of this knowledge to the design of systems, to the enhancement of their function, and to the optimisation of their performance is also studied. The unit includes a review of the generic limitations of energy availability, and the exploration of renewable forms of energy generation and utilisation. Upon completing this unit, students will be able to use the principles of fluid flow, thermodynamics, and heat transfer to design engineering systems.

The aim of the unit is to integrate the basic skills of mechanics, mechanical systems and automation in the practice of engineering design as applied to mechatronic devices and systems. The ability to perform detailed design analysis of such machine elements as bearings, brakes, clutches, belt drives and shaft and motor systems is the intended outcome of undertaking this unit and project based tasks will form part of the learning process and team work experience.

This unit is the first of two mathematics units to be completed by students enrolled in an engineering degree. It covers the following topics: Differential and integral calculus of a single variable, complex numbers, aspects of matrix algebra, bectors and some elementary statistics and probability theory.

This unit deals with the action and interaction of forces, moments and couples in two and three dimensions, on machine elements and simple structures. It examines the equilibrium of single bodies, of multi-body structures and of mechanisms. It then covers the dynamics of a particle. A systematic approach to solving practical engineering design problems is provided. The unit makes extensive use of vector algebra.

The objective of this unit is to provide an introduction to fundamental electromagnetism and electric circuit principles. Discussion is restricted to DC, although first-order systems are presented and second order systems introduced in preparation for on-going development. Basic definitions of charge, current, potential difference/relative potential, power, and the electric circuit as a complete path are presented, together with the basic laws - Ohm's Law and Kirchoff's nodal and loop laws. Examples from different engineering disciplines are related to circuit’s laws. Basic nodal and mesh analysis are presented together with Thevenin and Norton circuit equivalents, real versus ideal current and voltage sources and the maximum power transfer principle. The operational amplifier as a circuit element is introduced. Energy storage elements (capacitors and inductors) are discussed leading into first-order systems and their natural responses and time-constants. Several basic electromagnetic concepts related to electric and magnetic flux and induced voltage are also discussed.

This unit equips students with the fundamental skills that will enable them to use creative design and engineering approaches to solve challenging problems and to understand the design process. Students will be exposed to 2D and 3D visualisation techniques, will learn how to interpret abstract information, and will work on practical projects in an interdisciplinary context. The aim is to provide a common first-year subject that is thematic, rather than discipline-centred and presents students with foundation concepts in engineering and industrial design.

This is a Level 1 unit to be undertaken by students enrolled in an Engineering degree. It covers the following topics: Ordinary Differential Equations and Multivariable Calculus.

This unit serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of physics and materials with appropriate applications in a wide range of engineering and industrial design systems.

Mechanics of Materials is the study of the stresses and deformation of a body made of any elastic solid material, and how these are related to the body’s shape and the load applied to it. This unit looks at how and why structural components including bars and beams deform and break. It concentrates on how these are affected by the geometry of the body and loading. Types of loadings considered include normal loads, torsional loads and bending loads. The main objective of the unit is to introduce students to the aspects of stress, strain and internal force development in the components and the methods to determine the deformation and deflections of the components. Energy methods and impact loadings are also considered.

This unit aims to equip students with the tools needed for the design and analysis of electrical and electronic circuits. The unit also introduces various techniques of circuit analysis, convolution, mutual coupling, frequency response and two ports loop.

The aim of this unit is to provide an introduction into the fundamentals of manufacturing operations, automation and control technologies including numerical control and industrial robotics. In addition, material handling and identification technologies will be discussed as well as manufacturing systems. The latter will examine single-station manufacturing cells, manual assembly lines, automated production and assembly lines as well as flexible manufacturing systems. Mechanical behaviour of common materials used in manufacturing will be studied, and their suitability for various manufacturing processes including metal cutting, sheet-metal forming, bulk deformation and abrasion. Properties and processing of polymers and reinforced plastics will be examined especially with respect to rapid prototyping and rapid tooling.

This unit introduces basic concepts of power and machines, including an introduction to modern power systems and transformers, and fundamentals of electromechanical energy conversion. It also covers magnetic circuits, modern permanent magnet materials and their characteristics, and balanced and unbalanced three-phase power systems.

In this unit rigid body kinematics is analysed from the freedom-and-constraints point of view and graphical approaches to velocity and acceleration analyses are covered. The unit looks at how one or more particles move in one, two or three dimensions and how forces cause these movements. It also looks at how forces and couples cause the movement of a single rigid body in two and three dimensions. The movement of multi-body mechanisms and gear trains, and the geometry of gear teeth and cams are studied.

Students are introduced to the techniques of data manipulation and presentation using the common functions of a spreadsheet facility. The unit also aims to instil sound principles of program design that can be utilised in many units throughout the student's course. The basic elements and structures of a high level language are taught. Students are exposed to many engineering problems and are encouraged to implement solutions using an algorithmic approach.

This unit encourages students to explore the professional responsibilities and challenges faced by Engineers, Designers and Building professionals. Students are introduced to emerging issues and approaches to sustainability and the complex nature of the design problems they will encounter in professional practice. Students engage in a semester-long research and problem solving task that addresses environmental and social sustainability imperatives and fosters fundamental research, design and communication skills. Special emphasis is placed on lifelong learning, academic literacy and professional skills including information literacy, project management, and teamwork which equip students for subsequent academic and professional contexts.