Teaching robotics systems in a multimedia environment

This paper describes the development of a multimedia educational system to teach and learn robotic systems. Multimedia resources have been used to build a virtual laboratory where users are able to utilize functions of a robotic arm, by moving and clicking the mouse without worrying about the detailed robot internal operation. The multimedia system is integrated with a real robotic arm, which was also developed at the university. Through robotic topic presentations and interactive capabilities provided by this system and its tools, students can devote themselves on the learning process just as they do in the traditional face-to-face classes. and the target public of this system are the engineering students themselves.

Does spatial visualization ability improve after studying technical drawing?

Two studies were carried out to analyze whether learning technical drawing improves a person's ability for spatial visualization. Visualization and inductive reasoning tests were applied at the beginning and end of a course in technical drawing in samples of first year engineering students. In both studies it was observed that a moderate percentage of students improved their Visualization test execution. The improvement was similar in men and women. There was no improvement on the inductive reasoning test. The results support the conclusion that the spatial visualization ability can be improved with training.

Industrial Robotics Applied to Education

This work describes a ludic proposal for programming learning of industrial robots to be developed by groups of engineering students. Two projects are presented: Tic-tac-toe Opponent Robot and Environmentalist Robot. The first project use competitive search techniques of the Artificial Intelligence, computational vision, electronic and pneumatic concepts for ability decision making for a robotic agent on the tic-tae-toe game. The second project consists of a game that contains a questions and answers database about environmental themes. An algorithm selects the group of questions to be answered by the player, analyses the answers and sends the result to a industrial robot through serial port. According with the player performance, the robot makes congratulation movements and giving a gift to the winner player. Otherwise, the robot makes movements, disapproving the player performance.

A demonstration of dry and viscous damping of an oscillating pendulum

Damped oscillatory motion is one of the most widely studied movements in physics courses. Despite this fact, dry damped oscillatory motion is not commonly discussed in physics textbooks. In this work, we discuss the dry and viscous dampec pendulum, in a teaching experiment that can easily be performed by physics or engineering students.

Revendo os códigos hamming e CRC para tratar com erros na transmissão de dados

This article has the purpose to review the main codes used to detect and correct errors in data communication specifically in the computer's network. The Hamming's code and the Ciclic Redundancy Code (CRC) are presented as the focus of this article as well as CRC hardware implementation. Each code is reviewed in details in order to fill the gaps in the literature and to make it accessible to the computer science and engineering students as well as to anyone who may be interested in learning the technique to treat error in data communication.

¿Mejora la visualización espacial con el aprendizaje del dibujo técnico?

The present study article whether instruction in technical drawing improves aptitude for spatial visualization. Tests for visualization were administered to a sample of first year engineering students at the beginning and end of a technical drawing course. Findings show improvements in the visualization test performance in a moderate number of students; this effect was the same in both men and women. These results show that spatial visualization is an aptitude that can be enhanced with training.

Unveiling fieldbus network technology through project-based learning

Fieldbus communications networks are a fundamental part of modern industrial automation technique. This paperwork presents an application of project-based learning (PBL) paradigm to help electrical engineering students grasp the major concepts of fieldbus networks, while attending a one-term long, elective microcontroller course. © 2012 IEEE.

Educação em engenharia: estudo de metodologias pedagógicas e desenvolvimento de um software aplicado ao ensino de estabilidade de sistemas de energia elétrica

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influências do Projeto Baja SAE no ensino da engenharia e no desenvolvimento do aluno

This work aims to show the importance of Baja SAE Project in engineering education, as well as the development of the student, being an outstanding tool for the engineering student has an education that meets the objectives of the pedagogical university and also the guidelines Ministry of Education curriculum for engineering courses. The Baja SAE Project provides the engineering students the chance to apply in practice the knowledge acquired in the classroom, to enhance their preparation for the labor market. The student becomes involved with a real case of project development, from concept design, detailed design and construction. The Baja SAE Project redefines the position of the student as an active element in the learning process engineering, leaving behind the simple condition of receiving information. Values procedures that provide students the opportunity to learn in contexts of professional practice, while offering the opportunity to contextualize the execution of a project. From an analysis to develop personal skills, Baja SAE Project has its own characteristics and essential for professional practice, however, not specific to the engineering course. For example, capacity for teamwork, communication skills written and oral, ethical behavior, critical, overview, entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, etc

Processamento de peças em materiais compósitos para o projeto BAJA SAE

The weight of a vehicle has always been considered an extreme important factor, because it interferes in the performance, steering, consume, environmental impact, wear of components, among the others. Because of the new demand, consume reduction aim and gases emission increased the necessity to manufacture lighter vehicles, guaranteeing the complying with the gas emission international law. Besides the legal demand, the low weight will certainly be essential for the competitiveness for the next generation of vehicles. It is with this thinking the composite materials have been introduced in the automobilist industry, because those materials show an excellent relation of strength/weight, providing a reduction of consume and the increase of load capacity. Those factors justify the increase of interest of industry and the necessity of optimization of those materials and of their process. For this research, the field of application will be the Baja SAE Project, a project that is fully developed by engineering students, where they build a prototype single seat, off-road category, for use on hilly slopes with obstacle. This research aims to study two key components of the prototype are made of composite materials, analyzing all the processing. In addition, there is the analysis of the viability of this production parts to a Baja SAE vehicle, in order to increase their performance and reduce their weight without reducing the safety and robustness of the prototype. It was possible to achieve weight reduction of the steering subsystem with manufacturing the flywheel hybrid composite (carbon/glass) and the replacement of SAE 1010 steel by hybrid composite (carbon/aramid) in CVT box. The importance of this study is to obtain a good project for the vehicle of technical and scientific manner, contributing to the know-how to the team and providing a basis for optimization for upcoming projects

Analise de desgaste em materiais aplicados em discos de freio

Baja SAE competitions challenge engineering students to design and build offroad vehicles, preparing them for the competitive job market. This monograph aims to study a part of the braking of a Baja SAE vehicle system, the brake disc. Giving attention to the wear suffered by discs of two different materials, steel 1045 and stainless steel 304, helping the team Piratas do Vale Bardahl in the best selection between them. Braking tests were performed on a test bench. Both discs have suffered the same braking conditions. Brake pads material, brake line pressure, braking time, number of braking, were parameters which were repeated in the testing of different types of disk, in order to ensure a high power comparison between the obtained data. Before and after the disk tests were weighed and measured, to make a comparison. After the brake tests, the disks were subjected to hardness and surface roughness testing. With the data collected and observations made in the worn parts, the comparison between these two materials was made, obtaining a selection of the best material for the team. The tests showed that steel 1045 has more advantages, compared to stainless steel 304, when applied to brake discs, on the tested conditions

Desenvolvimento de uma planilha eletrônica em VBA para o dimensionamento didático de instalações de recalque de água

This study aims to develop a computer program based on VBA programming language, using Microsoft Excel, for designing pumping systems of water. The program allows the user to determine the economical diameter, using the equation of Bresse, for a given installation, since the geometric elevation, the material of the tube, the accessories along the line and the volumetric flow are known. In addition, the program estimates the total annual cost of the installation for three different diameters, in order to compare which diameter is more advantageous from an economical perspective. The program interface is designed to be simple and intuitive with the intention of being didactic and offering to engineering students an advantageous tool to analyze this type of project. Microsoft Excel was chosen for this work because is present in virtually all personal computer, and is an indispensable tool for educational purposes

Desenvolvimento de uma planilha eletrônica em VBA para o dimensionamento didático de instalações de recalque de água

This study aims to develop a computer program based on VBA programming language, using Microsoft Excel, for designing pumping systems of water. The program allows the user to determine the economical diameter, using the equation of Bresse, for a given installation, since the geometric elevation, the material of the tube, the accessories along the line and the volumetric flow are known. In addition, the program estimates the total annual cost of the installation for three different diameters, in order to compare which diameter is more advantageous from an economical perspective. The program interface is designed to be simple and intuitive with the intention of being didactic and offering to engineering students an advantageous tool to analyze this type of project. Microsoft Excel was chosen for this work because is present in virtually all personal computer, and is an indispensable tool for educational purposes

Wow! Linear systems and signal processing is fun!

We describe a recent offering of a linear systems and signal processing course for third-year electrical and computer engineering students. This course is a pre-requisite for our first digital signal processing course. Students have traditionally viewed linear systems courses as mathematical and extremely difficult. Without compromising the rigor of the required concepts, we strived to make the course fun, with application-based hands-on laboratory projects. These projects can be modified easily to meet specific instructors' preferences. © 2011 IEEE.(17 refs)

Effect of Participant Gender, Professor Gender, and Activity Interventions on the Understanding of Concepts in Thermodynamics

Misconceptions about heat and temperature have been seen across all educational levels, even in undergraduate engineering courses. One way these misconceptions can be remediated is through instructional methods, such as inquiry-based activities. Performance on assessments in sciences and engineering has been found to vary when gender is taken into consideration. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of participant gender, professor gender, and level of inquiry-based activities on the conceptual understanding of 247 undergraduate engineering students in thermodynamics. A pre-test post-test design was used. Conceptual understanding of thermodynamics was measured by students’ scores on the Concept Inventory for Engineering Thermodynamics (CIET; Vigeant, Prince & Nottis, 2011). Inquiry-based activities were developed by the researchers and given to professors who determined if they would do all, some, or none of them as they taught. Significant differences were found among participants of different gender, different gender of the professor instructing the course, and level of inquiry-based activity. The participants who were exposed to all of the activities provided didsignificantly better on the post-test than those who were only exposed to some or none of the activities. The results from this current study indicated that differences in gender, professorgender, and level of inquiry-based activity has an effect on undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual understanding of thermodynamics. Future research should investigate more factorsthat contribute to lower representation of women in the engineering field.