DARPA grand challenge - what can we learn from this?

What can we learn from all this?

Autonomous vehicles are hard to design. There is always the risk of component failure, and a greater risk of not foreseeing flaws that could be potentially very nasty. Given the limited timeframe in which to develop these vehicles, there have been some very good innovations.

Autonomous vehicles are a form of robotics in which the car becomes the robot. I think many of us (including myself) would like to own an autonomous vehicle some day

DARPA Grand challenge - an exercise in robotics

DARPA grand challenge

What is it?

The DARPA grand challenge is a US based challenge sponsored by the Department of Defense under the ‘Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’ arm. DARPA is unique in that it gives technological option to the Department of Defense. It accelerates development of technological advances to make what might be possible in the future possible.

The grand challenge is a result of the goal by the military to develop unmanned vehicles for use in warfare. In order to accelerate development in the field, DARPA created a challenge open to teams around the world to develop autonomous vehicles to drive around a preset path. The vehicles had to have no human intervention.

Sadly, no vehicle completed the race, but it did highlight some of the dangers and pitfalls when designing an autonomous vehicle. Encouraged by the result that they did move autonomously for some distance, DARPA announced a second grand challenge to be held in the desert in 2005. The goal was to drive to path in less than 5 hours. 3 vehicles managed to successfully do this, and a fourth finished the course after being parked on a hilltop overnight due to lack of battery power and low sunlight. The rest had various problems with components.

In 2006, DARPA announced another grand challenge. Dubbed the urban challenge, he vehicles must now successfully navigate traffic, and follow local traffic laws (including traffic lights). It will be held late in 2007

Mechatronics and you - electronic stability in cars

Mechatronics and you:

Electronic stability in cars – how it works.

Electronic stability control (ESC) (marketed under different marketing names by different companies) is a program in some newer cars that tries to prevent oversteer and understeer in cars. ESC cannot prevent crashes – merely reduce the severity of impact.

Electronic stability works by comparing the drivers intended direction to the actual response of the vehicle by sensing lateral acceleration, individual wheel speeds and rotation and responds accordingly.

ESC is an example of mechatronics at work – it is a moving system using electronics to control and get a desired response.

Robotics and Mechatronics part 2

How does Mechatronic engineering apply to robotics?

The common dream of most Mechatronic engineer is to build robots. In the meantime, Mechatronic engineering graduates design and supervise construction of systems automation. Industrial robots are programmed and maintained by Mechatronic engineers.

Robotics and mechatronics part 2

Robotics and their associated programming requires knowledge of electrical systems and mechanical movement. Robots are constrained in their movement. This can be 1-axis, 2-axis, 3-axis, or multiple axis robots.

Multiple axis robots can be hard to program. It is easier to program a 2 axis robot than a 3-axis one, as you have limitations on its motion based on its wires and its motors.

As I mentioned in a previous article, robotics have invaded many industries to increase productivity. They are far more precise, accurate, and less prone to boredom. Robots can be programmed to do anything within their capabilities.

what do companies usually advertise that relate to mechatronics engineering?

I look at the employment section in my local paper and I don’t see a lot of engineering firms advertising for ‘mechatronics engineers’. What’s up with that?

You may be looking for the words ‘mechatronics engineers’ specifically, and you wont find a lot of companies advertising this way. Mechatronics is a new engineering field, so you won’t find a lot of senior mechatronics engineers. In order to not restrict their search, they don’t advertise for mechatronics engineers specifically. Some of the more common positions which a mechatronics engineers can apply for are:


• Asset Engineer
• Automation engineer
• Data Logging engineer
• Electrical/Electronic engineer
• Electro mechanical engineer
• Instrumentation engineer
• Maintenance engineer
• Mechanical engineer
• Plant engineer
• Process engineer
• Process monitoring and plant systems engineer
• Project engineer
• Software engineer
• Systems engineer