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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has unveiled a first-of-its-kind Model-Based System Design laboratory that will help better prepare engineering students to develop complex systems, thanks to software, hardware and financial donations worth $580,000 from four leading international high-tech companies.
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Showing Off Technology: Marc Herniter (left), associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, explains how the Model-Based System Design laboratory is being used as an educational tool for Andy Mastronardi, director of university programs for Freescale, and Liz Callanan of The MathWorks.
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Model-Based System Design is a method that has been adopted by original equipment manufacturers to develop large, complex systems. It re-engineers the traditional development process from one which is paper-based to one that utilizes an executable model that is the repository for all information about the concept, design and implementation of a product. This design concept is heavily used by the automotive and aerospace industries, but is currently lacking within college and university curricula.
The new lab provides students with a real-world environment, where system integration can be taught.
Providing support for the project have been The MathWorks (Natick, Mass.), the leading developer and supplier of software for technical computing and Model-Based Design; Freescale (Austin, Texas), global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors; MotoTron Corporation (Oshkosh, Wis.), an electronic control system integrator providing tools, products and the processes to simplify mechatronics system development; and Caterpillar (Peoria, Ill.), the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines.
Rose-Hulman’s laboratory and curriculum is the first to bridge the gap between academia and industry, according to Art Western, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty.
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Putting Computer Models To Practice: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology senior mechanical engineering major Ben Ciavola (front) and mechanical engineering professor Zac Chambers examine how Model-Based System Design strategies are helping the performance of a re-engineered hybrid sport utility vehicle for General Motors' Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility national collegiate engineering competition. |
“This lab will help Rose-Hulman continue to lead the way in undergraduate engineering,” stated Western. “Introducing current trends in modern design with the support of leading-edge hardware and software give our students the experience they need to hit the ground running and become immediate producers upon being hired.”
Marc Herniter, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Zac Chambers, associate professor of mechanical engineering, point out that Model-Based Design is a philosophy that allows students and faculty members to solve problems from several levels: from the basic physics of the system components, through the interaction between components, to the overall behavior of the system.
“Model-Based System Design allows us to teach a concept at several different levels,” noted Herniter. “Rose-Hulman students will be able to understand basic physics of components in context of a larger system; understand how components interact; understand and work from the system level; understand and study control methods; troubleshoot systems; study a development process adopted by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); and use the same state-of-the-art software and hardware tools adopted by OEMs.”
Chambers added that these system design skills are in demand a long list of companies, including General Motors, Delphi and Caterpillar. Several Rose-Hulman student teams are actively deploying the design concepts to rank among the innovation leaders in their national engineering competitions.
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Showing Off Latest Technology: Zac Chambers, associate professor of mechanical engineering, gives a tour of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's new Model-Based System Design laboratory.
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Andrew DePristo, director of worldwide education strategy at The MathWorks, states that the company supports the establishment of Rose-Hulman’s Model-Based System Design lab and curriculum offerings to help train the next generation of engineers in a more “real-world” setting.
“Rose-Hulman, one of the premier schools for education of undergraduate engineers, is an ideal partner in this effort to make The MathWorks’ tools and the paradigm of Model-Based Design increasingly accessible to instructors and students,” DePristo said. “Today, the hands-on experience of working with an entire engineering system -– from software modeling to hardware implementation –- is still rare in academia, and Rose-Hulman is taking a lead in this area. The MathWorks is pleased to support their efforts which will greatly benefit the engineers of tomorrow.”
Andy Mastronardi, director of university programs for Freescale, added that students knowledgeable with Model-Based Systems design will be more adapt at quickly implementing "solution-based" systems to meet today's high-tech industry demands.
“By teaching this design methodology, Rose-Hulman students can move quickly towards developing integrated solutions for complex systems with the ability to integrate software and hardware components around a general abstract concept," Mastronardi said.
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Improving Vehicle Performance: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students Aren Thompson (at computer) and John Cergnul join mechanical engineering professor Allen White in examining how Model-Based System Design techniques can improve the fuel performance of the Rose Efficient Vehicle team. Rose-Hulman won the collegiate division of the Society of Automotive Engineers' 2007 Supermileage Competition, posting 1,541 mpg. |
Rich Swortzel, vice president for business development for MotoTron, states: "MotoTron is pleased to support the Rose-Hulman Model-Based System Design laboratory, which includes our MotoHawk® development environment. MotoTron recognizes the excellent program at Rose-Hulman for teaching the embedded implementation of mechatronic systems, including hybrid vehicles. MotoHawk will be instrumental in helping students develop better methods for designing, implementing and testing embedded systems.”
Already benefiting from the lab have been Ben Ciavola, a senior mechanical engineering major and controls team leader of Rose-Hulman’s team that has re-engineered a hybrid sport utility vehicle for the Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility competition; and John Cergnul, a junior mechanical engineering major and integration team leader for the Rose Efficient Vehicle team which will compete in the 2008 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas competition on April 10-13.
Model-Based System Design has been critical in the successful deployment of a high-level control strategy for a complex powersplit architecture in the Challenge X team’s vehicle.
“Using Model-Based System Design decreased our development cycle by an estimated 80 percent and resulted in a vehicle controller that worked the first time it was installed on the car,” Ciavola stated.
Cergnul added: “Using Model-Based System Design has helped us to solve our fuel delivery problem. We were able to develop and deploy a fuel injection strategy for our modified Briggs and Stratton engine, helping us win the collegiate division in the 2007 Society of Automotive Engineers’ Supermileage Competition (1,541 mpg).”
About Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
A 1,936-student private college located in Terre Haute, Ind., that specializes in undergraduate engineering, science and mathematics education, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive years among specialized engineering colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s annual college guide. The college’s mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical and computer engineering programs have been ranked as the best in their category for eight straight years.
About The MathWorks
The MathWorks is the leading developer and supplier of software for technical computing and model-based design, including MATLAB and Simulink. The company’s customers are 1,000,000 of the world's leading technical people, in over 100 countries, on all seven continents. These technical people work at the world's most innovative technology companies, government research labs, financial institutions, and at more than 3,500 universities.
About Freescale
Freescale Semiconductor (www.freescale.com) is a global leader in the design and manufacture of embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial, networking and wireless markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing or sales operations in more than 30 countries. Freescale is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies with 2007 sales of $5.7 billion (USD).
About MotoTron Corporation
MotoTron Corporation, a subsidiary of Brunswick Corporation, is a electronic control system integrator. The corporation provides tools, products and the processes to simplify Mechatronics system development. MotoTron’s core business is developing software tools and products. Electronic hardware is sourced from supply partners, including Continental Automotive, Visteon, Synerject, Navman, and Delphi Automotive.
About Caterpillar
For more than 80 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making progress possible and driving positive and sustainable change on every continent. With 2007 sales and revenues of $44.958 billion, Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines.
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