This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
MECH S395
Mechatronics
Welcome to MECH S395! We hope you enjoy studying this course. This guide is designed to help you to see the course as a whole. Please read it before you start reading the course material. You may also find it useful during the year, as it describes the components of the course, advises you on study patterns, and explains the assessment procedures. You will also receive a separate Presentation Schedule which shows all the important dates for the course.
The design of intelligent machines is a subject area that has emerged in the past few decades, driven by the practical need to design machines that are capable of working autonomously under conditions of some uncertainty, i.e., in situations where, from time-to-time, unpredictable events occur.
The subject of Mechatronics is vast in scope – it combines mechanical, electrical and software engineering, as well as information systems, communication, control and artificial intelligence, to mention only its major elements. In this course, we will concentrate on:
The course therefore contains more material on information processing and artificial intelligence than on mechanical or electronic engineering.
A central element of the course is SmartLab, which includes the Home Experiment Kit (HEK) and associated software for a personal computer, and provides you with exciting opportunities to perform some experiments on your computer.
The educational aims of the course are as follows:
The objectives are to enable you, upon the completion of this course, to carry out the following tasks and activities:
The course has the following components:
3.1 Textbook
The textbook is entitled Mechatronics: Designing Intelligent Machines. It consists of two volumes: Volume 1: Perception, Cognition and Execution; Volume 2: Concepts of Artificial Intelligence
3.2 Study Guides
The study guides include this Course Guide, and Study Guides to the Introduction, Perception, Cognition, and Execution Blocks.
3.3 Home Computer
You need to have access to a personal computer and to the Internet. The recommended configuration is
3.4 CD-ROM containing SmartLab
SmartLab contains a series of eight activities using an integrated set of computer programs and a Home Experiment Kit. SmartLabs 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8 involve the Home Experiment Kit (HEK).
3.5 Supplementary Materials
Printed supplementary materials include a presentation schedule, assignments, any study comments, stop-press material, and the booklet Using the T395 SmartLab Software. A specimen examination paper will also be provided on the Online Learning Environment (OLE).
3.6 Laboratory Classes
There will be 5 laboratory classes during which Home Experiment Kits (HEK) will be provided to perform some of the SmartLab activities. You MUST attend at least 3 out of the 5 day-long labs in order to gain credits for the course, and you are strongly advised to attend all, as some assignment questions will be based on these lab activities.
3.7 Face-to-Face Tutorials and Surgeries
HKMU will assign you to a course tutor who can help you with both the theoretical and practical aspects of the course. There are two-hour tutorials and two-hour surgeries. You will meet your tutor during tutorials. The tutorial schedule and groupings will be mailed to you separately. While it is not a requirement for you to attend the tutorials, you are encouraged to do so because you will meet with your tutor and fellow students. There are also surgeries during which you can raise questions to the tutor-on-duty (who may or may not be your tutor). If you have any problem with the course you should contact your tutor to get help.
You may find it useful to keep in touch with your fellow students for mutual assistance and comparing progress. In particular, you may be able to help each other with the practical work, as some students may have technical problems which others can overcome. For this, we strongly encourage you to make use of the discussion group on the OLE.
3.8 Continuous Assessment
Your progress with the course is assessed by 4 assignments, which are summative and will together count for 50% of the overall course assessment. The best 2 out of Assignments 01, 02 and 03 are counted; Assignment 04 is required. The assignment documents will be available for download from the OLE.
You are encouraged to submit your assignments according to schedule. If you foresee difficulties in completing the assignment, please contact your tutor for help early on. If you cannot meet the deadline, please apply for extension before the cut-off date. For the three assignments Assignment 01, Assignment 02 and Assignment 03, your tutor has the authority to give you up to 7 days' extension, provided the application is made before the assignment cut-off date, and is substantiated with a good reason. “Too busy at work” or “Sent by the company to overseas trips” are not considered as good reasons. Please note that there will be no extension for Assignment 04's cut-off date, so that the marked assignments with tutor's comments can be returned to you as a reference in time for preparation for the examination.
3.9 Final Examination
The final examination is a written paper of three hours. You will receive on OLE a Specimen Examination Paper, which resembles the actual paper in style and format. There is no trick question on the examination paper. Any material which has been described as non-assessable will not be assessed. Remember it is our intention to see that as many students as possible successfully completing the course. The final examination comprises 50% of the overall course assessment.
The printed texts give you most of the knowledge elements required to specify and participate in the design of intelligent machines.
Volume 1 provides background information about intelligent machines and their major functional subsystems – perception, cognition and execution. It also includes an overview of the concept of architecture and describes approaches to designing mechatronic products.
Volume 2 is a source of concepts and techniques in artificial intelligence which are applicable in practical situations. You will be expected to use these concepts and techniques in machine design and analysis exercises.
MECH S395 is structured in five blocks, listed below in the recommended sequence of study:
Study Guides for the Blocks provide you with a commentary on each chapter. These set the scene, add detailed teaching points and give you the opportunity to test your grasp of the teaching material via self-assessment questions (SAQs).
While knowledge can be acquired both passively and actively, you will have to develop the design skills through active learning – answering the SAQs, completing the assignments, and performing the SmartLab activities.
In the absence of broadcasts, assignments provide the only 'pacing' element in the course, so you should make sure you do not build up a backlog of work that prevents you from meeting the assignment submission deadlines.
The course is supported by the HKMU Online Learning Environment (OLE). Please familiarize yourself with the OLE early on. Some of the course information, including assignments, will be available only on the OLE so you may wish to check the website regularly.
You are also encouraged to participate in the MECH S395 discussion group. Your course coordinator and tutors will also visit the discussion board regularly and participate in the discussion.
For details about the OLE, please refer to Introduction to the Online Learning Environment and OLE User Guide (http://ole.hkmu.edu.hk/help.html).
