Project USO-unidentified swimming objects-using aquatic mobile robots in engineering education

In engineering education hands on teaching is becoming more and more important. To implement their knowledge obtained in different disciplines of the electrical engineering course such as analog and digital electronics, instrumentation and control systems, students from the 7/sup th/ semester and above have to implement the theoretical principles in an interdisciplinary laboratory prototype. Following this idea, some students projected and implemented the steering control of an unidentified swimming object (USO) constructed by themselves. In order to encourage creativity it was not necessary to construct a conventional boat but any kind of autonomous aquatic mobile robot that should follow a predetermined route on the lake situated on the campus. Interdisciplinary work and teamwork were encouraged. The assembled aquatic mobile robots, the mathematical analysis of the system plants and the development of a linear steering control strategy for these prototypes are presented in this article. Simulation and experimental results are also included.