A Methodology to Teach Mechatronics through Building a Hands-on Platform

This work presents a methodology to teach Mechatronics, Robotics and Automatic Control through a low-cost platform based on a radio control (RC) servo. The approach is described as well as its real-time control through a Proportional Integral plus velocity feedback (PIVF) algorithm endowed with an integrator anti-windup mechanism. Estimation of the servomotor velocity is accomplished by means of a high-pass filter and a Luenberger observer. These experiments prove the potential of the platform for supporting undergraduate level courses in Automatic Control, Mechatronics, and Robotics.