Role of a matlab real-time hardware interface within a systems modeling course

Abstract

In an effort to offer students a more tangible understanding of system modeling concepts, the Quanser/MATLAB hardware interface has been employed at USNA in the laboratory setting of an undergraduate modeling course. Specifically, the SIMULINK-based interface has enabled students to model various physical systems and then compare the system performance predicted by their simulation to the actual response of the physical system. In this paper, an actual case study performed by the midshipmen utilizing the Quanser interface system with a rigid-link, flexible-joint robotic manipulator is presented.