Teaching Rigid Body Dynamics using MATLAB and Computational Thinking

Overview

In this presentation, we’ll demonstrate how to use MATLAB to support the teaching of rigid body dynamics – one of the staples in physics and engineering courses.  A collection of case studies from Mechanical and Mechatronic engineering will be presented, spanning 1^st year concepts through to more advanced 3^rd and 4^th year rigid body dynamics.  Specific case-studies will include:

• Kinematic analysis of a 4-bar linkage
• Equations of motion of a 3-Link robotic manipulator (Newton)
• Gyroscopic Boat Stabilization (Lagrange)
• A quadcopter that balances an inverted pendulum (Lagrange)

About the Presenter

Bradley Horton is a member of the Academic Customer Success team at MathWorks, helping faculty members better utilize MATLAB and Simulink for education and research. Bradley has supported and consulted for clients on projects in process control engineering, power systems simulation, military operations research, and earthquake impact modelling. Before joining MathWorks, Brad spent 5 years as a systems engineer with the Defense Science & Technology Organization (DSTO) working as an operations research analyst. Bradley holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical engineering and a B.Sc. in Applied mathematics.