Systems Engineering¶
The machines we build combine processes across multiple domains, most frequently including mechanical forces, electrical signals, and computational processes. In many cases, the system boundaries themselves include one or more human or non-human users, opening the door to unbounded complexity.
In more general form, this list can be extended much further. It might include physical processes such as acoustics, pneumatics, and hydraulics. It could include higher-order computational processes such as distributed or networked computing.
There are many established interdisciplinary fields which address the question of engineering a complex multi-domain system: robotics, mechatronics, operations research, human-computer interaction, control theory, software engineering, and more.
This course can’t begin to address the full scope of questions which emerge, but it may be useful to narrow in on specific considerations which apply in the domains we usually encounter.
System Design Prompts¶
A practical starting point is to organize and enumerate typical design questions. The following categories are drawn from examples of past student projects in the course. N.B. this is a work in progress, this is by no means comprehensive.
Machine Design¶
What machine subsystems provide mobility in whole or in part?
axles and wheels
turntables
legs
serial-chain joints (e.g. robot arms)
animate articulations (e.g. moving parts intended for humans to see)
What functional tasks does the machine solve?
self-mobility
material transport
object constraint or capture
water transfer, flow, and constraint
active sensing
What structural elements and form are necessary to support the tasks?
rigid frameworks
boxes and enclosures
electronic and wiring mounts
How are the following abstract machine functions implemented?
energy storage (e.g. springs, counterweights, flywheels)
power transmission
motion amplification and reduction
sensing and information transduction
mechanical computation and feedback
self-protection (e.g. limit stops, enclosures)
Design for Humans¶
In general, what elements of the system are included specifically for humans?
What kinds of information need to be communicated?
discrete events or instructions
continuous state or parameter input
conscious control vs ambient or subconscious input
symbolic vs literal
human to human
instructions
What physical user interface elements are required?
grasping affordances: elements requiring a grasp
control: knobs
transport: handles
manipulanda: graspable objects
non-prehensile affordances: elements requiring a touch or contact
buttons and toggle switches
pressure pads, e.g. force-sensitive resistors (FSR) or strain gages
capacitive panels
non-contact affordances
microphones
range sensors (acoustic or optical)
shadow sensors
cameras
What user interface behaviors are required?
direct user feedback (output with no other functional purpose)
sound production
illumination and lighting
symbolic display
indirect user feedback (implicit in solving a task)
motion trajectory variation
tempo changes and pauses
What aspects of the system require practice or training?
What elements of form involve consideration of human needs?
visual and tactile design aesthetics
paint and patterning
representational and symbolic form