Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3258
Date of Award
6-2026
Degree Name
MS in Electrical Engineering
Department/Program
Electrical Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Jason Poon
Advisor Department
Electrical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
To meet new curriculum demands brought on by Cal Poly's upcoming switch to semesters, a new, cross-disciplinary lab module was developed for EE 435 (Industrial Power Control and Automation). The module emphasizes career-applicable skills, preparing students for the field of controls engineering within the manufacturing industry. These skills include robotic control, computer networking and configuration, and embedded systems. The work focused on integrating a collaborative robot arm to pick-and-place boxes on a conveyor. A myCobot 320 Pi and an Ultimation Powered Roller MDR Conveyor were integrated with the existing PLC system using Modbus RTU and EtherNet/IP communication protocols, respectively. A host PC was used to control and test the subsystems, with remote development made possible by SSH and VNC. The movement profile and programming for the myCobot were completed in Python using the myCobot's custom API. Future students, potentially from multiple departments under the Noyce School of Computing, will be able to follow a set of clear instructions and set up and program the robotic system within a single lab session.
Included in
Controls and Control Theory Commons, Digital Communications and Networking Commons, Robotics Commons