Mechatronics and robotics

Study programs: Undergraduate study program, Graduate study program
Duration: six semesters (undergraduate), four semesters (graduate)
Number of ECTS credits: 180 (undergraduate), 120 (graduate)

Automation of Production Systems

The specialization in Automation of Production Systems aims to teach students the techniques and tools necessary for the development and implementation of specialized mechatronic systems and equipment with applications in industry and medicine by connecting theory and practice. The sector of development and application of such equipment falls into the 10% most complex industrial sectors. The courses taught in this specialization expand the knowledge acquired in the undergraduate study and can be grouped thematically as follows:

• Techniques of engineering design, 3D modeling, and processing system design,
• Advanced control techniques (discrete, multivariable, and nonlinear systems),
• Control systems of industrial machines (CNC technology, open-loop systems, industrial networks, IoT, adaptive control),
• Design of electrical installations of control systems,
• Supervision of production systems and processes (direct and indirect monitoring methods – measurement systems and signal processing),
• Application of algorithms of artificial intelligence in control, signal processing, and supervision of processes and systems.

Upon completion of the specialization, students will be able to independently or in teams create mechatronic systems from the idea to their commissioning. In addition to the stated goal of the specialization and based on the areas covered by the courses, graduates will acquire the necessary knowledge for a good start in an engineering specialization of their preference in any of the three areas - design, control, and/or artificial intelligence.

Cybernetics and Bio-inspired Systems

The specialization in Cybernetics and Bio-inspired Systems integrates interdisciplinary knowledge of and competencies in, e.g., computer science, (distributed) artificial intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, electrical engineering, virtual worlds, human-computer interaction, information and communication technologies, etc. Cyber-physical systems are omnipresent, smart, and networked systems with embedded and shared sensors, processors, and actuators. They can operate in different spaces based on the principles of virtual and mixed reality and provide optimal solutions using information from both the cybernetic and real worlds. Research indicates that future applications of such systems in all spheres of human activity will lead to more significant changes than the revolution in information technologies in the past three decades. Cybernetics has laid the foundation for Industry 4.0 and is an integral part of the vision of the future Society 5.0.

Battles for better positions are already underway within emerging technologies such as MetaVerse concepts, cryptocurrencies, smart system and space concepts, and other concepts that involve security, trust, and online representation. Therefore, education in the field of cybernetics is among the key factors in the economic growth and the achieving of strategic advantages at a national level. This specialization in the field of cybernetics includes courses such as Computer Networks, Internet of Things and Cloud Computing, Mixed Reality and Design of Smart Spaces, Vision Systems, etc.

Bio-inspired systems have their foundation in the connection between phenomena observed in nature and their transposition to the technical environment with the aim of developing reliable, secure, robust, and socially acceptable technical solutions. Two fundamental branches of bio-inspired systems deal with a) the development of algorithms (evolutionary algorithms, swarm algorithms) and b) the development of technical products (bionics, humanoid robotics, soft robotics). The need for increased integration of technical products with humans and their environment assumes compatibility on multiple levels. Therefore, the study of the possibilities of applying the processes observed in nature in the development of new insights and products based on these insights is of utmost importance. In the field of bio-inspired systems, this specialization includes courses such as Evolutionary Computing, Bionics, Soft Robotic Systems, Cognitive Systems, and Functionality of Biological Systems.

Mechatronics of Transportation Systems

The vehicle and transportation equipment manufacturing industry takes a significant share in the GDP of developed economies. The development, innovation, and application in this field are characterized by two strong trends: electrification of propulsion and autonomous driving. Because of the need for charging electric vehicle batteries (electrification), transportation systems become closely integrated with power systems, opening up new areas of development such as modeling, planning, and optimal management of transportation and power systems. The application of advanced mechatronic concepts greatly enhances both vehicles and systems related to automated warehouses and handling and delivery of goods.

The demand for professionals educated in this specialization is big in the Croatian economy, especially in the industry of electrified vehicles (Bugatti Rimac, Rimac Technology, Končar - Electric Vehicles, DOK-ING, RASCO, iCAT), the transportation equipment industry (Dizala Borel, Strojrem, Adria Winch, Đuro Đaković), autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (Project 3 Mobility, Visage Technologies, Atron electronic, Optimo route, Protostar Labs), electromobility (HEP, HT, Artronic, Ducati components), and the electronics and software industry (Xylon, AVL Croatia, dSPACE Engineering, Mireo, ByteLab, Combis).

The specialization includes courses in the field of motor vehicles with an emphasis on vehicle powertrain mechatronics, active vehicle dynamics, electromobility, and autonomous vehicles, courses in control systems (selected chapters from regulation, digital control, stochastic control), mechatronics (servo drives, power electronics, design in mechatronics, transportation devices and means of transportation, mechatronics of aerial vehicles, logistics, and internal transport), general courses (probability and statistics, optimization), and elective subjects, such as control of hybrid electric vehicles.

Robotics

Robotics is a multidisciplinary field that has spread widely in industry and our everyday lives over the last thirty years. It is difficult to find a product in whose operation robots have not been involved. Engineering knowledge in robotics is essential both in the production of existing products and in the development of new ones. Today, robotics is characterized by new application areas ranging from service robotics to healthcare, and an increasing diversity of robotic applications is expected in the future in various sectors, from households and transportation to infrastructure maintenance and entertainment, with a wide variety of robots including humanoid and autonomous mobile robots. Extensive development of all robotic systems lies ahead, and this is the job of future engineers.

The goal of this specialization is to provide future engineers with knowledge in the design, operation, programming, and maintenance of automatic production robotic systems. In addition to robots, such systems consist of programmable controllers, sensors, vision systems, computer networks, etc. Practical work is carried out in laboratories on industrial equipment, mostly at the Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology - CRTA. Upon completing the specialization, engineers will be qualified to solve real engineering tasks applicable in practice.

For more information about the specialization, please contact the study program coordinator, Prof. Mladen Crneković, PhD. For arranging a visit to the Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology, contact the head of CRTA, Assist. Prof. Marko Švaco, PhD.

Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence

The specialization Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence is designed to provide students with comprehensive knowledge and skills necessary for designing, analyzing, and implementing intelligent and autonomous systems. The study program features an interdisciplinary structure, integrating the elements of artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced sensors, information technologies, and computer engineering. This integration enables students to gain a deep understanding of complex autonomous systems in various application domains – from industry and service robots to autonomous vehicles, drones, and infrastructure maintenance.

In this specialization, students will learn:

• How to design autonomous robots capable of perceiving their environment, planning, and making decisions.
• How to design robust decision-making systems for uncertain and dynamic environments.
• How to design autonomous systems that can efficiently and safely collaborate with humans.

The study program includes laboratory classes in state-of-the-art laboratories, especially the Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technology – CRTA. The teachers and students collaborate also with other industrial partners and research centers. An additional focus on innovative approaches to artificial intelligence provides students with the opportunity to engage in advanced research and applications.

Upon completion of this specialization, students will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to address key challenges: what happens when we bring robots from the laboratory into the real world? How to create autonomous systems for interacting with humans and navigating in uncertain, non-deterministic environments? The students will be provided with a robust platform for professional development in dynamic and rapidly evolving disciplines of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence. With this knowledge and skills, students will be prepared to shape the technological future.

Automation

"People already know how to make wings or airplanes... People also know how to build engines and screws light and powerful enough to propel these airplanes... We are still faced with the impossibility of maintaining balance and control to overcome the problem of flying... When this last feature is solved, the era of flying will arrive because all other difficulties are of lesser importance."

Wilbur Wright, 1901

What is common to an airplane, a robot, a bacterium, the human body, a CNC machine, an energy network, a financial market, and the internet? All these systems rely on feedback loops for their functioning. Feedback loops are the 'hidden technology' that enables functionality and efficient operation of a system despite the ever-present changes and uncertainties within the system itself and the environment. Rarely does a scientific discipline or technology have such a wide range of applications as automation (control systems). Indeed, with the development of various engineering fields – mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, aeronautical engineering, etc. – automation has evolved as a distinct area where theory was created with the aim of unifying knowledge crucial for understanding and developing complex dynamic systems in all these engineering fields. It is referred to as 'hidden technology' because its goal is not necessarily the production of a physical, easily tangible, visible (and then more understandable) device; its goal is to devise/calculate/synthesize a control law/algorithm, for example, in the form of a series of differential equations and/or a numerical (optimization) algorithm. This algorithm then unifies the informational (sensor), energy, mechanical/chemical/physical parts of a complex system into a functional whole of a technical system. In the human body, this is, for example, the nervous system with its laws that, together with senses and muscles, enables us to walk, jump, and run. The role of automation is analogous in airplanes, robots, energy networks, etc.

Nowadays, it has been recognized and accepted that modern automatic control theory and technology play a key role in the development of increasingly complex cyber-physical, networked systems in the energy sector, in robotics, transportation, production, and the healthcare sector, similar to its role in the early days of aviation in the early twentieth century. In this context, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) provides an important overview of the significance of automation for the upcoming period in the publication [https://ieeecss.org/control-societal-scale-challenges-road-map-2030].

In the Automation specialization, students will learn to apply modern knowledge in the field of modeling, analysis, and synthesis of dynamic systems and optimization. The goal is to be able to confidently formulate, solve, and apply solutions for controlling complex dynamic systems and processes in practice. In this sense, the study program prepares students to take on a key role in the field of application and development of automation.

Upon completion of the study program, students will:

• be able to recognize and mathematically formulate problems that arise in practice when controlling, automating, and optimizing the operation of (dynamic) systems;
• define and formulate mathematical models of dynamic systems in a form suitable for optimization and/or synthesis of automatic control solutions, based on fundamental physical laws or process identification using data obtained from measurements on the observed system;
• acquire knowledge from the theory of modern automatic control, which has proven to have a very wide range of applications in real technical systems, often significantly increasing their added value (efficiency, economic viability, quality, robustness, precision, competitiveness);
• acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for the application of modern automatic control solutions in an industrial environment in real technical systems.

For more information about the study program, feel free to contact Assoc. Prof. Andrej Jokić, PhD