Designing advanced control systems is a challenging task that requires the integration of numerous simulations and experiments into the design decision-making process. Unfortunately, controls courses are often focused on theory and do not provide students with knowledge, or practical experience, of how to actually implement controllers. Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) are often used in industrial applications. PLCs continue to improve their computational abilities and are nowadays capable of running codes generated with MATLAB/Simulink. A two-week curriculum was added to a graduate controls course to teach students operational techniques and programming of PLCs. Students developed skills necessary to design a controller using logic operations, logic gates, PLC programming, and a Human Machine Interface (HMI). The curriculum required the programming of a PLC and HMI to control automated test equipment with electro-pneumatic components.

This paper describes the use of cranes in system dynamics and control courses and international collaboration. Four different cranes designed and built for educational purposes are presented, and the curriculum developed to use the cranes is summarized. The cranes can be operated remotely from anywhere in the world via the Internet. This feature facilitates both educational activities and research collaboration. Example use of cranes in international collaboration and undergraduate research are described. The paper concludes with a discussion of key challenges and a program assessment.

Cherrypickers are a useful class of machines that lift people to great heights. However, a major drawback of cherrypickers is that they oscillate when they move. Understanding the dynamics and stability of these machines is crucial for efficient and safe operation. To this end, a small-scale cherrypicker was constructed for experimental dynamic analysis and educational use. Experimental results confirm the benefits of the vibration-control techniques developed for this machine. The cherrypicker was used during Fall 2010 as an experimental apparatus in an advanced graduate controls course taught simultaneously at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Details of its educational use are discussed.

A 30-ton industrial bridge crane located at an aluminum sheet manufacturer has been equipped with a crane manipulation system enabling swing-free motion, disturbance rejection, and precise positioning. Previous investigations of anti-sway, positioning, and crane control have yielded important contributions in these areas. These advancements are combined into the unified crane manipulation system described here. An overview of this system is presented, along with experimental results, and a description of how human operators use the crane.

Human manipulation of suspended payloads using cranes can be difficult. Cable sway is easily induced into the lightly damped system, which inhibits efficient, safe, and accurate payload manipulation. This problem is compounded when the payload forms a double-pendulum configuration. To aid operators, a wireless touchscreen controller was integrated into the control system of a 10-ton industrial bridge crane. This touchscreen allows an operator to move freely around the workspace and drive the crane with a simple graphical user interface. The operational effects of the touchscreen was compared to that of a standard pendent interface through a series of human operator performance studies. An oscillation suppression algorithm was used in conjunction with each interface. The touchscreen provides greater operator mobility while producing comparable manipulation performance.