Cun Ling Linda Chu and Dr. C. Greg Jensen, Mechanical Engineering
Overview
The goal of this project was to devise a way to remotely control a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) so students could measure an engineering product wherever they have access to a computer. The project began as a semester assignment for Dr. Jensen’s ME 273 course in the fall of 1998. During the semester a group of students and I researched and developed the basic procedure to accomplish the goal.
In order to understand the impact of this project, I include here a summary of my ORCA proposal:
Advances in computer and communications technology have improved distance learning opportunities worldwide. Many colleges now offer courses over the Internet. The engineering industry currently takes advantage of networks to improve collaborative work with international companies. Dr. Jensen and others have successfully applied such technology to interactive distance learning in a freshman level course shared collaboratively with Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho as well as other interactive collaborative activities through the World Wide Web.
My proposal centers on the idea of extending this distance learning format to control hardware at BYU. The projected benefits of my research efforts are to allow non-BYU students access to the valuable equipment we have, to allow colleges with low funding access to expensive technology, and to draw sponsorship and interest in research done at BYU.
Results
At this time, the project is not complete although much of the groundwork has been laid. The computer system attached to the CMM in Room 152 of the Clyde Building has been upgraded from a 486 to a Windows NT computer containing web-access and NetMeeting software programs. A web page has been developed containing pertinent information about how to access the CMM.
The success of this project was contingent upon receiving updated software promised by Mitutoyo. Both Dr. Jensen and I have contacted John Westhaus, Mitutoyo’s national sales manager in Illinois, about receiving such software. In response to descriptions of the project and my proposal, Westhaus promised to send the current software in March 1999. When software did not arrive as expected, we contacted Mitutoyo several times. Finally, we were told that the delays were due to a series of events, one of which was that Mitutoyo has developed new software to be released later this year. It is anticipated that the new software for controlling the CMM will arrive this September.
Another obstacle I faced was the need for a dynamic registration web page to control traffic of users wanting access to the CMM. This required permission from the network administrators as well as advanced web-programming skills. Although I had some web-authoring experience, I did not know how to program a dynamic web page.
In the mean time, I supported Dr. Jensen in preparing for and executing two demonstrations of remote controlling a CNC mill. The first demonstration was for a conference of engineering educators held at BYU. The second demonstration was for President Bateman and other members of the BYU administration as well as the deans of the College of Engineering. These demonstrations gave the attendees an idea of how the World Wide Web and technology can be used to promote interactive collaborative learning at BYU.
I hope to complete this project by the end of the upcoming fall semester. I will learn to use the new software and add information about it to the existing web page. Also, I will go through the channels necessary to develop a dynamic registration web page. If time permits, I will
· investigate the possibility of sending joystick commands, and
· apply the methods of this project to the CMM located in the Crabtree Building.