MECH 529: Advanced Mechanical Systems - Lab Materials

Interactive lab materials and tutorials for MECH 529: Advanced Mechanical Systems at Colorado State University.

📚 View the Book

Access the published book online: MECH 529 Lab Materials

The site is automatically built and deployed using GitHub Actions whenever changes are pushed to the main branch.

📖 Course Content

This course includes 11 interactive labs covering:

1. Python Basics - Python fundamentals, NumPy, Matplotlib
2. ODEs - Solving ordinary differential equations numerically
3. Intro to Python Control - Control systems with python-control
4. Closed Loop Control - Feedback control system design
5. LQR - Linear Quadratic Regulator optimization
6. Trajectory Tracking - Path planning and tracking control
7. Trajectory Generation - Smooth trajectory generation
8. Model Predictive Control - MPC formulation and implementation
9. Value & Policy Iteration - Dynamic programming methods
10. Reinforcement Learning - Q-learning and neural networks
11. Final Project: Acrobot - Control of underactuated systems

📝 Requirements

See requirements.txt for all dependencies. Key packages:

• numpy
• scipy
• matplotlib
• ipython
• jupyter
• control (python-control)

👨‍🏫 Instructor

Prof. Jianguo Zhao

• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Colorado State University
• Email: zhao@colostate.edu
• Lab: Adaptive Robotics Lab

📄 License

Educational materials - See LICENSE file for details.

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Last Updated: January 2026