Interactive lab materials and tutorials for MECH 529: Advanced Mechanical Systems at Colorado State University.
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.
This course includes 11 interactive labs covering:
- Python Basics - Python fundamentals, NumPy, Matplotlib
- ODEs - Solving ordinary differential equations numerically
- Intro to Python Control - Control systems with
python-control - Closed Loop Control - Feedback control system design
- LQR - Linear Quadratic Regulator optimization
- Trajectory Tracking - Path planning and tracking control
- Trajectory Generation - Smooth trajectory generation
- Model Predictive Control - MPC formulation and implementation
- Value & Policy Iteration - Dynamic programming methods
- Reinforcement Learning - Q-learning and neural networks
- Final Project: Acrobot - Control of underactuated systems
See requirements.txt for all dependencies. Key packages:
- numpy
- scipy
- matplotlib
- ipython
- jupyter
- control (python-control)
Prof. Jianguo Zhao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Colorado State University
- Email: zhao@colostate.edu
- Lab: Adaptive Robotics Lab
Educational materials - See LICENSE file for details.
Last Updated: January 2026