- The track was used for simulating a train running in a real world scenario. In the urban, dense cities the train is programmed to move at a slower pace while in the rural areas the train can run more quickly.
- First students defined the problem, how to make the train go certain speeds and specific times. It was also necessary for the crossing gate to lower when the train is approaching and for the train to come to a stop at the train station. The train can go 255 in the less populated areas and 170 in the dense city. Flags are used to divide the track in two halves, rural and urban.
- Students also calculated and recorded the train speed, motor speed, and time it took for the train to complete half of a circuit. Students created a short MATLAB program which included tic and toc commands, and calculated the train speed using the circumference of the track.
- Students became more familiar with MATLAB programming software, arduino, project management, and publishing an online journal.
- In the future, it would be interesting to allow the students to include their own ideas for algorithms for the train. This would open the students up to a much more creative project, which is one of the great things about being an engineer!