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Instructional Labs

Hands-on and experiential learning are vital aspects of teaching and learning in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). There are numerous labs housed within ECE which allow students to work closely with faculty for an interactive learning experience. A summary of the purposes, facilities, and equipment associated with each is available in the navigation links.

Digital Systems Laboratory

This laboratory is used for ECE 287 Digital Systems Design and ECE 387/484 Embedded Systems Design. Each station comes equipped with Terasic DE2-115 prototyping board with a Cyclone IV Intel FPGA for developing digital hardware projects using Quartus design software from Intel. There is additional equipment for simple digital system prototyping.

This laboratory is located in EGB267.

Electric Circuit and Electronic Laboratory

This laboratory is used for ECE 205 Electric Circuit I and ECE 304 Electronics. Main instruments include: digital oscilloscopes, arbitrary function generators, variable DC power supplies, bench digital multi-meters, Multisim and OrCad licenses, supply for various circuit components. Computers are utilized for Multisim circuit simulation and MATLAB programming.

This laboratory is located in EGB149.

Electrical Vehicle Technology, Power Electronics, and PLC Laboratory

This laboratory is used for ECE 497 Electrical Vehicle Technology and ECE493 Power Electronics. The laboratory has two electric vehicle test setups that emulate a hybrid electric vehicle and an electric vehicle. Additionally, there is hardware to perform power electronics experiments for 6 groups. This includes dc/dc and dc/ac power conversion. Students can also use the six digital signal processors to learn about the control of power conversion hardware. Additionally, there are multiple PLC test benches with assorted equipment to teach students about basic control and automation.

This laboratory is located in EGB168.

circuit board   Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Test Bench

Electromagnetics and Communications Laboratory

This laboratory is utilized for ECE 325 Applied Electromagnetics and ECE430 Communication Systems. The Lab is equipped with Emona TIMS (Telecommunications Instructional Modeling System) to provide hands-on experience in modeling telecommunication systems. This laboratory allows students to gain hands-on experience in solving problems from a wide range of digital and analog product development scenarios. Such inherently high-frequency EM effects as cross-talk, skin-effect, and VHF antenna radiation characteristics will be studied through experiments using this laboratory’s equipment. Students will also learn about modern EM software tools used by engineers and scientists to design, analyze, and simulate integrated circuits.

This laboratory is located in EGB175.

Industrial Robotics Laboratory

The industrial robotics laboratory supports ECE314 Industrial Robotics and ECE102 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Miami’s industrial robotics laboratory gives students the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge learned in class to real-world applications that demonstrate robotic principles. The industrial robotics laboratory includes state-of-the-art industrial robotics such as those shown in the figure below. Students can write robotic programs and simulate the response using pendants. When the program is complete, students can download programs on the actual robotics to verify correct operation and make adjustments as needed. Some industrial robotics labs use single robots while other labs involve integrating two robots that are connected by a conveyor to move parts. Miami’s industrial robots are equipped with cameras and students learn how to use the image processing functions to guide the movement of the robots. Safety devices like those used in industry only permit robot operation when the working area is clear.

industrial robotics lab pic

Miami’s industrial robotic labs also teach students about collaborative robots, which are designed to work by assisting a human worker. The use of collaborative robots is rapidly growing in industrial applications. While taking industrial robotics at Miami, students have the opportunity to become certified in a leading manufacturer of robotic systems. Many employers seek candidates who are already certified in robotic systems.

This laboratory is located in EGB268.

Mobile Robots and Systems Control Laboratory

This laboratory is used for ECE/MME 303 Computer-Aided Experimentation, ECE314 Elements of Robots, ECE414 Design and Modeling of Robotic Systems, and ECE436 Control of Dynamic Systems. The laboratory experiments include the use of NI-Elvis boards, LabVIEW and MultiSim software, virtual instruments (function generator, oscilloscope, etc.), sensors and actuators, microcontrollers, and the Quanser Qube-Servo 2 along with the linear servo base unit, seesaw and inverted pendulum attachments.

This laboratory is located in GAR141.

Research Labs

The Electrical and Computer Engineering department has the following research facilities. These facilities support a wide range of research activities in the areas of artificial intelligence and robotics, biomedical signal process, communication systems, control and automation, digital signal processing, electrical vehicle technologies, high-performance computing, network securities, power electronics, radar systems, renewable energy, smartphone technologies, software receiver, etc. Besides the in-house facilities, our faculty and students also regularly use facilities supported through national and international centers.

AI and Robotics Research Laboratory

The laboratory supports faculty and students doing research on artificial intelligence and mobile robots. The lab will include a swarm of simple and low-cost Kilobots for simulating and studying multi-agent control algorithms.

Lab location: 253 GAR.

Biomedical Signal Processing Laboratory

ECE faculty and students conduct research on sensing and processing bio-electrical signals, and their applications in neuroscience and healthcare. The lab has various wired and wireless EEG and ECG devices to study bioelectrical signals.

Lab Location: 272 EGB.

Electrical Vehicle Technology Lab

ECE faculty and students conduct research on EV technologies, autonomous driving, navigation algorithm development, vehicle traffic training, and mobility validation of autonomous driving systems. The lab computers are equipped with a realistic vehicle traffic simulator, VISSIM, and the Cohda Wireless communication suite (including both OBUs and RSUs). Students and faculty can also use electric vehicle and the hybrid-electrical vehicle located in 168 EGB for research. Additionally, PSIM, Altium Designer, and Ansys Maxwell and Ansys Q3D are used for both research and teaching.

Lab Location: 401 Hughes.

Power Electronics Research Laboratory

This laboratory has multiple benches for developing prototypes. There is a dedicated solder station. Four 208 VAC outlets provide electricity for high voltage power supplies and loads. It is capable of testing at over 600 VDC and 15 kW. There is also a device characterizer for high-voltage semiconductors.

Lab Location: 275 EGB

Radar Sensing and Signal Processing Laboratory

This lab has one software-defined transmitter and two receivers that can be assembled into an ultra-wideband (UWB) sensor/communication network. It has three high-speed, wideband oscilloscopes and a number of radar target models, such as a trihedral corner reflector.

Lab Location: 400 Hughes.

In addition to the on-campus lab facility, our faculty and students regularly use the world's largest UHF and VHF radars, such as those operated by the Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, and Jicamarca Radio Observatory, to study the upper atmosphere and the near-earth space environment.

radar sensing laboratory

Software Receiver Research Laboratory

This lab contains multiple sets of software defined radio receiver/transmitter allowing students to easily build and test different wireless communication systems.

Lab Location: 269 EGB.

Wireless Communications Research Laboratory

The lab contains a "Quiet Box" which assures that no outside signals from other technology can enter the box while research is being conducted.

Lab Location: 271 EGB.

Power and Research Group

The Miami PowER, the Power and Energy Research (PowER) Laboratory of Miami University performs research that addresses the energy needs of the 21st century. We are:

  1. developing new technologies that improve the efficiency and lower the cost of solar cells;
  2. utilizing wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, specifically gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), in power conversion hardware for electric vehicles and solar powered inverters;
  3. exploring new power system architectures for tokamak style fusion reactors.

We are committed to providing power and energy related education to the students at Miami University and the greater community of Southwestern Ohio. Currently, the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers four courses in the area of power and the Institute for Environment and Sustainability has an Energy Co-major for students of all backgrounds.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Garland Hall, Room 260
650 E. High Street
Oxford, OH 45056