Using Arduino and Finite Element Modeling to Integrate Instrumentation and Solid Mechanics Courses

An integrated approach is presented for designing practical sessions for two graduate-level courses within the MSc in Industrial Engineering: "Electronic Systems and Industrial Engineering" and "Solid Mechanics". The use of Arduino facilitates the development of a comprehensive and cost-effective hands-on program aimed at exploring different sensor types and investigating communication buses such as SPI or I2C, as well as LoRaWAN communication in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This is accompanied by the preliminary analysis of a load cell using finite element simulations. Through these lab sessions, students will not only enhance their skills in sensor technology and computing but also gain valuable experience in designing complete embedded systems with various internal communication buses and external connectivity, thereby fostering a multidisciplinary learning environment.