Provides you with a strong foundation in the mathematical, mechanical and electronic principles that underpin professional engineering. You will apply analytical techniques to engineering problems and reinforce your understanding through laboratory experiments, practical measurements and technical reporting.

The mathematics element introduces algebra, functions, logarithms, trigonometry, differentiation and integration, with an emphasis on engineering applications. In electronics, you will study fundamental electrical quantities, circuit analysis, Boolean algebra, Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s laws, and components such as diodes and transistors. The solid mechanics element covers forces and moments, equilibrium, stress and strain, centroids, beam bending and shaft torsion. Together, these topics develop the analytical and practical skills required for more advanced engineering study.

Builds on the foundation established in General Engineering Tools and Principles 1, extending your understanding of engineering mathematics, electronics and dynamics through practical applications and laboratory investigation.

You will study matrices, vectors, complex numbers, multivariable functions and differential equations, alongside probability and statistics for analysing engineering data, uncertainty and risk. The electronics element develops your understanding of logic systems, alternating-current signals, phasors, inductance, capacitance, RLC circuits, operational amplifiers and equivalent-circuit techniques. In dynamics, you will examine linear and rotational motion, Newton’s laws, friction, torque, circular motion, work, energy and momentum. The module develops your ability to describe, analyse and solve increasingly complex engineering systems using mathematical and experimental methods.

Introduces the engineering design process through a combination of a team-based design project and the technical tools used in modern mechanical and mechatronic engineering.

You will work from an engineering problem specification to generate, evaluate and develop a cost-effective design solution. This will involve engineering drawings, concept development, design integration, teamwork, communication, time management, and consideration of product lifecycle and health and safety requirements. Alongside the project, you will develop skills in computer-aided engineering and MATLAB programming. You will also study machines and mechanisms, including gears, transmissions, belts and chain drives, together with fundamental thermodynamic concepts such as pressure, temperature, energy, enthalpy, ideal gases and the first law of thermodynamics.

Builds on the design skills developed in Block 3 by challenging you to manufacture, test and evaluate a working prototype based on an engineering problem specification.

Working as part of a team, you will select appropriate manufacturing processes, construct and refine the design, assess its performance, and consider cost, quality control, sustainability, environmental impact and professional ethics. The technical element extends your skills in CAD assemblies, engineering drawings, introductory finite element analysis and MATLAB-based data processing. You will also study machine components and mechanisms, including shafts, cams, bearings, clutches, brakes, couplings and balancing. Thermodynamics topics include work transfer, the second law, entropy, Carnot cycles and heat-pump systems.

Develops your capabilities in advanced engineering mathematics, embedded programming and electronic circuit design, providing the analytical and practical tools required for more advanced mechatronics study.

You will study mathematical techniques including multivariable functions, vector calculus, Fourier series, integral transforms and partial differential equations. The programming element introduces C programming for resource-constrained embedded systems, covering program structures, functions, flow control, arrays, pointers and bitwise operations. You will also use electronic computer-aided design software to create and simulate circuit schematics, design printed circuit boards and generate manufacturing files. Through laboratory activities and an electronic design project, you will develop practical skills in component selection, circuit implementation, testing and the development of electronic systems for engineering applications.

Develops your understanding of dynamic systems, engineering instrumentation and automatic control through mathematical modelling, computer simulation and practical laboratory work.

You will investigate the behaviour of dynamic systems, including free and forced oscillations, characteristic equations, natural frequencies and vibration modes. Engineering examples such as mechanical vibration systems, electric motors, quadrotors and batteries will demonstrate how mathematical models and differential equations are used to predict system behaviour. The instrumentation element examines how sensors, signal-conditioning systems and data-acquisition devices connect physical processes to control computers. You will then study the analysis and design of continuous and digital feedback-control systems, including single-input, single-output systems. MATLAB and Simulink design studies, supported by laboratory experiments, will enable you to apply control theory to practical engineering systems.

Develops the skills required to design, construct and program a complete embedded system through an individual, industrial-style engineering project.

Working from a realistic specification, you will integrate microprocessor-based hardware and firmware with analogue and digital interfacing circuits. You will study analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue conversion, operational-amplifier circuits, power supplies, filters, oscillators and the practical management of electromagnetic compatibility. You will design a printed circuit board, assemble components—including surface-mount devices—and test the completed system against its original requirements. Firmware development includes low-level hardware interaction, state-based and event-driven programming, basic real-time operating systems and communication with Internet of Things networks using technologies such as MQTT.

Introduces the principles and professional practices required to plan, manage and deliver successful engineering projects.

You will examine how projects are initiated, scheduled, costed and controlled while meeting agreed requirements for quality, risk and stakeholder expectations. The module extends beyond project scheduling to consider corporate strategy, financial decision-making, sustainability, environmental and global influences, and the wider responsibilities of the professional project manager. Through a multidisciplinary group project and practical design activities, you will apply project-management tools to the development of an engineering solution using appropriate laboratory resources, modelling software and analytical methods. The module develops your teamwork, communication, planning and decision-making skills while demonstrating the relationship between science, engineering design and project management.

Provides you with the knowledge and practical skills required to analyse, design, program and operate robotic systems. You will explore current and emerging applications of robotics in manufacturing, automation and intelligent engineering systems.

The module introduces the mathematical principles of robot motion alongside the sensors, actuators, motors and controllers used in robotic platforms. You will study mobile robots and robotic manipulators, including locomotion, kinematics, inverse kinematics and control. Through modelling, simulation and practical development, you will investigate path planning, navigation, localisation and mapping. You will also explore robot perception, computer vision, machine learning and the application of artificial intelligence in robotics. Practical activities will enable you to design, implement, program and test real-world robotic applications.

Develops your advanced understanding of the transmission, distribution and analysis of electrical power systems. You will study three-phase power networks and develop mathematical models of transmission lines, transformers, electrical loads and synchronous machines.

The module introduces power-system analysis techniques including per-unit representation, node equations and power-flow studies using Gauss–Seidel and Newton–Raphson methods. You will examine distribution-system planning, load modelling, voltage regulation, power-factor correction and harmonic distortion. Advanced topics include short-circuit analysis, fault-current calculations and power-system stability. Through laboratory activities, you will use industry-recognised software to model electrical networks, conduct load-flow and fault studies, and interpret numerical and simulation results.

Enables you to undertake a substantial piece of independent engineering research or product development in an area relevant to mechatronics, robotics or a related engineering discipline.

Your project may arise from an industrial problem, placement experience, university research or an area of personal interest, subject to academic approval and suitable supervision. You will define an engineering or research problem, review relevant technical literature, plan and manage the work, and develop and evaluate appropriate solutions. Depending on your chosen topic, this may involve hardware design, software development, modelling, simulation, experimentation or data analysis.

Regular meetings with an academic supervisor will support your technical and professional development. You will document your progress through a project log and communicate the completed work through an interim submission, final report and oral defence, including a presentation and demonstration where appropriate.

You will choose one of the following optional modules:

Advanced Embedded Systems and Systems Integration

Develops your understanding of advanced embedded systems and structured systems integration for modern engineering applications.

The embedded-systems element examines microcontrollers and microprocessors, embedded programming, multitasking, parallel computation and the management of shared resources. You will explore how sensors, actuators, instrumentation, communication networks and Internet of Things technologies are integrated into embedded engineering systems.

The systems-integration element introduces Model-Based Systems Engineering and Model-Based Design within the V-model development framework. You will use modelling and simulation to support system architecture, requirements, traceability, verification and validation. Through practical development and a design study, you will apply these approaches to the analysis, integration, testing and evaluation of complex products, machines and engineering systems.

Power Electronics

Develops your understanding of power conversion and its application in electrical, automotive and renewable-energy systems.

You will study linear and switched-mode power conversion, including buck, boost and flyback converters, high-frequency transformers and the selection and protection of power semiconductor devices. The module introduces current-mode and voltage-mode control, DC-to-DC conversion, three-phase rectification and inverter systems.

You will then apply these principles to motor drives, electric-vehicle power systems, battery chargers and renewable power generation. Topics include modern motor-control techniques, photovoltaic conversion, semiconductor thermal management and vector-controlled drives. Laboratory-based design-and-build activities will allow you to construct, test and evaluate power-conversion systems and relate experimental performance to real engineering applications.

Renewable Energy Electronic Devices

Explores the semiconductor materials and electronic devices that enable renewable-energy generation, conversion and storage.

You will examine the role of semiconductor devices in solar photovoltaic cells, power converters and energy-efficient systems. The module covers semiconductor fundamentals, materials processing and deposition, device fabrication, characterisation, testing and analysis.

You will also investigate emerging technologies including nanomaterials, tandem solar cells, printed electronic devices and wide-bandgap semiconductors. These technologies will be considered in relation to renewable-energy conversion, energy storage, sustainability and future clean-energy systems. Lectures are supported by laboratory activities that allow you to apply fabrication, measurement and characterisation techniques and evaluate the performance of energy-related electronic devices.

3D Printing and FEM for Mechanical Projects

Develops your knowledge of additive manufacturing and finite element modelling and their application to mechanical engineering design.

The additive-manufacturing element covers 3D-printing processes for polymers, metals, ceramics and advanced materials, including fused deposition modelling, stereolithography, selective laser sintering and directed-energy deposition. You will examine material behaviour, post-processing, support structures, design constraints, topology optimisation, lattice structures and design for additive manufacture.

The finite element analysis introduces the discretisation and numerical analysis of engineering problems. You will study stiffness methods, shape functions, nonlinear behaviour, computational errors, and the capabilities and limitations of commercial finite element software. Practical applications include structural stress analysis and heat transfer, enabling you to develop technically effective and cost-conscious simulation solutions.

Develops your understanding of the business, environmental and research contexts of professional engineering.

You will examine how engineering organisations respond to environmental policy, legislation, global competition and societal change. Topics include corporate sustainability, supply-chain management, logistics, lifecycle analysis, green accounting, carbon trading and the development of low-carbon products and services. You will consider how organisations identify environmental impacts, adapt their strategies and balance commercial objectives with wider social responsibilities.

The research-methods element prepares you to plan and undertake an advanced engineering project. You will develop skills in critical reading, literature reviewing, research design, methodology selection, data interpretation, research ethics, intellectual property, academic writing and project planning.

Provides advanced knowledge of machine vision, robotics and artificial intelligence, with emphasis on the analysis and development of intelligent and autonomous engineering systems.

You will study robotic hardware and software, sensors and actuators, mobile and autonomous robots, motion, kinematics, drive systems and control. More advanced robotics topics include multi-robot systems, probabilistic robotics, distributed robotics and sensor fusion.

The machine-vision and artificial-intelligence elements cover digital image processing, pattern recognition, statistical classification and neural networks. Through lectures and practical laboratory work, you will critically evaluate current challenges and apply specialist hardware and software tools to the design and analysis of machine-vision and robotic systems incorporating artificial intelligence.

Develops your advanced understanding of digital signal and image processing, microcontrollers and real-time embedded systems.

The digital signal-processing element examines analytical and computational methods for processing signals and images in the time and frequency domains. You will design, implement and test software algorithms for digital signal and image processing, critically evaluate simulation results and investigate practical engineering applications.

The embedded-systems element covers C programming for microcontrollers, interrupts, shared-data problems, subroutines, coroutines, semaphores and real-time operating systems. You will also be introduced to assembly-language programming and compare it with C-based microcontroller development. Practical activities will develop your ability to analyse embedded-system problems and integrate hardware and software into effective engineering solutions.

Provides an opportunity to undertake a substantial multidisciplinary engineering project as part of a team, reflecting the collaborative environment found in professional engineering practice.

You will apply engineering knowledge, research, design and problem-solving skills to the development of a solution that meets an agreed specification. The project may involve mathematical and computational modelling, component and material selection, experimentation, manufacturing and laboratory work. You will also consider commercial, legal, environmental, ethical and international factors affecting engineering decisions.

Working as a self-managing team, you will develop skills in project management, leadership, communication, quality assurance and risk management while responding to technical uncertainty. Each team will receive academic supervision and, where available, input from an industrial mentor.