Case Study: University of Toronto achieves industry-ready robotics training with MathWorks' MATLAB and Simulink

Reconfigurable Robot Enables University of Toronto Students to Study Realistic Industrial Robots

The University of Toronto needed a low‑cost, realistic way for students to learn the design and control of industrial robot manipulators because budget constraints left the lab with only simple tabletop robots. To address this, the University of Toronto used MathWorks products—MATLAB, Simulink, Simscape (including Simscape Multibody and Simscape Electrical), Simulink 3D Animation, and related toolboxes—to develop a reconfigurable robot manipulator and an Integrated Design and Simulation Environment (IDSE).

Using MathWorks tools, the team imported CAD assemblies via Simscape Multibody Link, integrated mechanical and electrical subsystems, added 3D visualization, and used Simulink Control Design and Simulink Design Optimization to automate complex parameter tuning. MathWorks’ software enabled students to simulate and optimize an 18‑degree‑of‑freedom robot, visualize designs in virtual reality, save months of development time, automate complex optimizations, and better prepare students for industry.

University of Toronto

Reza Emami

Senior Lecturer