Embedded Systems for Aerospace

Catalog description

This course bridges the critical gap between software and hardware in aerospace engineering. Students will learn the fundamental principles and practical skills for programming the embedded computers at the heart of spacecraft, aircraft, and robots. The curriculum moves from high-level abstractions to real-time, performance-critical applications, tackling the unique challenges of resource-constrained systems. Topics include: microcontroller architecture vs. microprocessors, real-time operating systems (RTOS), state machines for fault tolerance, hardware communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART), debugging on hardware, and distributed system integration. This course provides essential skills for students pursuing the aero/astro capstone courses (AA136, AA146), robotics (AA174), or a career in the avionics, space, and robotics industries.