Building the Future of AI, Autonomy, and Hands-On Engineering Education

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

The Southern Methodist University (SMU) Lyle School of Engineering has partnered with Quanser to create a connected ecosystem of teaching and research laboratories designed to prepare the next generation of engineering leaders.

Located across the first and second floors of the Embrey Engineering Building, SMU’s Quanser-powered AI and Autonomous Systems laboratories bring together physical systems, digital twins, campus-wide software access, and multidisciplinary learning environments. The partnership supports SMU Lyle’s vision to advance hands-on engineering education and research in areas that are rapidly reshaping industry, including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, cyber-physical systems, controls, and mechatronics.

For Quanser, this partnership reflects the future of engineering education: institutions moving beyond isolated lab experiences toward integrated ecosystems where students and researchers can design, test, validate, and deploy intelligent systems across physical and virtual environments.

WHAT’S IN PLACE TODAY

SMU Lyle’s Quanser-powered ecosystem includes a comprehensive suite of platforms and software supporting undergraduate education, graduate research, multidisciplinary collaboration, and long-term academic innovation.

• Intro to Controls laboratories featuring QUBE-Servo and Quanser Aero systems
• Mechatronics Design Lab
• QArm robotic manipulators
• Mobile Robotics Lab featuring QBot platforms
• Intro to Robotics Teaching Lab featuring QArm Mini
• Self-Driving Car Lab featuring QCar platforms
• Quanser Drone Lab featuring QDrone platforms
• Shake Tables and Active Mass Dampers for structural dynamics and vibration control
• Campus-wide QUARC license
• Access to Quanser Digital Twin environments

Together, these technologies create a scalable and connected environment for hands-on learning across controls, robotics, AI, autonomy, mechatronics, structural dynamics, and cyber-physical systems.

A Connected Ecosystem for AI and Autonomous Systems

SMU’s investment is not limited to individual pieces of equipment. The strength of this partnership is in the integrated ecosystem it creates.

Students can begin with core concepts in controls, dynamics, and mechatronics, then progress into robotics, mobile autonomy, drone systems, self-driving vehicles, digital twins, and applied AI. Faculty can use the same ecosystem to support research, curriculum development, capstone projects, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

By combining physical experimentation with high-fidelity digital environments, SMU students and researchers can move from theory to simulation, from simulation to hardware, and from hardware to real-world validation. This gives learners a deeper understanding of how intelligent engineering systems behave, how they are controlled, and how they can be improved.

ACADEMIC VALUE & OUTCOME

The partnership between SMU Lyle and Quanser is designed to support long-term academic impact across teaching, research, and institutional differentiation.

• Expanding hands-on learning in AI, robotics, autonomy, controls, mechatronics, and digital twins
• Supporting multidisciplinary collaboration across mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and related fields
• Creating pathways for students to gain practical experience with technologies shaping the future of engineering
• Providing faculty with flexible, research-grade platforms for advanced experimentation and curriculum development
• Strengthening SMU Lyle’s position as a forward-looking engineering school focused on innovation, leadership, and real-world impact
• Enabling scalable access through Quanser software, digital twins, and campus-wide QUARC licensing

This partnership helps create a bridge between foundational engineering education and the emerging demands of industry, where AI, autonomy, robotics, and cyber-physical systems are becoming essential capabilities.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“These laboratories represent a major step forward in our mission to prepare future-ready engineering leaders, creating opportunities to solve complex challenges, drive innovation, and shape the future of engineering.” Dr. Nader Jalili Mary and Rich Templeton Dean SMU Lyle School of Engineering

Quanser’s Role

Quanser is proud to support SMU Lyle with the technology, expertise, and long-term partnership needed to build a world-class environment for AI, autonomy, robotics, controls, and digital engineering education.

Our role goes beyond supplying hardware and software. Quanser works with institutions to help transform strategic academic goals into impactful teaching and research ecosystems. Through research-grade platforms, curriculum-ready labs, digital twins, real-time control software, and deep engineering expertise, Quanser helps universities create practical learning environments that prepare students for the future of work and research.

The SMU Lyle partnership is a powerful example of how universities can integrate physical systems, AI-enabled experimentation, and digital learning environments to build the next generation of engineering capability.

Looking Ahead

As AI, autonomy, robotics, and digital twins continue to reshape engineering, SMU Lyle and Quanser are helping define what modern engineering education can become.

This partnership creates a foundation for students, faculty, and researchers to work directly with the technologies that will shape future industries. It also demonstrates how a university can build a connected, multidisciplinary ecosystem that supports both immediate academic impact and long-term innovation.

Quanser is proud to partner with SMU Lyle School of Engineering and excited to see how this ecosystem will empower future-ready engineers, researchers, and leaders for years to come.