hardware

Electronics for Inventors +

Pedro Galvao Cesar de Oliveira | Syllabus | ITPG-GT 2036 | Thur 2:50pm to 5:50pm in 370 Jay Street Room 450 Meetings:S-Special
4 Point, analog circuits, circuitry, circuits, digital circuits, Elective, electronics, engineering, Graduate, hardware, In-Person, physical_computing, skills, Spring 2026, tangible
Last updated: October 31, 2025

Today we are no longer solely connected to the digital world through computers. The result of this push to connect the digital and the analog world is the increasing necessity for low cost, low power, and self-contained electronics.

This course is an applications-driven intro to electronics for inventors. Through a hands-on approach, students will learn basic concepts about analog circuits, Boolean logic, digital devices interfaces, and low-cost code-free electronics.

Topics will include basic principles of electricity, as well as an understanding of electronics components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, audio amplifiers, and timers. Students will also learn what it takes to build an arduino-like microcontroller.

This class will use as a backbone the book “Practical Electronics for Inventors – 4th Edition” by Paul Scherz and Simon Monk.

Format: Lectures + In-class LABs + Readings

Haptics +

Kate Hartman | ITPG-GT 2457 | Sat 12:20pm to 6:35pm in 370 Jay Street Room 450>Sun 12:20pm to 6:35pm in 370 Jay Street Room 450 Meetings:S-Special
1 Point, Elective, Graduate, haptics, hardware, physical computing, Spring 2026, Sunday, vibration
Last updated: October 31, 2025

From the crass rattle of early pager motors to the sophisticated clicks and purrs of the iPhone Taptic engine, the ability to buzz has increasingly worked its way into our devices. This course focuses on physical prototyping and interaction design for non-visual feedback. Specifically, it will explore how haptic feedback can be utilized and integrated into handhelds, wearables, objects, and environments – anything that we touch or that touches us. Traditional tools such as eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors, linear resonance actuators (LRAs), and haptic motor drivers will be introduced as well as less conventional methods such as gentle poking, prodding, warming, cooling, squeezing, and tickling. Through hands-on experimentation and a review of research to date, students will emerge from this course well-positioned to incorporate haptic feedback into their future projects. Note: This course is designed for students who have previous experience with physical computing and Arduino.