Automatic Control Engineering (ACE) Lab

Portable control-engineering rigs for application-focused learning, practical experimentation and control-system development.

Portable hardware Application-led learning Practical experimentation Control-system development

ACE-Lab Rigs for Control-System Design

A portable, modular hardware platform that supports progression from fundamental electronics and measurement to complete closed-loop control-system design.

View the ACE-Lab rig exercises

ACE-Lab Base and Sense and Actuate rigs without the separate motor

ACE-Lab (Base + Sense) Develop microcontroller basics, build simple breadboard circuits and explore measurement.

ACE-Lab (Actuate) Builds on Base + Sense by adding actuators for complete closed-loop control-system design and testing.

ACE-Lab Learning Journey

Application

Understand the application

Identify the control-system architecture and capture the engineering requirements.

ACE-Lab rig

Learn, test and refine

Use the portable ACE-Lab rigs and ACE-CORE methodology to develop the control knowledge and practical judgement required by the application.

Application

Apply the new knowledge

Return to the more complex application with the knowledge needed to design, test and refine a control solution that meets the captured requirements.

Flexible by design: the ACE-Lab rig and ACE-CORE methodology highlighted in Stage 02 can also be used independently to teach, explore or practise control-engineering fundamentals without beginning from a specific application.

ACE-Lab Updates

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CPD Webinar July 2026

Recording available for CPD-certified webinar

Access the ACE-Lab and Authentic AI invited talk recording and related information from the CPD-certified webinar delivered in collaboration with the Engineering Professors Council.

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