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This research focused on developing a methodology that facilitates the learning of control engineering students, specifically developing skills to design a complete control loop using fuzzy logic. The plant for this control loop is a direct current motor, one of the most common actuators used by educational and professional engineers. The research was carried out on a platform developed by a group of students. Although the learning techniques for the design and implementation of controllers are extensive, there has been a delay in teaching techniques that are relatively new compared to conventional control techniques. Then, the hands-on laboratory offers a tool for students to acquire the necessary skills in driver tuning. In addition to the study of complete systems, the ability to work in a team is developed, a fundamental skill in the professional industrial area. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of student learning was carried out, integrating a multidisciplinary project based on modern tools.

Abstract The World Health Organisation (WHO) presents an upper limit for lead in drinking water of 10 parts per billion ppb. Typically, to reach this level of sensitivity, expensive metrology is required. To increase the sensitivity range of low-cost devices, this paper explores the prospects of using a volume reduction technique of a boiled water sample doped with Lead-210 ( $${}^{210}$$ 210 Pb), as a means to increase the solute’s concentration. $${}^{210}$$ 210 Pb is a radioactive lead isotope and its concentration in a water sample can be measured with e.g. High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors at the Boulby Underground Germanium Suite. Concentrations close to the WHO limit have not been examined. This paper presents a measurement of the volume reduction technique retaining $$99\pm (9)$$ 99 ± ( 9 ) % of $${}^{210}$$ 210 Pb starting from a concentration of $$1.9 \times 10^{-6}$$ 1.9 × 10 - 6 ppb before reduction and resulting in $$2.63 \times 10^{-4}$$ 2.63 × 10 - 4 ppb after reduction. This work also applies the volume reduction technique to London tap water and reports the radioassay results from gamma counting in HPGe detectors. Among other radio-isotopes, $${}^{40}$$ 40 K, $${}^{210}$$ 210 Pb, $${}^{131}$$ 131 I and $${}^{177}$$ 177 Lu were identified at measured concentrations of $$2.83 \times 10^{3}$$ 2.83 × 10 3 ppb, $$2.55 \times 10^{-7}$$ 2.55 × 10 - 7 ppb, $$5.06 \times 10^{-10}$$ 5.06 × 10 - 10 ppb and $$5.84 \times 10^{-10}$$ 5.84 × 10 - 10 ppb in the London tap water sample. This technique retained $${90 \pm 50}{\%}$$ 90 ± 50 % of $${}^{40}$$ 40 K. Stable lead was inferred from the same water sample at a measured concentration of 0.012 ppb, prior to reduction.