1.7 Real-time computing

The mechanical engineer is especially interested in three types of computing. The first type can be called scientific computing, which focuses on the solution of mathematical models of phenomena. Scientific computing is often introduced in a language like MATLAB or Python. The second type is computer-aided design (CAD), which includes the ubiquitous three-dimensional drafting, but now goes beyond this with tools based on optimization algorithms (e.g., topology optimization). The third type is real-time computing, which has become an essential aspect of mechanical design, and mechanical design influences the nature of real-time computing.

Real-time computing is computing that must interact with its environment, which has its own dynamics. This environment is usually electronic, and it is often also mechanical—for instance, a mechanical control objective and an electronic interface. Events in these dynamic systems unfold in real time, described by …