BAJA SAE: How Can MATLAB and Simulink Be Used to Design an ATV?

Veer Alakshendra from MathWorks briefly gives an overview of various tools and resources that can be used in BAJA competitions. In particular, you’ll learn how you can use MATLAB^® and Simulink^® to design an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

Starting with an example of a suspension system, you’ll see how different tools can be used to model it. If the equations are available, then MATLAB and Simulink can be used, whereas if the equations are unavailable, the system can be modeled in Simscape™ using physical component blocks. Further, a double wishbone suspension system model built in Simscape Multibody™ is shown, followed by a simulation of an ATV in the presence of obstacles.

Subsequently, Veer talks about what else can be done using MATLAB and Simulink for BAJA competitions. Apart from suspension system modeling, you can also perform battery management, continuous variable transmission (CVT) modeling, and vehicle modeling. Veer also highlights the respective MathWorks pages that will help you build such a model.

Finally, an answer is provided for the question, “how to start?”. If you are new to MATLAB and Simulink, check out these resources:

• Getting Started with MATLAB
• Getting Started with Simulink
• Getting Started with Simscape
• Getting Started with Simscape Multibody