The research activities in this lab focus on the complete lifecycle treatment (design, modeling, analysis, control, implementation and verification) of a new generation of smart, embedded mechanical and mechatronic systems. The recent explosion of communications capabilities, coupled with ongoing advances in computing effectiveness and revolutions in miniaturization of processors/ sensors/ actuators, has accelerated the pace of implementing truly distributed smart embedded systems with a variety of emergent applications in plant-automation systems, consumer electronics, automobile and defense applications. We focus both on theoretical formulation and experimental validation in the realization of such novel mechanical and mechatronic systems with the goal of realizing tangible enhancements in functionality, performance and cost-effectiveness.