<p>It is a dream of mine to work with advanced robotics and prosthesis. Such as Darth Vader's prosthetics.</p>
<p>Would you recommend electrical, computer, or mechanical engineering? Bear inmind the school I'll be attending offers a EE/CompE package. I think it's a dual degree... I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Thanks to anyone who responds!</p>
<p>Electrical specializing in controls/DSP/bioengineering would be my choice. However, when you’re a EE, everything looks like a EE job :P.</p>
<p>Both EE/CompE and ME can probably get you involved in robotics and prosthesis. It might just depend what parts you want to work on or what part of physics you like more (mechanics vs EM).</p>
<p>How do you determine that? Just take a class in each? Are there any books you would recommend? I would like to be able to make an educated choice without spending money I don’t need to spend. I really can barely afford college. I am trying my hardest not to take out loans.</p>
<p>I also would like to know about solid state physics. If I decided I wanted to pursue something in that field would I be better off in EE? Would EE prepare me for graduate study in solid state physics?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t think solid state physics is taught that well in electrical engineering because the focus is on silicon. I suggest minoring in physics to take some of those solid state courses if you want to keep current because those classes are more general and will allow you to understand the plethora of new electronic materials that have gained use recently (e.g., GaN, GaAs, SiC, etc)</p>
<p>If your school has a professor or two who works on robotics or prosthetics, shoot them an email about your interests and see from there. If you work in their lab, you’ll soon realize what you like and don’t like.</p>
<p>My son is interested in the same thing. He is attending a large OOS flagship on a full scholarship, majoring in mech eng. There are actually a couple of professors in the mech eng department working on prosthetics/rehab engineering, and a biomedical engineering elective course is offered under the mech eng department. </p>
<p>He is minoring in a computer honors program, where he is learning some programming languages, ie, Fortran, C++, and has some Matlab experience through an enrichment program.</p>
<p>Although he planned on majoring in Biomedical Engineering for undergrad, he would have had to take on loans for those schools, and he knows he will have to at least attain a master’s degree. So, he elected to do his undergrad without debt and hopes to get at least an MS in biomedical engineering.</p>
<p>Under mechanical engineering, and probably other engineering, you can take different electives to fulfill your major, so you may want to check out electives offered at your prospective schools and see if any may fit your interest.</p>
<p>I wish you much luck in your endeavors. It is a fascinating field and one where you are doing good for others, which makes it so rewarding on so many levels. </p>
<p>If you are interested in Star Wars, there is a Star Wars exhibit traveling the country, and it actually highlights not only the movie props, but modern day applications of Star Wars technology. There was even a section on biomedical engineering, featuring cochlear inplants, visual implants, and prosthetic limbs. Surprisingly, it was not in big cities. We are in the New Orleans area, and drove the three hours to Lafayette to see it. But it was so worth it. Google Star Wars exhibit to see if it might be coming to your area.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Well mechanical engineering does have a highly interesting course listing at my school and it seems like one of the most mobile engineering specialties you can get into.</p>
<p>I wish that Star Wars exhibit was close to me for this upcoming stint, but they are going all the way up to Seattle, Washington!!!</p>
<p>I have also been considering chemical engineering, although very recently. From what I have heard you can apply it to the human body in genetics, implants such as inorganic replacement joints and even going as small as to manufacture nerve endings one day. Though, I am sure you can apply mechanical engineering to that as well in one way or another.</p>
<p>I’m currently in EE, and I had a long chat with my advisor about something pretty close because I want to work in the robotics/automation field, particularly. I noticed that most of the robotics-type classes at my school are geared toward Industrial Engineering majors (as in, they’re coded IEN), but she assured me that during my last two semesters I would have to take 12 credit hours of electives, and these could be very useful for something she called “focus”. The way she explained it to me was that the electives are department-approved, so with her approval I could take the robotics classes that would otherwise be restricted mostly to IEs, and when I graduate, I can pretty much say my “focus” or “specialization” is robotics and automation. </p>
<p>My school seems to be quite flexible as far as specialization goes, so maybe you should speak with your advisor about a choice sort of like this? I’m not sure.</p>