Mechatronics
Posted by: Margaret
Rouse
Mechatronics is a branch of engineering that focuses on
designing, manufacturing and maintaining products that have both mechanical and
electronic components. The term was coined in 1969 by engineer Tetsuro Mori to
describe the synergy that exists between electrical
control systems and the mechanical machines they regulate. Since then, the
meaning of the term has broadened to include the integration of multiple other
disciplines, including computer engineering, systems engineering and
programming.
As a design philosophy, mechatronics values systems thinking and an interdisciplinary
approach to problem solving. Fairly recently in information technology (IT), the DevOps movement broke down the wall between
software development and operations, encouraging IT pros to work in
cross-departmental teams. Mechatronics has caused the same sea change in engineering. In many
industries today, engineers have to work in cross-discipline, collaborative
teams in order to ensure that the complex, highly integrated systems they are designing will
run smoothly.
To understand the concept of mechatronics, one can simply
think about today's automobiles. The average car today has between 25 and 50
central processing units (CPUs) that control mechanical functions. A
driver support system (DSS) such as anti-lock breaks is designed with
mechatronics; the electronic control system takes over the braking function
when sensors recognize that one or more wheels
are locking up. A pneumatic tire pressure monitoring system is also designed
with mechatronics; each tire has a sensor inside that sends data to an onboard
electronic control system. If the pressure on one tire is low, the embedded software in the control system
sends an alert to the vehicle’s dashboard and a tire gauge icon lights up. Even
an automobile’s air bag is designed with mechatronics; a micro-electrical
machine (MEM) in the front of the automobile will
deploy an airbag when sensor data indicates rapid deceleration.
Thinking holistically has allowed engineers to make
great strides in advancing automation and robotics. It has also allowed them to create smarter products, smaller products and
tiny, efficient product components at the nanotech level. In order to successfully
operate, diagnose and maintain electromechanical, automated equipment, it’s
become necessary for support technicians to re-skill formally and informally on
a frequent basis. Siemens AG, one of the world's largest high-tech
manufacturing corporations, offers a professional certification program for
mechatronics, and an increasingly large number of colleges and universities are
offering courses of study for this emerging technology.
According to the United States Department of Labor,
mechatronics is an emerging growth area for employment. In addition to
automotives, industries that rely upon mechatronics include aerospace,
appliance design and repair, banking, energy and power production and
distribution, farming, food processing, manufacturing, mining and healthcare.
Although many implementations of mechatronic design are
intended to operate in the back-end and can be easily overlooked,
these mechatronic robots from Boston Dynamics, MIT and Honda provide the viewer
with an uncanny valley experience this is quite
difficult to ignore.
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