Mechatronic Systems Applications

Mechatronics is a blend of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer control and information technology. Mechatronics is a design process to create more functional and adaptable products. By integrating the best design practices with the most advanced technologies, mechatronics aims at comprehending high-quality products, promising at the same time a substantial reduction of time and costs of manufacturing. Mechatronic systems are manifold and range from machine components, motion generators, and power producing machines to more complex devices, such as robotic systems and transportation vehicles. Over the years mechatronics has come to mean a methodology for designing products that exhibit fast, precise performance. These characteristics can be achieved by considering not only the mechanical design, but also the use of servo controls, sensors, and electronics. Mechatronics has been popular in Japan and Europe for many years but has been slow to gain industrial and academic acceptance as a field and practice in Great Britain and the United States. In the past, machine and product design has been the domain of mechanical engineers. After the machine was designed by mechanical engineers, solutions to control and programming problems were added by software and computer engineers. This sequential-engineering approach usually resulted in less-than-optimal designs and is now recognized as less than optimal itself. The prime role of mechatronics is one of initiation and integration throughout the entire design process, with the mechatronics engineer as the leader. Mechatronic Systems Applications delivers an excellent review of contemporary work in the sphere of mechatronics with applications in numerous fields, like robotics, medical and assistive technology, human-machine interaction, unmanned vehicles, manufacturing, and education. Experts in the interdisciplinary mechatronics field must be able to use the special knowledge resources of other people and the particular blend of technologies that will provide the most economic, innovative, elegant, and appropriate solution to the problem at hand. Industry needs mechatronics engineers to continue to rapidly develop innovative products with performance, quality and low cost.