Mechatronics: An Introduction

 

Mechatronics: An Introduction

Mechatronics Engineering is certainly an interesting combination of words, but what does it mean? Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary sect of engineering, combining mechanical, electrical, and electronic engineering, along with many aspects of robotics and computer science. In fact, robots are mechatronic devices, but not all mechatronic devices are robots. The insert/eject mechanism on disk readers (i.e. CD, DVD, Blu-Ray) is an example of a mechatronic device, as are elevators, automated vehicles, and any self-adaptive tool or machine.

The journal entry I am referring to today is a preface to other articles published in Robotics Vol. 9, Issue 2 from June of 2020, which I may continue onto next week, and serves as a bit of a sampler of mechatronics related topics. It starts by noting the importance of mechatronics and robotic technologies on human life and society since we have employed so much of it into our systems and everyday lives. From assistive devices for disabled and elderly folks, to automated roles in production, mechatronics have inundated our society, and will likely only continue to permeate our world.

Formed in 1969, the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM) has played a big role in integrating machines and mechanisms into the scientific community, and to promote further development of and increase exposure to their cause on a worldwide scale. Serving as an intellectual epicenter of mechatronics, the IFToMM is orbited by some of the best minds in the field, who wrote the articles that this journal entry serves as precursor to. “A broad range of topics such as kinematic analysis and synthesis mechanism design, sensors and actuators, modelling and simulation, control issues, navigation and motion planning, applications of robots and mechatronics systems,” are all a part of the mechatronic world, and can appeal to engineers in almost every subgenre of the field.

As for the content of the articles to come, the first addresses constrained motion planning for robotic workspaces, allowing them to better maneuver untethered as well as tethered tools when properly implemented, with safety another factor to consider in the process. Another article talks about precision agriculture using unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) which incorporates drones, solar panels, and complex automation systems that continue to change the agricultural world. The next article regards a sonographic robot designed to prevent musculoskeletal disorders in a safe manner. Yet another article regards the packing process of beverages, and how to prevent “liquid slosh” that is inherent to the process of packing those beverages. Finally, an entire article on balance systems for wheeled-legged hexapod robots that continually recalculate the robot’s center of mass in order to keep it in its optimal position.  

If you’re thinking that you don’t want to wait for my summary to dig into those articles, just follow the doi linkin th reference section and have a read for yourself. It’s all very interesting.  

Until next week!

Reference

Takeda, Y., Carbone, G., & Bai, S. (2020). Advances in robotics and Mechatronics. Robotics, 9(2), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics9020036