Mechatronics EducationAydan M. Erkmen (Middle East Technical University),Takashi Tsubouchi (University of Tsukuba),Robin Murphy (University of South Florida)

In recent years, the concept of “mechatronics” is more fre-quently encountered in industry, academia, and in thegeneral public as well, but it is always coupled with the ques-

tion: “Is this a new concept?” In this special issue dedicated tomechatronics education, articles from a wide range of educa-tion styles have been assembled, starting with Craig who chal-lenges this question in the framework of mechatronicsin university and professional education.

A blend of mechanics and electronics,mechatronics has come to mean the syner-gistic use of precision engineering, controltheory, computer science, and sensor/ac-tuator technology to design improvedproducts and processes. Wikander,Törngren, and Hanson discuss the cur-rent understanding of mechatronics as aninterdisciplinary subject from both theeducation and research perspectives.

Realization of the growing need to edu-cate mechanical and other nonelectrical engi-neering students in the application of electronics,microprocessors, and software has led to the creation ofmechatronics courses, and in some cases, degree programs atmany universities around the world. These programs aim toproduce engineers capable of successfully applying theseever-evolving technologies to the design of mechatronic sys-tems. “Learning by doing” and “learning while doing” pro-grams are aimed at enhancing collaborative design activitiesbetween departments, ultimately leading to multidisciplinarycreative solutions to open-ended problems tackled by a team.Within this framework, Siegwart introduces hands-onmechatronic and micromechatronic education programs im-plemented at two technical universities in Switzerland.

Though there is not a universally accepted definition ofmechatronics, most definitions refer in some way to the inte-gration of electronics and software into mechanical systems.Alciatore and Histand present a systematic restructuring of atraditional mechanical engineering curriculum with amechatronic theme

Many researchers refer to mechatronics as the integrationof the different disciplines involved throughout the entire de-

sign process. Daniel and Hewit [1] describe mechatronics as aground-breaking union between electrical and mechanicaldesign. Our understanding of mechatronics matches moreclosely the definition given by Dinsdale and Yamazaki andlater used by J. Edward Carryer, “the synergistic integration offine mechanical engineering with electronics and intelligent

computer control in the design of products and manu-facturing processes” [2]. Among the many prod-

ucts defined as “mechatronic,” robots are themost dominant, so much so that robotics

and mechatronics can be mistakenly con-fused in many application problems.Two articles on robots offer insightsinto teaching mechatronics. Practicaleducation of robotics as presented byNagai is also an aspect of “learningwhile doing.” Engineering ingenuity

and efficiency can be exercised whencompetitions for producing mechatronic

products exist. Murphy presents an overviewof a taxonomy of major robot competitions and

develops a strategy for incorporating competitionsinto courses to foster intellectual maturation with engineeringaesthetics.

References[1] J.R. Hewitt, “Mechatronics—The contributions of advanced control,” in

Proc. 2nd Conf. Mechatronics and Robotics, Duisburg, Moers, Germany,Sep. 1993

[2] J.E. Carryer, “The design of laboratory experiments and projects formechatronics courses,” presented at Workshop on Mechatronic Curric-ulum Development, San Jose, CA, Jun. 1996.

Aydan M. Erkmen is with Middle East Technical Univer-sity’s Dept. of Electrical Engineering in Ankara, Turkey(e-mail: aydan@metu.edu.tr). Takashi Tsubouchi is withthe University of Tsukuba’s Institute of Engineering Me-chanics and Systems in Tennoudai, Tsukuba-city, Japan (Tel:+81(298) 536477). Robin Murphy is with the University ofSouth Florida’s Computer Science and Engineering Depart-ment in Tampa, Florida (e-mail: Murphy@csee.usf.edu).

June 2001IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine4