Mechatronic engineering combines mechanical, electronic, and control aspects to design devices that respond to their environments. It involves mechanical design, electronics engineering, and control theory. Mechatronic devices are used in many industries, including automobiles and spacecraft. They often rely on on-board computers to make real-time decisions.
Mechatronic engineering is a hybrid discipline that consists of mechanical, electronic and control aspects. It is the discipline used to design and manufacture devices that are able to respond to their environments in real time. The feedback provided by the electrical sensors is handled by a central computer which issues commands to take actions. These commands govern the device’s response, which in turn leaves it in a new situation. Mechatronic engineering is useful for designing many systems that don’t rely entirely on human functioning.
The first aspect of mechatronic engineering is the mechanical aspect. Mechanical engineering deals with the design of physical structures in a machine. Underlying mechanical engineering is the science of mechanics, which is a branch of physics that deals with large-scale forces and matter in motion. Another contributing field is materials science, which can provide engineers with a suite of materials to use in product design. In a car, the mechanical aspect would include the bodywork, chassis and engine, for example.
Another necessary component of mechatronic engineering is the electronics aspect. Electronics engineering is concerned with the design of practical devices that use the motion of electrically charged particles to function. This flow of electricity can be used to carry both energy and information. Electricity can be used to power a mechatronic device through an electric motor. The information produced by the sensors can be managed by a central control system.
The final element required in mechatronic engineering is some form of control. Control theory deals with maintaining an optimal state in a dynamic system. It works by getting feedback on its current state in an environment, making a decision, and then issuing commands to perform some action. When an object is farther from its optimal state, it can respond more strongly to reach that state. In a mechatronic device, control is typically handled by a microprocessor, a single integrated circuit with central processing capability.
Mechatronic devices are widespread in many companies. An automobile, for example, combines mechanical systems with electrical systems and a central computer. Many electrical sensors detect information about the state of the car, such as speed, fuel level and engine temperature. These signals are carried by electrical pathways to the car’s computer, which makes decisions about how to respond. If the fuel is too low or the engine is too hot, the computer can send a command to display a warning message to the operator.
In a car, the job of making decisions is shared by a computer and an operator. Many mechatronic devices, on the other hand, are not operated in real time by humans. Spacecraft often have to use on-board computers to make real-time decisions because there is a communication delay between the spacecraft and Earth. The Mars Exploration Rovers had a communication delay of several minutes and, therefore, used a central computer to make many quick navigational decisions. Without this capability, the rovers could have fallen off a ledge or become pinned to an object by the time operators on Earth noticed the threats.
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