The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Mechatronics and Ignorance

By robottf | April 10, 2009

By Richard Comerford,
Editor
Electronic Products

I wish I had a dollar for each time I asked an EE about the use of mechatronics for a development project and got the response, “What’s that?”  And I’m not just talking about IC designers, but about people involved with designing electromechanical systems like disk drives, as well as those who are responsible for developing everything from MEMS to pick-and-place robots.

I find the lack of recognition among the electronics community a bit disheartening. Mechatronics has been around now for several decades, and many universities are now offering courses taught by professors who are dedicated to the discipline. Yet mechatronics has nowhere near the recognition of, say, electronics, or robotics, or bionics, or even hydroponics.

I suppose there may be several reasons for that situation. For one thing, people had actually been using electronic controls for mechanical systems long before the term mechatronics was coined. Things like automatic doors and air conditioners have been around for a long time, as has the pop-up toaster, all of which are examples of simple mechatronic systems.

Robots have been a part of the popular culture for so long that people don’t typically associate them with mechatronics. The discipline of building robots — robotics, which is actually a subset of the field of mechatronics — also predates mechatronics. So everyone thinks they know what you mean when you say “robot,” but I wonder what would happen if you tried dropping “mechatron” into
a conversation.

Another reason for the relative obscurity among EEs of mechatronics may be political. Sometimes, getting engineers from different disciplines to work together is like trying to get the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force to agree on who has the best football team.  As an EE, I can remember how in college we used to disparage civil engineers as “road crew,” mechanical engineers as “gear heads,” and chemical engineers as “stink bombs,” knowing with the certainty of youth that only those who could command the electron to do their bidding were masters of the universe.

I doubt that even today there are many computer scientists or electronics engineers who would be happy to admit that mechanical design is equally as important as their disciplines. And for them to relearn their approach to design with a broader set of tools is by no means an easy process.

Nonetheless, areas that hold the most promise for advancement in the future — such things as haptics, MEMS, and advanced HMI — are inherently mechatronic in nature, and will require interdisciplinary knowledge for success.  Sure, mechatronics may require better PR or an agent who can sell it to Hollywood, but regardless of how successfully it is promoted to the masses, those technologists who are ignorant of it may soon find themselves not only out of touch, but also out of work.

About The Author

robottf

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

SUNY Adirondack to launch new program in mechatronics
Eplan Data Portal migrates to Azure
Transcript: How mechatronics is taking additive manufacturing to the next level
Is there a need for closed loop feedback greater than 20,000 CPR?

RBR50 Innovation Awards

“rr
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Robotics Professionals.
The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Episode of The Robot Report Podcast

Automated Warehouse Research Reports

Sponsored Content

  • Sager Electronics and its partners, logos shown here, will exhibit at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo. Sager Electronics to exhibit at the Robotics Summit & Expo
  • The Shift in Robotics: How Visual Perception is Separating Winners from the Pack
  • An AutoStore automated storage and retrieval grid. Webinar to provide automated storage and retrieval adoption advice
  • Smaller, tougher devices for evolving demands
  • Modular motors and gearboxes make product development simple
The Robot Report
  • Automated Warehouse
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe