Mechanical + electronics = mechatronics.
Simple. Yes? Actually, mechatronics
covers a lot of ground and means different
things to different designers, ranging
from basic motor control
of a single device (Fig.
1) to all the control
systems within today's
complex automotive
platforms (Fig. 2).
At one extreme there
is a single motor with a
minimal number of
feedback inputs such
as rotation or torque,
while at the other,
dozens of systems
may interact in a number
of combinations.
Often, one or two
designers address the more basic systems
while larger systems encompass teams of
developers, testers, and quality and safety
assurance people.
Larger, more complex systems bring their
own difficulties into the mix. But even small
or simple systems are a challenge because
they blend expertise and training that are
taught as separate degrees such as mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering,
computer science, embedded programming,
and process engineering. Add in some solids
and liquids and gases, and you can add
chemical engineers and others to the mix.
This means designers dealing with
mechatronics need to cross boundaries of
expertise on a daily basis. The multicore and
simulation issues just make a more complex
process even more so even while making a
designer's job easier.
Interdisciplinary training at the
college level has been steadily
improving with some universities
providing mechatronic engineering
degrees. Others
typically allow minors
or multiple degrees to
address the need for
graduates with interdisciplinary
expertise.
At the heart of most
of these programs is
real-world engineering
experience with handson
projects. Of course,
simulation is a big part
of the curriculum for the same reason it is
used in industry—the need for understanding
and testing hardware interaction without
the need for physical artifacts.
In the past, much of the systems integration
was done with real hardware with
minimal systems simulation. Now, complete
system simulation with a high degree
of precision and resolution is the norm,
but it will continue to challenge host platforms
even as multicore systems open up
the opportunity to throw large amounts of
computing power at the simulation problem.
It will let designers do more, faster,
and better.