Origins of Mechatronics
The field of Mechatronics received the international recognition only in the last few years. The field has been driven by rapid progress in the field of microelectronics, where solid state microprocessor and memory have revolutionized many aspects of instrumentation and control and have facilitated exponential growth in data processing and communication.
The word Mechatronics was coined by Japanese is the late 1970 to describe the philosophy adopted in the design of subsystem of electromechanical systems. There have been major advances in technology and method in those early days and these were available to manufacturing sectors. Although Mechatronics is relatively a new term when compared to many other fields of engineering, it now appears to be firmly established. The term has been freely used by individuals, universities, industries all around the world. At research and development (R & D) level the following areas have been recognized under Mechatronics discipline.
a. Motion control
b. Actuators and sensors
c. Micro devices and optoelectronics
d. Robotics
e. Automotive systems
f. Modeling and design
g. System integration
h. Manufacturing
i. Vibration and noise control