Mechatronics and robotics.
What is mechatronics?
This is a commonly asked question in industry, so it is best if it is answered so people know what it is, exactly.
Mechatronics is a relatively new field of engineering. It was born out of industry pressure to create an engineer who could adapt. Traditional disciplines have grown so far apart, it has become hard for them to work together.
Mechatronics is a unique blend of computer science, Mechanical engineering, and Electrical engineering. It gives the mechatronics engineer an understanding in those field in order to tie them together. They are able to combine the necessary elements together to provide automated systems.
Why should you employ a mechatronics engineer?
COST!
Most traditional engineers regard the mechatronics engineer as 1/3 mechanical, 1/3 electrical and 1/3 computer science with not enough knowledge in any to be any good. In fact, research has shown that an engineer picks up most of his or her knowledge while working, and not studying.
A mechatronics engineer has good fundamental grounding in all three fields. He or she is a specialist in automation. A good mechatronics engineer will be able to take control of a project that involves automation, and ensure that everything will work. He or she will have enough background knowledge to be able to pick out any problem before it becomes a major issue (problem resolution is another thing though…). Any major delays can be avoided this way, saving you potentially millions of dollars.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
industrial robotics - a very commonly discussed topic
Industrial robots today – a commonly discussed topic in robotics.
There is extensive debate about what a robot consists of. Some people insist it has to be bipedal, interact with humans and be able to think on its own. There are already robots like this, albeit experimental. The most well known one of this form is ASIMO. It is a research robot by Honda - more about this in a later article.
Robots, and more specifically robotics, have become very useful in industry. In these instances, they perform tasks too dangerous or too repetitive for humans to do. You will see them in manufacturing, parts fabrication, and so on. There is an ISO standard for industrial robots, which ensures a minimum standard to classify an industrial robot as a robot. The ISO definition is:
an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes
What does this mean for you?
This means you have probably worked with a robot if you have programmed a piece of equipment to do a specific task for you. If you have worked alongside a piece of equipment that fast and precise, you have worked alongside a robot.
Robots are very common in industries that carry a fair amount of danger, or a lot of repetition in the work. For example, robotic arms with welders are used in the automotive industry to weld car parts together. As you can imagine, the precision and repetition of the work would ensure a greater chance of a defective vehicle, or that there is an accident in the workplace. Robots have not completely taken over every possible job imaginable. You still need humans to weld the intricate parts together, and to ensure that everything is ‘correct’ (i.e. to spec). A robot would not be able to see the fine details.
There is extensive debate about what a robot consists of. Some people insist it has to be bipedal, interact with humans and be able to think on its own. There are already robots like this, albeit experimental. The most well known one of this form is ASIMO. It is a research robot by Honda - more about this in a later article.
Robots, and more specifically robotics, have become very useful in industry. In these instances, they perform tasks too dangerous or too repetitive for humans to do. You will see them in manufacturing, parts fabrication, and so on. There is an ISO standard for industrial robots, which ensures a minimum standard to classify an industrial robot as a robot. The ISO definition is:
an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes
What does this mean for you?
This means you have probably worked with a robot if you have programmed a piece of equipment to do a specific task for you. If you have worked alongside a piece of equipment that fast and precise, you have worked alongside a robot.
Robots are very common in industries that carry a fair amount of danger, or a lot of repetition in the work. For example, robotic arms with welders are used in the automotive industry to weld car parts together. As you can imagine, the precision and repetition of the work would ensure a greater chance of a defective vehicle, or that there is an accident in the workplace. Robots have not completely taken over every possible job imaginable. You still need humans to weld the intricate parts together, and to ensure that everything is ‘correct’ (i.e. to spec). A robot would not be able to see the fine details.
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