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SESSION 3666

A LABORATORY FOR MECHATRONICS COURSES

Jawaharlal Mariappan GMI Engineering & Management Institute Flint, MI

ABSTRACT

Mechatronics is a relatively new field that represents the integration of mechanical, control, electronics and computer engineering for the design of products and processes. Understanding the rapidly changing needs of the industry, recently, academic institutions in the US have begun developing and implementing mechatronics courses that are multidisciplinary in nature. The objective of these courses is to provide the students with cross-platform skills and knowledge. These courses are heavily laboratory and project oriented. However, there are no established procedures or standards for a mechatronics laboratory, which is essential for the success of mechatronics courses. This paper presents various issues associated with development of a mechatronic laboratory, the experiments and projects that have been designed and the GMI experience.

INTRODUCTION

Mechatronics is a term that represents the synergistic integration of Mechanical, control engineering and electronics, and intelligent computer control of products. Examples of mechatronic products can be found in all sectors of engineering including automotive, machine tool, and aerospace industries, consumer electronics and home appliances. Rapid changes in the industry, and the increasing use of microprocessors in many of today′s machines lead to products that are mechatronics in nature. In order to design such products, an engineer must have general knowledge of various design techniques and special knowledge of a blend of technologies. Such skills can be obtained from multidisciplinary mechatronics courses.

Recognizing the need for mechatronics education, some Japanese higher educational institutions[1] and European colleges and universities[2-4] offer courses in mechatronics at different levels. Some schools abroad even plan to offer degree programs[5] in mechatronics. The significance of this can be underscored by the fact that there is already an international journal[6] titled Mechatronics, published in England. Realizing the importance of mechatronics, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recently organized a special symposium on mechatronics[7], and cosponsored a new journal[8]. Academic institutions in the US also have been responding to the changes in the industry by developing new multi and interdisciplinary courses and curricula.

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Mariappan, J. (1997, June), A Laboratory For Mechatronics Courses Paper presented at 1997 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 10.18260/1-2--6660