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efficiency [23]. Clearly, an automobile with 30–60 microcontrollers, up to 100 electric motors, about 200
                                 pounds of wiring, a multitude of sensors, and thousands of lines of software code can hardly be classified
                                 as a strictly mechanical system. The automobile is being transformed into a comprehensive mechatronic
                                 system.

                                 1.5 What is Mechatronics? And What’s Next?


                                 Mechatronics, the term coined in Japan in the 1970s, has evolved over the past 25 years and has led to
                                 a special breed of intelligent products. What is mechatronics? It is a natural stage in the evolutionary
                                 process of modern engineering design. For some engineers, mechatronics is nothing new, and, for others,
                                 it is a philosophical approach to design that serves as a guide for their activities. Certainly, mechatronics
                                 is an evolutionary process, not a revolutionary one. It is clear that an all-encompassing definition of
                                 mechatronics does not exist, but in reality, one is not needed. It is understood that mechatronics is about
                                 the synergistic integration of  mechanical,  electrical,  and  computer systems.  One can understand the
                                 extent that mechatronics reaches into various disciplines by characterizing the constituent components
                                 comprising mechatronics, which include (i) physical systems modeling, (ii) sensors and actuators, (iii)
                                 signals and systems, (iv) computers and logic systems, and (v) software and data acquisition. Engineers
                                 and scientists from all walks of life and fields of study can contribute to mechatronics. As engineering
                                 and science boundaries become less well defined, more students will seek a multi-disciplinary education
                                 with a strong design component. Academia should be moving towards a curriculum, which includes
                                 coverage of mechatronic systems.
                                   In the future, growth in mechatronic systems will be fueled by the growth in the constituent areas.
                                 Advancements in traditional disciplines fuel the growth of mechatronics systems by providing “enabling
                                 technologies.” For example, the invention of the microprocessor had a profound effect on the redesign
                                 of mechanical systems and design of new mechatronics systems. We should expect continued advance-
                                 ments in cost-effective microprocessors and microcontrollers, sensor and actuator development enabled
                                 by advancements in applications of MEMS, adaptive control methodologies and real-time programming
                                 methods, networking and wireless technologies, mature CAE technologies for advanced system modeling,
                                 virtual prototyping, and testing. The continued rapid development in these areas will only accelerate the
                                 pace of smart product development. The Internet is a technology that, when utilized in combination
                                 with wireless technology, may also lead to new mechatronic products. While developments in automotives
                                 provide vivid examples of mechatronics development, there are numerous examples of intelligent systems
                                 in all walks of life, including smart home appliances such as dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, microwaves,
                                 and wireless network enabled devices. In the area of “human-friendly machines” (a term used by H.
                                 Kobayashi [27]), we can expect advances in robot-assisted surgery, and implantable sensors and actuators.
                                 Other areas that will benefit from mechatronic advances may include robotics, manufacturing, space
                                 technology, and transportation. The future of mechatronics is wide open.

                                 References

                                  1. Kyura, N. and Oho, H., “Mechatronics—an industrial perspective,”  IEEE/ASME Transactions  on
                                     Mechatronics, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1996, pp. 10–15.
                                  2. Mori, T., “Mechatronics,” Yasakawa Internal Trademark Application Memo 21.131.01, July 12, 1969.
                                  3. Harshama, F., Tomizuka, M., and Fukuda, T.,  “Mechatronics—What is it, why, and how?—an
                                     editorial,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1996, pp. 1–4.
                                  4. Auslander, D. M. and Kempf, C. J., Mechatronics: Mechanical System Interfacing, Prentice-Hall, Upper
                                     Saddle River, NJ, 1996.
                                  5. Shetty, D. and Kolk, R. A., Mechatronic System Design, PWS Publishing Company, Boston, MA, 1997.
                                  6. Bolton, W., Mechatronics: Electrical Control Systems in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, 2nd
                                     Ed., Addison-Wesley Longman, Harlow, England, 1999.
                                  7. Mayr, I. O., The Origins of Feedback Control, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1970.

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