Editing Mechatronics (section)

{{short description|Combination of electronics and mechanics}}
{{Infobox occupation
|employment_field=Science, technology, engineering, industry, computer, exploration
|type=[[Engineering]]
|official_names=Mechatronics Engineer
|competencies=Multidisciplinary technical knowledge, electro-mechanical system design, system integration and maintenance
|specialty=Mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering, computer engineering, software programming, system engineering, control system, smart and intelligent system, automation and robotics
|activity_sector=Electrical and mechanical industry, engineering industry
|image=}}

'''Mechatronics engineering''', also called '''mechatronics''', is the synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical, and computer systems employing [[mechanical engineering]], [[electrical engineering]], [[electronic engineering]] and [[computer engineering]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Escudier |first=Marcel |last2=Atkins |first2=Tony |date=2019 |journal=Oxford Reference|title=A Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780198832102.001.0001 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780198832102.001.0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref> and also includes a combination of [[robotics]], [[computer science]], [[telecommunications]], [[systems engineering|systems]], [[control engineering|control]], [[automation]] and [[product engineering]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uwaterloo.ca/mechanical-mechatronics-engineering/future-undergraduate-students/mechatronics-engineering|title=Mechatronics Engineering|author=Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering|work=Future undergraduate students|date=9 August 2012|publisher=University of Waterloo|access-date=21 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="CZU">{{cite web|url=http://mechatronics.tul.cz|title=Mechatronics (Bc., Ing., PhD.)|author=Faculty of Mechatronics, Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies TUL|access-date=15 April 2011}}</ref>

As [[technology]] advances over time, various subfields of [[engineering]] have succeeded in both adapting and multiplying. The intention of mechatronics is to produce a design solution that unifies each of these various subfields. Originally, the field of mechatronics was intended to be nothing more than a combination of mechanics, electrical and electronics, hence the name being a [[portmanteau]] of the words "'''mecha'''nics" and "elec'''tronics'''"; however, as the complexity of technical systems continued to evolve, the definition had been broadened to include more technical areas.

No later than in 1951, the word ''mechatronics'' was used in an advertisement of the company Servomechanisms, Inc., as can be seen in the journal ''Nucleonics'', vol. 9, issue 3 on page 99.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_nucleonics_1951-09_9_3/page/98/mode/2up |magazine=Nucleonics |title=Mechatronics advertisement |volume=9 |issue=3 |date=September 1951 |page=99 |publisher=The McGraw-Hill Companies |via=Internet Archive |language=en}}</ref>

The word ''mechatronics'' originated in [[Wasei-eigo|Japanese-English]] and was created by Tetsuro Mori, an engineer of [[Yaskawa Electric Corporation]]. The word ''mechatronics'' was registered as [[trademark]] by the company in Japan with the registration number of "46-32714" in 1971. The company later released the right to use the word to the public, and the word began being used globally. Currently the word is translated into many languages and is considered an essential term for advanced automated industry.<ref>Msc. Mechatronics and Automation Engineering, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, Institution of Engineering and Technology, United Kingdom. Retrieved 29 November 2020.</ref>

Many people treat ''mechatronics'' as a modern buzzword synonymous with [[automation]], [[robotics]] and [[electromechanical engineering]].<ref>Lawrence J. Kamm (1996). Understanding Electro-Mechanical Engineering: An Introduction to Mechatronics. John Wiley & Sons. {{ISBN|978-0-7803-1031-5}}</ref>

French standard NF E 01-010 gives the following definition: "approach aiming at the synergistic integration of mechanics, electronics, control theory, and computer science within product design and manufacturing, in order to improve and/or optimize its functionality".<ref>Bolton, W. Mechatronics. Pearson, 6th edition, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1-292-07668-3}}</ref>