Mechatronic Futures

Offering a comprehensive overview of the challenges, risks and options facing the future of mechatronics, this book provides insights into how these issues are currently assessed and managed. Building on the previously published book ‘Mechatronics in Action,’ it identifies and discusses the key issues likely to impact on future mechatronic systems. It supports mechatronics practitioners in identifying key areas in design, modeling and technology and places these in the wider context of concepts such as cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things. For educators it considers the potential effects of developments in these areas on mechatronic course design, and ways of integrating these. Written by experts in the field, it explores topics including systems integration, design, modeling, privacy, ethics and future application domains. Highlighting novel innovation directions, it is intended for academics, engineers and students working in the field of mechatronics, particularly those developing new concepts, methods and ideas.

This book explains that the coming years undoubtedly bring new developments in mechatronics. These advances are stimulated by the growing demand for intelligent, autonomous solutions in various branches of industry and consumer products. The development of economically justified new mechatronic products is not possible without the ongoing progress in manufacturing technology, metrology, measurements systems, new materials and control techniques. Those are the key for reducing costs and enhancing functionality of new products. Therefore, the scope of the 5th International Conference Mechatronics spanned from advanced mechatronic systems to manufacturing processes. The new results of research in this areas are reported in this book. We strongly believe that the solutions and guidelines presented during the conference held in Szczecin (Poland) from 8th to 10th September 2021 are useful for both researchers and engineers solving problems associated with mechatronic products.

This proceedings volume contains selected papers presented at the 2014 International Conference on Future Mechatronics and Automation, held in Beijing, China. Contributions cover the latest developments and advances in the field of Mechatronics and Automation.

This book presents the latest research on mechatronic systems engineering. By bringing together the most important papers from the 2018 Mechatronics Forum Conference ‘Reinventing Mechatronics,’ it outlines key trends in research and applications that will define mechatronics for the next 50 years. Mechatronics was established as an engineering discipline over 50 years ago, as the integration of electronics and information technology with mechanical design. Given major technological advances and the growth of systems-level concepts such as Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things, along with Cloud Technologies and Big Data, it’s now high time to reconsider the role of mechatronics, particularly within engineering design. Past and ongoing technological changes are impacting how systems are designed and configured in ways that could never have been envisaged when the field of mechatronics was first introduced.

Mechatronics in Action’s case-study approach provides the most effective means of illustrating how mechatronics can make products and systems more flexible, more responsive and possess higher levels of functionality than would otherwise be possible. The series of case studies serves to illustrate how a mechatronic approach has been used to achieve enhanced performance through the transfer of functionality from the mechanical domain to electronics and software. Mechatronics in Action not only provides readers with access to a range of case studies, and the experts’ view of these, but also offers case studies in course design and development to support tutors in making the best and most effective use of the technical coverage provided. It provides, in an easily accessible form, a means of increasing the understanding of the mechatronic concept, while giving both students and tutors substantial technical insight into how this concept has been developed and used.

Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering combining mechanical, electrical and electronics, control and automation, and computer engineering fields. The main research task of mechatronics is design, control, and optimization of advanced devices, products, and hybrid systems utilizing the concepts found in all these fields. The purpose of this special issue is to help better understand how mechatronics will impact on the practice and research of developing advanced techniques to model, control, and optimize complex systems. The special issue presents recent advances in mechatronics and related technologies. The selected topics give an overview of the state of the art and present new research results and prospects for the future development of the interdisciplinary field of mechatronic systems.

BUILDING FUTURES An approach to Information Modeling engaging concepts of equality, sustainability, and labor as they relate to environment and architectural practice Building Futures: Technology, Ecology, and Architectural Practice explores how architects, and the buildings and environments we create, can engage future realities, both abstract and readily understood. These range from climate change and public health to advanced ideas about manufacture and construction. The text demonstrates multiple and hybrid paths in which building information modeling (BIM) and outgrowth technological processes including environmental simulation and human-robot interaction can be utilized in today’s contemporary context, expanding the architect’s agency by focusing on a more conceptual, and ecological, basis for our work. Moving beyond a basic understanding of the role of computation in architecture and design, the work shows how to think critically and speculatively about technology’s deeper and more lasting impacts on both architecture and society. Topics covered in Building Futures include: Technology: information modeling and the relationship between computational and real objects, new approaches to coding in architectural design, and direct-to-manufacture workflows Environment: understanding part-to-whole relationships at a variety of scales and the interconnectedness of things, post-subjective architectural approaches to ecology, and new ideas about sustainability Practice: revisiting architecture by remote control in the time of new global challenges, and novel ideas about creativity, authorship, and professionalism Design professionals and practice leaders grappling with the relationship of technology to design pedagogy will use Building Futures to better theorize and execute their architectural vision. Students in upper-level courses studying technique and theory will also find value in the work, which prepares incoming professionals for the major changes that the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry may undergo in the coming years and decades. “The book prompts us to consider simulating events where architecture and architects could mitigate, redirect or develop contingencies, in relation to the environment, flows of material and capital, and other “things” that operate from the immediate, through to almost geological timescales.” From the Foreword by Robert Stuart-Smith, Director of the Autonomous Manufacturing Lab, University of Pennsylvania

In the modern and data-driven business landscape, organizations face an increasingly complex challenge: how to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital twin technology to stay competitive and relevant. This challenge is exacerbated by the rapid evolution of these technologies and the urgent need for businesses to adapt. AI continues to advance in areas such as language comprehension, pattern recognition, decision-making, and experiential learning, while digital twins are transforming into electronic replicas of real-world entities. Consequently, businesses grapple with the complexities of navigating this transformative convergence. Digital Twin Technology and AI Implementations in Future-Focused Businesses addresses the pressing issue of how AI and digital twin technology are altering the very fabric of business operations. It delves into the profound implications for productivity, creativity, and decision-making in organizations across diverse industries. Staying ahead of the technical curve is crucial, and this book equips readers with the knowledge and insights needed to thrive in this evolving business landscape.