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.

This book presents part of the iM3F 2020 proceedings from the Mechatronics track. It highlights key challenges and recent trends in mechatronics engineering and technology that are non-trivial in the age of Industry 4.0. It discusses traditional as well as modern solutions that are employed in the multitude spectra of mechatronics-based applications. The readers are expected to gain an insightful view on the current trends, issues, mitigating factors as well as solutions from this book.

Mechatronics is a synergic discipline integrating precise mechanics, electrotechnics, electronics and IT technologies. The main goal of mechatronical approach to design of complex products is to achieve new quality of their utility value at reasonable price. Successful accomplishment of this task would not be possible without application of advanced software and hardware tools for simulation of design, technologies and production control and also for simulation of behavior of these products in order to provide the highest possible level of spatial and functional integration of the final product. This book brings a review of the current state of the art in mechatronics, as presented at the 8th International Conference Mechatronics 2009, organized by the Brno Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Republic. The specific topics of the conference are Modelling and Simulation, Metrology & Diagnostics, Sensorics & Photonics, Control & Robotics, MEMS Design & Mechatronic Products, Production Machines and Biomechanics. The selected contributions provide an insight into the current development of these scientific disciplines, present the new results of research and development and indicate the trends of development in the interdisciplinary field of mechatronic systems. Therefore, the book provides the latest and helpful information both for the R&D specialists and for the designers working in mechatronics and related fields.

This book, set against the backdrop of huge advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning within mechatronic systems, serves as a comprehensive guide to navigating the intricacies of mechatronics and harnessing its transformative potential. Mechatronics has been a revolutionary force in engineering and medical robotics over the past decade. It will lead to a major industrial revolution and affect research in every field of engineering. This book covers the basics of mechatronics, computational intelligence approaches, simulation and modeling concepts, architectures, nanotechnology, real-time monitoring and control, different actuators, and sensors. The book explains clearly and comprehensively the engineering design process at different stages. As the historical divisions between the various branches of engineering and computer science become less clearly defined, mechatronics may provide a roadmap for nontraditional engineering students studying within the traditional university structure. This book covers all the algorithms and techniques found in mechatronics engineering, well explained with real-time examples, especially lab experiments that will be very informative to students and scholars. Audience This resource is important for R & D departments in academia, government, and industry. It will appeal to mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, computer scientists, robotics engineers, professionals in manufacturing, automation and related industries, as well as innovators and entrepreneurs.

Recent trends in engineering show increased emphasis on integrated analysis, design, and control of advanced electromechanical systems, and their scope continues to expand. Mechatronics-a breakthrough concept-has evolved to attack, integrate, and solve a variety of emerging problems in engineering, and there appears to be no end to its application. It has become essential for all engineers to understand its basic theoretical standpoints and practical applications. Electromechanical Systems, Electric Machines, and Applied Mechatronics presents a unique combination of traditional engineering topics and the latest technologies, integrated to stimulate new advances in the analysis and design of state-of-the-art electromechanical systems. With a focus on numerical and analytical methods, the author develops the rigorous theory of electromechanical systems and helps build problem-solving skills. He also stresses simulation as a critical aspect of developing and prototyping advanced systems. He uses the MATLABTM environment for his examples and includes a MATLABTM diskette with the book, thus providing a solid introduction to this standard engineering tool. Readable, interesting, and accessible, Electromechanical Systems, Electric Machines, and Applied Mechatronics develops a thorough understanding of the integrated perspectives in the design and analysis of electromechanical systems. It covers the basic concepts in mechatronics, and with numerous worked examples, prepares the reader to use the results in engineering practice. Readers who master this book will know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how to do it.

The term “mechatronics” was coined in 1969, merging “mecha” from mechanism and “tronics” from electronics, to reflect the original idea at the basis of this discipline, that is, the integration of electrical and mechanical systems into a single device. The spread of this term, and of mechatronics itself, has been growing in the years, including new aspects and disciplines, like control engineering, computer engineering and communication/information engineering. Nowadays mechatronics has a well-defined and fundamental role, in strict relation with robotics. Drawing a sharp border between mechatronics and robotics is impossible, as they share many technologies and objectives. Advanced robots could be defined as mechatronic devices equipped with a “smart brain”, but there are also up-to-date mechatronic devices, used in tight interaction with humans, that are governed by smart architectures (for example, for safety purposes). Aim of this book is to offer a wide overview of new research trends and challenges for both mechatronics and robotics, through the contribution of researchers from different institutions, providing their view on specific subjects they consider as “hot topics” in both fields, with attention to new fields of application, new challenges to the research communities and new technologies available. The reader of this book will enjoy the various contributions, as they have been prepared with actual applications in mind, along a journey from advanced actuators and sensors to human-robot interaction, through robot control, navigation, planning and programming issues. The book presents several state-of-the-art solutions, like multiple-stage actuation to cope with conflicting specification of large motion-spans, ultra-high accuracy, model-based control for high-tech mechatronic systems, modern approaches of software systems engineering to robotics, aand humanoids for human assistance. The reader can also find new techniques in approaching the design of mechatronic systems in some possible industrial and service robotics scenarios, with a particular attention for the interaction between humans and mechanisms.

This book presents case studies to analyse the relationship between sustainability – environmental, social, institutional and economic – and digital innovation. The respective contributions offer a contextualisation of the main present and future trends concerning these two elements, and present analyses from economic, technical, managerial, and social perspectives alike. The individual sections of the book focus on interactions between sustainability and digital innovation in existing organisations and highlight the new opportunities, challenges and threats that may emerge as a result. The contributions are mainly based on case studies and research conducted in Europe and Africa, with a few focusing on Southeast Asia and Central America, and were prepared by experts in the fields of Information Systems, Computer Science, Social Development, and Economics.

This book describes recent studies on modern control systems using various control techniques. The control systems cover large complex systems such as train operation systems to micro systems in nanotechnology. Various control trends and techniques are discussed from practically modern approaches such as Internet of Things, artificial neural networks, machine learning to theoretical approaches such as zero-placement, bang-bang, optimal control, predictive control, and fuzzy approach.

This book contains the selected papers of the Sixth International Workshop on Medical and Service Robots (MESROB 2018), held in Cassino, Italy, in 2018. The main topics of the workshop include: design of medical devices, kinematics and dynamics for medical robotics, exoskeletons and prostheses, anthropomorphic hands , therapeutic robots and rehabilitation, cognitive robots, humanoid and service robots, assistive robots and elderly assistance, surgical robots, human-robot interfaces, haptic devices, and medical treatments.