A Model For Integrating Mechatronics Into Mechanical Engineering Education

In today’s competitive markets, engineers face ongoing challenges to produce complex engineering systems with a high-level of performance, reliability, value and price. The ability of engineers to persevere in this highly competitive atmosphere hinges on their ability to integrate a number of technologies. Mechatronics provides the answer to this challenge and serve to best accomplish this integration from the earliest stages of the design process. As entrepreneurial ventures play important role in economic growth in the era of globalization, mechanical engineers equipped with skills in mechatronics and embedded systems are more likely to engage in such ventures. This paper presents a model for integrating mechatronics education into Mechanical Engineering curriculum. A strong component of the model is the hands-on teamwork experience in which students realize mechatronics devices, possibly of their own choosing, using various laboratory tools including microcontroller technologies.