Innovation and failure in mechatronics design education

Innovative engineering design always has associated with it the risk of failure, and it is the role of the design engineer to mitigate the possibilities of failure in the final system. Education should however provide a safe space for students to both innovate and to learn about and from failures. However, pressures on course designers and students can result in their adopting a conservative, and risk averse, approach to problem solving. The paper therefore considers the nature of both innovation and failure, and looks at how these might be effectively combined within mechatronics design education

Plasma sprayed titanium coatings with/without a shroud

Abstract: Titanium coatings were deposited by plasma spraying with and without a shroud. The titanium coatings were then assessed by scanning electron microscopy. A comparison in microstructure between titanium coatings with and without the shroud was carried out. The results showed that the shroud played an important role in protecting the titanium particles from oxidation. The presence of the shroud led to a reduction in coating porosity. The reduction in air entrainment with t he shroud resulted in better heating of the particles, and an enhanced microstructure with lower porosity in the shrouded titanium coatings were observed compared to the air plasma sprayed counterpart

Design and implementation of a real-time autonomous navigation system applied to lego robots

Teaching theoretical concepts of a real-time autonomous robot system may be a challenging task without real hardware support. The paper discusses the application of the Lego Robot for teaching multi interdisciplinary subjects to Mechatronics students. A real-time mobile robot system with perception using sensors, path planning algorithm, PID controller is used as the case to demonstrate the teaching methodology. The novelties are introduced compared to classical robotic classes: (i) the adoption of a project-based learning approach as teaching methodology; (ii) an effective real-time autonomous navigation approach for the mobile robot. However, the extendibility and applicability of the presented approach are not limited to only the educational purpose

Environmental test chamber for the support of learning and teaching in intelligent control

The paper describes the utility of a low cost, 1 m2 by 2 m forced ventilation, micro-climate test chamber, for the support of research and teaching in mechatronics. Initially developed for the evaluation of a new ventilation rate controller, the fully instrumented chamber now provides numerous learning opportunities and individual projects for both undergraduate and postgraduate research students

การใช้ผังมโนทัศน์เป็นยุทธวิธีการฝึกอบรมเพื่อเสริมสร้างทักษะการแก้ปัญหาระบบแมคคาทรอนิกส์ยานยนต์

This study presents the use of concept mapping to enhance problem-solving skills for implementing Automotive Mechatronics Systems (AMSs) as a training strategy for training and subsequently evaluating the group concept maps (GCMs) among automotive service technicians. Data collected a five case concept map allows Mitsubishi Automotive Mechatronics Systems that creates how design the GCMs. The participants were (N = 78) authorized and local automotive service technicians, diploma students and undergraduate automotive technology students. Data analysis examined for training strategies, and subsequently for developing a knowledge representation tool by Gowin criterion. The results showed that there was significant difference in the experiment group; the researchers employed the independent sample t-test to analyze the results of the pretest and posttest within the 5 cases. There was significant difference in case 1 SCV SCV valve of supply pump does not operate and case 2 Magnetic clutch of compressor is not connection between the experimental group and the control group. On the GCMs, there were significant differences between the two groups. Stakeholders tended to apply the GCMs training strategies. They were gained generate ideas in this study. The problem-solving skills are illustrates its practical use through GCMs strategic problem-solving skills in Mitsubishi AMSs example. Moreover, benefits of this study are also discussed, supporting the overall utility of this implementation technique to provide the standard problem-solving skills in AMSs

ผลของยุทธวิธีการเรียนรู้เพื่อเพิ่มพูนทักษะการแก้ปัญหาระบบแมคคาทรอนิกส์ยานยนต์สำหรับนักศึกษาระดับปริญญาตรีสาขาเทคโนโลยีเครื่องกล

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of problem-solving skills strategy on automotive technology systems for undergraduate mechanical technology students. Thirty-five undergraduate mechanical technology students in 5592103 Machine Design I course offered in semester 1/2013 at the Mechanical Technology Program of Faculty of Industrial Technology (FIT) at Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University (NSTRU) were chosen to be the participants. Learners’ were simple randomly assigned to experiment group (n = 18) and control group (n = 17). The pre-test and post-test of the theoretical mechatronic brake systems, which was adapted to undergraduate mechanical technology students context was used along multiple with a 40-item multiple choice developed by the researcher. The reliability of the tests was .83. The difficulty levels of the tests were .67. The problem-solving skills strategy short-answer items test of the mechatronic brake systems consisted of 20 items covering four processes: construct problem space; identify fault symptoms; diagnose fault(s); and solutions. Descriptive statistics were used Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to investigate. The interpreting significance of the results, the statistically significance was set at .05. On the pre-test, there was no significantly difference between these two groups. On the post-test, there were significant differences between the experimental group scored higher than the control. The finding found that the scores have statistical significantly in each aspect: identify fault symptoms, diagnose fault(s), and solutions have statistical significantly in the experimental group were discussed

Engineering Design for Mechatronics – A pedagogical perspective

Here we examine how innovative and challenging Mechatronics programmes structured to meet future needs must still incorporate the basic principles of Engineering Design. However, Mechatronics remains a fundamentally innovative field and simple instruction in the basic mechanics of putting the components together is missing an educational opportunity to push students to develop their creative engineering thinking. Mechatronics, being such a diverse field, allows students and teachers to explore genuinely innovative questions and solutions. As such, it is well suited to allowing teachers to set tasks and projects for students that break new ground and explicitly support the creation of the new concepts and solutions required to take mechatronics forward

A Proposed Approach to Mechatronics Design and Implementation Education-Oriented Methodology

Mechatronics engineer is expected to design engineering systems with synergy and integration toward constrains like higher performance, speed, precision, efficiency, lower costs and functionality. The key element in success of a mechatronics engineering education-program, and correspondingly, Mechatronics engineering graduates, is directly related to a well-structured mechatronic system design course and the applied structural design methodology. Guidelines for structural design methodology and tools for the development process of mechatronic products, that can be applied in educational process is highly required. This paper proposes mechatronics systems design education-oriented methodology, which aims to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge, in various stages through the design process and development of mechatronics product. The proposed mechatronics design methodology is described, discussed and applied with the help of example student final year graduation project; design and implementation of mechatronics mobile robotic guidance system in the from of smart wheelchair- Mechatronics Motawif, to help and support people with disabilities and special needs to perform specific predetermined tasks, particularly, performing Al Omrah and motion around holy Kaba, Makka. Keywords: Mechatronics, Design methodology, Parallel design, Synergistic integration, Modeling/ Simulation, Prototyping, Mobile robot, Motawif

The Internet of Things: the future or the end of mechatronics.

The advent and increasing implementation of user configured and user oriented systems structured around the use of cloud configured information and the Internet of Things is presenting a new range and class of challenges to the underlying concepts of integration and transfer of functionality around which mechatronics is structured. It is suggested that the ways in which system designers and educators in particular respond to and manage these changes and challenges is going to have a significant impact on the way in which both the Internet of Things and mechatronics develop over time. The paper places the relationship between the Internet of Things and mechatronics into perspective and considers the issues and challenges facing systems designers and implementers in relation to managing the dynamics of the changes required

INTELLIGENT, INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY IN BULGARIA – PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES

The report analyzes industrial transfor-mation through smart and sustainable growth, as well as building a culture of innovation in a new digital age. Innovative enterprises from Bulgaria are presented with their respective modern organizational structures and forms of innovative cooperation between them - Sofia Techpark, Trakia Economic Zone, Technological Park at the Technical University of Gabrovo. The barriers to innovation development of SMEs in Bulgaria are outlined. An example of a high technology center funded under the EU Operational Programs is presented. Answers to questions such as: what are the role of the innovation centers in the innovation ecosystem in Bulgaria; how to stimulate the transfer of talent between university and business; how the market for innovation of the future changes; why de-literacy is a factor of success; how to support innovation and digitization; what are the European policies in the field of innovation and digitization