Springer Mechatronics in Action: Case Studies in Mechatronics - Applications and Education

This book illustrates how mechatronics can make products and systems more flexible, more responsive and possessed of higher levels of functionality than would otherwise be possible. The book’s case-study approach is an effective way of illustrating this. From the Back Cover Mechatronics is a broad-based engineering discipline that is concerned with the integration of engineering concepts at the system level. As such, its impact is seen not in specific sections of technology, but in the way in which the technologies are integrated and merged at the system level from design to implementation. Mechatronics in Action’s case-study approach therefore 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. Educationally, case-based learning forms an important part of mechatronics course design and 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. Mechatronics in Action 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. About the Author One of the founders of the Mechatronics Forum, David Bradley has been involved in research and education in mechatronics since the mid-1980s when he was at Lancaster University. Professor Bradley’s current research includes the design of intelligent and mechatronic systems, system modelling, automated systems for physiotherapy and applications in telecare and telehealth. At the time of writing, he is Professorial Consultant in Mechatronic Systems at the University of Abertay Dundee, a visiting professor at Sheffield University and a member of the Mechatronics Forum Committee, as well as being a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). He is the co-author of two textbooks on mechatronics, as well as many papers on its underlying philosophy, the nature of mechatronics education, and technical issues such as construction robotics and telecare systems. David Russell is currently Professor of Electrical Engineering at the School of Graduate Professional Studies at Penn State Great Valley (USA). His current research interests include the measurement of automation effectiveness, intelligent control of non-linear dynamics and the application of systems engineering principles to the medical domain. Professor Russell is Editor for the Americas for the Springer International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology and has organised several international conferences. He is also a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineering, a Fellow of the IET, a Fellow of the British Computer Society in the UK, a member of the Mechatronics Forum Committee and a senior member of the IEEE. He also serves as the Americas Forum Chair and is a member of the International Strategy Board of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.