The author provides a definition of mechatronics. He explains how mechanical engineering design must change to take full advantage of developments in microelectronics and illustrates this by three structural examples. He goes on to show by further examples how mechatronics strengthens an underlying trend in engineering he calls ‘the imitation of nature’ with products which tend increasingly to resemble living creatures.
References
1.
HawksleyT.Presidential Address to the Instn Mech. Engrs, 1877.
2.
PurvesW. K.WrightD. A.Microprocessors on co-ordinate measuring machines. IMechE conference on Mechatronics: designing intelligent machines, Cambridge, 1990, paper C419/024, pp. 37–45. (Mechanical Engineering Publications, London).
3.
LeyerA.Allgemeine Gestaltungslehre Nr 2, Maschinenkonstruktionslehre, 1964 (Birkhauser, Basel).
4.
ButlerS.Erewhon, 1872, Chap. 23.
5.
BradleyD. A.SewardD. W.BracewellR. H.ChaplinR. C.WiddenM. B.Control and operational strategies for automatic excavation. Proceedings of Eighth International Symposium on Robotics in construction, San Francisco, June 1989.
6.
FrenchM. J.Invention and evolution, 1988 (Cambridge University Press).
7.
BudalK.FalnesJ.Status 1983 of the Norwegian wave-power buoy. Open Report, University of Trondheim, 1983.
8.
FrenchM. J.BracewellR. H.PS FROG: a point-absorber wave energy converter working in a pitch-surge mode. Proceedings of Institution of Electrical Engineers, Fifth International Conference on Energy options, 1987.
9.
SmithP. K. J.The 'Warrior' welding manipulator. Proceedings of American Nuclear Society, International topical meeting, March 1987.
10.
FrostR. B.BleaselK. F.The design and development on an irrigating sucking cutter for neurosurgical use. Engng Med., 1986, 15, 9–12.
