You searched for: “mechatronics
mechatronics (pl) (used in the singular) (noun)
A blend of mechanics and electronics, mechatronics has come to mean the combined use of precision engineering, control theory, computer science, and sensor and actuator technology to design and to improve products and processes.

The word was first coined by a senior engineer of a Japanese company; Yaskawa, in 1969, as a combination of mecha of "mechanisms" and tronics of "electronics" and the company was granted the trademark rights to the word in 1971.

The word soon received broad acceptance in industry and, in order to allow its free use, Yaskawa elected to abandon its rights to the word in 1982.

Mechatronics has taken a wider meaning since then and is now being widely used as a technical jargon to describe a philosophy in engineering technology, more than the technology itself.

For this wider concept of mechatronics, a number of definitions has been proposed, differing in the particular characteristics that the definition is intended to emphasize.

The most commonly used term emphasizes synergy: "Mechatronics is the synergistic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics and intelligent computer control in the design and manufacture of products and processes."

This entry is located in the following units: Mechatronic Research and Development (page 1) -tron, -tronic, -tronics + (page 13)