What is the career in Mechatronics?



Watch any futuristic film and it is sure to be packed with self driving cars, drones and robots that can cater to your every need. Barring the robots taking over the world bit, what is shown in these movies is not as far fetched as you might think. Whether it is a robotic arm that can perform complex surgeries or rovers used for space exploration, slowly but steadily, robots are entering our lives. Wonder who builds them? Meet the mechatronics engineers. It’s their job to build robots that are used in different industries from agriculture and health care to automobiles and space exploration. So if you are interested in working with the latest technologies, mechatronics could be your calling.



What is mechatronics?



Mechatronics is a fusion of mechanical and electrical engineering with computer science. The term Mechatronics was first coined by the Japanese in relation to the development of the world’s first industrial robots. Mechatronics gives you a chance to work on the most up-to-date technologies, including artificial intelligence and modern product design. It prepares you for jobs in manufacturing and engineering sectors.



Required skills




  • Stay updated about the latest in technology

  • Expertise in robotics

  • Innovative thinking

  • Problem solving skills

  • Attention to detail

  • Research skills



Scope



Depending on your interest, you can work in Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, automation, medical mechatronics, robotics and control systems. Medical mechatronics is a huge demand in radiology, surgery, ophthalmology and other branches of medicine. Similarly, AI is a central too many large technology companies such as Facebook and Google. Additionally, it is used in fields such as banking, aviation and manufacturing. You can work as project engineers / consultants in any of these sectors.



What to study?



Mechatronics is a relatively new branch of engineering. Many reputed engineering institutes in the country have begun offering Bachelor of Technology B.Tech and Master of Technology M.Tech degrees in Mechatronics engineering. Compared to Indian institutes, colleges abroad offer more courses in Mechatronics.



Where:



India:




  • Manipal University Karnataka: B.Tech in Mechatronics Engineering

  • Vellore Institute of Technology Tamil Nadu: M.Tech in Mechatronics

  • SRM Institute of Science and Technology Chennai: B.Tech in Mechatronics

  • DY Patil University Pune: B.Tech in Mechatronics



Abroad:




  • Stanford University the U.S: Masters in Mechatronics

  • Liverpool University the U.K: Masters in Engineering (Robotic Systems and Mechatronics)



 



Picture Credit : Google