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Jacob Snyder

Mrs. Honaker

English 12 CB

22 Feb 2018

Mechatronic/robotic engineer/programmer

Mechatronics is the combining of mechanical devices such as car engines with the

electrical components such as computers in order to increase the efficiency and performance of

the machines. Robotics are one of the many types of mechatronics in a sense that they follow the

general principal and set up that mechatronics has laid out. The more complex machines,

produced by the two, require much more complicated codes which is written by taking the data

by previous models in order to make improvements to the next generation. This is where

programmers are needed, in order to sort through and properly apply the new data, as well as

rewriting prior code, allowing it to work properly with the new devices as they are produced. The

three working together are capable of making many of the machines we see today as well as

many tools that are still to come.

Mechatronics has many more branches then just robotics, it also includes types of data

sensory and artificial intelligence as ways to input information automatically. Data sensory is

how everything takes in the surrounds, such as sight, smell, heat, and other feelings or

information. Humans have five senses, which are sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, by using

mechatronics it is possible to reproduce these senses in other projects such as robots with the

ability to distinguish color or pick up different objects without breaking or bending them. This is

accomplished by the electrical portion of the projects and how they are programmed to detect

such things. Different type of input methods can be used to accomplish different task, for
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example a light sensor would be better suited to determine what color an object is than a simple

sound or touch sensor. The data can then be compared to what the programmers have written in

order to decide what to do with the knowledge it has gained from the sensors. Artificial

intelligence is simply the wisdom of a living being put into the circuits of a machine, though

there are test to see if an AI can pass as an actual person the test still have many flaws and faults.

True artificial intelligence should be able to pass for a real person and have the capacity to solve

any problem it comes across allowing it to continuously evolve and grow. This however poses

risk because an AI would then have the possibility of becoming smarter and smarter making it

harder to shutdown should any issues occur.

Robotic engineers have the complex task of figuring out how the robot is going to be

assembled and how it will behave before, during, and after assembly. The engineers work with a

large team of people in order to determine how a robot will look, act, and come together, this list

ranges from drafters to draw up schematics and blueprints, to supervisors who have had years of

experience in the field to help spot problems in the work being done. They first having a

planning period where the plans for the robots end results are first made, as production begins

they start finding ways to improve the robots’ efficiency for the task it is being made for. This

leads them to make changes in the plans that incorporate new ideas and designs into the robots’

construction, allowing for even more changes until they are satisfied with the work they have

done.

Most mechatronic engineers only need an associate degree in the field in order to go into

a well-paying job that most likely will pay for them to go onto another college to complete a

bachelor’s or master’s degree. On average a mechatronic engineer is capable of making 68-69k

a year with higher pay being into the 80 thousands and lower pay in the high 50 thousands.
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(“Salary”, 2017) They can work in numerous locations and environments ranging from an

assembly line plant working on the automated sections to the comfort of a control lab setting to

test new products and ideas. The work these engineers can greatly range due to the wide area of

expertise they are taught during the course of the education allowing them to quickly find jobs in

the growing industries. There is expected to be an increase of 9% in the number of jobs

available in the field since 2016 to 2026 which is equivalent to over 25 thousand jobs opening in

the course of a ten year period. The industry is most likely going to keep expanding as the use of

electrical devices becomes even more heavily relied on in the near future.

In conclusion the work done by people employed in the mechatronics field ranges greatly

and their work will continue to advance as the world becomes more reliant on electrical devices

for help in efficient advancement and more reliable appliances. The engineers have greatly

increased the efficiency and performance of the mechanical device with electronic components

to help advance everyday life. The robotics that have been introduced to our everyday life have

helped to rapidly increase production and prevent possible injuries of assembly line workers.

The fast paced growth of program based technology will also help to keep expanding the range

and types of jobs available to people that should decide to follow this career choice. In the end

the rate of growth of jobs for mechatronic based field is steady, the pay for these jobs is

increasing as the technology advances, and the education needed is easy to obtain and pushed for

by those seeking people with these skills.

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Works Cited

“What is the difference between Robotics and Mechatronics? Also, how does Mechanical and

Automation Engineering differ from Mechanical Engineering?” TryEngineering, 18 Sept. 2013,

tryengineering.org/ask-expert/what-difference-between-robotics-and-mechatronics-also-how-

does-mechanical-and-automation.

“What mechatronic engineers do.” School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 30 Nov. 2016,

www.engineering.unsw.edu.au/mechanical-engineering/study-with-us/careers-in-mechanical-

and-manufacturing-engineering/what-mechatronic-engineers-do.

“Robotics Engineer.” Sokanu, www.sokanu.com/careers/robotics-engineer/how-to-become/.

“Robotics Engineer.” Science Buddies, www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-

careers/engineering/robotics-engineer#keyfactsinformation.

Learn.org -, learn.org/articles/Robotics_Engineering_Become_a_Robotics_Engineer_in_5_Steps.html.

“Salary: Mechatronics Engineer.” Glassdoor, www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/mechatronics-engineer-

salary-SRCH_KO0,21.htm.

“Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm.