A new mechatronics lab at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) opened to prepare its College of Engineering and computer science students for post-graduation careers.
UTC describes mechatronics as the “combination of mechanical engineering with electronics, electrical circuits, control mechanisms and software engineering.”
The university’s new lab will focus on artificial intelligence and mobile mechatronics, also called mobile robots. In most cases, mobile robots are controlled through artificial intelligence and can perform various tasks, UTC notes.
Four-wheeled, low-to-the-ground mobile robots can carry large machinery or small parts through manufacturing facilities, learning pathways, avoiding walls, recognizing colors, and discriminating between items. Many mobile robots are even capable of lifting a ton or more.
Human-like robotic arms can perform tasks such as picking up items, manipulating them into various positions for the next step in manufacturing, or assembling other machines.
Dr. Ahad Nasab, head of the Department of Engineering Management and Technology and Burkett Miller Chair of Excellence, who created the mechatronics program, stated, “A lot of the students in the field of engineering and technology are really hungry to work with machines, work with the technology. Our engineering and technology students want to learn all the fundamentals of engineering science, of course, but they’re really longing for hands-on activities, basically touching that technology.”
UTC said its mechatronics program has grown in popularity, “reflecting the growth of mechatronics worldwide.” The program began with five students in 2018 and has grown to 90 students in 2023.
The new lab at UTC is the second of its kind, as the university’s first mechatronics lab – focusing on automation, such as the systems used by food and beverage companies to prepare, package, and ship their products with minimal human interaction – opened in 2021
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science” by UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science.
