Program > Plenary Sessions

Professional career

Graduate Studies in Mechanical Engineering at University Duisburg, (D); Nuclear Engineering at RWTH Aachen, (D); Ph.D. at Research Centre Juelich, (D); Research Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, (USA)

Project Manager Engineering Nuclear Fuel Assemblies at SIEMENS KWU, Erlangen (D); Project Manager Manufacturing Nuclear Fuel Assemblies at ANF GmbH Lingen, (D); Project Manager Postal Automation at SIEMENS Konstanz (D); Program Manager Continuous Process Improvement, CMMI, DIN 9001; Director of Quality Management at SIEMENS Konstanz (D); Project Director at Central States Inc., Mountain Grove (USA) 

In 2015, the United Nations defined the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Mechatronics is key in achieving these objectives, especially when viewed through a broader lens. Sophisticated advancements have already led to vast improvements in related fields, but each step forward also opens the door to new possibilities. With every significant development, more opportunities arise in the areas of research and innovation. This leads to new markets. It is a time for visions and ideas; it is time to be creative.

While the euphoria of Mechatronics and the incredible influence it will have on the future seem to be founded on engineering developments and technology alone, it is crucial to remember that without skills such as communication, time management, and organization, technical developments will fall flat. Success requires a balance of technological knowledge and soft skills. Interpersonal communication, adaptability, and teamwork are often considered secondary to hard skills, and are assumed to be a result of natural abilities. Both assumptions are false. Soft skills are not only essential to ensure efficiency in all stages of technological advancement, but also in bringing these into practical use. Soft skills need to be taught, trained, and shaped to facilitate success. Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses is an important first step. Different forms of training are widely available, and there is something for every purpose and individual. With the right mix of skills, Mechatronics will shape the future.

A co-founder of the UK Mechatronics Forum, later the Mechatronics Forum, he was also the originator of the Mechatronics Forum Conference series, the first of which was held at Lancaster University in 1989. 

Though no longer directly involved in academic life, he maintains close links with the Mechatronics community acting as a consultant and advisor to various research and teaching groups as well as a through continuing involvement in reviewing of both articles and research grants. 

His interests now centre around the ways in which Mechatronics has evolved, and indeed continues to evolve, in respect of developments in technology and their impact on society, as for instance in achieving sustainability, within the wider context of Mechatronics.

He has been the author, lead author or co-author of 6 engineering textbooks has been a contributing editor for a series of five Mechatronic oriented books of essays for Springer. In addition, he has been involved in several further book chapters along with some 50 papers in academic journals and a further 150 at conferences. 

Since the initial introduction of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Mechatronics in the earlyto mid 1980s until today there has been a continuing debate as to how to achieve the necessarybalance between the technical detail associated with specialist engineering programmes and thebroader world view that is expressed byMechatronics. 

The presentation therefore begins by addressing the basic question of “What is Mechatronics?” andlooks at this from the perspective of Mechatronic’s links to design (and indeed project management)and hence the variousattempts that have been made over the years to provide a definition forMechatronics, perhaps an impossible taskgiven its breadth and links to context! This then leads to a brief look at one exemplar attempt to provide both context and structure forcourse designers. 

However, and in relation to the above discussion, it is clear that Mechatronics today is not what itwas in the 1980sor before, and a major reason for this is the developments and changes intechnology that have taken place, and which indeed are still occurring. This is considered through aseries of examples looking initially at the technologies themselves, then at the interconnectionsbetween the technologies and finally in respect of technical and organisational systems,demonstrating increasing levels of complexity throughout. 

From this it is argued that for successful implementation of the Mechatronics concept, thencommunication is key.

Next, consideration is given to the potential for Artificial Intelligence to impact on Mechatronics, and in particular how it is taught, and a case is made for AI in an Intelligence Amplification (orIntelligenceAugmentation) role in education.

The presentation then considers the need for students to be both challenged and to challengethemselves, in part through the realisation that, unlike in many academic instances, there is usuallyno unique ‘right’ answer to a problem.

The technical element concludes by look at the situation as argued by the presenter in 2004 and howthis is relatedto what is perceived, by the presenter at least, to be the present day situation. The presentation ends by expressing thanks to all those with whom then presenter has worked with on Mechatronics and related issues over so many years.