|
Project Summary
To compete in a global
market, industries and economies require a
labour force that does not only have knowledge
of technologies but also the ability and skills
to integrate this knowledge to maximize
efficiency of production and minimizes cost.
Mechatronics: is a
synergistic, cross-discipline approach to the
integrated engineering and optimal design of
mechanical systems with embedded control system,
to form both functional interaction and spatial
integration in components, modules, products and
systems, where solutions are sought that cross
the borders of the different domains.
40 years ago this discipline
did not exist. Mechatronics has evolved as
electronic components have become more advanced,
smaller, cheaper and more efficient, and their
incorporation into mechanical devices has meant
a viable technology for remote computer control
of mechanical systems. Modern design and
development processes combine precision
mechanical and optical engineering, controls
theory, computer science, electronics, and
robotics, to attain optimal product design.
Controls systems are incorporated throughout the
design process, rather than added at the end, in
order to maximise efficiency. Therefore,
although engineering practice is unchanged,
students must be taught how to use and
incorporate electronics, controls, software
technology and real time control into the design
process.
There is a growth
in demand for students displaying
interdisciplinary ability and knowledge in the
mechanical, electronic and software arms of
engineering, as organisations wish to maximise
efficiency within their internal structures. The
emergence of mechatronics engineers has meant a
restructuring in many firms: in Small and Medium
Sized Enterprises (SME’s), the work of one
engineer may cross over the engineering
discipline fields; in larger enterprises, the
mechatronics engineer may lead a team,
maximising effective management and production
through software and electronic knowledge.
Within Egypt this
curricula development would be both efficiency
and cost effective in modernising industry, as
there are already very high numbers of
engineering students who could benefit from
mechatronics training. Egyptian graduates would
be increasingly employable and competitive. A
wider range of employers would find the
necessary skill mix locally rather than looking
for foreign workers. Market demand theory
necessitates that Egypt must make graduates
increasingly employable and able to improve
labour productivity to compete industrially on a
global scale.
The hybrid and synergistic
approach of mechatronics will make Egyptian
engineering graduates sought after, particularly
as the degree will be incorporated into the
international mobility network facilitated by
the implementation of the ECTS credit system.
 |
