John Billingsley – författare

Mechatronics is a mongrel, a crossbreed of classic mechanical engineering, the relatively young pup of computer science, the energetic electrical engineering, the pedigree mathematics and the bloodhound of Control Theory.

All too many courses in control theory consist of a diet of ‘Everything you could ever need to know about the Laplace Transform’ rather than answering ‘What happens when your servomotor saturates?’ Topics in this book have been selected to answer the questions that the mechatronics student is most likely to raise.That does not mean that the mathematical aspects have been left out, far from it. The diet here includes matrices, transforms, eigenvectors, differential equations and even the dreaded z transform. But every effort has been made to relate them to practical experience, to make them digestible. They are there for what they can do, not to support pages of mathematical rigour that defines their origins.

The theme running throughout the book is simulation, with simple JavaScript applications that let you experience the dynamics for yourself. There are examples that involve balancing, such as a bicycle following a line, and a balancing trolley that is similar to a Segway. This can be constructed ‘for real’, with components purchased from the hobby market.

Mechatronics is a mongrel, a crossbreed of classic mechanical engineering, the relatively young pup of computer science, the energetic electrical engineering, the pedigree mathematics and the bloodhound of Control Theory.

All too many courses in control theory consist of a diet of ‘Everything you could ever need to know about the Laplace Transform’ rather than answering ‘What happens when your servomotor saturates?’ Topics in this book have been selected to answer the questions that the mechatronics student is most likely to raise.That does not mean that the mathematical aspects have been left out, far from it. The diet here includes matrices, transforms, eigenvectors, differential equations and even the dreaded z transform. But every effort has been made to relate them to practical experience, to make them digestible. They are there for what they can do, not to support pages of mathematical rigour that defines their origins.

The theme running throughout the book is simulation, with simple JavaScript applications that let you experience the dynamics for yourself. There are examples that involve balancing, such as a bicycle following a line, and a balancing trolley that is similar to a Segway. This can be constructed ‘for real’, with components purchased from the hobby market.

Carefully separating the essential from the ornamental, Essentials of Control Techniques and Theory presents the nuts and bolts for designing a successful controller. It discusses the theory required to support the art of designing a working controller as well as the various aspects to convince a client, employer, or examiner of your expertise.

A Compelling Account of the Basics of Control TheoryControl solutions for practicing engineers

Using the author’s own Javascript On-Line Learning Interactive Environment for Simulation (Jollies), the text relies on computer-based graphical analysis methods, such as Nyquist, Nichols, root locus, and phase-plane, to illustrate how useful computer simulation can be for analyzing both linear and nonlinear systems. It explains step-by-step the design and modeling of various control systems, including discrete time systems and an inverted pendulum. Along with offering many web-based simulations, the book shows how mathematics, such as vectors, matrices, and the differential equations that govern state variables, can help us understand the concepts that underpin the controller’s effects.

From frequency domain analysis to time-domain state-space representation, this book covers many aspects of classical and modern control theory. It presents important methods for designing and analyzing linear systems and controllers.

Carefully separating the essential from the ornamental, Essentials of Control Techniques and Theory presents the nuts and bolts for designing a successful controller. It discusses the theory required to support the art of designing a working controller as well as the various aspects to convince a client, employer, or examiner of your expertise.

A Compelling Account of the Basics of Control TheoryControl solutions for practicing engineers

Using the author’s own Javascript On-Line Learning Interactive Environment for Simulation (Jollies), the text relies on computer-based graphical analysis methods, such as Nyquist, Nichols, root locus, and phase-plane, to illustrate how useful computer simulation can be for analyzing both linear and nonlinear systems. It explains step-by-step the design and modeling of various control systems, including discrete time systems and an inverted pendulum. Along with offering many web-based simulations, the book shows how mathematics, such as vectors, matrices, and the differential equations that govern state variables, can help us understand the concepts that underpin the controller’s effects.

From frequency domain analysis to time-domain state-space representation, this book covers many aspects of classical and modern control theory. It presents important methods for designing and analyzing linear systems and controllers.

The many intriguing examples on the application of mechatronics reinforce the excitement of this creative field of technology. As a collection they present a stimulating resource to developers of future mechatronics technology, and to educators searching for interesting examples.

From structured-light measurement of the build-up of detritus on railway bogies and detection of uncracked spores of Chinese medicine to a practical tractor vision guidance system embedded in a smart-phone application, the practical applications of mechatronics and machine vision abound.  Fruits are counted on the tree, pasture biomass is measured and a robot collects camel dung as a resource.

3D printing is in vogue, but papers here discuss the construction and strategy of the printer itself.

The measurement and analysis of myoelectric muscle signals enable a prosthesis to be controlled and a feeding robot is used for patient care.  An exoskeleton has both soft andrigid links and an optical sensor analyses the tissue into which a surgical needle is being inserted.

These are some of the papers in this collection from the 26th annual conference on Mechatronics and Machine Vision in Practice, carefully selected to exclude papers that are merely theoretical and to highlight those that show practical verification. Papers have been contributed from China, New Zealand, the Philippines, Emirates, Germany and of course Australia.

This updated second edition brings the complex mathematics of three-dimensional dynamics to life with real-time simulations, making the equations easier to grasp. Covering core topics in mechanical engineering such as kinematics, dynamics, vibration analysis, gyroscopes, gears, and Euler’s equations, the book offers a clear and engaging approach for students, professionals, and enthusiasts alike. With a focus on practical applications, it explains everything from the laws of motion to motors and mechanisms, providing a comprehensive understanding of mechanical systems. New to this edition is a chapter on Power, Energy, and Perpetual Motion, which reveals intriguing comparisons, such as the energy needed to lift water versus the heat required to warm it. The final chapter, Rocket Science, has been expanded to debunk myths about black holes and gravity, humorously addressing science fiction misconceptions while proposing exciting space projects.

Dynamic objects move in mysterious ways. Their analysis is a difficult subject involving matrices, differential equations and the complex algebra of oscillatory systems. However, in this textbook, the author draws on his long experience of designing autopilots, robots for nuclear inspection and agricultural machine guidance to present the essentials with a light touch. The emphasis is on a deep understanding of the fundamentals rather than rote-learning of techniques. The inertia tensor is presented as a key to understanding motion ranging from boomerangs to gyroscopes. Chains of transformations unravel the motion of a robot arm.

A particular problem for mechanical engineers is that the vibration topics encroach on the territory of the electrical engineer. State variables open up control theory while the solution of differential equations with sinusoidal inputs is simplified by an understanding of sine-waves as complex exponentials. The linked web site has several areas of mathematics revision to help. 

A final chapter pokes fun at the misrepresentation of dynamics in cinema productions. 

In contrast with previous books on mechatronics and machine vision in practice, a significant number of chapters focus on systems designed for human interaction and deciphering human motion. Examples illustrate assistive actuation of hip joints, the augmentation of touch sense in artificial hand prostheses and helping stroke survivors in repetitive motion therapy. Interactive mechatronics and the experience of developing machine interfaces has enabled an examination of how we use mechatronics in the service of training, and even to consider why computer games perhaps appear to capture attention so much more readily than a human instructor!

Mechatronics continues to be an exciting and developing field.  It is now an essential part of our world and living experience. This and the previous books in this series illustrate the journey in developing the use of mechatronics so far. We anticipate that you will find the chapters here an equal source of inspiration for new devices to solve the challenges of new applications, and of course as a resource for teaching and inspiring the new generation of mechatronics engineers.