Hardware and software have always shaped one another, from the clunky analog and pneumatic systems of the mid-20th century to today’s souped-up, AI-powered machines. Now this convergence is accelerating faster than ever, and industries across the board are racing to integrate artificial intelligence with physical systems, giving rise to a new kind of engineer — one who can operate across mechanical and computational layers.
Mechatronics Definition
Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field that combines aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering — hence the portmanteau “mecha-tronics.” It also often incorporates computer engineering to build intelligent, autonomous machines.
Enter: mechatronics, a once-niche blend of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering that’s fast becoming an established discipline in its own right. Major companies like Amazon and Tesla are actively hiring mechatronics engineers, and various educational programs and bootcamps have begun popping up to help train the next generation of talent. These days, in a world driven by intelligent automation, mechatronics has become essential.
“Mechatronics brings together digital and physical reality, determining how decisions made in the digital world manifest as movements or interactions in the physical world,” Leon Huang, CEO of prototyping platform RapidDirect, told Built In. It enables “seamless, safe and efficient” operations between people and technology.
What Is Mechatronics?
Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary field that blends mechanical, electrical and computer engineering to create intelligent, automated machines. Rather than hopping between each domain separately, mechatronics takes a holistic approach, zeroing in on how these disciplines work together to make one, responsive system.
By treating things like sensors and software as a single unit, mechatronics fuses every design layer into a cohesive whole. This way, autonomous cars aren’t just “glued together” from parts, but instead engineered from the ground up to coordinate sensing and control for split‑second decisions. And surgical robots are able to “see” through image recognition and react to haptic feedback, while moving with sub‑millimeter accuracy as they perform minimally invasive procedures.
Though mechatronics is often seen as a relatively new field (and has become a bit of a buzzword), its roots stretch back to the 1960s, when engineers first began combining mechanics and electronics to control computers more effectively — hence the name “mecha-tronics.” As technology evolved through the introduction of microprocessors in the ‘80s, the rise of the internet in the ‘90s and the mobile computing boom in the early aughts, so too did the field of mechatronics.
Today, mechatronics weaves in knowledge of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), human-machine interfaces and robotics to do what a single engineering specialty can’t accomplish on its own.
“Without the integration that mechatronics provides, we’d have ‘dumb’ hardware waiting on human input, or clever software simulations that never leave the lab,” Hrishikesh Tawade, a robotics engineer and tech lead at Ample, told Built In. “Mechatronics lets machines sense the world, decide what to do and act reliably, repeatedly and at scale,” he continued, whether they’re assembling cars on a factory floor or vacuuming your living room floor.
Core Disciplines of Mechatronics
Mechatronics is commonly described as a “system of systems,” because it draws from various schools of engineering to design intelligent systems. The main ones include:
- Mechanical Engineering: Focuses on the design and construction of mechanical systems — like gears, motors, actuators, and structural components — and how they function in motion and force.
- Electrical Engineering: Deals with the design and development of all electrical components, including the sensors, actuators and power systems that enable these systems to run.
- Computer Engineering: Involves writing code, building embedded systems and developing control logic that serves as the “brain” of the machine, allowing it to process inputs and execute instructions.
- Control Engineering: Looks at the moving parts of how systems behave, using feedback loops and control theory to keep everything stable, accurate and responsive for the end user.
- Software and Programming: Pulls it all together with the code that powers the automations, data processing, user interfaces and system intelligence.
By bringing these fields under one umbrella, mechatronics engineers can build machines that respond to the world in real time and adjust on the fly with minimal human intervention.
What Is Mechatronics Used For?
These days, the term “mechatronics” is closely associated with automation, which is being adopted across virtually every sector. As a result, mechatronics engineers are in high demand across industries like:
- Automotive: Mechatronics plays a part in pretty much every autonomous driving feature out there, whether it’s adaptive cruise control or advanced driver‑assistance systems, through its integration of LiDAR, radar, cameras, actuators and deep learning algorithms.
- Manufacturing: In smart factories, mechatronics is used to make CNC machines, robotic assembly lines and automated conveyor systems that use sensor feedback for more precise assembly and handling.
- Aerospace and Defense: Mechatronics is used in unmanned aerial vehicles (otherwise known as drones), flight‑control systems, missile guidance systems, and other mission-critical applications that require lightweight structures and robust fault tolerance.
- Healthcare: Surgical robots, automated diagnostic tools and wearable health monitors all rely on mechatronic principles, melding high‑resolution imaging, haptics, micro‑actuators and software to deliver care.
- Consumer Electronics: Everything from smart refrigerators to home security systems use mechatronics to fuse embedded sensors, cameras, wireless connectivity and adaptive control logic in — resulting in user‑friendly products designed to learn one’s preferences and improve over time.
- Agriculture: In an effort to maximize yields and reduce waste, mechatronics enables autonomous tractors, pollinating drones and soil-monitoring systems to integrate tech like GPS, multispectral sensors, variable‑rate actuators and edge computing systems.
No matter the industry, you’ll find mechatronics engineers at every level of every project, from piloting prototypes in research and development labs to troubleshooting issues in the real world.
What Do Mechatronics Engineers Do?
Mechatronics engineers are generalists, they’re “jacks of all trades.” Fluent in mechanical design, electronics and software development, they’re able to bridge the gaps between each individual speciality and pinpoint opportunities to automate and integrate subsystems across every phase of development.
In practice, a mechatronics engineer’s work may start with sketching out system architectures and mechanical designs using CAD tools, then move into choosing the right sensors, actuators and microcontrollers before laying out printed circuit boards. From there, they might end their day with a bit of embedded programming, writing real-time control code in C++ or Python and flashing firmware. Throughout the development cycle of a product, mechatronics engineers are expected to build and test prototypes, as well as fine-tune electrical signals, mechanical motions and control algorithms through iterative debugging. They must continuously refine their designs, troubleshoot issues and validate their ideas under real-world conditions, documenting their findings along the way.
“Most of this work rarely sits neatly in one box,” Tawade said. One hour into working on electric cars he might be looking at why a motor is drawing too much current. The next, he might be tuning a camera‑based alignment routine, or updating a control loop so two machines don’t collide. “That blend of debugging across mechanical parts, wiring, sensors and software is the defining rhythm of mechatronics careers,” he continued.
This design-build-test loop (or some variation of it) is used by mechatronics engineers to create robots in factories, automated material‑handling lines and EV battery swap systems. Other projects could include precision farming rigs, lab automation systems, cobots and wearable devices.
People working in mechatronics are also expected to be strong collaborators, acting as liaisons between mechanical, electrical and software engineering teams. They often have to translate technical jargon across disciplines to ensure that each subsystem can successfully communicate with one another and fits within the overall design goals.
“You don’t have to spend hours waiting for another department for translation or compatibility,” Huang said. Mechatronics engineers are expected to have “the capacity to reason as a mechanical engineer and to work as a software developer.”
As a result, job title variants for “mechatronics engineer” include:
- Robotics Engineer
- Automation Engineer
- Controls Engineer
- Systems Integrator
- Systems Engineer
- Embedded Software Engineer
- Full‑Stack Robotics
- Design & Automation Engineer
- Industrial Robotics Lead
- Mechatronics Specialist
- Project Engineer
- Service Engineer
What Skills Should a Mechatronics Engineer Have?
The required skills of a mechatronics engineer varies depending on the industry and company, but Tawade — whose expertise spans computer vision, deep learning and mobile robotics — says they can be broken down into three broad layers:
1. Mechanical Systems
First, they must understand the physical hardware they’ll be working with and how it behaves in real-world conditions. This means mechanical tolerances, thermal limits, wear-and-tear factors — the list goes on. For example, “you don’t need to design a gearbox from scratch,” Tawade said, “but you must know what can loosen, flex, overheat or misalign” it.
2. Electromechanics and Sensing
Mechanical engineers also have to have a firm understanding of things like motors, drives, torques, motion profiles, safety circuits, cameras, LiDAR, encoders and limit switches. They need to know how signals are generated, how to read them, how to clean and process them and what might interfere or “corrupt” them, as Tawade put it.
3. Intelligence and Control
The third layer comes down to intelligence and control. This includes learning how to write embedded code, work with real-time operating systems (RTOS) and robot operating systems (ROS) and use platforms like Linux. They should also understand calibration, feedback control and all the up-to-date tools and frameworks that enable AI-driven decision-making
Combine all of that with a systems-oriented mindset, rigorous testing practices and the ability to coordinate across teams and they should be all set.
Do You Need a Degree to Work in Mechatronics?
All 50 states and Washington D.C. require engineers to get a Professional Engineer (PE) License, with specific guidelines set by each state’s board. This accreditation is typically acquired after a bachelors degree — either directly in mechatronics (if available) or related disciplines like mechanical, electrical or software engineering.
Despite growing demand, mechatronics is still a relatively small field. Only 1,759 degrees in mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering were awarded in 2023, according to Data USA. That number will likely increase though, as many institutions and universities have begun offering their own mechatronics programs.
Key Responsibilities of a Mechatronics Engineer
Once on the job, mechatronics engineers are expected to juggle a variety of day‑to‑day responsibilities that will vary by industry. These typically include:
- Designing, developing and integrating hardware-software interfaces for robotic or automated systems, including components, assemblies or entire products.
- Writing, testing and validating embedded software inside devices, managing how sensors, actuators and other components behave.
- Using simulation tools to model how systems will perform, helping to spot design issues before anything is built to scale.
- Conducting feasibility studies and evaluating required materials to meet technical needs, while also staying cost-effective.
- Continuously monitoring and calibrating automated equipment.
- Upgrading and retrofitting existing devices by adding mechatronic components or automating legacy equipment.
- Documenting the process — from design choices to test results — and keeping detailed technical records for each project.
- Conferring, collaborating and translating information across teams to ensure seamless integration throughout the system.
- Providing technical support to clients.
How Much Do Mechatronics Engineers Make?
According to Occupational Information Network and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for a mechatronics engineer is $117,750, and ranges from $78,000 to $160,000 depending on experience, location and industry.
Other job titles within this profession — such mechatronics technicians or mechatronics specialists — tend to earn less due to some differences in training and job scope, with median salaries closer to $70,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is mechatronics?
Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary engineering field that integrates mechanics, electronics and computing to build smart, automated systems.
What does a mechatronics engineer do?
Mechatronics engineers create, operate, test and service machines — ranging from robotic hands to autonomous vehicles — to solve complex automation challenges. They also collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams when troubleshooting intelligent systems.
Is mechatronics a good career?
It depends on what you mean by “good.” On the one hand, mechatronics is an in-demand, up-and-coming field that is projected to grow up to five percent from 2023 to 2033, offering engineers a median annual wage of $117,750. But on the other hand, it’s more niche than well-established specialities like mechanical or electrical engineering, and it has a steep learning curve. Some note that it may be easier to specialize in one field, then generalize into mechatronics later on in your career.
What are the major areas of mechatronics?
Mechatronics is a mix of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. Other notable fields to highlight include controls engineering, software development and programming.
Is mechatronics hard?
Yes, mechatronics is often regarded as one of the more difficult engineering fields because it takes a holistic approach, requiring professionals to not only master mechanical design, electronics, control theory and computer programming simultaneously, but also know how they work with one another. It’s also required that you stay on top of all the cutting‑edge tech advancements out there, creating a perpetual cycle of skill sharpening.
