Learn how to study, analyze, select, and design a successfulmechatronic productThis innovative, cutting-edge publication presents the essentialnature of mechatronics, a field at the crossroads of informationtechnology and mechanical and electrical engineering. Readers learnhow to blend mechanisms, electronics, sensors, control strategies,and software into a functional design. Given the breadth that thefield of mechatronics draws upon, this publication provides acritical service to readers by paring down the topics to the mostessential ones.A common thread throughout the publication is tailoring performanceto the actual needs of the user, rather than designing "by thebook." Practical methods clarify engineering trade-offs needed todesign and manufacture competitive state-of-the-art products andsystems.Key features include:* Easy-to-construct set of laboratory experiments to give readerspractice in controlling difficult systems using discrete-timealgorithms* Essentials of control theory, concentrating on state-space andeasily constructed simulations in JavaScript, including typicalmechatronic systems with gross nonlinearities where linear methodsgive the "wrong answer"* Hot topics that include advances in the automotive, multimedia,robotics, defense, medical, and consumer industries* Author-provided Web site at www.EssMech.com offers additionalresources, including videos, dynamic simulation examples, softwaretools, and downloadsThere are hundreds of choices involved in all but the simplest ofmechatronic design tasks. Using this publication as a reference,electrical, mechanical, and computer designers and engineers canfind the most efficient, cost-effective methods to transform theirgoals into successful commercial products. With its use oflaboratory experiments, this publication is also recommended as agraduate-level textbook.Author Web site located at www.EssMech.com provides in-depthsupport material that includes links to simulations for modelingdynamic systems with real-time interactions, image processingexamples, and 3D robot modeling software, enabling readers to"construct" and manipulate their own mechanism as well as otheruseful links.