Historical Development of Mechatronics

Historical Development of Mechatronics

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Learning Objective:

The goal of this activity is to develop a student’s knowledge of the historical development of mechatronic systems and their impact on current society while practicing the skills necessary to become  roficient in the Tennessee State Standards for Literacy in Technical Subjects. Discussions in class, readings, researching activities, and writing  xercises are coordinated in class to help students construct a technical meaning of their research in a way that “sticks.”

Essential and guiding questions: 

Discussion Questions:

Questions to consider may include but are not limited to:

  • Why is it important that we understand the historical development of the four facets of a mechatronic system: mechanical systems, electronic systems, computers, and control systems?
  • Summarize some of the chief applications of mechatronic systems in modern society and describe how these applications have improved manufacturing and production.
  • Outline the major influences over the decades and explain the impact that each had on the development of ever-improving technologies in the area of mechatronics?
  • What other technological advancements do you think were enhanced by the historical development of mechatronic systems and why are these important?

Unit Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Differentiation suggestions: 

Scaffolding and support for special education students, English language learners, and struggling readers:

Consider pre-teaching synonyms of difficult vocabulary words. Lower-level readers and ELL students can still be challenged without being overloaded with difficulty. This strategy can also be used to differentiate for stronger readers by introducing new, and more challenging, vocabulary. Struggling readers would also benefit from visual aids to illustrate many of the ideas presented. A few pre-selected references, pictures, diagrams, and charts alongside the text will go far to aid students as they dissect these resources provided by the teacher.

Helpful Hints

Note: 

Social, ethnic, racial, religious, and gender bias is best determined at  the local level where educators have in-depth knowledge of the culture and values of the community in which students live. TDOE asks local districts to review these materials for social, ethnic, racial, religious, and gender bias before use in local schools.