What is Mechatronics? A Quick Guide for Educators

What Is Mechatronics?

Mechatronics – it’s a term that’s becoming more popular in technical education. But what is it, and is it an area that really has career potential for your students?

If you teach robotics, automation, or engineering tech, you’re already in mechatronics territory—whether you call it that or not. Mechatronics is quite simply mechanics + electronics.

Mechatronics systems are designed from the ground up to behave like one coordinated machine. It’s the difference between a collection of parts and a system that can sense its environment, make decisions, and act with precision.

Although the term dates back decades, modern mechatronics looks very different from the “motors-and-microcontrollers” of old. Today’s systems are connected and data-driven. Sensors feed controllers, controllers talk to other machines, and the whole operation can stream data to the edge or cloud for analytics and optimization – what standards bodies refer to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). NIST defines IIoT as networked sensors, instruments, and machines using internet connectivity to improve industrial processes and applications. That’s the backbone behind predictive maintenance, real-time dashboards, and lines that can reconfigure on the fly. 

Where students actually see mechatronics

Let’s start with the most familiar setting: advanced manufacturing. On a modern line, you’ll find robots, conveyors, vision systems, smart sensors, and safety devices all orchestrated by PLCs and industrial networks. That orchestration is mechatronics – the integration work that makes the cell run safely and repeatably shift after shift.

The same pattern shows up in countless fields, in areas your students will see all the time. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) use wheel-speed sensors and computer control to modulate hydraulic pressure dozens of times per second so your wheels don’t lock during a hard stop. It’s a textbook example of electromechanical sensing and closed-loop control. 

Or consider infrastructure many students know from family trips: ski lifts and gondolas. These ropeway systems use safety-rated controllers to continuously monitor cable motors, grip status, door interlocks, and even wind speed and direction, automatically slowing or stopping the lift when conditions demand it. The safety PLC case studies from major lift suppliers make for great classroom discussion about redundant sensing and fail-safe design. 

In agriculture, mechatronics is redefining “smart farming.” John Deere’s autonomous tractors combine GPS guidance, perception cameras, and onboard computing to navigate fields and perform operations with minimal human input.These real-world examples help students connect autonomy, sensors, controls, and heavy machinery. 

Even renewable energy is a mechatronics story. A modern wind turbine constantly adjusts blade pitch and generator torque to capture power while reducing structural loads. Research from NREL describes how turbine controls regulate rotor speed in high winds and tune pitch to balance energy capture and component stress—an elegant, high-stakes control problem students find fascinating. 

What does this mean for technical education? Mechatronics should be in every high school CTE program.

Are there careers in mechatronics?

Because it spans multiple disciplines, mechatronics leads to diverse roles: robotics operators/technicians, PLC/controls techs, industrial maintenance technicians, and systems integrators (and, with more education, controls/automation engineers). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists/technicians install, repair, and test computer-controlled mechanical systems. The latest Occupational Outlook Handbook cites a median wage around $70k and steady annual openings driven by retirements and replacements. That data is helpful when advising students and talking with administrators about program outcomes. 

Two employer truths are consistent across sectors: first, graduates who can read prints, wire safely, program PLCs/robots, integrate sensors, and troubleshoot end-to-end systems are productive on day one. Second, what sets top hires apart is integration—the ability to make a robot, PLC, HMI, pneumatics, safety, and vision work together reliably.

How to teach mechatronics (without turning your lab into a factory)

Students learn mechatronics best by building and operating real systems—wiring devices, configuring safety, programming PLCs and robots, and fixing things when the system doesn’t behave. That’s exactly why Mission Learning Systems partnered with APT Manufacturing Solutions to offer an intentional progression: start with an integrated, portable workcell for fast wins in one course, then scale to a modular, full-featured lab that supports deeper skills and more students.

Start integrated: Mechatronics CERT Cart

The Mechatronics CERT Cart is a self-contained training system that fuses a FANUC robot (industrial or collaborative) with a Rockwell CompactLogix PLC/HMI, smart sensors, pneumatics with onboard air, and safety (area scanner/interlocks)—all in one mobile unit built for the classroom. Because the components are already integrated, your students can focus on operating, programming, and troubleshooting a real workcell from week one. 

What makes the cart so effective pedagogically is that it forces the integration conversation. Learners don’t just write a robot program in isolation; they map I/O, build ladder rungs that trigger robot routines, acknowledge faults on the HMI, validate sensor thresholds, and respect safe-speed/stop zones. Add optional FANUC iRVision and you can introduce guided motion and pass/fail inspection, where the PLC/HMI handles decisions and alarms. In short, they experience the whole stack—robotics, controls, sensing, pneumatics, and safety—in one coherent setting. 

To keep labs fresh (and improve authenticity), the cart supports project-based modules. Two popular examples: a dry-erase marker packaging task that teaches color detection, orientation checks, and reject logic; and an EV battery assembly scenario that mirrors real manufacturing steps. You can rotate modules across sections without re-plumbing your lab—great for high school courses and college programs with limited space. 

From a program-building standpoint, the cart aligns naturally with industry pathways. You’re working on the major platforms your graduates will see—FANUC for robotics and Rockwell for controls—so students can progress toward recognized credentials and walk into internships with relevant experience already under their belt. 

Then scale breadth and seats: Industrial Learning System (iLS)

As your program grows, you’ll want more seats and the flexibility to go deeper into topics like wiring, motion, fluid power, safety circuits, and networked control. The Industrial Learning System (iLS) is a modular, multi-use workstation designed precisely for that next step. Think of it as your configurable mechatronics lab: a rugged base with power and air, and plug-in training modules for PLC/HMI, sensors, operator panels, pneumatics/hydraulics, and safety devices (E-stop, door interlocks, light curtain, area scan). You set it up for your course sequence now and reconfigure it for the next cohort later. 

In early courses, learners might focus on ladder logic and HMI design using CompactLogix and PanelView hardware, practicing real-world addressing and testing. As they advance, they move into panel-building (wiring relays, breakers, and drives), fluid power (pneumatic circuits powered by the onboard compressor), and machine safety (validating safe stop functions and interlocks). Later, you can bring in EtherNet/IP and IIoT-style data flows to contextualize Industry 4.0 concepts. Because the iLS is modular, multiple students (or teams) can work simultaneously on different modules—or wire modules together into a larger integrated station. 

The real unlock is when you connect the worlds: link an iLS workstation with your FANUC robot so the PLC orchestrates both—workstation modules and robot—in one cell. That mirrors exactly how modern lines operate and gives students the capstone experience employers ask for: PLC-to-robot handshaking, sensor/vision decision branches, recipe control, and clean fault handling with an HMI that a shift tech could actually use. 

Why this progression works

Starting with an integrated cart gets you instant relevance: one system, one set of safety rules, and quick “wins” that hook students. Scaling to the iLS expands competencies and capacity: more seats in the room, more topics in the syllabus, more ways to assess job-ready skills. And because both platforms are built on the hardware your local employers actually run, you can align labs to FANUC/PLCs/safety expectations without guesswork. 

Ready to see how these fit your program? Explore the Mechatronics CERT Cart for an integrated starter cell and the Industrial Learning System (iLS) for a scalable mechatronics lab you can grow over time. 

Mechatronics started as “mechanical + electronics,” but in modern industry it’s the integrated nerve system that makes smart factories, autonomous machines, and data-driven decisions possible. From ABS on the highway to wind-turbine pitch control and ski-lift safety, students see the same pattern everywhere: sensors + control + mechanics working as one. That’s why careers span operators and technicians to systems integrators and controls engineers—the common thread is confidence building, wiring, programming, and troubleshooting real systems.

For programs, the fastest way to turn that big idea into job-ready skills is a clear equipment path. Begin with an integrated starter cell so learners experience the whole stack on day one, then expand into a modular lab to deepen competencies and add seats as your cohorts grow. If you’re mapping your next step, start here: the Mechatronics CERT Cart for an integrated, portable cell, and the Industrial Learning System (iLS) for a scalable, module-based mechatronics lab.