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Electronics
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Modern Mechatronics and Automation—An Open-Source Approach
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Modern Mechatronics and Automation—An Open-Source Approach

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems & Control Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2020) | Viewed by 32331

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Trung Dung Ngo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The More Than One Robotics Laboratory, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Interests: robotics; mechatronics; automation; artificial intelligence; ubiquitous computing; embedded systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, we can see modern mechatronic systems and automation everywhere, from industrial manufacturing to home automation. Using open-source hardware and software to rapidly prototype and develop mechatronic and automated systems has been well recognized by technological developers. Open-source electronic platforms, such as Arduino and Raspberry PI boards, as well as its compatible devices, have become a part of teaching and research activities at universities. The trend of shared source codes and documentation on web-based software platforms (e.g., Github), allowing professionals and amateurs to access and collaborate their intellectual works, has been promoted and implemented at not only open-source communities, but also in leading technological corporations. Ethical laws on open-source hardware and software have been frequently consolidated, along with the incredible growth of the open-source world. Indeed, the technological and social impacts of open-source hardware and software in mechatronics and automation are not deniable.
The primary aim of this Special Issue is to gather the most recent methodologies, technologies, and applications of open-source hardware and software in modern mechatronics and automation. We invite all papers with novel contributions in the principles, development, and applications of open-source hardware and software with, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Current state of the art of open-source hardware and software used in mechatronics and automation.
  • Use open-source hardware and software in prototyping and the development of mechatronics and automation.
  • Impacts of open-source approaches on the development and applications of mechatronic systems.
  • Ethical laws for open-source hardware and software in mechatronics and automation.
  • Methodologies of using open-source platforms in research and education.

Dr. Trung Dung Ngo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Open-source hardware;
  • Open-source software;
  • Open-source drivers;
  • Free operating systems;
  • Modern mechatronics automation;
  • Internet of things (IoT);
  • Cyber-physical systems (CPS);
  • Robotics;
  • Do-it-yourself (DIY);
  • Rapid prototyping;
  • Rapid development.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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46 pages, 10957 KiB  
Article
A Multidisciplinary Mechatronics Program: From Project-Based Learning to a Community-Based Approach on an Open Platform
by Mai-Ha Phan and Ha Quang Thinh Ngo
Electronics 2020, 9(6), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics9060954 - 8 Jun 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 9391
Abstract
To face contemporary problems, international engineers must be trained in advanced learning environments and with professional skills and knowledge. Sponsored by USAID (US Agency for International Development), the Build-IT (Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology) program leverages the vast capabilities [...] Read more.
To face contemporary problems, international engineers must be trained in advanced learning environments and with professional skills and knowledge. Sponsored by USAID (US Agency for International Development), the Build-IT (Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology) program leverages the vast capabilities of the implementing partner from Arizona State University and plays a key role as an innovative pioneer in converging personalities from various fields. A well-educated engineer can contribute to the sustainable development of society. With the aim of building community-oriented education, an integrated strategy was proposed in which a problem-based learning method is investigated to apply technical knowledge. In accordance with this strategy, in our proposed method, students from Mechatronics Engineering first had to work together with other learners in the electronics, software, control automation, and mechanics fields, followed by the design of an open platform integrated multi-disciplinary approach. By collaborating with their peers in developing this hardware, students become better equipped with specialized knowledge. This process also allows students to feel confident in implementing their innovative thinking while still maintaining the core meaning of the instrument. One of the key benefits of this approach is that helping students overcome their problems concurrently enhances the engineer’s function in the community despite missing some specialized skill sets. Based on experimental works using this open framework, the present approach demonstrates that pupils in our program have sufficient ability to contribute to social achievements. Lastly, the feasible, low-cost, and visually educational instrument made by the participants showcases the value of such a multi-disciplinary approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Mechatronics and Automation—An Open-Source Approach)
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24 pages, 8725 KiB  
Article
Low-Cost, Open Source IoT-Based SCADA System Design Using Thinger.IO and ESP32 Thing
by Lawrence Oriaghe Aghenta and Mohammad Tariq Iqbal
Electronics 2019, 8(8), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics8080822 - 24 Jul 2019
Cited by 93 | Viewed by 22045
Abstract
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a technology for monitoring and controlling distributed processes. SCADA provides real-time data exchange between a control/monitoring centre and field devices connected to the distributed processes. A SCADA system performs these functions using its four basic elements: [...] Read more.
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a technology for monitoring and controlling distributed processes. SCADA provides real-time data exchange between a control/monitoring centre and field devices connected to the distributed processes. A SCADA system performs these functions using its four basic elements: Field Instrumentation Devices (FIDs) such as sensors and actuators which are connected to the distributed process plants being managed, Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) such as single board computers for receiving, processing and sending the remote data from the field instrumentation devices, Master Terminal Units (MTUs) for handling data processing and human machine interactions, and lastly SCADA Communication Channels for connecting the RTUs to the MTUs, and for parsing the acquired data. Generally, there are two classes of SCADA hardware and software; Proprietary (Commercial) and Open Source. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a low-cost, Open Source SCADA system by using Thinger.IO local server IoT platform as the MTU and ESP32 Thing micro-controller as the RTU. SCADA architectures have evolved over the years from monolithic (stand-alone) through distributed and networked architectures to the latest Internet of Things (IoT) architecture. The SCADA system proposed in this work is based on the Internet of Things SCADA architecture which incorporates web services with the conventional (traditional) SCADA for a more robust supervisory control and monitoring. It comprises of analog Current and Voltage Sensors, the low-power ESP32 Thing micro-controller, a Raspberry Pi micro-controller, and a local Wi-Fi Router. In its implementation, the current and voltage sensors acquire the desired data from the process plant, the ESP32 micro-controller receives, processes and sends the acquired sensor data via a Wi-Fi network to the Thinger.IO local server IoT platform for data storage, real-time monitoring and remote control. The Thinger.IO server is locally hosted by the Raspberry Pi micro-controller, while the Wi-Fi network which forms the SCADA communication channel is created using the Wi-Fi Router. In order to test the proposed SCADA system solution, the designed hardware was set up to remotely monitor the Photovoltaic (PV) voltage, current, and power, as well as the storage battery voltage of a 260 W, 12 V Solar PV System. Some of the created Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) on Thinger.IO Server where an operator can remotely monitor the data in the cloud, as well as initiate supervisory control activities if the acquired data are not in the expected range, using both a computer connected to the network, and Thinger.IO Mobile Apps are presented in the paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modern Mechatronics and Automation—An Open-Source Approach)
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