Mechatronics vs. Robotics: What’s the Difference?

Mechatronics is a dynamic engineering field that combines various disciplines, including mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and robotics engineering, to design and create intelligent systems. On the other hand, robotics is a subset of mechatronics that focuses on designing, creating, operating, and implementing robots. 

Although the two fields overlap, they also have distinct differences. Mechatronics examines automated, intelligent systems, which are then used within robotics to create smart machines. Understanding their unique strengths and how they work together can help guide you and shape your path in the fast-paced, exciting world of technology and automation.

Discover more about the dynamic fields of mechatronics and robotics, including their differences, advantages, and challenges.

What is mechatronics?

Mechatronics brings multiple engineering disciplines together to enhance the functionality and design of systems through integrated solutions. The word mechatronics is an amalgamation of mechanical engineering and electronics and has developed to encompass even more fields, including artificial intelligence, systems and controls, telecommunications, optical engineering, and cybersecurity. 

Mechatronics aims to create smarter products by embedding computer control systems into mechanical devices used in various industries, including manufacturing, aviation, transport, defense, health care, and even space exploration.

Common applications of mechatronics

If you use a smartphone, you already use mechatronics without realizing it. Engineers use mechatronics in many applications that you use in everyday life and those that support complex tasks. Examples include the following: 

• Automated production lines: Manufacturing uses automated production lines thanks to mechatronics. Robots can complete tasks quickly and efficiently, saving companies time and money.

• Smart consumer devices: Everyday life has been made easier through the use of mechatronics and the development of devices you use at home, work, and on the move. Take your smartphone for example. When you use the camera, features such as autofocus, light level detectors, and facial recognition make taking a photo almost as easy as if you were a professional but without the technical know-how or effort.

• Medical equipment: Mechatronics produces innovative medical equipment, such as robotic surgery, which uses a robotic arm and a camera to perform surgery, even remotely in some cases. It’s a less invasive procedure with a more favorable recovery period.

Advantages of mechatronics

Developments in mechatronics offer various benefits, including product and system improvements and improvements in efficiency and functionality. Some pros of mechatronics include the following:

• Enhanced system efficiency and intelligence: One of the most significant advantages of mechatronics is that it makes systems and products much more efficient. Automation plays a big part in this. Automating systems can help decrease the time it takes to do things while boosting productivity.

• Improved product design and functionality: Mechatronics supports increased precision in automated systems, reducing human error. This increased accuracy means manufacturers can be sure their products are of the highest standard and comply with relevant standards. 

Challenges in mechatronics

While mechatronics creates more efficient and effective products, it also comes with some challenges in terms of complexity and budget. These include:

• Complexity in integrating different technologies: Mechatronics involves various disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, and software engineering. This complexity makes it more challenging to operate because it requires knowledge from all disciplines. 

• Set-up cost: Mechatronic systems can be expensive to set up given the level of knowledge engineers need, the expense of the components, and the computational power required to work them.  

What is robotics?

Where mechatronics is a broad field of study, robotics zooms in and focuses on studying, designing, constructing, and operating robots. This branch of mechatronics specifically targets creating faster, more efficient, and more precise smart machines, often intended for use in areas such as assembly lines and logistical streamlining. Robotics are also helpful in settings where humans cannot go or in dangerous situations, such as space. 

Common applications of robotics

Robots are a feature of everyday life and in more specialist operations. According to Statista, revenue from the global robotics industry will grow from $36.2 billion in 2024 to $73 billion by 2029, demonstrating this field's growth and scale [1]. Examples of robots at work include the following:

• Industrial automation: Robots are helpful for monotonous tasks such as working assembly lines, painting, or welding, which humans can do but with increased labor costs and time. Robotics can perform these jobs quickly, safely, and efficiently. 

• Space exploration: NASA uses robots controlled by human commands to reach parts of the galaxy otherwise inaccessible to humans. Robotic arms on spacecraft have the power to move large objects and to explore plants where humans can’t go. 

• Health care and surgery: Robotics in health care is a big business. The use of robots in surgery, for example, means surgeons have access to highly advanced surgical instruments and cameras that allow them to be more precise and make smaller incisions.  

Advantages of robotics

Developments in robotics usher in various benefits, including improved task performance and more effective abilities to confront safety issues. Some leading pros of robotics include:

• Performing tasks beyond human capabilities: Robots can go where humans cannot, whether on a planet unreachable to humans or inside a body during surgery. This offers considerable advancements in the way people live and work. 

• Increasing productivity and safety in hazardous environments: Robotics help complete tasks quickly and safely, such as robots on assembly lines undertaking repetitive tasks. Companies also use robots in situations where humans would be in danger, such as in hazardous environments like nuclear power plants.

Challenges in robotics

As with any innovation, challenges emerge as the field develops and robotics becomes increasingly prevalent, including some critical ethical considerations. Some primary challenges include the following:

• Ethical and societal implications: Technology that uses robots instead of humans could change the job market and eliminate some positions otherwise held by human employees. For example, automatic tills in supermarkets and autonomous assembly lines are efficient and save money, but they can also require downsizing a workforce. Ethical implications include robots in war zones autonomously identifying targets and the security implications of robots accessing sensitive or confidential information. 

• Technical limitations in autonomy and decision-making: While advances in AI allow for autonomous processes using robots that can learn and develop, robots are not human. Thus, they cannot access the complexities of human decision-making, which considers various factors, including ethical and moral judgment. 

Mechatronics vs. robotics 

While understanding the differences between robotics and mechatronics is vital to help you decide which area suits you best, it’s also essential to note that the two technologies overlap considerably. As robotics is a subset of mechatronics, it’s often hard to separate them, and you may find crossovers. As mechatronics serves to integrate electronic controls into machines to make them smarter, you may find that while working in robotics, this becomes a part of the work. 

Which to study?

When deciding between mechatronics and robotics, you’ll find considerable interplay in many areas, which offers opportunities to study each subject individually or by combining the two. While exploring mechatronics and robotics, consider your interests in innovation, design, and application and which area best matches these.

Both fields offer a variety of opportunities for creative problem-solving and technological advancement. You may also find that studying the two together is an option for you with a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in mechatronics and robotics. 

Mechatronics and robotics salary

Salaries vary but are generally high depending on your chosen area and the role you work in. For example, the average annual base salary for a mechatronics engineer, according to Glassdoor’s September 2024 data, is $112,040, and the average annual base salary for a robotics engineer is $110,684 [2,3].

Whichever path you choose, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree as a starting point. Consider majors such as robotic engineering, mechatronics, or similar disciplines such as mechanical or electrical engineering. Build experience as you go, allowing you to specialize in these fields. 

Continue learning about mechatronics and robotics on Coursera

Mechatronics and robotics technology go hand in hand. Begin your journey into these exciting fields with foundational courses that provide insights into the principles, technologies, and real-world applications of mechatronics and robotics. Completing these courses helps equip you with the knowledge and skills to participate in the next wave of technological innovation. Consider the Robotics: Mechanics, Planning and Control Specialization delivered by Northwestern on Coursera.