American University of Sharjah (AUS) opened the International Symposium on Mechatronics and its Applications (ISMA'18) yesterday, March 4, 2018. The 3-day symposium is the eleventh in a series focusing on theoretical and practical aspects of mechatronics.

Held by the Mechatronics Center at AUS, ISMA'18 covers the synergetic integration of mechanical engineering with electronics, intelligent control, and design and manufacturing of industrial products and processes. The symposium brings together scientists, scholars, engineers, and students from universities and industries to exchange and promote research in the field of mechatronics, and hence to foster research relations between the universities and the industry in this field.

Welcoming the delegates to the symposium, Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of AUS, said:

“The field of mechatronics has developed significantly over the past 14 years since this annual symposium was first inaugurated by the faculty members running the AUS Mechatronics Engineering Graduate Program.

“Each year, this symposium gives you an opportunity to learn more about and appraise the latest research and innovation in new technologies, be it in automation, robotics, or the Internet of Things.  Over the course of the symposium, you will hear some exciting new concepts and startling proposals by experts from across the globe.”

Eminent keynote speakers at this year’s conference included Professor Sajal K. Das, Daniel St. Clair Endowed Chair, Department of Computer Science, Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA; and Professor Jeff S. Shamma from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Professor Das delivered a lecture entitled “Smart Living: The Next Frontier” while Professor Shamma spoke on “Distributed Algorithms For Multi-Robot Systems.”

The symposium will see a number of important topics being discussed, including system integration, robotics, control systems, industrial automation, renewable energy and sustainable systems among others.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, Dean of the College of Engineering (CEN) said:

“Mechatronics is the foundation of all the hot things going on right now and is the merging of mechanical and electrical engineering which is the foundation of computer science that includes cyber physical systems, Internet of Things, smart cities. We are emerging towards evolving our research and mechatronics is the forefather of this evolution.”

Dr. Lotfi Romdhane and Dr. Mamoun Abdel-Hafez from the Department of Mechanical Engineering were the General Conference Chairs of ISMA'18.

Thanking the sponsors, organizers and attendees for contributing to the success of this symposium, Dr. Abdel-Hafez said:

“The main idea of this symposium is to bring scientists, scholars, engineers and students from universities and the industry from all over the globe to promote the research in the field of mechatronics and to foster relationships in this area.”

Founded by the AUS Mechatronics Engineering Graduate Program in response to the increasing need for mechatronics in the region, the symposium's objective is to provide a forum for engineers and technical managers from industry and academia to meet and discuss new trends and their effects on the technical development of the region.