Guest Editorial: Focused Section on Inaugural Edition of TMECH/AIM Emerging Topics

Since the official registration of the word “Mechatronics” as a trademark by Yaskawa Electric Corporation in 1971, explosive growth has been observed in mechatronics research and product development activities. Nowadays, mechatronics and mechatronic design methodologies play increasingly important roles in computer, communication, control, and consumer product (4C) technologies. As such, it is fair to agree that mechatronics technology has profoundly affected almost all aspects of human life, particularly, of engineering realities ranging from rehabilitation devices to ground and underwater robots, and from unmanned aerial vehicles to intelligent manufacturing facilities, constituting a rapidly progressing frontline.