Modern Mechatronics and Automation—An Open-Source Approach

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

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