UTC unveils new mechatronics lab as program continues to grow

May 5, 2023

Courtney Goins, Caleb Figgures,

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) introduced its new mechatronics lab Thursday morning.

It is the Robotics, Intelligent Systems and Control Lab.

This is the newest addition to the program, which started five years ago.

Mechatronics is a combination of mechanical engineering and electronics. That includes electrical circuits, control mechanisms and software engineering.

UTC says the new lab will focus on artificial intelligence and mobile mechatronics, also known as mobile robots.

Today’s mechatronics industries are looking for graduates with experience in these areas.

“Technology is really what the industry is looking for, what they’re going towards,” said Ahad Nasab, Department Head at UTC. “And so, we really need to have that workforce ready for them so that they can fill these positions in these kinds of environments.”

When the program first started, it only had five students. Now, nearly 100 students are in the program.