The majority of robots available on the market are the result of an isolated design philosophy which is characterized by the separate optimization of the mechanics, sensors and control electronics. This traditional isolated design philosophy prevents seriously an overall optimization of the complete automatically controlled system with respect to weight, volume, energy consumption, and dynamic performance quality. The efficient introduction of innovative light-weight materials, gearless direct-drive motors and highly integrated intelligent sensors being more and more available on the market demands necessarily integrated mechatronics design concepts for obtaining an overall optimization both of mechanics and control electronics. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview on suitable model-based control concepts and integrated CA-based mechatronics design techniques.
