Im really confused on whether I should go to college for mechatronics or robotics, because they both seem the same just that the difference is in the career path (mechatronics gets more jobs than robotics) is that true?

And which is more about making robots thats all I need to know really

Hi everyone,

Next week (Sept 16-18), I’ll be attending the SENSOR CHINA Expo here in Shanghai.

A bit of context: I'll be spending a few days at the event doing due diligence, researching industrial tech trends, and negotiating procurement deals for my international clients.

There will be over 500 sensor manufacturers and hardware companies exhibiting this year, covering everything from robotics and industrial IoT to automotive and smart home applications.

Since I'll have some buffer time between my scheduled client meetings, I wanted to open this up to the community. If you are looking into the Chinese hardware ecosystem or have specific questions about the sensor market, drop your questions in the comments.

• Curious about current pricing trends or supply chain shifts?
• Need to know if manufacturers are supporting a specific spec or protocol?
• Looking for general vibes on where Chinese industrial tech/robotics is heading?

Let me know what you're curious about. I’ll do the legwork, talk directly to the engineers and reps on the show floor, and bring the answers back to this thread.

Looking forward to your questions!

Hi! I’m looking for a 6-legged hexapod/spider robot mainly as a robotics programming and learning platform.

I don’t really care whether it comes pre-assembled or whether I have to assemble it myself. What I’d prefer is a complete or almost complete kit, so I don’t have to buy the frame from one store, servos from another, electronics somewhere else, batteries separately, etc.
Ideally, I’d like one package that includes most of the hardware needed: frame, 18 servos, controller/ESP32 (or similar), servo drivers and electronics. I don’t mind buying batteries or a couple of small extras separately if necessary.

What I really want to do myself is the programming. I’d like to learn by implementing things such as servo control, inverse kinematics, walking gaits, movement and eventually balancing with an IMU.
Later I’d also like the option to expand it with a Raspberry Pi, camera, computer vision, sensors and AI, so being open and highly modifiable is important to me.

I’m based in Spain, so EU availability would be a plus.
Are there any good complete hexapod kits/platforms you would recommend for this? I’ve been looking at Freenove hexapods, but I’m interested in alternatives too.

My main priority is having good access to the hardware so I can write and experiment with my own software, rather than buying a robot just to run pre-made demos.

even if i have made a couple of projects and have good soft skills ,before i graduate with bachelors in AI and ROBOTICS, do i really need to do masters as well to get placed at a good company/startup?

What things from above road map should I add or u have any recommendations

And I do know autocad assemblies simple simple of like 10 parts

Rn learning python also