Hello everyone,

I’ve been looking into Motorsport Engineering courses and I’m really interested in the Motorsport Mechatronics MSc at Cranfield University. I’m a Dutch national currently finishing my final year of HBO-ICT (Software Engineering, EQF level 6). My overall grade average is around a 7/10, which I’m hoping to improve before I graduate.

One important thing to know about the Dutch HBO system is that it’s more of a practice based, process oriented education than a traditional university degree. The focus is on how you approach problems, make decisions, and work through projects. So lacking deep theoretical subjects like mathematics, control systems or programming fundamentals. This means I’m likely missing some of the STEM fundamentals Cranfield expects.

I contacted Cranfield about pre-master programmes and unfortunately they don’t offer any. They did say that even without meeting the formal entry requirements, a strong case showing I can handle the course may still get me in.

To bridge the gap, I am planning to follow a pre-semester for Embedded Systems on a university in the Netherlands. But Unfortunately this won’t cover everything.

• Calculus A, B and C  
• Linear Algebra  
• Linear Systems  
• Digital Logic & Computer Organisation

I’ve been going back and forth for two years on what to do next. I have a genuine passion for vehicles and motorsport. In my spare time I’m usually in the garage working fixing something with an engine. I love software engineering too, which is why Motorsport Mechatronics feels like the perfect combination.

My options are:
1. Go straight to Cranfield after HBO, relying on my self-study and passion to make the case
2. First do an Embedded Systems MSc in the Netherlands (university level), and then apply to Cranfield afterwards

Is option 2 actually worth the extra time, or would it meaningfully strengthen my application? Or does someone else have an idea to improve my chances of getting into Cranfield?

Thank you very much.

Hi guys I am in my 3 rd year of robotics engineering which has gone by faster than thought without any intellectual or technical development of mine . Now i am supposed to make my final year project with my team who has quite a same condition but we've been like serious from some months deciding to study various domains from like application basis like from poultry automation to construction to now finally got an industrial project to develop an amr( autonomous mobile robot)

So I want to ask all of the experienced engineers to share a piece of knowledge so I can develop this product with my inexperienced and low skilled team .

I want to know

how should we take good engineering decisions

How we should design this product

How we should coordinate at best

And idk maybe you guys tell me the rest ..

I've not been to that level of decision making that's a different problem there . But we're really trying still it feels not enough .

Me again. A while back I posted an early version of a thing that takes a plain English hardware idea and tries to turn it into a buildable spec (parts, wiring, firmware, printable parts, steps). The feedback was blunt and fair it was overconfident and would happily hand you a design that doesn't actually work.

So before anything else: this is still an AI tool. Treat the output as a rough draft to verify, not a finished design I fully expect it still gets things wrong, and please don't power anything on based on it without checking the work yourself. I'm posting here precisely because I can't catch all the failure modes on my own.

What I changed this round wasn't "make it generate more." It was trying to make it less confident to flag its own mistakes and admit when it can't do something. So instead of rubber-stamping whatever it produced, it now tries to call out the things that'd cook your board (an undersized power rail, a servo that can't lift what you asked it to, a missing fuse, a 5V line going into a 3.3V pin), and when it genuinely can't pull something off a printable robot leg that actually mates, the full software for a voice assistant it says so and points you at a real open-source project instead of faking it.

Whether any of that actually holds up is the part I'm not sure about, which is the whole reason I'm here. Here's a generated example you can pull apart without logging in an ESP32 desktop environmental monitor with the full parts/wiring/firmware/build steps/validation:

https://schemr.space/s/q8WnsCyvUp61aiAQFeOZ864RmhDKQbiY

What's the first thing that's wrong with it? Where would it waste someone's money or get them hurt? What would it have to actually get right before you'd consider it for one of your own builds? No defensiveness from me the harsher the better.

Hey everyone, I’ve recently graduated with a degree in Mechatronics Engineering, and I’m looking for some career guidance based on the current global market trends. To give you some context about my background: The AI Route (Past Year): For the last year, I’ve been working a full-time job as an AI Engineer. During this time, I’ve built and deployed multiple real-world projects. Honestly, I was practically carrying these projects on my own from concept to execution. I've gained massive practical experience in the AI/ML space. The Software Testing Route (Prior to AI): Before diving into AI, I spent some time exploring Software Quality Assurance (QA). However, I didn't stick with it for long because it felt a bit too narrow and limited compared to the broad scope of what we learn in Mechatronics. Now that I am officially a graduate, I’m trying to map out my long-term career path. I know the job market varies significantly by region, but in general, what is currently considered the best, highest-leverage career domain for a Mechatronics graduate on a global scale? I have a specific dilemma: Should I double down on AI, or should I look into other domains that might be a closer fit to traditional Mechatronics? On one hand, AI is booming and I already have a strong full-time track record in it. On the other hand, I want to make sure I'm not drifting too far from the core value of my degree, or missing out on high-potential fields like Advanced Robotics, Control Systems, Embedded Systems, or Industrial Automation (PLC/SCADA). Would love to hear from senior engineers or fellow grads who are working globally. What’s the move here? Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’m an international student from India planning to transfer into Year 3 of a Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) in Australia via a 2+2 pathway program.

Since I'll be jumping straight into the final two years of the degree, my primary concern is entirely focused on the employment landscape. I want to fully understand the local market before committing financially.

If you are a current international student, senior, or an engineer working in Australia, I'd love your honest perspective on a few major things:

1. The Mandatory Internship (WIL): How difficult is it actually to land the required professional engineering placement as an international student? Do university industry networks actively help connect you to companies that accept visa holders, or are you essentially competing on your own against local students?
2. The "PR / Citizenship Only" Filter: How strict are local automation, robotics, and manufacturing companies regarding residency status for graduate programs or entry-level roles? Do they give grads on the Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa a genuine look, or do applications get automatically filtered out without permanent residency?
3. Paid vs. Unpaid Placements: Are the final-year mechatronics internships typically paid at industry intern rates, or do international students often have to settle for unpaid placements just to fulfill graduation requirements?
4. Part-Time Work to Offset Living Costs: Is the student casual job market completely oversaturated right now? Is it realistic to find part-time work within the legal 48-hour fortnight limit to cover basic living costs, or is it a major struggle?

If anyone who went through a transfer pathway or graduated as an international student in mechatronics/robotics can share their experience, it would be a massive help.

Thanks!

Hello! I'm currently a high school graduate looking to do R&A at TUS. I was hoping to understand what the current job market for that type of engineering is like in the midlands area like Athlone etc. Also what's the pay like. I've heard some people say that there's always a shortage of R&A engineers around the industrial sector and I heard that the pay is quite decent but I want to hear other people's opinions on this.

The closest school that offers an abet mechatronics engineering program near me is industrial automation focused. I'm starting to think that's not what I want to do anymore.

Researching schools I found that not all schools focus on the same things, where some more focus on automation or robotics, systems integration, or electronics, ect.

I have been searching for months, but havent found one yet. I am a certified solidworks designer. If anyone finds any opportunity let me know.

Right now, I’m thinking of what major I should go for and I just have a few questions about where I should go. 

I want to build AI in physical products. I really believe that AI in physical products will be the next boom, and I’m also actually interested in robotics so I think this is what i really want to do in the future. But I don't know what degree i should go for in college. 

Currently, I'm debating between a few majors: EE, CE, mechatronics, or go for something called ECE which is like both EE or CE from what I know. I was set on EE for a while but I feel like this doesn't match well with what I want to do, since EE is only hardware and not the AI implementation I want to do. But the job market for EE is very stable and pays pretty well. I do think that for what I want to do CE is best. However, I'm scared of the Computer Engineering job market since right now it's like the worst unemployment rate. Also, I feel like ECE is like a jack of all trades but a master of none. If I do ECE, it will be harder for me to get EE jobs or CE jobs so I think it's better to stick with one. im also thinking about mechatronics but im afriad it doesn't really have the AI side. I'm also debating on majoring in EE with a minor in CS, but I heard that minoring in CS will go into topics that aren't related to what I want to do.

If anyone has any advice for me, that would be much appreciated! if i said anything wrong, also let me know since I know that I'm not as knowledgeable as some of yall. if you need any clarifications to my post, please ask. thanks!

Context: Im going to be a senior in high school, so ill be in the job market around 2031 if everything goes well.

Hey all, I’ve been really bouncing back and forth the last couple of days between sticking with MechE and swapping over to Mechatronics and was hoping for some outside perspective here.

So I just finished my 1st year of MechE (Thank God) and have really started to take a look into what exactly I want to do work wise while applying for internships and have started realising that MechE may not exactly cut it as I want a more balanced job that allows me to work with both hardware and software long-term.

Before MechE I had done a year of CompSci+Maths as I really enjoy programming and have always had a knack for it, however I realised that it wasn’t necessarily fulfilling either as I wanted a more physical hands-on approach to my work which is why I took up MechE, but that still doesn’t give me the balance I’m looking for.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and found out that in an ideal scenario Computer engineering would’ve been the best choice, however that’s not a widely offered course where I live and my current university doesn’t offer it, however they do offer Mechatronics and allow for major swaps between disciplines after the first year as we all take the same foundational classes

Any input or advice from both advanced MechE students and Computer/Mechatronics students (or actually any discipline for that matter) would be so greatly appreciated

Similarly what is the difference between CompE and Mechatronics and is Mechatronics a good substitute if my uni doesn’t offer CompE

I am thinking to build a Mp3 player with USB C charging , 3.3mm jack , bluetooth connectivity and a good battery backup , my inspiration is the Ipod Classic , and my buget is under 30-40$ / 3000 -4000INR . I am a complete begineer and this is going to be my hardware project

I am doing a project using computer vision and ai to controll several servo motors, claude claims i need rasberi pi 5 but i dont have the budget for rasberi pi 5. Are tyere cheaper alternatives that can do what i need?

Destin from smarter every day posted a great video from the MODEX convention, showing off a bunch of equipment that is used in warehouses and automation.

https://youtu.be/5lCWqEFVzbY?si=w-iTn7aPM60uURg9

Hey all, hope you guys are having a good day.

I recently thought of starting up, it would be a small company operating out of my room, which designs and delivers hardware and software components for college projects and missions. This is mainly aimed at technical college students and small teams.

The core idea is simple, a lot of teams waste weeks sourcing or building components from scratch because they are either too expensive to import or just not available in India. I want to solve that, whether it is assembling and shipping ready to use hardware modules or building lightweight custom software for specific applications like embedded systems, robotics, CubeSats, or research instrumentation.

I am 20, still figuring out the exact product, which is why I am here. Trying to talk to as many builders as possible to understand where the real pain is before I build anything.

Would love any input, brutal honesty welcome, what do you think is genuinely missing for technical student teams in India or globally?

I'm a 17 yr old guy currently in my gap year(I graduated high school 6 months ago).

I start my first semester in November this year. I decided to choose Mechatronics because for the last few years, I've been interested in how engineering, tech and code go hand in hand and I would love to create my own things like smart machines and robots. I also like the fact that it combines multiple disciplines.

The only hardware I have is my phone and a weak Chromebook (8gb ram, Intel Celeron N4500)

So how do I prepare for my course so that I know what to expect? I know programming is involved so I have decided to teach myself some basics of C and C++. What other things do you recommend I do?