Mechatronics - "What Is It, Why, and How?" An editorial

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the new publication of the IEEE/ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS. This TRANSACTIONS is published quarterly from this premiere issue in 1996 as a joint publication of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and the ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Division, aiming at establishing a high-quality archival journal which represents stme of the art of mechatronics, its recent advances, and practical applications. Many of you are quite familiar with the basic concepts and commercial products utilizing the control of mechanical systems in conjunction with modern electronics technology. The word "Mechatronics" is a new word for the blending of mechanics and electronics invented in Japan at the end of the 1960's. Yaskawa Electric Company once commercially registered the word "Mechatronics," which is now freely used by anyone [1]. In this editorial, we look back at the history of mechatronics, project it into the future, and state the scope and direction of this new journal.