Adaptation of a Teaching Laboratory of Mechatronics Area for an Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Program

Considering the impact of technological advances in mechanical engineering applications, the program offered in this profession at the University of Valle, Cali, Colombia added more than a decade the area of mechatronics. In consequence, it was necessary to adequate current infrastructure to complement the theoretical knowledge acquired in this new area. This paper presents the strategy used to adapt an infrastructure that facilitates learning through experimentation with the "mechatronics principles" course. Many aspects of user-centered design techniques were considered, such as usability, ergonomics, functionality, costs, among others. Thus, a functional prototype of mechatronics workstation was designed and manufactured.