Meeting Human Needs by Leveraging the Next Wave of Technology

In the late 1400’s, Leonardo da Vinci (Reynal & Company, 1956) advised his future readers to study the science of machines to reduce the burden (drudgery) on humanity. Today, the question remains—what technologies can best meet the needs of mankind (Asimov & Frenkel, 1985; Beleyania, 1983; Caswell & Gossain, 1987; Hirzinger, 1997; IFREMER (The French Institute Of Research And Exploration Of The Sea), 1996; Jacobsen et al., 1984; Jacobson, 1996; Lowe, 1985; Morecki et al., 1971; Tesar & Butler, 1989; Volpe, 1996; Weisbin, 1997)? This paper will outline the ability of the discipline of mechanical engineering to satisfy a spectrum of these needs and its potential to match the excitement and vitality of its neighboring disciplines (electronics, computer science, etc.). First, a representative selection of needs will be described along with a listing of technologies (present and future) that may be associated with the discipline of mechanical engineering. Second, a matrix of these needs and technologies will be used to establish the relative importance of the discipline’s development capacity and to prioritize five possible future areas for development of multi-disciplinary programs. Third, the critical role of the intelligent actuator as a basic building block of the Next Wave of Technology (NWT) will be described in terms of five classes of actuator technology. Then, the NWT will be described briefly in terms of its ten primary technical components and illustrated in terms of a brief description of open architecture vehicles of the future.