Will mechatronics drive Viriginias economy?
Mechatronics sounds like a new video game but may be a major economic driver for Virginia (U.S.) in the future. Mechatronics is the synergy of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering , and software engineering. Mechatronics companies are involved in the production of planetary-rovers (like the one used for the exploration of Mars), automotive subsystems such as anti-block system and every day equipment such as autofocus cameras and washing machines. The Virigina mechatronics clusters was identified in a cluster analysis conducted by the Fifth Planning District Regional Alliance, an organization that promotes the economic competitiveness of Virginia. The cluster analysis can be found on their website www.rvarc.org/alliance.The alliance objective’s is to guide economic development groups, government officials and other policymakers planning the economic transition of the region. The analysis of regional clusters relied on jobs data, Standard Industrial Classification codes, input
