{"id":153,"date":"2025-04-01T14:30:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T14:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tha.de\/honors\/2025\/?p=153"},"modified":"2025-04-07T21:27:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T21:27:57","slug":"designing-a-mechatronic-system-to-spread-optimism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tha.de\/honors\/2025\/2025\/04\/01\/designing-a-mechatronic-system-to-spread-optimism\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing a Mechatronic System to Spread Optimism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blog March 27, 2025, Second Week Honors Seminar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You wake up to a gentle vibration from your smartwatch, your blinds open automatically, and your coffee starts brewing\u2014all before you\u2019ve even left the bed. Sounds like luxury? It\u2019s just everyday mechatronics at work. In this session, we explored a bold question: Can machines actually make us more optimistic?<\/em> Mechatronic systems are all around us \u2014 quietly shaping our moods, easing our routines, and sometimes even restoring our hope in what\u2019s possible. But what would it look like to design a system that spreads optimism on purpose?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To what extent are the systems around you “mechatronic” systems?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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A mechatronic system <\/strong>is an integration of mechanical elements, electronics, and computer control, all working together to perform tasks efficiently and intelligently. In our seminar, we explored how these systems already shape our daily routines \u2014 and how they might be designed not just to function, but to inspire and uplift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rethinking technology through optimism<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s seminar, hosted by Prof. Claudia Meitinger, from the faculty of Electrical Engineering, focused on exploring how mechatronic systems can be intentionally designed to spread optimism. To encourage diverse perspectives, students from a range of disciplines were grouped together, blending engineering minds with creative, economic, and psychological viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These colorful teams weren\u2019t formed by chance\u2014the professor used a custom \u201calgorithm\u201d involving smiley faces drawn on Butterbrotpapier<\/em> to randomly assign students. Sometimes, the most analogue methods lead to the most dynamic collaborations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To kick things off, each group used a visual framework (pictured above) to think through how interacting with technical systems an shape how we feel. The topics were drawn from everyday life and the workplace. They considered situations where interacting with or even just thinking about a technical system made them feel optimistic, happy, or even the opposite\u2014 then discussed why<\/em>. This led to lively, sometimes surprising conversations. Can the Deutsche Bahn bring you joy? Does AI in form of ChatGPT push productivity \u2014 or laziness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some real thoughts of the students were: <\/p>\n\n\n\n