Mechatronics Engineering project ideas

100 projects, from a first build to a final-year capstone. Each lists the skills it teaches and the tools it needs; times and costs are estimates.

Beginner projects

• Servo Positioning Trainer — Command a hobby servo to angles with a potentiometer and plot commanded versus actual position. Skills: servo control, PWM, feedback. Tools: servo, potentiometer, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Sensor-Actuator Integration Board — Wire buttons, sensors, LEDs and a motor onto one board with clean wiring and tests. Skills: integration, wiring, I/O. Tools: breadboard, MCU, sensors. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Automatic Door Model — Open a model door when a PIR sensor detects motion with limit switches. Skills: motion sensing, limit switches, sequencing. Tools: PIR, motor, switches. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Stepper Motor Turntable — Rotate a turntable to exact angles for photography with a stepper. Skills: stepper control, indexing. Tools: stepper, driver, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Line-Tracking Conveyor Model — Move items along a small conveyor and stop at a sensor. Skills: conveyors, sensing, motor control. Tools: DC motor, IR sensor. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Robotic Arm With Servos — Build a 3-DOF servo arm and record and replay movements. Skills: kinematics basics, servos. Tools: servos, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Smart Fan Speed Controller — Change fan speed with temperature using PWM. Skills: PWM, temperature control. Tools: fan, sensor, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Coin Sorter Machine — Sort coins by diameter with a sloped rail and count them with sensors. Skills: mechanism design, sensing. Tools: cardboard/3D print, IR sensors. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Plant Watering Robot — Water plants on a schedule with a pump and moisture sensing. Skills: automation, sensing. Tools: pump, moisture sensor, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Traffic Barrier Gate Model — Raise a barrier when a car is detected and lower it after passage. Skills: sequencing, sensing. Tools: servo, IR sensor. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Encoder Speed Display — Show motor rpm from an encoder on a display. Skills: encoders, speed measurement. Tools: encoder, display, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Pick-and-Place With Suction Cup — Pick light objects with a servo arm and vacuum suction. Skills: end effectors, vacuum. Tools: servos, mini vacuum pump. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Electromagnetic Lock System — Unlock a solenoid lock with a keypad code. Skills: solenoids, keypads, security basics. Tools: solenoid, keypad, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Camera Pan-Tilt Mount — Aim a camera with two servos from a joystick. Skills: pan-tilt control, joystick input. Tools: servos, joystick. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Mechatronic System Block Diagram — Map sensors, controller and actuators of a washing machine. Skills: system thinking, block diagrams. Tools: drawing tool. Visualizer, Up to 15 h, Software only (free tools).
• Linear Actuator Position Control — Move a linear actuator to set positions with a potentiometer feedback. Skills: linear actuators, feedback. Tools: actuator, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Weight-Based Sorting Scale — Sort objects into bins by weight with a load cell and servo gate. Skills: load cells, sorting logic. Tools: load cell, servo. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Solar Tracker Model — Turn a small panel toward the brightest light with two LDRs. Skills: tracking, differential sensing. Tools: LDRs, servo. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Vending Machine Logic Simulator — Simulate coin input, selection and dispensing as a state machine. Skills: state machines, logic. Tools: web app/MCU. Simulator, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Bluetooth Controlled Car — Drive a small car from a phone app over Bluetooth. Skills: wireless control, motor drivers. Tools: BT module, motors. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Hydraulic Syringe Arm — Build a syringe-powered hydraulic arm and explain pressure transmission. Skills: hydraulics basics, Pascal's law. Tools: syringes, tubing. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Limit Switch Safety Stop Demo — Stop a moving carriage at travel limits with hardware switches. Skills: limit switches, safety. Tools: switches, motor. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Digital Thermometer With Alarm — Display temperature and sound an alarm above a setpoint. Skills: sensing, displays. Tools: sensor, buzzer. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Color Detection Sorter — Sort coloured balls with a colour sensor and servo. Skills: colour sensing, classification. Tools: TCS34725, servo. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.
• Tilt-Controlled Game Paddle — Control a game with an accelerometer tilt sensor. Skills: IMU input, mapping. Tools: IMU, MCU. Hardware build, Up to 15 h, Under $30.

Intermediate projects

• Smart Conveyor Sorter — Sort parts by size and colour on a conveyor with sensors and pushers. Skills: sorting logic, synchronisation. Tools: conveyor, sensors, actuators. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Closed-Loop Ball-and-Beam Rig — Balance a ball on a beam with a distance sensor and PID control. Skills: PID, unstable systems. Tools: servo, distance sensor. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Automated Screw-Driving Station — Drive screws to target torque and detect cross-threads from current. Skills: torque control, process monitoring. Tools: motor driver, current sensing. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Pneumatic Pick-and-Place Cell — Sequence pneumatic cylinders and a gripper with sensors to move parts. Skills: pneumatics, sequencing. Tools: cylinders, valves, PLC. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Self-Balancing Platform — Level a platform with two servos using IMU feedback. Skills: IMU feedback, control. Tools: IMU, servos. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Precision Dosing Machine — Dispense liquid doses by weight with a peristaltic pump. Skills: dosing control, load cells. Tools: peristaltic pump, load cell. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Robotic XY Plotter — Draw vector images with a two-axis plotter driven by G-code. Skills: motion control, G-code. Tools: steppers, rails, MCU. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Electromechanical Actuator Model — Model a motor-gear-screw actuator's dynamics and compare with measurements. Skills: system modelling, validation. Tools: Python, test rig. Simulator, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Force-Feedback Haptic Knob — Create detents and virtual walls on a motorised knob. Skills: haptics, torque control. Tools: BLDC/DC motor, encoder. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Safety Interlock Demonstrator — Show guard-door interlocks and safe stop categories on a model machine. Skills: machine safety, interlocks. Tools: safety relay, switches. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Inverted Pendulum on a Cart — Stabilise an inverted pendulum with state feedback. Skills: state-space control, LQR. Tools: cart rig, encoder. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Automated Storage Shelf Model — Store and retrieve bins with a gantry and position sensing. Skills: AS/RS concepts, motion. Tools: steppers, sensors. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Gesture-Controlled Robotic Hand — Mirror finger bending from flex sensors to a servo hand. Skills: flex sensing, mapping. Tools: flex sensors, servos. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Linear Stage With Closed-Loop Encoder — Build a lead-screw stage with encoder feedback and measure accuracy. Skills: positioning accuracy, backlash. Tools: stepper, encoder, rail. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• PLC-Controlled Mixing Station — Control filling, mixing and draining with a PLC sequence. Skills: PLC programming, sequencing. Tools: PLC simulator/hardware. Simulator, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Vibration Feeder Controller — Control a vibratory feeder's frequency to keep a steady part rate. Skills: vibration control, feedback. Tools: feeder, sensors. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Motor Characterisation Bench — Measure motor torque constant, resistance and inertia. Skills: motor parameters, identification. Tools: motor, sensors. Data lab, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Barcode-Based Sorting Line — Read barcodes and divert items to lanes. Skills: barcode reading, sorting. Tools: scanner, diverters. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Mobile Robot With Odometry — Track position from wheel encoders and evaluate drift. Skills: odometry, kinematics. Tools: robot base, encoders. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Drone Gimbal Stabiliser — Stabilise a camera on a gimbal with IMU and brushless motors. Skills: gimbal control, IMU. Tools: BLDC gimbal, controller. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Smart Lock With Fingerprint — Integrate a fingerprint sensor with an electronic lock and logs. Skills: biometrics, integration. Tools: fingerprint sensor, lock. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Paint Dispensing Mixer — Mix paint colours by dosing ratios with pumps. Skills: ratio control, dosing. Tools: pumps, MCU. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Cam-Driven Automation Mechanism — Design cams to sequence motions of a packaging mechanism. Skills: cam design, timing diagrams. Tools: CAD, prototype. CAD / design, 15–45 h, Software only (free tools).
• Robot Teach Pendant App — Jog and teach robot positions from a tablet interface. Skills: HMI, robot programming. Tools: tablet app, robot. Workflow, 15–45 h, $30–150.
• Temperature-Controlled Hot Plate — Control a hot plate with PID and thermocouple feedback. Skills: PID, heating control. Tools: heater, thermocouple, SSR. Hardware build, 15–45 h, $30–150.

Advanced projects

• Vision-Guided Sorting Cell — Locate parts with a camera and pick them with a robot arm. Skills: vision-guided robotics, calibration. Tools: camera, robot arm. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Digital Twin of a Mechatronic Axis — Mirror an axis's position, current and temperature in a live model. Skills: digital twins, modelling. Tools: Python, sensor data. Digital twin, 45–100 h, $30–150.
• Adaptive Vibration Cancellation Rig — Cancel structural vibration with an actuator and adaptive filter. Skills: active vibration control, LMS. Tools: shaker, accelerometer. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Modular Automation Workcell — Build a workcell from interchangeable modules with plug-and-produce configuration. Skills: modularity, interfaces. Tools: modules, PLC. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Motor-Current Fault Classifier — Classify motor faults from current signatures with ML. Skills: fault diagnosis, ML. Tools: current sensors, Python. Data lab, 45–100 h, $30–150.
• Real-Time Motion Controller — Generate S-curve trajectories and run position loops at fixed rate. Skills: trajectory generation, real-time control. Tools: MCU/RTOS. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Multi-Axis Synchronization Demo — Synchronise two axes with electronic gearing and camming. Skills: electronic gearing, synchronisation. Tools: drives, controller. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Energy-Aware Actuator Scheduler — Schedule actuator motions to cut peak power and energy. Skills: energy optimisation, scheduling. Tools: Python. Simulator, 45–100 h, Software only (free tools).
• Smart Gripper With Force Sensing — Grip fragile objects using force feedback. Skills: force control, grasping. Tools: force sensors, gripper. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Reconfigurable Inspection Cell — Reconfigure cameras and fixtures for new parts quickly. Skills: reconfigurable systems, vision. Tools: cameras, fixtures. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Delta Robot Pick-and-Place — Build a delta robot and implement its inverse kinematics. Skills: parallel robots, kinematics. Tools: servos, MCU. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Magnetic Levitation Controller — Levitate a magnet with a feedback-controlled electromagnet. Skills: unstable control, magnetics. Tools: electromagnet, Hall sensor. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Model-Based Design of a Servo Drive — Design and auto-generate code for a servo controller from a model. Skills: model-based design, code generation. Tools: Simulink/Python. Simulator, 45–100 h, $30–150.
• Haptic Teleoperation System — Teleoperate a robot with force feedback to the operator. Skills: teleoperation, haptics. Tools: two devices, network. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Predictive Maintenance of Linear Guides — Predict guide wear from vibration and friction trends. Skills: condition monitoring, prediction. Tools: sensors, Python. Data lab, 45–100 h, $30–150.
• Exoskeleton Knee Actuator — Design a compact actuator for a knee assist device. Skills: actuator design, torque density. Tools: CAD, prototype. CAD / design, 45–100 h, Software only (free tools).
• EtherCAT Motion Network — Synchronise drives over EtherCAT and measure jitter. Skills: industrial Ethernet, synchronisation. Tools: EtherCAT master, drives. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Sensorless Motor Control — Estimate rotor position without sensors for BLDC control. Skills: observers, sensorless control. Tools: MCU, BLDC. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Micro-Positioning With Piezo Actuators — Control nanometre-scale motion with piezo stacks and hysteresis compensation. Skills: piezo actuators, hysteresis. Tools: piezo stage, controller. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Automated Optical Inspection Rig — Inspect PCBs for missing parts with image comparison. Skills: AOI, image processing. Tools: camera, lights. Data lab, 45–100 h, $30–150.
• Cable-Driven Parallel Robot — Control a camera hung on cables across a frame. Skills: cable robots, kinematics. Tools: winches, controller. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Robot Calibration With Laser Tracker Data — Improve robot accuracy by calibrating kinematic parameters. Skills: kinematic calibration, parameter identification. Tools: measurement data, Python. Data lab, 45–100 h, Software only (free tools).
• Smart Packaging Machine Controller — Coordinate filling, sealing and labelling with recipe changes. Skills: machine control, recipes. Tools: PLC. Simulator, 45–100 h, Software only (free tools).
• Electro-Pneumatic Servo Control — Control cylinder position with proportional valves. Skills: pneumatic servo, nonlinearity. Tools: valves, sensors. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.
• Wearable Haptic Feedback Glove — Give tactile feedback to fingers in VR with vibration actuators. Skills: haptics, wearables. Tools: actuators, glove. Hardware build, 45–100 h, $150+.

Expert projects

• Hardware-in-Loop Servo Validation — Validate a servo controller against a real-time plant with fault cases. Skills: HIL, validation. Tools: real-time simulator. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Collaborative Workcell Risk Monitor — Monitor human-robot separation and adjust speed and separation in real time. Skills: human-robot safety, SSM. Tools: sensors, robot. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Autonomous Mechatronic Maintenance Cart — Navigate a cart that inspects machines and logs anomalies. Skills: autonomy, inspection. Tools: mobile base, sensors. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Self-Tuning Motion Controller — Auto-tune servo gains online as load changes. Skills: auto-tuning, adaptive control. Tools: controller, rig. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Learning-Based Robotic Assembly — Learn peg-in-hole insertion with force feedback and RL. Skills: reinforcement learning, force control. Tools: robot arm, F/T sensor. Simulator, 100 h+, $150+.
• Soft Robotic Gripper With Embedded Sensing — Add strain sensing to a soft gripper for grasp detection. Skills: soft robotics, sensing. Tools: silicone, sensors. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Digital Thread for a Mechatronic Product — Link requirements, models, code and test data for one product. Skills: digital thread, traceability. Tools: PLM tools. Workflow, 100 h+, Software only (free tools).
• Swarm of Micro Robots — Coordinate small robots to assemble patterns. Skills: swarm control, coordination. Tools: small robots. Simulator, 100 h+, $150+.
• Smart Prosthetic Ankle — Design a powered ankle with gait-phase control. Skills: prosthetics, control. Tools: actuator, sensors. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Magnetically Actuated Micro Manipulator — Steer a small magnet with coils for micro manipulation. Skills: magnetic actuation, control. Tools: coils, camera. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Edge AI Quality Gate for a Machine — Reject defects in real time with on-device inference. Skills: edge AI, latency. Tools: edge device, camera. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Mechatronic System Co-Design Optimisation — Optimise mechanical and control parameters together. Skills: co-design, optimisation. Tools: Python. Simulator, 100 h+, Software only (free tools).
• Resilient Distributed Motion Control — Keep axes coordinated when network packets drop. Skills: networked control, resilience. Tools: controllers, network. Simulator, 100 h+, Software only (free tools).
• Bio-Inspired Walking Robot — Design a legged robot with central pattern generators. Skills: legged locomotion, CPG. Tools: servos, MCU. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Vision-Based Visual Servoing Arm — Control an arm directly from image features. Skills: visual servoing, control. Tools: camera, arm. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Tag — Power a machine-mounted sensor tag from vibration. Skills: energy harvesting, low power. Tools: harvester, MCU. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Predictive Digital Twin of a Packaging Line — Predict jams and slowdowns from live line data. Skills: digital twins, prediction. Tools: Python, data. Digital twin, 100 h+, Software only (free tools).
• Micro-Assembly Station With Vision — Assemble millimetre parts with vision and precision stages. Skills: micro-assembly, vision. Tools: stages, microscope camera. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Human Intention Prediction for Cobots — Predict reach targets of a human to plan robot motion. Skills: intention prediction, HRI. Tools: camera, Python. Simulator, 100 h+, $150+.
• Fault-Tolerant Multi-Actuator System — Reconfigure control when one actuator fails. Skills: fault-tolerant control, control reallocation. Tools: simulation, rig. Simulator, 100 h+, $150+.
• Autonomous Greenhouse Mechatronics — Integrate sensing, actuation and scheduling for a greenhouse robot. Skills: system integration, autonomy. Tools: robot, sensors. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Tactile Sensor Skin — Build a pressure-sensing skin and map contacts on a robot. Skills: tactile sensing, arrays. Tools: FSR/capacitive array. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Smart Manufacturing Testbed With OPC UA — Connect machines, robots and MES through OPC UA information models. Skills: interoperability, OPC UA. Tools: OPC UA stack, devices. Workflow, 100 h+, Software only (free tools).
• Underwater ROV Thruster Control — Control ROV thrusters for depth and heading hold. Skills: underwater robotics, control. Tools: ROV kit, sensors. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.
• Mechatronic Lab Automation Robot — Automate pipetting tasks with a gantry robot and verify accuracy. Skills: lab automation, precision. Tools: gantry, pipette. Hardware build, 100 h+, $150+.

Project ideas for every branch · Mechatronics Engineering roadmap