Posted February 15th, 2007 by admin
NASA Tech Briefs INSIDER 02/15/2007
Case New Holland (CNH, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) has lessened the level of steering noise in the cabs of its 821 Case brand and LW190 brand wheel loaders by utilizing Char-Lynn Series 20 steering control unit from Eaton Hydraulics (Eden Prairie, MN). The cab noise issue was great enough to hold the assembly line while the matter was investigated. Researchers at Eaton tested several units to isolate the problem and constructed working prototypes with a lower decibel output.
Finding a sound solution depended on measuring the level of noise and the feel of the existing steering unit, comparing those measurements to acceptable noise ratings, and incorporating results into a product redesign. Eaton was able to produce quieter steering units within nine working days, assuring the assembly line stoppage was minimal.View this technology here.
Posted in Motion Control | Comments Off
Posted February 15th, 2007 by admin
NASA Tech Briefs INSIDER 02/15/2007
A joint effort between University of Washington (Seattle, WA) and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) researchers has revealed gyroscope-like structures in tobacco horn moth antennae that could lead to mechanical equivalents for miniature flying robots. The discovery allows the researchers to understand neural properties employing methods typically used to analyze electronic circuits, and the work also could be adapted in the development of robotic insects to test the understanding of flight itself.
“We are really good at building gyros for a 747 airplane, but if we want to make autonomous flying machines the size of a bird or smaller, we will need to engineer a version of the vibrating antennae. This information has the potential to help us design gyro-like stabilization capabilities for a small flying robot,†said Case biologist Mark Willis, who worked on the project.
Click here for the full story. View a video of the moth’s flight here .
Posted in Motion Control, Gyroscopes, Stabilization, Robots | Comments Off