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Question of the Week
Should BP be permitted to continue to drill in the Gulf of Mexico?
This week's Question of the Week concerns the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to recent news reports, BP said they may drill a new well in the Macondo reservoir -- the source of one of the world's worst oil spills. Proponents believe that BP's earnings from drilling in...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Innovative paving slabs that are coated in titanium dioxide nanoparticles can reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst; it uses sunlight to accelerate a naturally occurring...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Starting in 2011, energy suppliers in Germany will be required to offer electricity at variable rates under the German Energy Act. A new energy management software platform will enable customers to...
News: Energy
By producing biochar - a charcoal-like substance made from plants and other organic materials - up to 12 percent of the world's human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be sustainably offset,...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
By planting switchgrass and using certain agronomic practices, farmers can significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen and nitrates that leach into the soil, according to Iowa State...
Question of the Week
With the prevalence of e-readers, will e-books eventually replace printed books?
This week's Question of the Week concerns the battle between digital volumes and their printed counterparts. From Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad to Sony's e-Reader and Barnes & Noble's Nook, digital reading is obviously here to stay. This is especially true when...
Videos: Energy
Stanford engineers have discovered a process called photon enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity, and could...
Question of the Week
Is WikiLeaks a threat to national security?
This week's question concerns the recent story about the nearly 92,000 classified U.S. Military documents leaked by the Web site WikiLeaks.org. The organization's Web site claims, "We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government, and stronger...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Robots are capable of very precise motion, but must be guided with precision in order to fulfill their potential. Consider the task of guiding a robotic surgeon’s arm to suture a wound or...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Robotic devices have been used in the medical industry for more than 40 years. Despite the advantages, researchers have faced unique challenges in developing effective, safe...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Progress has been made in the development of a family of robotic land vehicles having modular and minimalist design features chosen to impart a combination of robustness, reliability, and versatility....
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Compact, Lightweight Servo-Controllable Brakes
Compact, lightweight servo-controllable brakes capable of high torques are being developed for incorporation into robot joints. A brake of this type is based partly on the capstan effect of tension elements, which is described by the well known equation
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Robotic Arm Manipulator Using Active Control for Sample Acquisition and Transfer, and Passive Mode for Surface Compliance
A robotic arm that consists of three joints with four degrees of freedom (DOF) has been developed. It can carry an end-effector to acquire and transfer samples by using active control and comply with surface topology in a...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P. (Auburn, MA) offers the F206.S six-axis Hexapod alignment system that provides 6D motion with 33-nanometer resolution and alignment software for optics and photonics components. The system includes...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Thomson (Wood Dale, IL) has introduced the 500 Series Profile rails with an optional ball spacer carriage that reduces carriage running noise by up to 6 dB. The rails' design optimizes the surface interfaces between steel and...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
QuickSilver Controls (Covina, CA) offers the SilverSterling™ controller for NEMA 11, 17, and 23 frame brushless servo motors; DC brush motors; and voice coil actuators, providing a 5A RMS continuous drive with 7A peak at 12V to...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Bishop-Wisecarver Corp. (Pittsburg, CA) has introduced the HepcoMotion® PSD80 Profile screw-driven linear actuator with Herculane® wheel technology. Housed on an aluminum beam and fitted with a stainless steel...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
SKF Group (San Diego, CA) has introduced the Multilog Online System DMx, a multi-featured vibration monitor for conventional and hazardous environments. It can be directly installed within a hazardous area, removing or...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
DSC sensorless brushless motor drives from Koford Engineering (Winchester, OH) provide a programmable sensorless control for operation for 12- to 32-volt applications, with current up to 10 amps and speed of up to 96,000...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
DPGplus sealed two-finger parallel grippers from Schunk (Morrisville, NC) are available in sizes 240 and 300. A pneumatic drive with oval pistons and multitooth guides ensure the user precise gripping for production machine and...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The Snap-on Industrial Digital Torque Tester (DDT) from Snap-on Industrial (Kenosha, WI) features light weight and an integral transducer and rugged housing. It can be wall-mounted or used in a benchtop vise to allow the...
Products
Measurement Computing Corp., Norton, MA, has introduced the LGR-5320 series of standalone, multifunction data acquisition loggers. The devices enable users to collect high-speed correlated analog and digital data without a computer....
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Wittenstein (Bartlett, IL) offers the L-Version alpha SP + High Speed low-friction gearbox for applications requiring continuous duty with high nominal output speed and longer service life. Features include high maximum and nominal...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Edmund Optics (Barrington, NJ) has introduced the TECHSPEC Tip-Tilt stages for tilt control of both optics and mounting posts. They feature black anodized aluminum construction and are available in three stage sizes: 30-mm...
Tech Needs
Carbon-Based Nanotubes that Scale with Better Conductivity
A company seeks carbon nanotubes for conductive applications that, polymerized in bulk, can offer better conductivity than carbon materials in use today, and which are lighter in weight than current non-carbon conductors. The nanotubes should have conductivity approaching that of copper in...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The Tolomatic IMA from Tolomatic (Hamel, MN) is an integrated-motor, rod-style actuator that delivers up to 3,300 pounds of force when equipped with a new roller-screw option. It incorporates a hollow core rotor and skewed...
Tech Needs
System for Qualitative Analysis of Microorganisms
A company is seeking a system or method for qualitative analysis of microorganisms that can then classify them according to their taxonomy, thus identifying them. The company needs to formulate a new, single, robust assay that classifies a microorganism if known, and if unknown by the assay, flags...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Portescap (West Chester, PA) has introduced the R08 planetary gearhead that delivers continuous torque of 0.05 Nm within an overall envelope of 8 mm. The standard gearbox is available from 4 to 256 ratios, which can be...
Techs for License
Pre-Stressed Composite Riser Tubes Transfer Loads to Metal Fittings
This technology mates load-bearing composite tubes to the metal fittings that support them, thus allowing composites to be used in applications currently requiring steel risers. The composites are geometrically pre-stressed during construction and mated to their metal fittings in a...
Top Stories
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Engineers: Tech, Tools, and Gadgets
Blog: Power
Using Street Lamps as EV Chargers
INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs
Scientists Create Superconducting Semiconductor Material
Blog: Materials
This Paint Can Cool Buildings Without Energy Input
Blog: Software
Quiz: Power
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: AR/AI
The Real Impact of AR and AI in the Industrial Equipment Industry
Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control
Next-Generation Linear and Rotary Stages: When Ultra Precision...
Podcasts: Manufacturing & Prototyping
SAE Automotive Engineering Podcast: Additive Manufacturing
Podcasts: Defense
A New Approach to Manufacturing Machine Connectivity for the Air Force
On-Demand Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Streamlining Manufacturing with Integrated Digital Planning and Simulation
On-Demand Webinars: Automotive
