Magazine

Sodium Battery Is Capable of Rapid Charging in Just a Few Seconds

A research team has developed a high-energy, high-power hybrid sodium-ion battery capable of rapid charging. The innovative hybrid energy storage system integrates anode materials typically used in batteries with cathodes suitable for supercapacitors. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation's CZ39 series of coreless current sensors, Bourns, Inc.'s latest miniature resettable thermal cutoff device series, Orion S.A.'s range of high-performance conductive additives that improve Li-ion battery performance, and Littelfuse, Inc.'s newest member of its eFuse Protection IC lineup, the LS0502SCD33S.

Batteries and Recycling: The Next Frontier

Recycling EV batteries has been a goal of the auto industry for many years, but the infrastructure to make that a widespread reality is still in the early stages. As the amount of used lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery cells coming from EVs increases, the industry is getting ready to turn them into fresh packs. Read on to learn more.

Developing Safer Batteries with Solid-State Polymer Electrolytes

A 100 percent solid-state, high-performance polymer electrolyte addresses issues with liquid electrolytes for safer battery cell designs. Read this article to learn more.

Reducing Plasma Cutting Cycle Time with a Cobot Cutter

The integration of the plasma-cutting cobot at Tank Technologies stands as a compelling example of how automation can drive efficiency, accuracy, and employee satisfaction in manufacturing. By embracing this technology, Tank Technologies has significantly improved the productivity and safety of their plasma cutting applications.

How a Shear Manufacturer Improved Accuracy While Reducing Costs

Learn about the Force Control Model LC, a form of closed loop positioning control. It reads the machine position on each stop and adjusts, in real time, where to signal the stop for the next part/cycle. Read on.

Tactile Sensing Strategy Enables Accurate Object Detection

Researchers from Tsinghua University worked to break through the difficulties of robotic recognition of various common, yet complex, items. Read on to learn more.

Miniature 3D-Printed Actuators to Control Soft Robots

Researchers from NC State University have demonstrated mini soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers also demonstrated that this technique works with shape memory materials.

A Robot to Aid People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Engineers at the University of California San Diego in collaboration with clinicians, people with MCI, and their care partners have developed CARMEN, short for Cognitively Assistive Robot for Motivation and Neurorehabilitation — a small, tabletop robot designed to help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) learn skills to improve memory, attention, and executive functioning at home.

Engineered Skin Tissue Grants Robots Special Properties and Abilities

Researchers have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots. This brings with it potential benefits to robotic platforms such as increased mobility, self-healing abilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an increasingly lifelike appearance.

Product Showcase

See the product showcase, which includes Bodine type 42R hypoid gearmotors; the Pyramid Connectable (“PC”) Twisted Belt; the IMI Norgren VR Valve Manifold; CENTRUM CSF40, a stainless steel encoder scale disc; KHK USA's gear for motion design; ABB Robotics' OmniCore, an intelligent automation platform that is faster, more precise, and more sustainable; and much more.

When Is Precision Motion Control the Right Choice?

Precision motion control solutions supply an even higher level of motor control, often synchronized over several axes of motion or motors. But when are they the right choice? Read this story to find out.

The Crucial Role of Bearings in the Humanoid Robotics Revolution

In the ever-evolving robotics landscape, achieving precise and seamless motion is paramount. While articulating joints enable a robot’s range of motion, bearings serve as the backbone, ensuring smooth and accurate movement. Particularly in humanoid robots where precision is non-negotiable, the selection of bearings becomes a critical engineering decision. Design engineers must consider the diverse range of robotic bearings, how backlash affects precision, and when to use seals to protect bearings from harsh environments.

Event Sensors Are Changing the Paradigm in Machine Vision

Event-based vision is well on its way to establishing itself as a paradigm that will create a new standard in many markets requiring efficiency in how machines can see. Over the past several years, it has successfully evolved to meet a wider range of uses. And by continuing to adapt and address the requirements of many applications, we will see more event-based cameras all around us.

Generative AI: Reshaping the Industrial Value Chain with the Industrial Copilot

Companies worldwide are faced with a shortage of skilled labor as experienced workers retire and not enough new talent enters the workforce to compensate. To address this, companies must find a way to capture knowledge from experienced workers and make it both accessible and enticing to new hires. Generative AI can help address this by transforming the way humans and machines interact and collaborate using solutions such as Siemens Industrial Copilot.

Creating 2D All-Organic Perovskites

Perovskites are among the most researched topics in materials science. Recently, a research team solved an age-old challenge to synthesize all-organic two-dimensional perovskites, extending the field into the exciting realm of 2D materials. This breakthrough opens up a new field of 2D all-organic perovskites, which holds promise for both fundamental science and potential applications.

Portable Science Enclosure Features Unique Innovations

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have designed a science enclosure system for science experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It allows users the ability to safely manipulate objects of study within the transparent enclosure by utilizing protective boundary layer innovations whose designs may be transferable to other containment systems.

International Space Station Uses Cordierite Ceramic Mirror for Optical Communication

A cordierite ceramic mirror was used first time in experimental equipment to conduct optical communication between the International Space Station and a mobile optical station on Earth.

Increasing Agricultural Yields, Efficiency, and Sustainability with AI

Professor Chris Reberg-Horton and his colleagues at North Carolina State University’s Plant Sciences Initiative are taking hundreds of thousands of plant photos and, with the university’s newly acquired Grace Hopper 200 supercomputer, are using them to create the world's largest agricultural image repository.

NASA’s Noise-Testing Tool Finds Applications Beyond Aircraft

Wireless microphone array quickly, cheaply, accurately maps noise from aircraft and much more.

5Ws of the Neuromorphic AI Drone

A team of researchers at Delft University of Technology has developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing and control based on the workings of animal brains.

The Rise of the Celestial Assembly Line

The concept of space factories holds immense potential to revolutionize space exploration and benefit humanity on Earth. By leveraging advancements in 3D printing, robotics, and automation, these celestial assembly lines will pave the way for a more sustainable and cost-effective space economy.

Advancing Technologies for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing

Greg Richardson leads COSMIC as the Executive Director of the consortium and primary interface to NASA. He is also a principal engineer/scientist in the Human Exploration and Space-flight Division at The Aerospace Corporation. In this interview, he elaborates on the future vision of COSMIC and how the organization will coordinate work to help accelerate ISAM activities that will foster the future space economy.

In-Space Manufacturing of Self-Replicating Machines

How do we get to a future of self-replicating, Von Neumann space probes? What are some of the steps required to convert the Asteroid Belt into a partial Dyson Sphere? The answer lies in ISAM or in-space servicing assembly and manufacturing, 3D printing on-orbit, and fully automated, ‘lights-out’ production on-Earth.

Beyond Earth: The Future of In-Space Servicing

It no longer requires the imagination of Arthur C. Clarke to see where the space industry is headed. We need only to look at every other system of vehicles, appreciate the falling technical roadblocks, and observe the regulations and resources environment. It is with confidence that we ask not, “if?” but, “when?” We invite you to consider, “what’s next?” because almost anything becomes possible with the right foundations in place.

In-Space Manufacturing to Benefit the Future of Human Health on Earth and in Space

As new commercial stations enable the creation of in-space factories that leverage microgravity to improve products for use on Earth, large-scale 3D bioprinting will significantly benefit from it.

Engineering Next-Generation Expandable Habitats for Living in Space

If we were to live and work in space, it’s essential to change the paradigm of affordable habitats in space and economically accommodate venues ranging from science to farming to entertainment and government applications. Expandable modules have the potential to pave the way for humankind’s off-planet existence, whether on the Moon, Mars, or beyond.

Medical-Grade Smartwatch Can Monitor Astronauts, Patients

The wrist-worn device astronauts have been using to collect data is going out of production, and the EmbracePlus could address some of the limitations of the previous device, including comfort and connectivity, especially given that the other device doesn’t stream data in real time.

Control Valves: Essential Components for EV Battery Manufacturing and Recycling

Recovery of valuable elements within the EV battery is essential for the health and viability of the industry. In recycling used EV batteries, controls valves are required. Read on to learn more.