Mechanical/Mechatronics

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Access the latest news and technical advancements impacting Mechanical and Fluid systems. Explore articles and technical briefs about fastening, joining, mechanical components, fluid handling, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMs).

Stories

Products: Motion Control

New Products

Industrial robots, motor disconnect switches, position sensors, and more.

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New on the Market: February 2021

Disconnect terminal blocks, oscillioscope probes, test modules, and more.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D-Printed Composites for High-Temperature Uses

The polyimide composites have uses in aerospace, automotive, construction, electronics, mechanical systems, and industrial machinery.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Kodiak 3D LiDAR

This system provides low-cost, reliable 3D LiDAR images in nearly any lighting condition.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Executive Roundtable: Facility & Network Security

Tech Briefs asks industry experts about cybersecurity, the cloud, wireless devices, and securing a remote workforce.

Facility Focus: Robotics, Automation & Control

Facility Focus: University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering

Some of the technologies coming from the UT labs include COVID antibody tests, self-watering soil, and the "DRACO" robot.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Stretchable Micro-Supercapacitors Self-Power Wearable Devices

A stretchable system can harvest energy from human breathing and motion.

INSIDER: Motion Control

Chemically Driven Wheels “Morph” Into Gears

University of Pittsburgh researchers have utilized a catalytic reaction that causes a two-dimensional, chemically coated sheet to spontaneously “morph” into a three-dimensional gear.

Briefs: Packaging & Sterilization

Inexpensive Method Decontaminates Personal Protective Equipment

The system uses off-the-shelf materials combined with ultraviolet lights to decontaminate N95 masks.

Briefs: AR/AI

“Stethoscope” Monitors Machine Quality and Functionality

This system provides low-cost monitoring for machine health with audio-based artificial intelligence.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Liquid Sorbent Carbon Dioxide Removal System

Applications include aerospace, automotive, commercial spaceflight, scuba diving equipment, and for first responders.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Biocontainment Unit for Virus-Sized Particles

The unit could help healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients.

Facility Focus: Robotics, Automation & Control

Facility Focus: Stanford University School of Engineering

Stanford University’s School of Engineering has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Spiraling Robotic Gripper 'Twines' Like a Plant

As engineering professor Mable Fok saw how the pole beans in her garden wrapped tightly around any objects nearby, she had an idea: What if a robotic gripper could do the same thing?

INSIDER: Motion Control

Miniscule Machines Made of Metal and Plastic

Researchers have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometer-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. The micromachines are made out of metal and plastic, in...

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Programmable Balloons for Shape-Morphing Devices

Kirigami balloons could be used in shape-changing actuators for soft robots, minimally invasive surgical devices, and macro structures for space exploration.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

SpaceCube 2.0 Flight Card Mechanical System

Applications include mechanical aerospace manufacturing and thermal structure manufacturing.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Device Camouflages Wearer from Heat-Detecting Sensors

Researchers developed a wearable technology that can hide its wearer from heat-detecting sensors such as night vision goggles, even when the ambient temperature changes. The technology can...

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Nanoscale Thermal Switches

These switches are key to thermal management of nanoscale devices, refrigeration, data storage, thermal computing, and heat management of buildings.

Articles: Internet of Things

Facility Focus: Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego

Jacobs' scientists are helping to make contract-tracing apps, emergency-use ventilators, and even squid-bots.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Glove-Like Device Mimics Sense of Touch

The soft, wearable device simulates the sense of touch and has wide potential in medical and industrial applications.

Articles: Imaging

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — NiobiCon™

The NiobiCon™ underwater connector will not short out, corrode, or cause an electrical shock if touched while powered in harsh environments like saltwater.