Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A New Model Offers Robots Precise Pick-and-Place Solutions

Pick-and-place machines are a type of automated equipment used to place objects into structured, organized locations. These machines are used for a variety of applications — from...

Leveraging CAD for Precision in Wide Field Star Imaging and Spectroscopy

Have you ever gazed at the vastness of the stars and wondered what else your CNC machine can create? Greg Green had the opportunity to find out when he joined the staff at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) in Waimea, Hawaii. Read on to find out what happened.

3D-Printed Actuators Can Move, Lock Soft Robots into New Shapes

Researchers have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Portable Engine Can Power Artificial Muscles in Assistive Devices

Researchers have developed a lightweight fluidic engine to power muscle-mimicking soft robots for use in assistive devices. What sets the new engine apart is its ability to...

Soft Robots + Artificial Muscles = Worm-Like Crawling and Biceps-Like Lifting

To demonstrate their new device, an actuator, the researchers used it to create a cylindrical, worm-like soft robot and an artificial bicep. In experiments, it navigated tight curves and was able to lift a 500-gram weight 5,000 times in a row.

3D-Printed Mini-Actuators Can Move Small Soft Robots, Lock Them Into New Shapes

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of...

Scientists Create Soft Robots Mimicking Human Skin to Provide Medical Treatment

Scientists have created innovative soft robots equipped with electronic skins and artificial muscles, allowing them to sense their surroundings and adapt their...

Molecular Crystal Motors Move Like Microbes When Exposed to Light

At first glance, Rabih O. Al-Kaysi’s molecular motors look like the microscopic worms you’d see in a drop of pond water. But these wriggling ribbons are not alive;...

Robotic Device Restores Wavelike Muscular Function in the Body

The soft-robotic prototype, driven by strong magnets controlled by a wearable external actuator, can aid patients suffering from blockages caused by tumors or those requiring stents.

A Soft Robot that Crawls like a Caterpillar

Researchers merged origami and modern materials science to create a soft robot that bends and twists through mazes with ease.

Mapping Gravity with Motion Control

As it turns out, motion control can not only help map the world — it might even make it a safer place. Read on to learn how and why.

Snail-Inspired Soft-Suction Climbing Robots

The team demonstrated that the sliding suction is a low-cost, energy-efficient, high-payload, and clean adhesive locomotion strategy, which has high potential for use in climbing robots, outdoor inspection robots, and robotic transportation.

Aligning Laser Antenna Optical Components for the LISA Space Mission

In January, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Program Committee approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, the first scientific endeavour to...

Tech Focus: A New Generation of Mechanical Axes

Festo (Islandia, NY) introduced its newest generation of Cartesian-handling-system mechanical axes at Automate 2024. The ELGD-TB, tooth belt, and ELGD-BS, ball screw, axes feature an...

How Much Do You Know About Automotive Sensors?

As more and more elements of automotive systems are computer-controlled, accurate system-wide sensors are critical for proper operations, whether in internal combustion, hybrid, or completely electric vehicles. How much do you know about automotive sensors? Take this quiz to test your knowledge.

A Novel Approach to Controlling Energy Waves in 4D

A team of scientists has successfully created a new synthetic metamaterial with 4D capabilities, including the ability to control energy waves on the surface of a solid material. These waves, called mechanical surface waves, are fundamental to how vibrations travel along the surface of solid materials.

Precision Motion Control: Six Elements To Consider for Photonics and Optics Alignment Applications

Whether you are manufacturing, inspecting, aligning or bonding, it is essential to have a fundamental understanding of precision motion principles to effectively engage with suppliers and choose one who will maximize your effectiveness. An ideal motion supplier will navigate your precision motion control journey alongside you as a partner who is invested in your longterm success.

New Octopus-Inspired Gripper Enables Versatile Soft Adhesion

A new robotic suction cup which can grasp rough, curved, and heavy stone, has been developed by scientists at the University of Bristol. The team studied the structures of octopus biological suckers, which have superb adaptive suction abilities enabling them to anchor to rock.

Flexible “Skeletons” for Soft, Muscle-Powered Robots

Our muscles are nature’s perfect actuators — devices that turn energy into motion. For their size, muscle fibers are more powerful and precise than most synthetic actuators. They...

New Products

See the new products, including ABB Robotics' expanded SCARA robot portfolio, Bodine's gearmotors, the C6675 control cabinet Industrial PC from Beckhoff, and KEB America's DL4 series of brushless servo motors.

Robots for Building Resilient Space Habitats

Led by Purdue University, the Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats institute's goal is to “design and operate resilient deep space habitats that can adapt, absorb and rapidly recover from expected and unexpected disruptions.”

Researchers Explore the Phenomenon of Holonomy

BB-8 of Star Wars fame is known for its adorable beeps, dome-shaped head, and spherical body. But fighting alongside the Resistance is just one of its many talents. As this spherical robot...

A Self-Driving Needle Steers Through Living Lung Tissue

The lungs are one of the most difficult organs for physicians to navigate. They have a dense network of blood vessels, bronchi, and other critical anatomical structures that makes...