Mechanical/Mechatronics

Stay updated on advancements in mechanical components and mechatronics systems. New technologies in MEMs, fluid systems, and propulsion are driving breakthroughs in transportation, electrification, autonomous driving, and manufacturing.

Stories

Briefs: Transportation

Shape Memory Alloy Tubular Structure

Applications include vehicle and aircraft tires, sports helmets, military equipment, and seals and couplings.

Briefs: Aerospace

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-Enabled Actuators

SMA tube elements drive rotary and ring gear motion in compact, powerful actuators.

Briefs: Motion Control

Soft Mate Lifting Device

This below-the-hook device enables gentle crane placement to decrease the risk of property damage.

Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Back to Basics: Improving Your Drives Investment

An OEM must think about how to build a machine that will work on any kind of power system.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Basic Pneumatic Circuits

These common pneumatic circuits can be used alone or as building blocks in larger pneumatics systems.

Application Briefs: Data Acquisition

Giving Robots Better Moves

RightHand Robotics combines machine vision with an intelligent gripper design to make more adaptable robots.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Coiled Linear Actuators for Soft Robotics

This artificial muscle technology enables more human-like motion.

Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Products

Linear motion bearings, magnetic angle encoders, isolation valves, and more.

Briefs: Motion Control

NanoGear Molecular Gear

Oscillatory and rotational motions of different parts are combined to pave the way to developing super-miniaturized mechanical devices.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Making High-Duty-Cycle Industrial Automation Affordable

A new generation of long-life electric linear actuators has emerged to give designers more flexibility.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

A Soft Robot Replaces Electronics With 'Air Power'

While soft robots hold promise in applications ranging from search-and-rescue efforts to wearable exoskeletons, the technologies are often held back by the electronics, says William Grover, a...

Podcasts: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Hearing Aids

This episode of our Tech Briefs podcast series Here’s an Idea™ explores a variety of new-and-improved hearing aids, from $5 “do-it-yourself” devices to advanced systems that monitor brain waves.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

How the Scalable 'Coventor' Stacks Up to a Traditional Ventilator

Learn how a low-cost machine known as the 'Coventor' stacks up to a traditional ventilator.

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Self-Driving Model Navigates a Tough Traffic Problem: Narrow Streets

A self-driving algorithm guides an autonomous vehicle through a traffic scenario that many of us know well: navigating traffic on a crowded, narrow street.

Question of the Week: Automotive

Will Interstate Power Coils Charge Electric Vehicles as They Drive?

Our “Q&A” article in the July issue of Tech Briefs highlighted the work of Dr. Burak Ozpineci from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ozpineci and his team are building a wireless power-transmission system that charges an electric vehicle as it drives along the road.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Robot That Moves Like a Bug (and a Cheetah)

UC Berkeley engineers have created a lightweight and durable robot that achieves exquisite control and agility by modulating the electrostatic forces between its feet and surfaces.

Special Reports: Electronics & Computers

Vehicle Electrification - July 2021

GM electrifies the new Corvette...a French nanomaterials company aims for a 5-minute EV recharge...Triumph unveils a radical new electric sportbike design. These are just a few of the innovations you'll read...