Mechanical/​Mechatronics

Careful Heating Unlocks Unprecedented Sensitivity to Pressure in Semiconductor Materials

Stronger cell phone signals, more accurate sensors, and cleaner energy may be achieved by adding a simple step to the industrial fabrication process of...

Tape-Based Robot Reaches Far When Extended

It’s a game a lot of us played as children — and maybe even later in life: unspooling measuring tape to see how far it would extend before bending. But to engineers at the University of California San Diego, this game was an inspiration, suggesting that measuring tape could become a great material for a robotic gripper. Read on to learn more about their robot, GRIP-tape.

A Lightweight Floating Robot Replicates Nature

Researchers have developed a compact and versatile robot that can maneuver through tight spaces and transport payloads much heavier than itself. Smaller than a credit card and weighing 6 grams, the nimble swimming robot is ideal for environments with limited space like rice fields, or for performing inspections in waterborne machines. Read on to learn more.

Soft Robot Can Carry Cargo Up and Down Steep Aerial Wires

Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates...

Eldercare Robot Helps People Sit and Stand, and Catches Them If They Fall

The United States population is older than it has ever been. Today, the country’s median age is 38.9, which is nearly a decade older than it was in 1980. And the...

Remotely Moving Objects Underwater Using Sound

Sound can do more than just provide a nice beat. Sound waves have been used for everything from mapping the seafloor to breaking apart kidney stones. Thanks to a unique material structure,...

Product Focus: Güdel Introduces Swiss Quality Tracks for Cobots

At Automate 2025, Güdel Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI), is highlighting two new technologies — Cobomover™ and a modular track system — that demonstrate its ability to solve...

How Much Do You Know About Servo Systems?

Without servo systems, there would be no automated factories. Since they’re so common, this quiz ought to be easy. Try it and see. How much do you know about servo systems? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

How Amprius Is Advancing Energy Density for Electric Aircraft Batteries

Dr. Ionel Stefan, CTO, Amprius, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

Cislunar Space Exploration: Next Frontier for Propulsion Advancements

The race is on for leadership in cislunar space, considered a gateway to the future of space exploration. Yet operating in this domain introduces unique challenges for propulsion systems. Read on to learn more about the progress being made on the matter.

Is It a Material? Is It a Robot? It's Both!

Engineers have created a type of material that can expand, assume new shapes, move, and follow electromagnetic commands like a remotely controlled robot even though it lacks any motor or internal gears.

Engineering the EL9: Electra's Ultra Short Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

RoboBee Comes in for a Landing

The Harvard RoboBee has long shown it can fly, dive, and hover like a real insect. But what good is the miracle of flight without a safe way to land? A storied engineering achievement by the Harvard...

Engineering a Robot That Can Jump 10 Feet High — Without Legs

Inspired by the movements of a tiny parasitic worm, Georgia Tech engineers have created a 5-inch soft robot that can jump as high as a basketball hoop. Their device, a silicone...

New Wearable Tech Simulates Realistic Touch

When it comes to haptic feedback, most technologies are limited to simple vibrations. But our skin is loaded with tiny sensors that detect pressure, vibration, stretching, and more. Now,...

New High-Speed Microscale 3D-Printing Technique

Researchers at Stanford University have introduced a more efficient processing technique that can print up to 1 million highly detailed and customizable microscale particles a day. Read on to learn more about it.

Gear Motors Help Put the Squeeze on Materials Requiring Dewatering

The applications that require dewatering are too numerous to list in their entirety. Dewatering is a process that — as its name suggests — separates fluids from solids, often converting what would otherwise go down the drain or end up in a landfill into saleable products. Read on to learn more about it and how gear motors come into play.

MIT Engineers Develop a Fully 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

An electrospray engine applies an electric field to a conductive liquid, generating a high-speed jet of tiny droplets that can propel a spacecraft. These miniature engines are...