Motion Control/​Automation

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Explore the latest developments in motion control and automation. Discover innovative advances from NASA and major research labs in robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, PID controller applications, motor drives and power transmissions.

New Products: August 2019 Motion Design
Products: Motion Control

New Products: August 2019 Motion Design

Hybrid Robot Flies, Creeps, and Leaps Off Buildings
Motion Design: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Hybrid Robot Flies, Creeps, and Leaps Off Buildings
Shutoff Device Controls and Meters Flows in Harsh Environments
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
Shutoff Device Controls and Meters Flows in Harsh Environments
New Piston Design Features Soft, Flexible Materials
Motion Design: Motion Control
New Piston Design Features Soft, Flexible Materials
Cable Construction for Machine Vision Connectivity
Articles: Imaging
Cable Construction for Machine Vision Connectivity
Stepper Motor Drives: Factors to Help Determine Proper Selection
Articles: Test & Measurement
Stepper Motor Drives: Factors to Help Determine Proper Selection
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Webcasts

Upcoming Webinars: Materials

Lightweighting with Composites and Plastics

Upcoming Webinars: Materials

Material Solutions for e-Mobility

Upcoming Webinars: Software

The Future of Modeling is Here

Upcoming Webinars: Photonics/Optics

Freeform Optics Design for Illumination Applications

Upcoming Webinars: Imaging

Infrared Imaging Technology

Upcoming Webinars: Energy

Cooling Strategies for High-Power Electronics Cabinets

Latest Briefs & News

Sensor-Packed Glove Learns Signatures of the Human Grasp
Briefs: Motion Control

Sensor-Packed Glove Learns Signatures of the Human Grasp

With Embedded App, 'Anyone Can Program Robots'
Blog: Imaging

With Embedded App, 'Anyone Can Program Robots'

Blog : Aerospace
A Mars Mystery Continues, As Study Rules Out Wind Erosion’s Role in Methane Spikes
A Mars Mystery Continues, As Study Rules Out Wind Erosion’s Role in Methane Spikes
Researchers from Newcastle University continue to explore the source of Mars' mysterious methane.
A Mars Mystery Continues, As Study Rules Out Wind Erosion’s Role in Methane Spikes
Motion Design : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Build IIoT Networks with Smart Control and HMI Software
Build IIoT Networks with Smart Control and HMI Software

Programmable automation controllers (PACs) play the primary role in IIoT systems. Also referred to as machine controllers, PACs provide a centralized architecture; they act as the...

Build IIoT Networks with Smart Control and HMI Software
Briefs : Materials
Lunar Surface Manipulation System
Lunar Surface Manipulation System

NASA's Langley Research Center offers a novel lifting and precision positioning device with hybrid functional characteristics of both crane-type lifting devices and robotic manipulators. The design of the...

Lunar Surface Manipulation System
Articles : Manufacturing & Prototyping
Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles
Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles

The emergence of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving (AD) systems is gradually preparing consumers for a time where they relinquish control of their vehicles. A heated source of...

Simulation of Autonomous Vehicles
Articles : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Facility Focus: National Energy Technology Laboratory
Facility Focus: National Energy Technology Laboratory

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory — with sites in Anchorage, AK; Albany, OR; Morgantown, WV; and Pittsburgh, PA...

Facility Focus: National Energy Technology Laboratory
Q&A : Internet of Things
Q&A: “Neural Lander” Uses AI to Land Drones Smoothly

Soon-Jo Chung is Bren Professor of Aerospace in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) at Caltech and research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He and his team developed a method for using a deep neural network to help autonomous drones “learn” how to land more...

Briefs : Semiconductors & ICs
System Provides “Electric Eyesight” for Autonomous Vehicles
System Provides “Electric Eyesight” for Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles relying on light-based image sensors often struggle to see through blinding conditions such as fog. Sub-terahertz wavelengths, which are between microwave...

System Provides “Electric Eyesight” for Autonomous Vehicles
Briefs : Aerospace
Deployable Emergency Shutoff Device Blocks High-Velocity Fluid Flows

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a device and method for blocking the flow of fluid from an open pipe. The device plugs, controls, and meters the flow of gases and liquids. Anchored with friction fittings, spikes, or explosively activated fasteners, the device...

Briefs : Electronics & Computers
Wearable Liquid Unit Harvests Energy
Wearable Liquid Unit Harvests Energy

Researchers have created wearable technology to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. It presents a step toward the practical realization of self-powered, human-integrated technologies.

Wearable Liquid Unit Harvests Energy
Motion Design : Motion Control
Tiny “Walking” Motor Made with Five Parts
Tiny “Walking” Motor Made with Five Parts

A new approach developed at MIT to building robots is based on a set of five millimeter-scale components, all of which can be attached to each other by a standard connector. Using this simple kit...

Tiny “Walking” Motor Made with Five Parts
Motion Design : Motion Control
High-Sensitivity, Low-Noise MEMS Accelerometer
High-Sensitivity, Low-Noise MEMS Accelerometer

A high-sensitivity and low-noise MEMS accelerometer was developed using multi-layer metal structures composed of multiple metal layers. The accelerometer achieves 1 µG level resolution that...

High-Sensitivity, Low-Noise MEMS Accelerometer
News : Electronics & Computers
First Successful Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Without Brain Implants
First Successful Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Without Brain Implants

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, has made a breakthrough in the field of noninvasive robotic device...

First Successful Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm Without Brain Implants
News : Sensors/Data Acquisition
People with Mobility Issues Set to Benefit from Wearable Devices

The lives of thousands of people with mobility issues could be transformed thanks to ground-breaking research by scientists at the University of Bristol.

Blog : Robotics, Automation & Control
A Work of Art: Researchers Create Complex Actuators, Automatically
A Work of Art: Researchers Create Complex Actuators, Automatically
MIT's new way of automatically creating actuators is a bit like solving a Rubik's Cube.
A Work of Art: Researchers Create Complex Actuators, Automatically
Question of the Week : Manufacturing & Prototyping
Will ‘4D Knitting’ Lead to Better Robots and Wearables?

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have demonstrated "4D knitting. The computationally-controlled machines are being used to make a variety of soft textile objects.

Articles : Electronics & Computers
The Sensors Behind the GEN II Wearable Device
The Sensors Behind the GEN II Wearable Device

The population is aging and more people need healthcare support, which is having a big impact on the overall cost of medical care. As a result, authorities and health insurance companies are...

The Sensors Behind the GEN II Wearable Device