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.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Researchers Explore the Phenomenon of Holonomy

5 Ws: Robotics, Automation & Control
5Ws of the Light Sail
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
AI Co-Pilot Enhances Human Precision for Safer Aviation
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White Papers: Test & Measurement
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How Capacitive Sensors Shine in Industrial Environments

Learn how to use capacitive sensors in various measurement tasks and profit from unsurpassed stability and nanometer resolution — also in industrial applications. Capacitive sensors...

Quiz: Robotics, Automation & Control
As generative AI continues to evolve, we are seeing many new applications emerge across industries. How much do you know about generative AI? Take this quiz to test your knowledge.
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White Papers: Design
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How to Specify an Encoder That Withstands Heat, Vibration, and Contaminants

Encoders are often used in harsh industrial environments where they’re exposed to the same contaminants other machinery is, like dust, moisture, caustic chemicals,...

5 Ws: Design
A smart modular yardwork robot that can blow leaves and plow snow as well as achieve reductions in carbon emissions at the same time.
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White Papers: Motion Control
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How to Navigate Unique Automation Challenges in the Food and Beverage Industry

With the growing demand for items such as fruits, dairy products, and other resources in the food and beverage industry, the requirement for increased production...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
What are the opportunities and risks AI offers in manufacturing? How can manufacturers successfully implement AI and prepare their workforce to integrate it into their processes? What’s its future outlook? Tech Briefs asked four industry experts in this roundtable.
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Videos of the Month: Robotics, Automation & Control
See the videos of the month, including one on Purdue University researchers teaching robots how to navigate the swaying deck of a boat, one on a Carnegie Mellon-led team developing a soft robot to better understand an organism — the pleurocystitid — that existed 450 million years ago, and more.
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Briefs: Materials
NASA’s Langley Research Center has developed a simplified, tool-less automated tow/tape placement (ATP) system. This invention enables several benefits that mitigate limitations associated with conventional ATP systems. Read on to learn more.
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Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
See the products of tomorrow, including the University of Maryland's "cooling glass"; the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab's sensor that can perceive combinations of bending, stretching, compression, and temperature changes using color; Tufts' tiny biological robots; and more.
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White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
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3 Examples How Measurement Sensors Improve the Performance of Tooling Machines

Modern tooling machines comprise numerous sensors. Faster, more precise, higher productivity - these are the key requirements when developing new machine tools....

White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
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Single Pair Ethernet: Shaking up data transfer

As smart factories become commonplace, standard ethernet cables are struggling to meet the increased requirements of industrial applications. igus® has developed continuous-flex Single Pair...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

An inspection design method and procedure by which mobile robots can inspect large pipe structures has been demonstrated with the successful inspection of...

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INSIDER: Medical

People who received gentle electric currents on the back of their heads learned to maneuver a robotic surgery tool in virtual reality and then in a real...

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INSIDER: AR/AI

Engineers at Princeton University and Google have come up with a new way to teach robots to know when they don’t know. The technique involves quantifying the...

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White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
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Technology & Benefits of Advanced Inductive Position Sensor Technology

This white paper describes new and improved technology that offers engineers specific advantages in speed, accuracy and reliability over previous linear position...

Blog: AR/AI
Software is a key component of automation, and with AI, software developers will be able to create more customized and optimized solutions for various tasks and challenges.
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Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Photoelectric (PE) sensors represent a discrete sensor technology widely used throughout industry. They use the presence or absence of light to provide an on/off output to supervisory automation and monitoring systems, and are often the better choice for sensing manufacturing products.
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Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Called EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor), the self-propelled, autonomous robot was inspired by a desire to look for signs of life in the ocean hiding below the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus by descending narrow vents in the surface that spew geysers into space.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Using a new type of dual-polymer material capable of responding dynamically to its environment, researchers have developed a set of modular hydrogel components that could be useful in a variety of soft robotic and biomedical applications.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A research team has developed a robotic system that can be unobtrusively built into the frame of a standard honeybee hive. Composed of an array of thermal sensors and actuators, the system measures and modulates honeybee behavior through localized temperature variations.
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A team at ETH Zurich has developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.
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Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
If you missed the most-popular engineering stories of 2023 on Tech Briefs, see the list below.
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INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are used around the world to conduct difficult environmental, remote, oceanic, defense, and rescue missions in often unpredictable and harsh conditions.

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INSIDER: Test & Measurement

MIT engineers have developed a robotic replica of the heart’s right ventricle, which mimics the beating and blood-pumping action of live hearts.

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INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers and lift the box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and...

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White Papers: Medical
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Polymer Seals Optimize the Performance of Robot Joints
A Robotics Case Study by Omniseal Solutions™

Learn how our polymer seals optimize the performance of robot arm joints through precision and reduced wear and tear. Discover statistics...

Application Briefs: Power
Passive thermal control systems have been developed over years of research and product development and will serve as enabling technology for NASA’s VIPER and future missions.
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Quiz: Robotics, Automation & Control
Surgical robots allow doctors to perform complex procedures with more precision, flexibility, and control than possible with traditional techniques. Surgical robots are also sometimes used in conventional open surgical procedures.
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Videos