Motion Control/​Automation

Topics:

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.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Vision Sensors in Factory Automation

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Cross-Training Made Possible by Common Control Platform
Motion Design: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Snake-Inspired Robot
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Calculating the Estimated Fatigue Life of a Disc Spring
Motion Design: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New Products: June 2019 Motion Design
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Want a Magnetized Medical Robot? Just 3D Print It
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Technology Leaders

Latest Briefs & News

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Energy-Efficient ‘SlothBot’ Moves Only When It Has To

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Leech-Like Robot Climbs Up the Walls

Special Reports : Robotics, Automation & Control
Powertrain

The latest powertrain innovations for cars and commercial vehicles are featured in this Special Report, a compendium of recent articles from the editors of Automotive Engineering and Truck & Off-Highway Engineering.

Special Reports : Automotive
Connected Commercial Vehicles

Trucks and other commercial vehicles are becoming smarter and more connected, moving rapidly on the road to autonomy. To help you keep pace with the latest developments, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Truck & Off-Highway Engineering and Autonomous Vehicle Engineering.

Special Reports : Robotics, Automation & Control
Automotive Manufacturing

Factories are getting smarter thanks to advances in robotics, analytics, simulation, metrology and more. To help you keep pace with the latest developments, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Automotive Engineering and Automotive Manufacturing & Machining.

Special Reports : Sensors/Data Acquisition
ADAS/Connected Car

Today's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected cars are paving the way for tomorrow's automated vehicles. To help you keep pace with the latest technology developments, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Automotive Engineering, Autonomous Vehicle Engineering, and Truck &...

Special Reports : Manufacturing & Prototyping
Robotics & Machine Vision

Advances in robotics and machine vision are transforming the factory floor. To help you keep pace with the latest developments in industrial automation, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Tech Briefs, Automotive Engineering, and Medical Design Briefs magazines.

Special Reports : Energy
Vehicle Electrification

Demand for electric vehicles is accelerating, with several major automakers announcing that their entire lineups will either be hybrid or all-electric by the 2020's. To help you keep pace with the rapid changes in vehicle electrification technology, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of...

Podcasts : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Here's an Idea: Candy
In this episode of Here's an Idea, we explore how candy manufacturers large and small turn to technology to support their newest, sweetest ideas.
Motion Design : Power
Pneumatics for Mechanical Motion

Employing fluid power to achieve mechanical motion can be implemented via hydraulics using uncompressible liquids or via pneumatics using compressible gasses; typically, air. The latter provides several...

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Ultra-Low-Power Chips Enhance Performance of Small Robots

An ultra-low-power hybrid chip inspired by the brain could help give palm-sized robots the ability to collaborate and learn from their experiences. Combined with new generations of...

Briefs : Imaging
Model Gives Robots a Better Feel for Object Manipulation

A new learning system improves a robot’s ability to mold materials into target shapes and make predictions about interacting with solid objects and liquids. The system, known as a...

Briefs : Motion Control
Gear Bearings

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developed gear bearing technology that combines gear and bearing functions into a single unit that significantly improves gear drives for electrical, internal combustion, and turbine motors. The...

Motion Design : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Plastic Bearings Redefine the Wheelchair

For wheelchair users, the feeling of uneven ground can seem all too familiar. Determined to make ride discomfort a thing of the past, Israel-based SoftWheel has completely reinvented the wheel for a...

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Smart, Soft, Back Orthosis Uses Real-Time Motion Detection

Back pain is inevitable with constrained posture over a number of hours. Permanent damage such as premature spine wear is not uncommon in people who do not adopt proper ergonomic posture. The same applies to those who frequently lift heavy objects.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Improved Directed Flux Motor

Electromagnetic motors typically convert electrical energy into rotational mechanical energy and are employed across a wide array of applications. While motors represent relatively mature technology, practitioners continue to seek ways to enhance motor operation including a decrease in cost, drop in size/weight,...

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Rotary Electrical Contact

Researchers have developed a fundamentally new type of rotary electrical contact that addresses the two limitations of conventional brush/slip ring technology: 1) short operating lifetime due to sliding-contact...

Products : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New on the Market: June 2019

Code Generator

dSPACE, Wixom, MI, offers Version 4.4 of TargetLink code generator software that features controller modeling with MATLAB® code from MathWorks. It describes algorithms and...

Briefs : Robotics, Automation & Control
Safety Analysis: The Key to a Single-Pass ISO26262 Random Fault Workflow

Advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous drive technologies increase the complexity of automotive integrated circuits (ICs), making it harder to ensure that...

Articles : Internet of Things
Key Factors to Consider When Designing a Smart Factory

In recent years, the emergence of Industry 4.0 has been steadily transforming the manufacturing sector into an ultra-high-tech industry. Innovative smart technologies such as robotics,...

Q&A : Test & Measurement
Q&A: 3D-Printed Hydrogel Blocks Can Aid Robotics and Diagnostics

Ian Y. Wong, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Engineering, Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology at Brown University in Providence, RI. He and colleagues have developed a new type of hydrogel blocks that can be assembled like LEGO®s.

INSIDER : Motion Control
Changing How Sound Moves Particles

Researchers at Aalto University have discovered a surprising phenomenon that changes how we think about how sound can move particles. Their experiment is based on an experiment in which particles move on a...

INSIDER : Motion Control
“Knitting” Soft Actuators

Carnegie Mellon University researchers used computationally controlled knitting machines to create knitted objects that are actuated by tendons. The objects emerge from the knitting machines in their desired...