Motion Control

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

New Products: September 2020 Sensor Technology

Safety-critical MEMS, absolute pressure sensors, thermal imaging cameras, and more.

Blog: Test & Measurement

How to Guarantee Autonomous Driving Levels — When Vision is Obstructed

A reader asks: How can self-driving car manufacturers guarantee safety when snow, ice, or mud impair a vision system?

Podcasts: Motion Control

Here's an Idea: A Jumping 'SpaceBok' Robot Makes Giant Leaps Toward the Moon and Mars

Hendrik Kolvenbach sees the best way to get around on the moon as less of a step and more of a giant leap. Learn how Hendrik created a jumping space robot called Spacebok.

Application Briefs: Motion Control

Valve Leakage Detection in Industrial Pumps

As an integral part of onshore and offshore drilling, mud pumps circulate drilling fluids to facilitate drilling oil and natural gas wells. Mud pumps stabilize pressure and support the well during...

Briefs: Wearables

Process Creates Soft Actuated Objects Using Commercial Knitting Machines

This approach could be used to cost-effectively make soft robots and wearable technologies.

Articles: Imaging

Man vs Machine: Who Reigns Supreme for Quality Inspection?

When inspecting products for instance, machine vision is not only faster but also far more accurate.

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Traverse System Enables Vertical Farming

See how a system feeds plants, delivering about 5,417 gallons of water per hour.

Articles: Motion Control

Wiegand Wire: Energy Harvesting and More

With the emergence of a new generation of ultra-efficient electronic chips, the Wiegand technology is showing significant promise, especially in the exciting area of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Gripper Handles Freely Moving Cables

The gripper’s soft, sensitive fingers could enable robots to help with tying knots, wire shaping, or surgical suturing.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Wireless Aquatic Robot Cleans Water

Inspired by a coral polyp, this plastic mini robot moves by magnetism and light.

Briefs: Motion Control

Planetary Exploration Rover Avoids Sand Traps with “Rear Rotator Pedaling”

Complex locomotion techniques enable the rover to climb hills covered with soft granular material.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Flexible Feet Help Robots Walk Faster

This technology can help robots walk up to 40 percent faster on uneven terrain such as pebbles and wood chips.

Products: Electronics & Computers

New Products: August 2020 Motion Design

Positioning devices, vibration transmitters, brushless DC motors, and more.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Fluid-Filled Frequency-Tunable Mass Damper

Applications include absorbers, tuned mass dampers, harmonic absorbers, and seismic dampers.

Briefs: Materials

4D Printing of Morphing Structures

A new method manufactures complex shapeshifters for soft robots and biomedical implants.

INSIDER: Motion Control

Self-Latching Piezocomposite Actuator

NASA Langley has developed a self-latching piezocomposite actuator with power-off, set-and-hold capability. If integrated into an aerodynamic control surface or engine inlet, deflections could be...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotic Gripper Gets a Handle on a Challenging Object: Cables

We plug in our headphones everyday. Now a robot can perform the task.

Briefs: Imaging

Autonomous Boats Automatically Target and Clasp Onto Each Other

A fleet of “roboats” could transport people, collect trash, and self-assemble into floating structures.

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Optical In-Line VCSEL Testing

In-line testing of certain LEDs, using nanosecond pulses, will become more and more relevant with time-of-flight applications.

INSIDER: Motion Control

Smallest Motor in the World

The smallest motor in the world — consisting of just 16 atoms – measures less than one nanometer or about 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. The rotor rotates on the surface of the...

Articles: Materials

Don’t Blame it on the Bearings

New measurement methodologies can save you time that would otherwise be wasted on returning and reordering bearing.

Briefs: Imaging

Navigation Measurement Software

This program provides a relative navigation capability for spacecraft, remotely operated terrestrial vehicles, and machine vision.

Articles: Materials

Boosting Performance in Hydraulic Systems with Alternative Coatings

Taking a holistic approach to sealing systems in hydraulic systems using chrome alternatives helps engineers achieve optimum function.