Stories
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Researchers have developed a self-contained wheel unit that combines a wheel and an electric motor.
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
The technology can be used in commercial motors, robotic systems, and hybrid and electric vehicles.
Application Briefs: Motion Control
The ESA has commissioned its industry partners to design a new docking system called the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM).
Application Briefs: Motion Control
Salty air the Dutch city of Harlingen causes exposed metal parts to corrode.
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
A Tech Briefs reader asks: What's next with military motion control?
Articles: Motion Control
The characteristics of hybrid drives present a practical solution when a position needs to be detected with high precision
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
In the digital age, the measurement of rotation of a mechanical shaft on a motor or a rotating instrument knob needs to be done quickly and efficiently....
Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Brushless Servo Motor
maxon precision motors (Taunton, MA) released the EC-i30 20W brushless servomotor with integrated electronics. With an integrated 4-quadrant speed controller, the motor is available as a 5-wire version. Both...
Briefs: Motion Control
A set of five tiny fundamental parts can be assembled into a wide variety of functional devices including a tiny “walking” motor that can move back and forth across a surface or...
Briefs: Software
A smartphone app was developed that allows a user to easily program any robot to perform a mundane activity such as picking up parts from one area and delivering them to another. The app, called VRa, uses...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
We interviewed an industry expert about the role of inductive position sensors in the IIoT.
Briefs: Motion Control
Antenna Near-Field Probe Station Scanner
Antenna characterization techniques are often expensive and time-consuming. NASA’s Glenn Research Center developed a highly versatile and automated system to perform characterization of single or multiple small circuit antennas, printed on-wafer or on other substrates, by measuring the antenna’s...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
The Advanced Explosive Ordnance Disposal Robotic System (AEODRS) features a modular open systems architecture that enables the robot to be self-righting after a fall. The self-righting...
Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Miniature Linear Translation Stages
PI, L.P. (Auburn, MA) offers the L-505 miniature linear translation stages for precision motion, alignment, and positioning applications where space is limited. They are available with...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Stepper motors and stepper-based linear actuators are often selected for open-loop motion control devices and equipment. These can be found in a wide range of products and systems...
Briefs: Motion Control
Conventional pistons are made of a rigid chamber and a piston inside that can slide along the chamber’s inner wall while at the same time maintaining a tight seal. As a result, the piston...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
There is great potential in using both drones and ground-based robots for situations like disaster response, but generally these platforms either fly or creep along the ground. The flying...
INSIDER: Motion Control
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...
INSIDER: Motion Control
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...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Rotary Ball Spline
NB Corporation of America (Hanover Park, IL) released a rotary ball spline that can be used for both rotational and linear motion. Applications include SCARA robots, the vertical shaft of assembly equipment,...
Briefs: Aerospace
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...
Briefs: Motion Control
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: Electronics & Computers
Double-Fed Induction Linear Alternator
This technology was developed to address the limitations of traditional, single-fed linear alternators that require permanent magnets, adhesive bonding organics, and heavy iron laminations for flux control. They experience eddy-current losses and require electromagnetic interference protection. Furthermore,...
Briefs: Aerospace
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: Motion Control
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 wear,...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Doctoral Programs student Ayato Kanada came up with his leech-like robot in a place you’d least expect it: His bathroom.
Blog: Aerospace
Three new unmanned helicopters were unveiled at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL show in Chicago.
Top Stories
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
2025 Holiday Gift Guide for Engineers: Tech, Tools, and Gadgets
INSIDER: Energy
Scientists Create Superconducting Semiconductor Material
Blog: Software
Blog: Materials
This Paint Can Cool Buildings Without Energy Input
Quiz: Automotive
Blog: Semiconductors & ICs
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The Real Impact of AR and AI in the Industrial Equipment Industry
Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control
Next-Generation Linear and Rotary Stages: When Ultra Precision...
Upcoming Webinars: Transportation
Hydrogen Engines Are Heating Up for Heavy Duty
Podcasts: Medical
How Wearables Are Enhancing Smart Drug Delivery
Podcasts: Automotive
SAE Automotive Podcast: Solid-State Batteries
Podcasts: Test & Measurement
