Motion Control/​Automation

Motion Control

Browse innovative developments in motion control technologies. Find essential news, technical briefs and applications used in PID controllers, servo motors, direct drive solutions, autonomous positioning, and motion-related components.

Stories

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INSIDER: Unmanned Systems
From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment....
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INSIDER: Unmanned Systems
Drone shows are an increasingly popular form of large-scale light display. These shows incorporate hundreds to thousands of airborne bots, each programmed to fly in paths that...
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White Papers: Motion Control
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Important Success Factors for Dry-running Bearings in Construction Machinery
Choosing between plastic and metal bearings for construction machinery is a decision many manufacturers have to make. However, it’s a deceptively simple choice, as...

5 Ws: Motion Control
With the goal to democratize space research, MIT engineers have demonstrated the first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting electrospray engine which can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the cost of traditional thruster.
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Briefs: Motion Control
In a recent study published in the journal eLife, an international research group has studied the relationship between electrical stimulation in stick insects’ leg muscles and the resultant torque (the twisting force that makes the leg move). Read on to learn what they found.
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Special Reports: Materials
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Aerospace Manufacturing - February 2025
The future of AI for aerospace manufacturing…3D‐printed engines propel next industrial revolution…engineering a new approach to satellite design. Read these and other advances in this compendium of...

INSIDER: Motion Control
DNA-nanoparticle motors are exactly as they sound — tiny artificial motors that use the structures of DNA and RNA to propel motion by enzymatic RNA degradation. Essentially,...
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INSIDER: Motion Control
In the future, autonomous drones could be used to shuttle inventory between large warehouses. A drone might fly into a semi-dark structure the size of several...
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INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
New NASA technology works within satellite swarms. This technology, called Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA), allows individual spacecraft to make independent...
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INSIDER: Automotive
Roundabouts are an increasingly common feature of U.S. roads, in part because they reduce both traffic delays and accidents. However, they rely on the judgment of drivers to ensure traffic flows...
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White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
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Avoid Over-engineering and Design Simpler, More Cost-effective Equipment
Over-engineering is a common source of additional design costs, yet without the benefit of improved performance or quality. Read this white paper for strategies to help...

5 Ws: Motion Control
MIT researchers are developing robotic insects that could someday swarm out of mechanical hives to rapidly perform precise pollination.
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Special Reports: Electronics & Computers
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Space Technology - January 2025
Engineering NASA's next great space telescope…how to build a better rocket…the groundbreaking material that could propel future space travel. Read about these and other exciting advances in this compendium of...

INSIDER: Data Acquisition
Cornell researchers in physics and engineering have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move...
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Blog: Design
New research from Duke University details a system dubbed SonicSense that allows robots to interact with their surroundings in ways previously limited to humans.
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point. The device, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robotic technologies that can be used to navigate and map unknown environments. The new soft robots are called twisted ringbots. Read on to learn more about them.
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Briefs: Manned Systems
Innovators at the NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a novel foot-pedal-operated system and device to control movement of an object in 3D space. The Foot Pedal Controller system enables operators to control movement of spacecraft, aircraft, and watercraft using only foot pedals. Read on to learn more.
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INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
In 2018, Google DeepMind's AlphaZero program taught itself the games of chess, shogi, and go, using machine learning and a special algorithm to determine the best moves to win a game within a...
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INSIDER: Nanotechnology
A novel device couples magnetic fields and kirigami design principles to remotely control the movement of a flexible dimpled surface, allowing it to manipulate...
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INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
EPFL researchers have built a drone that can walk, hop, and jump into flight with the aid of birdlike legs, greatly expanding the range of potential environments accessible to unmanned aerial...
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Articles: AR/AI
As technology advances, so do we as skilled professionals in the automation industry. Much like artificial intelligence, we continuously learn and adapt to enhance our overall performance. AI advancement and straightforward learning algorithms have transformed how we implement servo systems. Read on to learn more.
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
See the new products, including the TNC7 control system from HEIDENHAIN; ATI Industrial Automation's GBX 10 Gigabit Tool Changer Ethernet Module; Emerson's Rosemount™ 802 Wireless Multi-Discrete Input or Output Transmitter; Moticont's two 15.9 mm (0.625 in.) diameter Linear Voice Coil Motors, the LVCM-016-019-01M (Metric) and the LVCM-016-019-01 (Imperial); and much more.
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Articles: Motion Control
Speed and efficiency are bedrocks of operational efficiency but are only proven in processes that are strategically optimized. Read on to learn more about what this means.
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
MIT engineers have developed a method that enables robots to make similarly intuitive, task-relevant decisions. The team’s new approach, named Clio, enables a robot to identify the parts of a scene that matter, given the tasks at hand. Read on to learn more about Clio.
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Application Briefs: Motion Control
To upgrade its existing line of laboratory and high-speed production equipment, Genesis called on Moxley Electronics, a trusted distributor of automation components from Mitsubishi Electric. Read on to learn what happened.
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Special Reports: Medical
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Robotics - November 2024
Read about the latest breakthroughs in robots for space exploration, healthcare, factory automation, hazardous waste cleanup, and more in this collection of articles from the editors of Tech Briefs, Medical Design...

Special Reports: Software
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Medical Manufacturing & Outsourcing - November 2024
Unlocking the power of data for pharma manufacturing…solving testing challenges in medical device packaging…personalizing medications on a 3D printer. Read about these and other advances...

INSIDER: Medical
Researchers at the German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen, have developed a novel training protocol for brain-computer interfaces in a...
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INSIDER: Design
A peek through an optical microscope reveals a hidden universe teeming with life. Nature has devised ingenious methods for micro-organisms to navigate their viscous...
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