Motion Control

Ping Pong Bot Returns Shots with High-Speed Precision

The new table tennis bot comprises a multijointed robotic arm that is fixed to one end of a ping pong table and wields a standard ping pong paddle. Aided by several high-speed cameras...

Soft Robot Can Carry Cargo Up and Down Steep Aerial Wires

Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates...

Eldercare Robot Helps People Sit and Stand, and Catches Them If They Fall

The United States population is older than it has ever been. Today, the country’s median age is 38.9, which is nearly a decade older than it was in 1980. And the...

Remotely Moving Objects Underwater Using Sound

Sound can do more than just provide a nice beat. Sound waves have been used for everything from mapping the seafloor to breaking apart kidney stones. Thanks to a unique material structure,...

Product Focus: Class 1 Laser Line Scanner Delivers Vision with Sub-Millimeter Depth Precision

SiLC Technologies (Monrovia, CA) unveiled Eyeonic Trace for the first time at Automate 2025. A Class 1 Laser Line Scanner, Eyeonic Trace is an...

Tech Focus: Robots That Think and Act on the Fly at Moving Assembly Line Speeds

In the race to bring automotive manufacturing back home, the general assembly shop, the most manual and unpredictable stage of vehicle production, remains the...

Safety in Motion: Setting the Standard for Humanoid Robots

With AI advancements, hardware improvements, and a lot of media attention, humanoid robots are gaining significant momentum in the industry. Safety of these robots, however, is too...

Product Focus: Güdel Introduces Swiss Quality Tracks for Cobots

At Automate 2025, Güdel Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI), is highlighting two new technologies — Cobomover™ and a modular track system — that demonstrate its ability to solve...

Tech Focus: Advancing Inline Quality Control with High-Precision 3D Metrology

A new state-of-the-art robot-assisted 3D inspection and metrology system designed for real-time quality control in manufacturing, is being showcased by senswork...

Product Focus: An AI-Ready Automation Controller with Built-In Cellular Connectivity

Montreal-based Vention, creator of the full-stack software and hardware automation platform, recently announced the commercial availability of its powerful...

Beyond the Hype: The Real Impact of Robotics in Manufacturing

While AI-driven robotics is driving greater efficiency and productivity, the manufacturing sector still faces several challenges that need to be addressed. How can manufacturers prepare for this new era of automation? Ujjwal Kumar, Group President, Teradyne Robotics, one of the keynote speakers at Automate 2025, shares his insights about the future of automation.

How Much Do You Know About Servo Systems?

Without servo systems, there would be no automated factories. Since they’re so common, this quiz ought to be easy. Try it and see. How much do you know about servo systems? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

This Tiny Robot Could Save Your Life One Day

A tiny, soft, flexible robot that can crawl through earthquake rubble or travel inside the human body may seem like science fiction, but a team is pioneering such adaptable robots by integrating flexible electronics with magnetically controlled motion.

RoboBee Comes in for a Landing

The Harvard RoboBee has long shown it can fly, dive, and hover like a real insect. But what good is the miracle of flight without a safe way to land? A storied engineering achievement by the Harvard...

Engineering a Robot That Can Jump 10 Feet High — Without Legs

Inspired by the movements of a tiny parasitic worm, Georgia Tech engineers have created a 5-inch soft robot that can jump as high as a basketball hoop. Their device, a silicone...

Tiny, Soft Robot Flexes Its Potential as a Life Saver

A tiny, soft, flexible robot that can crawl through earthquake rubble to find trapped victims or travel inside the human body to deliver medicine may seem like science fiction, but an...

5Ws of a Morphing Robot

GOAT (Good Over All Terrains), a bioinspired robot developed at EPFL, can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle.

Navigating the Challenges of Motor Commutation

Motor commutation involves the process of switching between motor phases to ensure smooth, continuous operation. In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of commutation, explain how it works, and discuss the challenges faced when trying to pair different motors and drives, especially across brands.

New Products

See the new products, including igus' aluminum version of its drylin ® NT-60 telescopic rail; Tolomatic Inc.'s online Drive Integration Tool; Flexiv's KURAVIZON adaptive robot; Thomson Industries' upgrade to its stepper motor linear actuator online selector tool, which adds the ability to include encoders in the design process; and more.

A Training Method for Multiagent Systems Promises Safe Operation

A team of MIT engineers has developed a training method for multiagent systems that can guarantee their safe operation in crowded environments. Read on to learn more about it.

How Automakers Boost Quality via Servo-Electric Test Systems

Today, electrically actuated (servo-electric) test systems have emerged as a preferred alternative to servo-hydraulics that have traditionally been used. Michigan-based eMpulse Test Systems is a supplier of these advanced testing systems. Read on to learn more.

A Robust and Adaptive Controller for Ballbots

A Ballbot is a unique kind of robot with great mobility, which possesses the ability to go in all directions. Obviously, controlling such a robotic device must be tricky. Indeed, ballbot systems...

New Research Sheds Light on Using Multiple CubeSats for In-Space Servicing and Repair Missions

As more satellites, telescopes, and other spacecraft are built to be repairable, it will take reliable trajectories for service spacecraft to...

Exploring Earth Science with a New Navigational System

NASA and its partners recently tested an aircraft guidance system that could help planes maintain a precise course even while flying at high speeds up to 500 mph. The instrument is...

MIT Engineers Develop a Fully 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

An electrospray engine applies an electric field to a conductive liquid, generating a high-speed jet of tiny droplets that can propel a spacecraft. These miniature engines are...