Robotics, Automation & Control

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Mars 2020 – The Anatomy of Perseverance

NASA's Mars 2020 rover looks virtually the same as Curiosity but there are a number of differences.

Technology Leaders: Robotics, Automation & Control

RF Innovations Give Batteries New Life

Low-power radio design is enabling new connected IoT products for consumer, commercial, industrial, and medical markets.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Mars 2020 – Building Perseverance

Tech Briefs spoke with NASA’s Keith Comeaux, Deputy Project Chief Engineer, to learn more about the helicopter heading to Mars.

Facility Focus: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Facility Focus: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Engineering focuses on solving the “grand challenges” facing humanity.

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Mars 2020 – Looking for Life

Tech Briefs spoke with NASA’s Ken Williford, Mars 2020 Deputy Project Scientist, to learn more about the science capabilities of Perseverance.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Mars 2020 – Getting to Mars

Perseverance will have the ability to land in more challenging terrain than Curiosity, making more rugged sites eligible as safe landing candidates.

Q&A: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Q&A: Tactile Robot Finger with No Blind Spots

A robotic finger has a sense of touch that can be localized with high precision over a large, multi-curved surface.

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Mars 2020 – The Science of Mars 2020

Learn about the four goals of the Mars 2020 mission.

Articles: Test & Measurement

Mars 2020 – Perseverance to the Red Planet

Read our special series on the Mars 2020 mission, featuring interviews with NASA experts and designers of the Perseverance rover.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Soft Hardware for More Flexible Robots

Combined muscles and sensors made from soft materials allow for adaptable robots.

Briefs: Energy

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to “Eat” Metal for Energy

This type of energy source could be the basis for robots that seek out and “eat” metal, breaking down its chemical bonds for energy like humans do with food.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Small, Precise, Affordable Gyroscope Navigates Without GPS

An inexpensive gyroscope could help drones and autonomous cars stay on track without a GPS signal.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Battlefield Navigation with MEMS

Soldiers tend to dodge, dive, duck, and run, creating motion measurement challenges.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Mini Rover Pedals Out of Trouble

The next generation of exploration rovers will need to be good at climbing hills covered with loose material and avoiding entrapment on soft granular surfaces. Built with wheeled appendages that can be...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Breakthrough for Robotic Prosthetics: Researchers Train A.I. to Spot Different Terrain

New software sets the stage for A.I.-enabled robotic prostheses that predict user terrain and initiate mechanical changes accordingly.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The Next Challenge for Soft Robots? Beat the Cheetah

A proof-of-concept soft robot has a cheetah-like gait that avoids the usual crawl.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Radiation-Hardened Gain Digitizer

This instrument has applications in medical equipment, robotics, and satellites.

Briefs: Aerospace

Wi-Fi-assisted Inertial Odometry (WIO) Measures Speed and Distance of Indoor Movement

The technique could be used to improve navigation for robots, drones, or pedestrians.

Briefs: Medical

Guiding and Harnessing Transition Waves in Multi-Stable Mechanical Structures

The domino effect is used to design deployable systems that expand quickly with a small push and are stable and locked into place after deployment.

Articles: Photonics/Optics

3D Imaging the Biolocomotion of Fruit Flies

The last thing you probably do when a fly buzzes toward you is marvel at its graceful wing and body kinematics. But that’s exactly what researchers at Cornell University’s Itai Cohen Group...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Mars 2020: Looking for Signs of Life in the Jezero Crater River Delta

By taking a closer look at the delta deposits on Mars, Stanford University researchers concluded that the Jezero Crater is still the best place to search for signs of life on Mars.