Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotics

Access extensive multimedia resources and technical briefs on robotic systems. Browse the latest developments and applications for design engineers working in industrial manufacturing and medical industries.

Stories

Special Reports: Test & Measurement

Test & Measurement - February 2021

Sensors to search for ancient life on Mars...nano-thermometers that could revolutionize temperature measurement...a major advance in semiconductor testing. These are just a few of the technologies you'll read...

Facility Focus: Energy

Facility Focus: University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering

Some of the technologies coming from the UT labs include COVID antibody tests, self-watering soil, and the "DRACO" robot.

Articles: Data Acquisition

Executive Roundtable: Facility & Network Security

Tech Briefs asks industry experts about cybersecurity, the cloud, wireless devices, and securing a remote workforce.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Innovation on a Larger Scale: Robotic Fiber Placement and 3D Printing

“The disruption promised by Industry 4.0 has already begun,” says Jason Melcher from the aerospace manufacturing company Ingersoll.

Products: Imaging

New Products

Industrial robots, motor disconnect switches, position sensors, and more.

5 Ws: Energy

5 Ws of the Screen-Printed Battery

The battery can be used in flexible, stretchable electronics for wearables as well as soft robotics.

Articles: Energy

Multipurpose Batteries Make it Easier to Get Around on Mars

NASA-funded research by Clemson University scientists could lead to the creation of lighter, faster-charging batteries suitable for powering a spacesuit or even a Mars rover.

Briefs: Aerospace

Split-Ring Torque Sensor

This optical-based device measures position, velocity, and torque.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Ultra-Thin, Battery-Free Strain Sensors for Industrial Robotic Arms

These nanomaterial strain sensors are ten times more sensitive when measuring minute movements compared to existing technology.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Electronic Skin Sensor Decodes Human Motion

This system can track the motion of the entire body with a small sensory network.

Briefs: Materials

4D Printing of Morphing Structures

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

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Capabilities for Grasp-Assisting Gloves

Applications include aiding patients with impaired hand muscle strength and in manufacturing for operating tools for extended periods of time.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Linking Materials May Transform Robots Made of Robots

A new method of linking materials with unique mechanical properties could enable robots made of robots.

INSIDER: Motion Control

T-REX Rover Looks to the Dark Side

The Tethered permanently shadowed Region EXplorer (T-REX) rover, designed and built by a team of Michigan Technological University students – is designed to provide reliable power and data to other...

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Will Robotics and Automation Lead to a Greater Appreciation of Nature?

Our lead INSIDER story today focused on the environmental impacts of robotics and automation.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Experts Weigh In: How Will a Robotic Future Impact Nature?

A survey of over 170 experts assessed the opportunities and challenges that drones, robots, and autonomous systems could have for urban nature and green spaces.

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Would You Use a 'Twining' Robotic Gripper?

Our lead INSIDER story today focused on a twining robotic gripper that its inventor says is especially effective at grabbing thin objects like pencils, paintbrushes, and even a straightened paperclip.

Facility Focus: Software

Facility Focus: Stanford University School of Engineering

Stanford University’s School of Engineering has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Spiraling Robotic Gripper 'Twines' Like a Plant

As engineering professor Mable Fok saw how the pole beans in her garden wrapped tightly around any objects nearby, she had an idea: What if a robotic gripper could do the same thing?

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robots Learn to Drive a Car in a Few Easy Lessons

USC researchers have developed a method that could allow robots to learn complicated new tasks, like setting a table or driving a car, from observing a small number of demonstrations.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Materials Transform Robots Made of Robots

Scientists from the U.S. Army and MIT created a new way to link materials with unique mechanical properties, opening up the possibility of future military robots made of robots. The method unifies...

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Could ‘Smellicopters’ Someday Support Search-and-Rescue?

Our second INSIDER story today highlights an innovative combination of autonomous drones and live moth antennae: The “Smellicopter.”

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Laser Jolts Microscopic Robots into Motion

A Cornell University team has created microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals. The...