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

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Optical Neural Network Recognizes Objects Instantly

This technology can work with multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Integrated Microchips for Electronic Skin

Fully integrated flexible electronics made of magnetic sensors and organic circuits open the path towards the development of electronic skin.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Testing Swarming Drones

This system has a capacity of more than 1,500 times the volume of a typical testing facility.

NASA Spinoff: Aerospace

Autonomous Drone Navigation System Ends Reliance on GPS

NASA's UAS traffic management expertise leads to advances in drone navigation.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Technology Advances Learning Capabilities of Drone Swarms

The learning approach allows swarms of unmanned vehicles to optimally accomplish their mission while minimizing performance uncertainty.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Nanocardboard Aircraft with No Moving Parts

Tiny aircraft that weigh as much as a fruit fly could serve as Martian atmospheric probes.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Wavy Surfaces for Better Light Control

This method could impact optical technologies such as smartphone cameras, biosensors, or autonomous vision for robots and self-driving cars.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Drones Change Shape Mid-Flight

This capability will optimize performance of the vehicle through different phases of flight.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Soft, Self-Actuated Pump for Mechatronic Devices

A soft hydrogel, driven by an oscillatory chemical reaction, produces an autonomous integrated pump for microfluidic applications.

Briefs: Motion Control

Origami-Inspired Miniature Manipulator

This mini robot improves precision and control of teleoperated surgical procedures.

Special Reports: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Medical Manufacturing and Outsourcing - October 2020

Discover how advances in factory automation, robotics, 3D printing and other fabrication technologies are shaping the future of medical device manufacturing in this Special Report – a...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Medical Robotic Hand? Rubbery Semiconductor Makes It Possible

Researchers at the University of Houston report that they have designed and produced a smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand capable of assessing vital diagnostic data...

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Controller Helps Robots Avoid Collisions

MIT startup Realtime Robotics invented a solution that gives robots the ability to quickly adjust their path to avoid objects as they move to a target. The Realtime controller can be connected to a...

Question of the Week: Energy

Will 'Biomorphic' Batteries Support a Future of Tiny Robots?

A Tech Briefs TV video highlighted a rechargeable zinc battery from the University of Michigan that integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy. The “biomorphic” battery, according to researchers, could provide 72x more energy for robots.

INSIDER: Design

Biomorphic Batteries Could Provide 72 Times More Energy for Robots

Like biological fat reserves store energy in animals, a new rechargeable zinc battery integrates into the structure of a robot to provide much more energy, a team led by the...

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Are You OK With a Robot Taking Your Vitals?

The "Spot" robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, can measure skin temperature, breathing rate, pulse rate, and blood oxygen saturation in healthy patients, from a distance of 2 meters.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

With a Flash of a Laser, Microscopic Robots Move

A Cornell team developed paramecium-sized robots that can be controlled with lasers.

Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition

An ‘Aerodrome’ Testing Ground for Unmanned Aircraft

Before delivery drones start carrying packages (and passenger drones start delivering ourselves), engineers will need to keep refining an unmanned aircraft's ability to navigate and...

Application Briefs: AR/AI

USB and GigE Connectivity for Modern Machine Vision

Learn the USB3 and GigE vision standards, how they keep pace with imaging technologies, and how augmenting the cabling is critical for optimal performance.

Special Reports: Photonics/Optics

Test & Measurement - September 2020

See how the latest test tools and methodologies are enabling new applications in aerospace, electronics, robotics, healthcare, and other key industries. This compendium of recent articles is presented by the...

Special Reports: Test & Measurement

Aerospace & Defense - September 2020

In this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Tech Briefs and Aerospace & Defense Technology, you'll learn about the technology driving the Mars 2020 rover, how NASA will use GPS to navigate...