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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Autonomous robotic manipulators have the potential to increase manufacturing efficiency, provide in-home care, and reduce the risk to humans in hazardous situations. The current challenge in autonomous...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
As the demands of traceability and compliance are put on manufacturers, using a laser provides permanent marking of a variety of information, including 2D bar codes, serial...
Articles: Motion Control
There are two types of voice coil actuators: moving coil and moving magnet. The materials of construction are similar, since they both use rare...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
To achieve power of 250 kW or greater, a large compression ratio of stowed-to-deployed area is needed. Origami folding patterns were used to inspire the folding of a solar array to achieve...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Most automotive fuel systems use a Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) with components to filter and pump gasoline at a specified pressure and flow rate from the fuel tank to the engine. The FDM uses a reservoir...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
NASA’s Constellation Architecture Team defined an outpost scenario optimized for intensive mobility that uses small, highly mobile pressurized rovers supported by portable habitat...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Position Sensors
Kaman Precision Products/Measuring (Colorado Springs, CO) offers digiVIT, an eddy current sensor for position/displacement/proximity sensing with a self-tuning bridge. At the beginning of any of the linearity...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Among the challenges to advanced robotics and other mechatronic applications is the ability to get a range of precision motion with few components in a compact...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
By suppressing or controlling harmonic currents and voltages of the motor to overcome torque ripple, this system improves the efficiency and torque performance of an AC...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
At the GF6 six-speed, front-wheel transmission line at General Motors Powertrain in Toledo, OH, a new front-wheel-drive transmission line for smaller, more fuel-efficient...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Performing closed-loop control of hydraulic servo systems is often more challenging than controlling servomotor systems. The main reason is that hydraulic systems use compressible oil to move...
Products: Electronics & Computers
It’s that time of year when we ask NASA Tech Briefs readers to vote for the annual Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Awards.
Each month, our editors choose a Product of the...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
International Space Station- Based Electromagnetic Launcher for Space Science Payloads
A method was developed of lowering the cost of planetary exploration missions by using an electromagnetic propulsion/launcher, rather than a chemical-fueled rocket for propulsion. An electromagnetic launcher (EML) based at the International Space Station (ISS)...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A buoyant rover has been developed to traverse the underside of ice-covered lakes and seas. The rover operates at the ice/water interface and permits direct observation and measurement of processes...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Electric Machine With Boosted Inductance to Stabilize Current Control
High-powered motors typically have very low resistance and inductance (R and L) in their windings. This makes the pulse-width modulated (PWM) control of the current very difficult, especially when the bus voltage (V) is high. These R and L values are dictated by the motor size,...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The LVDT linear position sensor can operate successfully over a wide range of temperatures, depending upon its design and the application in which it is operating. While...
Articles: Green Design & Manufacturing
2013 Create the Future Design Contest
The 2013 Create the Future Design Contest — sponsored by COMSOL, SAE International, and Tech Briefs Media Group (publishers of NASA Tech Briefs) — recognized innovation in product design in eight categories: Aerospace & Defense (new this year), Consumer Products, Electronics, Machinery & Equipment,...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Fuel Flexible, Ultra-Portable Microturbine Generator
Erik Herold, Jason Ethier, and Ivan Wang Dynamo Micropower, Boston, MA
A large unmet need in the oil and gas industry is...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
As part of a NASA test course challenge, Teledyne DALSA engineered a winning Miniature Autonomous Roving Vehicle (MARV), earning the company a $350M contract with NASA’s Marshall Space...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
High-precision encoders are used by earth observation instruments and in mechanisms for laser communication terminals (LCTs). A micro-radian resolution encoder for the LCT was designed for...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Magnetostrictive Alternator
This innovation replaces the linear alternator presently used in Stirling engines with a continuous-gradient, impedance-matched, oscillating magnetostrictive transducer that eliminates all moving parts via compression, maintains high efficiency, costs less to manufacture, reduces mass, and eliminates the need for a...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A Kinematic Calibration Process for Flight Robotic Arms
The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) robotic arm is ten times more massive than any Mars robotic arm before it, yet with similar accuracy and repeatability positioning requirements. In order to assess and validate these requirements, a higher-fidelity model and calibration processes were needed.
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The PlanarDL-series stages from Aerotech (Pittsburgh, PA) are available in nine different travel and performance configuration applications ranging from high-accuracy surface profilometry to high-speed semiconductor and LED...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Zero-Max (Plymouth, MN) offers Roh’lix® linear actuators made from stainless steel for use where cleanliness is a priority. Used to convert rotary motion to linear travel, the actuators carry loads at speeds up to 70 inches...
Products: Motion Control
HBM (Marlborough, MA) offers the T40B and T40FM torque transducers that include an integrated speed measurement system. They are designed to work in harsh environments such as those that contain humidity, condensation, dust,...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Heidenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) offers the Leine & Linde DRIVE-CLiQ encoder platform for operation in harsh drive environments where they are exposed to vibration, shock, and mechanical loads. The encoder can be installed to the...
Products: Motion Control
Measurement Specialties (Hampton, VA) has introduced a rugged, triaxial DC accelerometer for steady-state, low-g vibration measurements and high-g transient shock measurements. The piezoresistive, MEMSbased Model 3803A provides...
Products: Motion Control
Designed for air seats, light-duty air suspension, and other mobile applications, the Thomas 135 Series DC WOB-L® compressor from Thomas Division, a Gardner Denver Company (Sheboygan, WI), is a compact, lightweight...
Products: Motion Control
Lin Engineering (Morgan Hill, CA) offers the R1025 stepper motor driver that can be used with stepper motors ranging from NEMA 8 to NEMA 42. The driver is capable of output currents ranging from 0.8 to 10 amps peak while...
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Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Semiconductors & ICs
Advantages of Smart Power Distribution Unit Design for Automotive...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Quiet, Please: NVH Improvement Opportunities in the Early Design...
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
From Spreadsheets to Insights: Fast Data Analysis Without Complex...
Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers
Cooling a New Generation of Aerospace and Defense Embedded...
Upcoming Webinars: AR/AI
Beyond AI-Copy-Paste Engineering: Advanced AI-Integration Success...
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
