Motion Control/Automation

Robotics, Automation & Control

Stay updated on the fast-changing advancements in robotics, automation, and control. Access the technical briefs and applications that are trending in AI, robotic operating systems, and machine learning.

Stories

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Chemistry Approach for More Robust Soft Electronics

The approach could lead to more flexible health monitors, wearable devices, sensors, optical communication systems, and soft robotics.

5 Ws: Electronics & Computers

5 Ws of Puncture-Proof Soft Electronics

The durable soft electronics could be used in wearable electronics and soft robotics and could someday be part of a stretchable smartphone.

Briefs: Imaging

Universal Tactile Sensing with Electromechanically Coupled Conductors

These tactile imaging sensors can measure pressure distribution without using pressure-sensitive materials.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Imitating Human Hands to Make Better Sensors

This work could help severely injured people, such as soldiers, regain the ability to control their movements.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Inflatable Robotic Hand Gives Amputees Real-Time Tactile Control

Engineers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have designed a soft, lightweight, and potentially low-cost neuroprosthetic hand. The prosthetic, designed with a system for...

Special Reports: Imaging

Aerospace Manufacturing - August 2021

Demanding applications in the aerospace industry require products and systems that are manufactured using the latest technologies – from design and simulation, to fabrication and final testing. To help...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotic Floats Measure Primary Factor in Climate Picture: Oxygen in the Ocean

Robotic floats — 4,000, in fact — are in the ocean, monitoring oxygen levels.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

On Tough Terrain, An Algorithm Finds Robots the Best Path

A new algorithm finds robots the best path across uneven terrain — and the best placement for a robot’s arms and feet.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robotic Finger Senses Buried Items

MIT researchers have designed a sharp-tipped robot finger equipped with tactile sensing to meet the challenge of identifying buried objects. Digger Finger was able to dig through granular media such as...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Simulator Helps Robots Sharpen Their Cutting Skills

USC researchers unveiled a new simulator for robotic cutting that can accurately reproduce the forces acting on a knife as it slices through common food such as fruit and vegetables. The...

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Will ‘Air Power’ Boost the Use of Soft Robots?

Our second INSIDER story today highlighted William Grover and his UC Riverside team’s efforts to swap electronics with air.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Safer, Longer-Lasting, Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries offer a higher level of safety and potentially longer life than lithium-ion batteries.

Facility Focus: Robotics, Automation & Control

Facility Focus: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

WPI supports research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, cybersecurity, and fire safety.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft Robotic Gripper Based on Twining Plants

The robot firmly but gently grasps objects as small as 1 millimeter in diameter.

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Giving Robots Better Moves

RightHand Robotics combines machine vision with an intelligent gripper design to make more adaptable robots.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Coiled Linear Actuators for Soft Robotics

This artificial muscle technology enables more human-like motion.

Briefs: Energy

“Flexoelectricity” in Soft Elastomers Could Improve Robot Movement

A connection between electricity and mechanical motion in soft, rubber-like materials could improve robot range.

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Making High-Duty-Cycle Industrial Automation Affordable

A new generation of long-life electric linear actuators has emerged to give designers more flexibility.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Soft Robot Replaces Electronics With 'Air Power'

While soft robots hold promise in applications ranging from search-and-rescue efforts to wearable exoskeletons, the technologies are often held back by the electronics, says William Grover, a...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Air-Powered Computer Memory Controls Soft Robots

Engineers at UC Riverside developed an air-powered computer memory that can be used to control soft robots. Existing systems for controlling pneumatic soft robots still use electronic valves...

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Robot That Moves Like a Bug (and a Cheetah)

UC Berkeley engineers have created a lightweight and durable robot that achieves exquisite control and agility by modulating the electrostatic forces between its feet and surfaces.