Motion Control/​Automation

Articles: Aerospace

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: Aerospace

Facility Focus: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

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: Robotics, Automation & Control

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: Manufacturing & Prototyping

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: Test & Measurement

Mars 2020 – The Science of Mars 2020

Learn about the four goals of the Mars 2020 mission.

Articles: Aerospace

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.

Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

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: Materials

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: Sensors/Data Acquisition

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.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

AI-Based Machine Vision & the Future of Automotive In-Cabin Technologies

Xilinx is now applying AI to the in-cabin environment.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Radiation-Hardened Gain Digitizer

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

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

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: Aerospace

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: Robotics, Automation & Control

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.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

UC Berkeley Launches 'Pop-Up' COVID-19 Testing Lab — In 3 Weeks

In just three weeks, the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley built a robotic COVID-19 laboratory.

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Foldable Robots for Future Moon Mission

The newest edition of NASA's small, foldable robots successfully traversed rugged terrain in the Mars Yard at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Medical Robots' Role Expands as COVID-19 Outbreak Continues

Robots are in high demand as medical professionals seek hands-free ways to disinfect environments and contain the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Algorithm Helps Swarming Robots Avoid Collisions

This technology could help control driverless cars and automated warehouses.