Motion Control/​Automation

Explore the latest developments in motion control and automation. Discover innovative advances from NASA and major research labs in robotics, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, PID controller applications, motor drives and power transmissions.

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Products: Motion Control
Cerus Industrial (Hillsboro, OR) offers the BAS (Building Automation Starter) motor controls that incorporate the company’s patentpending Smartstart™ Control Module for integration with digital controls. The starters accept...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Boston Gear (Charlotte, NC) offers the 700 Series speed reducers for heavy-duty conveyor systems. The 752 size worm gear speed reducers feature hollow output shafts in 5.25" center distance. Output torque ranges up to 12,250...
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Products: Motion Control
Amacoil (Aston, PA) offers Uhing Model RG linear drives with a manual pitch control that permits a 10:1 adjustment of the linear pitch of the drive unit. Each of the 17 drive units has a specific maximum linear pitch — the...
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Products: Motion Control
The Fredericks Company (Huntingdon Valley, PA) offers a microprocessor-based analog output dual-axis inclinometer with RS-232 communications, and a dual-axis inclinometer with RS-485 communications. They are designed to...
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Products: Motion Control
Nanotec Electronic U.S. (Medford, MA) offers the DS16 and DS28 slotless BLDC motors in two models in Nema 6 (16 mm) and Nema 11 (28 mm) sizes. Since there is no iron core, the inductivity of the motor is very low and the current...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The V10Z44MCM Series of 3-in-1 leveling mounts from Advanced Antivibration Com - ponents (New Hyde Park, NY) dampens shock and vibration, provides leveling, and offers position mobility for packaging machinery applications. They...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The EPOS3 70/10 EtherCAT digital positioning controller from maxon precision motors (Fall River, MA) enables real-time positioning of synchronized multi-axis systems. It offers a nominal power supply voltage range from 11...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The OptoPulse EIL580 family of 58-mm optical incremental encoders is available from Baumer (Southington, CT). Available in various mechanical designs, the family includes clamping flange encoders with 10-mm solid shafts,...
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Products: Motion Control
Vi-Cas Manufacturing (Cincinnati, OH) offers vacuum cups in sizes to 15" in diameter to lift and manipulate large, bulky, or cumbersome materials like aircraft fuselage segments and fabricated assemblies. Round, rectangular, or oval...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
NovaTorque (Fremont, CA) offers the Gen2.0 PremiumPlus+™ Electronically Commutated Permanent Magnet (ECPM) motors in 3hp and 5hp 2400-rpm (maximum speed 3600 rpm) models. Also available in 3hp and 5hp 1800-rpm models...
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Products: Motion Control
Elmo Motion Control (Nashua, NH) offers the Gold Bell and Gold DC Bell servo drives for stepper motors. The Gold Bell servo drive weighs 55 g (1.94 ounces) and operates at 20A/100V, delivering 1.6kW continuous power (3.2kW peak...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
InvenSense (Sunnyvale, CA) has introduced the MPU-9250 9-axis motion sensing device housed in 3 × 3 × 1 mm QFN package. The full integrated device includes a gyroscope, accelerometer, and electronic compass, with an...
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Products: Motion Control
NB SEBS-B type slide guides from NB Corporation (Hanover Park, IL) feature standard clearance. The SGLS all-stainless models are suitable for high-temperature applications, cleanroom, and vacuum environments. They are...
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Products: Motion Control
Kurt Manufacturing (Minneapolis, MN) has introduced MaxLock™ 5-axis vises offering a 2-1/2'' and a 4-1/2'' jaw width. The new models are designed for precision small part machining, and for clamping parts for continuous 5- axis...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Lenze Americas (Uxbridge, MA) offers an Ethernet/IP communication module as an option on its 8400 StateLine, HighLine, and TopLine control cabinet devices, in addition to the Lenze 8400 motec and protec decentralized frequency inverters....
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Kionix (Ithaca, NY) offers the KMX61G accelerometer-magnetometer sensor and sensor fusion software that delivers gyro emulation using 550 μA of power. The six-axis device can provide nine-axis accelerometer, magnetometer, and...
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News: Medical
Humanoid Robot Assists Children with Autism
An interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers and autism experts at Vanderbilt University have developed robotic systems that will enhance the basic social learning skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
News: Robotics, Automation & Control
'Cheetah' Robot Hits High Speeds, Wastes Little Heat
A 70-pound “cheetah” robot designed by MIT researchers may soon outpace its animal counterparts in running efficiency: In treadmill tests, the researchers have found that the robot — about the size and weight of an actual cheetah — wastes very little energy as it trots continuously for...
News: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots Based on Insect Visual System
Scientists from the University of Lincoln and Newcastle University in the U.K. have created a computerized system that allows for autonomous navigation of mobile robots based on the locust’s unique visual system. The work could provide the blueprint for the development of highly...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
KEYENCE Corp. (Elmwood Park, NJ) has introduced the CV-X100 Series. New tools include Auto-Teach Inspection, as well as pointand- click measurement. The Auto-Teach Inspection technology automatically makes detections based...
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News: Motion Control
Scientists Design and Control Movements of Molecular Motor
An international team of scientists has taken the next step in creating nanoscale machines by designing a multi-component molecular motor that can be moved clockwise and counterclockwise. Although researchers can rotate or switch individual molecules on and off, the new study is the first...
Articles: Motion Control
Designers of medical pumps often have to deal with the challenge of implementing precise, yet low-cost motion control. For most medical pumps, there are three basic technology...
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Application Briefs: Motion Control
Motion analysis often is based on stereophotogrammetry, which estimates the three-dimensional coordinates of points on an object by measurements made in two or more photographic images taken...
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Products: Motion Control
Intelligent Actuator – IAI America (Torrance, CA) offers the RCD Mini Cylinder that is designed to replace compact air cylinders used for short-stroke travel, pressing, and hoisting. It features a crosssection of 12 mm, with a...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
K90 linear actuators from Exlar (Chanhassen, MN) are compact, 90-mm frame size actuators available in three performance levels, and allow the use of third-party motors. Featuring dimensions and form-factor consistent with ISO...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
NITRA™ E-Series pneumatic dual-rod guided air cylinders from Automation - Direct (Cumming, GA) are designed for applications that require precise alignment or have large side loads. The devices are interchangeable with...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
ASM Sensors (Elmhurst, IL) offers the PMIS4/PMIR5 non-contact measuring system developed for rotary applications. The system provides high EMC protection, large guiding distance tolerance, and signal performance up to 327,680...
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Products: Motion Control
ADLINK Technology (San Jose, CA) has released the PCI- 8254/PCI-8258 motion controllers that provide servo updates up to 20 KHz through hardware-based PID-FF control loop and secondorder filters, time-deterministic trajectory...
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Products: Motion Control
Newport Corp. (Irvine, CA), has introduced the FMSxxHA high-accuracy FMS stages for surface metrology applications. The stages are available in 100-, 200-, and 300-mm models. With all-steel construction, the stages combine high...
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