Motion Control/​Automation

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Open Controllers Simplify Automation Systems

By consolidating tasks traditionally performed by multiple devices into a single, high-performing controller, manufacturers can improve operations.

Articles: Software

Rapid Prototyping of Cable and Connectors for Unique Applications

Standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) connectors continue to be a great resource for quick prototypes and reference designs.

Application Briefs: Imaging

Custom Gimbal for JHU-APL Shows Promise for Others

See how Blue Joule developed and delivered the Mini Mount (MM) Gimbal to Johns Hopkins University.

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

New Products: October 2020 Motion Design

Accelerometers, actuators, hexapods, and more.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Origami-Inspired Miniature Manipulator

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

Articles: Motion Control

Torque Limiters 101: Benefits, Types, and Comparisons

Torque limiters protect against damage and downtime caused by machine overloads.

Products: Software

New on the Market: October 2020

Tubing plugs, displacement measurements, CAM software, and more.

Briefs: Software

Optical Neural Network Recognizes Objects Instantly

This technology can work with multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously.

NASA Spinoff: Robotics, Automation & Control

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.

Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Simple Robot Vision Tools Support Complex Applications

New collaborative robot-based vision systems are changing how manufacturers can inspect their parts.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

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: Electronics & Computers

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.

INSIDER: Wearables

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...

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...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Precision Landing Without a Pilot

For planned robotic and crewed missions to the Moon and Mars, NASA is developing and testing precise landing and hazard-avoidance technologies. A combination of laser sensors, a camera, a high-speed...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Software Keeps Self-Driving Cars on a Safe Path

New software from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) wants to predict all traffic possibilities, so that self-driving vehicles will never get into accidents.

On-Demand Webinars: Motion Control

High-Voltage Arteries: How Connectivity Gives Life to Electric Vehicles

Experts predict that by 2040, most forms of transportation will leverage electric motors and/or cleaner sources of fuel to meet heightened emissions standards....

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

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...

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.