Motion Control/​Automation

Non-Contact Tip/Tilt Sensor

NASA Kennedy Space Center developed the Inductive Non-Contact Position Sensor for motion control applications. The sensor was designed to monitor the precise movements of an optical inspection system that...

Autonomous Robot Opens Doors, Finds Wall Outlets

University of Cincinnati researchers developed an autonomous robot that can open a door for itself. It uses an appendage on a simple motorized lift the robot can raise and lower to reach a...

Dexterous Robotic Hands Manipulate Thousands of Objects

A robotic hand system was developed at MIT that can reorient over 2,000 diverse objects with a hand facing both upward and downward, in a step toward more human-like manipulation....

Personalized Exosuit Provides Customized Assistance

Researchers from Harvard University developed a new approach in which robotic exosuit assistance can be calibrated to an individual and adapt to a variety of real-world walking tasks in...

Autonomous Robotic Rover Helps Monitor Climate Change

An autonomous robotic rover, Benthic Rover II, has provided new insight into life 13,100 feet beneath the surface of the ocean. The data collected are fundamental to understanding the...

Vehicle Simulation Software: How to Test Radar and Lidar in Snow

A reader asks a simulation expert: How do you compensate for the interaction of rain or snow storms on lidar sensors?

Facility Focus: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

The "ERDC" helps solve problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources, and environmental sciences.

ARTEMIS III: Return to the Surface

The third flight of SLS and Orion will carry the first woman and first person of color to the Moon.

New Products: November 2021 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Infrared lens testers, fiber optic transceivers, spectral radiometers, and more.

Illumination Design Considerations for Robotic Surgery Vision Systems

To have a successful product, one must consider all the required sub-systems to deliver high-quality illumination.

DC Drives as Replacements for AC Servos

Low-voltage DC stepper and servo drives offer space-saving options for applications traditionally handled by AC servo drives.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — How to Keep Drones Flying When a Motor Fails, without GPS

A vision-based control algorithm saves a quadrotor after the complete loss of a single motor.

Soft Robots Use Camera and Shadows to Sense Human Touch

An off-the-shelf USB camera captures the shadows made by hand gestures on the robot’s skin.

Special Section: The Winners of the 2021 'Create the Future' Design Contest

See this year's product designs from engineers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide.

Laser Jolts Microscopic Electronic Robots into Motion

Incorporating semiconductor components, microscopic robots are made to walk with standard electronic signals.

Robot Locates and Retrieves Buried Items

This robotic arm fuses data from a camera and antenna to locate and retrieve items buried under piles and completely out of view.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — Electronics-Free Soft Walking Robot

Av four-legged soft robot walks, without requiring any electronics.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Automotive/Transportation Category Winner — Afreecar E-kit

The e-kit promises to be a low-cost solution in the developing world.

Four-Legged 'Swarm' Robots Traverse Tough Terrain — Together

Forget puzzles — In the early days of quarantine, Notre Dame professor and robotics engineer Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin used the time at home to put together robots.

Army Enables Robots to Learn New Concepts

Future Army missions will have autonomous agents, such as robots, embedded in human teams making decisions in the physical world. One major challenge toward this goal is maintaining performance...

Create the Future 2021: A Universal E-Kit Provides Power Boost to Non-Motorized Vehicles

Christopher Borroni-Bird and his team want to make an "e-kit" that provides a boost to wheelbarrows, bikes, and other non-motorized vehicles.

Soft Pressure Sensor Breakthrough Solves Field's Most Challenging Bottleneck

Medical sensing technology has taken great strides in recent years, with the development of wearable devices that can track pulse, brain function, biomarkers in...