Motion Control/​Automation

Open Controllers Simplify Automation Systems

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

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.

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.

New Products: October 2020 Motion Design

Accelerometers, actuators, hexapods, and more.

Origami-Inspired Miniature Manipulator

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

Torque Limiters 101: Benefits, Types, and Comparisons

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

New on the Market: October 2020

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

Optical Neural Network Recognizes Objects Instantly

This technology can work with multiple wavelengths of light simultaneously.

Autonomous Drone Navigation System Ends Reliance on GPS

NASA's UAS traffic management expertise leads to advances in drone navigation.

Technology Advances Learning Capabilities of Drone Swarms

The learning approach allows swarms of unmanned vehicles to optimally accomplish their mission while minimizing performance uncertainty.

Simple Robot Vision Tools Support Complex Applications

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

Nanocardboard Aircraft with No Moving Parts

Tiny aircraft that weigh as much as a fruit fly could serve as Martian atmospheric probes.

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.

Drones Change Shape Mid-Flight

This capability will optimize performance of the vehicle through different phases of flight.

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.

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

With a Flash of a Laser, Microscopic Robots Move

A Cornell team developed paramecium-sized robots that can be controlled with lasers.

Here's an Idea: An ‘Aerodrome’ Testing Ground for Unmanned Aircraft

Before delivery drones start carrying packages (and passenger drones start delivering ourselves), engineers will need to keep refining an unmanned aircraft's ability...

Soft Robotic Insect Survives Being Flattened by a Flyswatter

The ultra-light robotic insect can be folded or crushed, yet continues to move.

EEG-Based Technique for Controlling a Robotic Arm with the Brain

This technique can be used by people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.