I was involved in advanced brushless motor development for a couple of years. It was an interesting period of time. We did a lot of cool work on advanced thermal packaging, winding encapsulation, advanced robotic actuators, ultra light weight starter/alternator, hybrid minivans. Pretty cool stuff. One afternoon we were working on the question of bond […]
Rixan Introduces Fully Ease-Of-Use Swivel Stand System
Dayton, OH — Rixan Associates, Inc. recently introduced unique Swivel Stand Systems (the RSS-1000 and RSS-2000) that offer repeatable positioning for automated operations. In many automated machining operations, the operators require access to the machine to set-up the job and perform routine maintenance. The robot, or automated feeder, must be removed and later reinstalled to […]
2009 Engelberger Robotics Awards
Robin Felder, U of VA School of Medicine, received the award for Leadership in researching and promoting new applications for robotics automation in healthcare. Shigeo Hirose, Tokyo Inst. of Technology, received the award for technology development such as snake-like, walking, wall climbing, crawler and swarm-type robots.
Hype vs. Reality – Japan’s Robotic Fashion Model Precursor to Robot on the Moon by 2020
A Serious Review of Robots in and for the Future
Presentations by noted roboticists. Download the slides supporting their presentations.
Flashback
The electric car might just be the most difficult mechatronic challenge ever. I moved to Denver Colorado in 1990 to become part of the electric car industry. I worked really hard because I believed then, as I do now, that the electric car was something we all needed. And we still do. I didn’t care […]
Applying Motors
Motion control and mechatronics continue to embody the extreme opposites of engineering, phenomena that are incredibly simple and incredibly complex at the same time. This apparent contradiction is experienced in many areas. The operation of a fan is one of the most common and basic motor applications, yet to understand the starting torque and […]
The impact of accelerating robotic development
Watch Ray Kurzweil’s presentation about the impact of accelerating technological progress at the Army’s Science Conference Listen to a fascinating two-part podcast about roboethics. Read a Navy-funded report about the need for ethics in robotics. Hear P.W. Singer’s NPR interview about his “Wired for War” book and his resulting concerns.
Compliance Problems
The field of mechatronics has many interesting tangents. One of the most subtle, yet important aspects is the field of materials properties. The materials selected for use in actuators and machinery becomes a significant determinant in what the inertia load will be and even more importantly, how it will behave. There are many properties of […]
Eye-Catching Photos of Robots Making News
Click image to enlarge; click headline to see the full-sized pictures from The Boston Globe
Zuken Implements Mechatronics Design Strategy and Launches New 3D Modeling Solution
Munich, Germany and Westford, MA, USA – Zuken has made another step to strengthen the link between the electronics and mechanical design worlds by enabling parallel MCAD/ECAD design with a new collaborative software tool called Board Modeler. This forms part of company-wide strategy underway to deliver increased versatility and reliability between the mechanical, electrical, and […]
Medical Robotics Companies Continue To Acquire New Technologies
Hansen Medical acquires rights to Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics new technology to enhance Hansen’s Sensei Robotic system Intuitive Surgical acquires new-tech license from Power Medical Interventions to add to da Vinci arsenal Accuray’s Radiosurgical CyberKnife sees increased interest
America Needs a Bold Innovation Strategy
Fortune Magazine’s CTO shortlist Obama’s new Chief of Technology needs to be robot-friendly Accelerating robotic development not only needs a CTO but also an innovation action plan America ranks #8 in global innovation; government focus can help move us up Thousands of geeky, brilliant engineering wonks at MIT, Stanford and campuses around the country are…
The Innovation Equation
When people start talking about how “technology will restore our economy” I tend to get a little nervous. Generally, it is not good to mix politics and science. It is worse for politicians to make national policy using science or technology as the justification. Politicians are rarely technically astute enough to interpret the opinions of […]
EPSON RS3 Robot
Carson, CA –– EPSON Robots introduces the new EPSON RS3 Robot, featuring all the benefits of a typical SCARA plus more. The unique new design of the EPSON RS3 clearly puts it ahead of other robots in its class with superior cycle times and larger work envelope access thus opening up new application possibilities. “Unique […]