The field of motion control is heavily dependent on the feedback device. There are a world of issues encompassed in this statement. But I will skip the majority of them and jump to the conclusion that magnetic encoder technology has long been a favorite of mine as a potentially ideal solution for a number of […]
What’s behind the success of iRobot’s Roomba?
Low price, solid marketing, protected IP, and “good enough” functionality combine to secure iRobot’s market leadership among providers of robotic vacuums.
DASH, The Robotic Cockroach, To Save Lives In Haiti
UC Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering is developing mini-robots to help locate earthquake survivors easily, cheaply, and quickly, and without jeopardizing the lives of rescuers. The remote control robot is known as DASH. It’s made of cardboard, plastic, and parts of computers and bits of old toys. The researchers goal is to develop swarms of […]
First Robotic Radical Cystectomy Deemed a Success
The first first robotic radical cystectomy, a surgical procedure to treat invasive cancer of the bladder, was recently performed at Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta. Dr. Rajesh Laungani, Director of Robotic Urology at Saint Joseph’s, performed the minimally-invasive surgery. Invasive bladder cancer has a very high mortality rate and generally results in death if not […]
Innovation and Growth in Robotics
The robot industry has gone through some interesting changes over the years. Most of the companies that were involved in the start of the real robot revolution are gone, unable to meet the extraordinary cost reductions that were sure tocome in order to make robots cost effective in most industries. The biggest lesson, in my […]
Funding Robotic Research: The Strawberry Example
Read about Carnegie Mellon’s Strawberry Project at Everything-Robotic which also provides an in-depth review of funding methods for robotic projects in different countries. Public-private consortiums have successful track records in the EU, Japan and Korea thereby stimulating more similarly-funded projects. Except for NASA and DARPA, American funding is less strategic and more entrepreneurial.
Robotics Industry Optomistic for 2010
The robotics industry, like the world economy, is slowly emerging from the most trying economic times since the 1930s. The automotive sector, traditionally the core of the robotics industry, is depressed requiring robot manufacturers and integrators to find substitute markets in North America and beyond. “My outlook for the robotics industry in 2010 is cautiously […]
Magnetics 2010 and Motion, Drive & Automation
There is a small industry conference that takes place every year with a lineup of industry experts that is top notch by any standard. It’s called the Motion, Drive and Automation Conference put on by E-Drive magazine. This year it is located at the Disney Hilton Resort in Orlando and is taking place on January […]
Leadership in Engineering
Leadership in Engineering This is the 3rd annual Leadership event announcing the winners in the 2009 Leadership Awards Program. The Design World User Community have cast their votes and we are pleased to announce the winners. ADVANCED MATERIALS Da/Pro Rubber is a custom manufacturer of precision rubber, TPE, and plastic molding products. The proprietary Da/Pro […]
Over 40 countries have military robotics programs today
Wall Street Journal does in-depth story on Israeli defense robots but it covers other countries efforts as well. Story confirms 2010 Robot Predictions from Everything-Robotic blog. But all is not rosy. The US Army just announced cancellation of an autonomous ground vehicle (Lockheed Martin’s MULE) and a pilotless helicopter (Northrop Grumman’s FireScout) – both are…
Multi-Touch ‘Resistive’ Touchscreen Controller Chip
As the latest high-tech devices such as smartphones, mobile internet devices and netbooks adopt multi-touch touchscreens to support increasingly sophisticated ‘apps’ and games,STMicroelectronics has introduced a multi-touch ‘resistive’ touchscreen controller chip to optimize the Bill of Materials of the electronics supporting this advanced capability. The STM32TS60 is the first member of ST’s new STMTouch family, […]
CES 2010 focused mainly on mobile market and 3D
120,000 visitors. 44 robotic exhibitors. Mostly component and contract manufacturers. Many we’ve seen before: Paro, Keepon, Roboni-i, Pleo. AU-based Cyber Technology is using their CyberQuad device to inspect damaged oil platform while Parrot showed a similar AR.Drone with iPhone piloting for the gamers and toy market. Parrot won Best award from PopMechanics and Huffington Post. …
Inventing Industry in the (near) Future
The future of the US economy, and our future as an industrial power will be the result of our cumulative creativity. New industries will be the result of new ideas, new technologies, new thinking. It’s gratifying to see programs like the First Robotic Competition getting 215,000 junior high school and high school students exposed to […]
Droid Works Changes Name and gets $2.4M NIST Award
Helen Greiner’s Droid Works start-up has switched it’s name to CyPhy Works. Stealth as they try to be, CyPhy Works has received it’s second NIST award – this time for $2.4M – to develop technologies for small, hovering, UAVs to be used for the inspection and monitoring of large-scale civil infrastructure elements such as bridges…
The Road to Recovery
Economic recovery, job creation, whatever you want to call it, everyone is trying to figure out how to get employment numbers back up and get the economy back on track. Seems that the situation is pretty severe, and we’ve managed to export it to all of our trading partners. But there is controversy over the […]