The complexity of the challenge is underscored by the subtlety involved in capturing the exact meaning of a spoken sentence. For example, the sentence “I never said she stole my money” can have seven different meanings depending on which word is stressed.
President Obama Promises 3% of GDP for scientific development
Pres. Obama presented a vision of a new era in research financing comparable to the Sputnik-period space race, in which intensified scientific inquiry and development are a top national priority Only one reference to robotics: “I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether…
Top 10 Mechatronic Challenges
I recently wrote on the mechatronic challenge of wind power. Converting wind into mechanical power that can be harnessed for man’s use has been going on since the 9th Century according to Persian historians. Certainly wind powered grinding of grains has been around in Europe for several centuries and, lest we forget, wind power pumping […]
Roomba, Mars Rovers and DaVinci Robot added to Robot Hall of Fame
Linear Feedback Technology (Linear Motion Part 2)
Linear motion is particularly impacted by the choice of feedback. And for most systems the use of feedback is not an option. Linear motors, for example, cannot be operated without a feedback device. And because of the linear motor’s roots in semiconductor manufacturing, the feedback is usually a high resolution linear tape scale. How much […]
Research firms start covering robotics industry
RoboDevelopment and RoboBusiness Conference event host EH Publishing starts new $225/issue (10 issues per year) online magazine ‘Robotics Business Review’ Researcn and Markets begins with ‘Robotics in Healthcare 2008-2012’ for $1,000 and the heftiest and most comprehensive – at $4,000 – IFR’s ‘World Robotics’ You’re reading The Robot Report for free – and we provide…
20,000 cheer 18th annual FIRST student championship at Georgia Dome in Atlanta
California team wins 18th annual FIRST Robotics competition The average age of the engineer cheering Apollo 11 on the day it landed on the moon was 26. Eight years and two months earlier, on the day JFK challenged us to land a man on the moon, their average age was 18!
Gates’ New DoD Budget Cuts Big-Ticket Weaponry But Adds Billions For Robots
“$2 billion added for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including enough new Predators and Reapers to increase to 50 daily orbits from 34” says NY Times reporter Christopher Drew. Big Dog Boston Dynamics gets two new contracts (one for a 25′ hopping 4-wheel robot). SeaBotix gets contract for additional 27 unmanned underwater vehicles.
Linear Motion
Electric motors are generally rotating machines. And over the roughly 100 years of electric motor history, incredible effort has been put into adapting the technology to do an almost infiinite array of tasks. Which is why it’s kind of ironic that in the industrial world, a significant number of applications require the conversion of rotary […]
Notes from Research Labs Around the World:
CB2 learns to walk and is developing social skills Adam makes autonomous discovery Swedes to build house on the moon Asimo learns from human brain Einstein being groomed to teach in San Diego high school And Saya starts teaching students at a primary school in Tokyo ApriAttenda one of many home nurses to be ready…
A Key to Successful Production-Integrated Measuring – the Encoder
By Reinhard Kuhn HEIDENHAIN, Traunreut Product Manager An encoder’s coefficient of expansion and its tolerances will play a more significant role in future ISO standards for classifying coordinate measuring machines. A measuring room offers optimum conditions for precise measurements. But it has several disadvantages including high costs for the room, the machine and temperature stabilization, […]
Mechatronics on the Trail of Global Warming
By Donna Sandfox Omron Electronic Components, LLC A new highly portable mechatronic system to measure harmful pollutant relies significantly on a MEMS flow sensor Figure 1. Stationary Aethalometers are used throughout the world, but have been too heavy to be truly portable until now. Carbon dioxide is well known as a major contributor to global […]
Controllers Help Astronomers Peer into the Universe
In mechatronics applications control is most often paired with motion. The following motion control system works with other components to deliver the required movement precision to research the Universe. Photo by: Laura Hatch lauriehatch.com Astronomers working for University of California Observatories (UCO) are creating the first comprehensive survey and map of the distant universe. Called […]
Mechatronics and Ignorance
By Richard Comerford, Editor Electronic Products I wish I had a dollar for each time I asked an EE about the use of mechatronics for a development project and got the response, “What’s that?” And I’m not just talking about IC designers, but about people involved with designing electromechanical systems like disk drives, as well […]
Wind Energy and Mechatronics
By Steve Meyer, CEO/Senior Consultant Solid Tech Inc. What would you put on a “Top Ten” list of the toughest mechatronic applications of all time? The electric car, plug-in or hybrid is certainly on the list. One application that needs to be on the list is the Wind Turbine. It is a mechatronic challenge because […]
Remote Presence Robotic Devices Gain Traction
InTouch Health getting lots of press for their remote presence robots
Materials and Motion
Most motor sizing programs deal with time and torque analysis. The traditional tradeoff is more torque for less time. As an aside, the increase in electric motor torque comes with increased motor inertia, so it’s not for free. And the motor costs are always a factor. But this assumes that inertia is fixed. And that’s […]