Intuitive Surgical’s Catherine Mohr on surgical robots and robotic surgical procedures P.W. Singer looks at the new robotic weapons of war Watch Juan Enriquez on the mindboggling profound changes coming from science labs If you aren’t familiar with TED talks, spend a few moments on their site and watch one of the speakers
New Robotic Hospital Delivery System
Co-developed by NEDO (a Japanese public/private initiative responsible for R&D project planning and formation) and Murata Machinery
The Absolute Value of Technology – Part 2
So continuing on a theme, there are many ways to describe value. In order to measure the value of technology, we must measure it’s cost performance. There are many elements of the value proposition that need to be considered, such as cost to acquire the technology, installation costs, maintenance cost and life expectancy. And […]
Link Shaft for Belt Drive Linear Modules
Belt driven linear actuators continue to increase in popularity as designers look to mechatronic systems to move products more quickly, cleanly and efficiently. Larger and faster gantries are being built for an increasing variety of applications in diverse new fields. Pick and place devices, inspection systems, and general material handling continue to take advantage of […]
The Absolute Value of Technology
I read constantly on a variety of subjects. I am interested in electric cars, wind energy, industrial productivity, electric motors, lots of stuff that would seem to be disconnected. As someone who is involved in the development of technology, it is important to me to look to the future. For my consulting clients I must […]
Clippard Joins Forces with FIRST
Cincinnati, OH – Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc. announced that it is joining forces with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, as a Silver Supplier of the FIRST Robotics Competition. The FIRST Robotics Competition […]
‘Roomba’s of Doom’ – Daily Show Roasts iRobot
2009 Will Be “Very Rough Year” – except for defense-related research and devices
Robot orders fall dramatically Drones and ground devices proliferate along with associated research and development – even border vigilantes are getting in on the act “One unit took out 2,400 insurgents” with a few soldiers and lots of drones thereby skewering claims that the “surge” was the successful tactic Will the Obama team cut or…
Tips for the Control Side of Mechatronics
By Leslie Langnau, Managing Editor Design World In mechatronic projects, the focus is often on the mechanical and electrical aspects of a system as engineers concentrate on throughput, speeds, accuracy, and so on. How these system goals affect the desired control selection may not be addressed until too late to make changes. Mechanical engineers do […]
Developing a two-wheeled self-balancing transport platform
Annals of a mechatronic system design project By Professor Kevin C. Craig and Matthew A. Rosmarin Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Figure 1. The Engineering System Investigation Process. A senior design team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) set out to develop an interdisciplinary mechatronic system by designing and prototyping a two-wheeled robotic locomotion platform inspired by (and […]
Mechatronics: New answers call for new questions
By Richard Vaughn, Product Engineer Bosch Rexroth Corporation–Project Management Dept. In a short time, mechatronics has evolved into a universally accepted engineering concept. It integrates mechanics with electronics – and with engineering itself. The result is expanded technological capabilities and assembly-line successes like the Cartesian multi-axis robot. Because it enables more flexible automated production, users […]
Supporting Mechatronics across Design Lines
By Ralph Raiola, Editor Electronic Products When it comes to mechatronics design, getting everyone on the same page is apparently more difficult than one might think. A recent Webcast sponsored by IBM titled “System Design: New Product Development for Mechatronics,” presented research about the challenges and pressures faced when designing in a mechatronics environment.
Must-read book
Listen to an NPR “Fresh Air” interview of Peter Singer “Blew my f***ing mind! This book is awesome” “Singer is the Shecky Greene of robotics guys!” John Stewart, The Daily Show “A superb book” General James Mattis, USMC, NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation
Energy Stimulus Debate
As “We the People” wait for Congress to do something to stimulate the economy we are flooded with information about “Green Initiatives” as part of the stimulus strategy. And its really easy to get dragged along with the tide of enthusiasm. After all, the electric car has languished in the shadows for over 70 years […]
Renewals help during these tough times
Raven UAV by AeroVironment wins $41.7 million renewal/upgrade contract iRobot gets $7.8 million
Robots and Actuators
A couple of important nuances of the robotics field came to my attention recently. The relationship of the actuators themselves to the robot design, and of course, the kinematic framework of the robot itself. I have some history in both areas but am regularly surprised by the way innovation continues to take place. Despite the […]