Control system performance is based on feedback. Control of electric motors, however, continues to be a bit mysterious because the common conventions associated with motor control are often driven by cost considerations. The feedback component is often target for elimination in cost constrained systems. Control systems can be described as “open loop” or “closed loop” […]
Robots Coming Online in 2012, 2013 and 2014
Harvest Automation’s labor-saving potted plant mover to go commercial in 2012 and 2013 Sea Robotics hull-cleaning navy robot is slated for 2014 Foxconn factory robots – from their own robot manufacturing plant to their own factory floors – are planning to deploy 300,000 in 2013 and another 700,000 in 2014 and 2015 Plus companies like…
Lots of robots coming onboard in 2013, 2014 and 2015
Pure science is an integral part of robotics and often leads to solutions for strategic needs for an audience of willing buyers. Here are a few examples of that process from companies with products scheduled to hit the marketplace in the next four years. Harvest Automation Servicing ornamental horticulture market ($35 billion industry) Focused on…
Unique Solutions in Material Handling
Moving products around is mechanical work. When the work is done by a control system and actuators its mechatronics. Mechanical work, whether by humans, by horses, by hydraulics, electrics or whatever, is still work. Figuring out what technology approach will be the most cost effective way to get the work done is the challenge. Many […]
iRobot to cut 9% of workers from military – consumer products booming
iRobot CEO Colin Angle said the workforce reduction will result in a $1 million charge but won't impact the home robots business unit. Federal government cutbacks in military R&D spending are the reason for the reduction in force. The home robot business grew 32 percent in the quarter, with 56 percent growth outside the U.S.
More disasters plaguing Japanese auto industry
Thailand flooding inundates Honda auto manufacturing plant and many auto parts providers; robots and computers under water. Flooding continues and the factory remains submerged. Toyota shuttered for at least 60 days and prepared for flooding; no damage yet. Thailand’s worst flooding in decades has exposed the complexity of the global supply chain and a lack…
Energy Saving and Automation
In an era where energy costs have become a focus of attention, many people have authored articles with reducing energy as their theme. Saving money is always a good thing. Perhaps we can gain a little clarity on where the real savings are. Start with the big loads. Plant air handling, building HVAC and […]
Help for independent scientists and early-stage companies developing radical ideas
Peter Thiel, of Google’s driverless car fame, launched Breakout Labs, a new program to help independent scientists and early-stage companies develop their most radical ideas. Funding agreements range from $50,000 to $350,000 depending on the nature of the project. Breakout Labs uses a revolving funding model where successful projects help fund the next generation of…
Emerging Underwater Businesses: Three Companies to Note
By Frank Tobe. Publisher, The Robot Report Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Sentry ROV We’ve read about their use in last year’s Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill and their underwater repair work, traipsing the corridors and collecting rubble at Fukushima nuclear power plants, the exploits of James Cameron and his amazing underwater photos and movie…
Emerging Underwater Businesses
ROVs repairing underwater oil rigs; treasure hunters finding $230 million in silver; recovering the black box from a crashed airline; tracking sea creatures – these are just a few of the non-defense/security uses of unmanned maritime systems and devices. iRobot, Liquid Robotics and Teledyne Technologies all have maritime operations and each are profiled in this…
What is Control – Part 2
While considering the nature of control we tend to focus on the two big issues; hardware and software. This is very understandable since hardware selection has a lot to do with cost and functionality. Software has more to do with how we program the hardware to execute the tasks that the control system is intended […]
What is Control?
‘Control’ is a term for the use of binary calculation methods to execute a process or task. I suspect it is as ambiguous a term as ‘mechatronics’. I suspect that we cannot even agree on what control is, without getting into some depth on the all the possible definitions of the subject. This is rather […]
Servo Tuning
There are many opinions about servo tuning. Every engineer who has ever worked with servo motors has experienced the difficult process of tuning the motor. The difficulty is in the fact that the rules about tuning are hard to apply, because every situation is a little different. Considering the rules for servo tuning first, the […]
iWalk expanding availability of lower limb bionic prosthetics
MIT spinoff iWalk now producing a leg system that replaces the combined functions of the foot, ankle and calf regions of the human body for amputees. Prosthetic emulates or even augments physiological function through electromechanical replacement.
MS Donates 2,500 Kinects to F.I.R.S.T.
The Kinect sensor will be a valuable enhancement to the FIRST robot competition experience. Teams will be able to either program their robots to respond to their own custom gestures, or use default code and gestures. The Kinect sensor includes a depth camera and both video and audio sensors to capture video data in 3D.…
Five Finalists Chosen for RoboBowl Healthcare Robotics Competition
Five finalists in the RoboBowl next-generation competition for healthcare robotic devices hosted by CMU were announced. Each wins $5,000. The best of the five wins another $20,000. Proposals include (1) personalized video games and robotics for stroke and trauma patients; (2) toy-like robots that therapeutically interact with autistic children; (3) providing low-cost robots for STEM…
More Measurement and Motion
For all the measurement technology we have available there are some elements of motion control that are generally missing. We have laser interferometer measuring tools that are accurate to a fraction of 1 micron. There are rotary position sensors that can divide a circle into a million digital positions. Many of the semiconductor industry’s processes would […]
James Cameron wins Popular Mechanics’ 2011 Leadership Award
Cameron wins Breakthrough Leadership Award not only for technologies he has pioneered for his movies, but for his other explorations in providing 3D cameras for NASA’s next Mars rover, for underwater exploration, shipwreck hunting, and for ROVs engineered and used for his movies. Says Cameron, “I believe in exploration.” AeroVironment and DARPA’s Robotic hummingbird also…
Robotic Gift Suggestions for the 2011 Holiday Season
This holiday season, people are looking to get their money’s worth from gift giving. Gifts need to be either truly phenomenal, practical or inexpensive. In the phenomenal category, what’s more exciting than getting a robot as a holiday gift? The Robot Report, a site which tracks the business of robotics, has prepared this list of…
Notes from IROS 2011 San Francisco
San Francisco city view from aboard the IROS 2011 sunset dinner cruise party boat By Frank Tobe. Publisher, The Robot Report The week long IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2011) was host to more than 1,500 roboticists and robot-interested people from 40 different countries, including a prominent group of well-known speakers and…
Notes from IROS 2011 San Francisco
Week long conference on intelligent robots and systems had presentations, exhibitions, demonstrations and interactive sessions. Read one observer’s picks for most interesting, crowd pleasing and unusual presentations and demonstrations at the show. See 15 photos taken at the conference by the Denver Post.
Motion, Measurement and Control
Motion control is all about control. But you cannot control what you cannot measure. So there is an important measurement component to the control of moving systems. The difficulty lies in knowing what to measure, how to measure and what to do about things you can’t measure. The obvious thing to measure is motor speed. […]