by Andrew Waugh, Product Manager for Sensors and Safety at AutomationDirect.com Operator safety is a top priority for machine and robot installations, and safety switches help implement the desired level of protection. Protecting an operator from safety hazards should be at the top of the list for all designers of automated equipment such as machines […]

“The unknown future rolls toward us…” as Sarah Conner put it in the Terminator sequel, and so it is with the Internet of Things.   The future of the internet is a great unknown, yet it rolls toward us with inevitability. One of the most important accomplishments is defining what the Internet is; communications backbone, […]

Together with several partners, Schunk transforms the vision of the smart factory into reality. Condition and process monitoring and communication are directly done at the component level with Schunk sensors. The smart Schunk modules are closing the gap in handling objects, and allow a consistent flow of information from the gripper finger to the ERP system. […]

The EGP from SCHUNK is more compact that typical electric grippers to grab small parts. Now, a new version, the size 25 EGP — weighing 110 g with a stroke of 3 mm per finger — can grab with 40 N to handle workpieces to 200 g. It’s as efficient as pneumatic alternatives and (with integrated electronics) acts in just 0.09 sec. Other features include […]

Pneumatic grippers still dominate robotic and industrial-assembly applications. That’s because pneumatic grippers are reliable, come in myriad sizes, grip quickly, and produce considerably more force than similarly sized electric grippers. They’re also less expensive and simple to control, according to Peter Farkas, president of American Grippers Inc. (AGI). “Pneumatic grippers are the most common end-effector […]

Industrial grippers have made headlines recently, mostly thanks to breathtaking new prosthetics, smarter material-handling machines and fairly brisk robotic innovation. However, traditional pneumatic grippers still dominate industrial-assembly and robotic applications. That’s because pneumatic grippers are reliable, come in myriad sizes and grip quickly. They’re also cost effective and simple to control, according to Peter Farkas, […]

By Leslie Langnau / Managing Editor Actuators for robots range from the “tried and true” to newer versions of actuator muscles. Here’s a look at your range of options. In robot design, electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators are the typical choices available when developing the means to convert energy into mechanical work. However, a couple […]

Late last month KUKA made a public offer to Swisslog shareholders to purchase their shares at 8.9% above the market price. Swisslog’s Board of Directors have recommended that the offer be accepted. KUKA, one of the Big Four global robot makers, stated that the purchase price would be $357 million and that the transaction would…

At RoboBusiness this week in Boston, Pitchfire – a Shark Tank-like pitch and question session – presented 14 start-up companies who pitched their wares to 5 judges. 3 winners were chosen. SoftRobotics Inc, a Boston-based start-up (not to be confused with SoftRobotics, a Los Angeles area software and systems developer), presented their new soft gripper, a…

34,500 visitors from more than 100 countries came to Munich this June to visit AUTOMATICA 2014 and examine the robotics-related wares of 731 exhibitors from over 42 countries.  But why was Esben Østergaard, CTO of Danish Universal Robots smiling? Perhaps it was because his company was one of the showpieces of AUTOMATICA’s focus this year on Service Robots?…

Empire Robotics, a Boston-based start-up, is beginning to sell their VERSABALL kits, a new-tech jamming gripper enabling adaptive gripping operations with a single inexpensive tool. Filled with a granular material, in one mode it is squishy enough to envelop an object. Then, when a vacuum is created inside the ball, the granules get pulled together,…

Let’s break down some of the terms pertaining to motion control.  I am suggesting a definition along the lines of  “An independently functioning system capable of converting energy to perform work”, or something to that effect.  The notion being that the most central elements are that it is a system, the system performs work, energy […]

During the last decade or so the controls industry has adopted the term “Mechatronics” as a replacement for the previously used phrase “motion control”.    I will respectfully break with the current trend and suggest that motion control is the proper term because it better defines the field of knowledge. For one thing, the term […]

An occasional topic of conversation in the control industry is understanding what is meant by coordinated motion.  The topic is fairly ambiguous since we have many examples of complex pieces of machinery with high axis counts and which definitely give the impression of coordinated motion.  The illusion of coordination is based on the fact that […]

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 […]

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® introduced an innovative robot joint module system at the Hanover Fair 2010. Previously, robot developers were forced to put together complex, custom solutions from numerous individual components. igus is currently looking for beta testers for this new product. The joints in the Robolink system are controlled by cable tension, in […]

Littleton, CO – Norgren announced it has been recognized as a ‘Gold’ level contributor to the FIRST Robotics Organization for its donation of pneumatic valves and regulators. The FIRST Colorado Regional competition took place at the University of Denver Ritchie Center Thursday, March 25, 2010, through Saturday, March 27, 2010. Since 2006 Norgren has contributed […]

In the future, robots will help to clean solar panels. One particularly interesting member of this new wave of cleaners is the Gekko from Serbot AG. It never loses its grip on the sloping panels thanks to its special suction feet. On the inside it has numerous components from Festo and benefits from its engineering […]

PRINCETON, NJ – – ST Robotics announced the introduction of their new R12-500, dubbed “Firefly” — a technological and economical breakthrough in bench-top robotics. At last, small companies looking to increase the production goals of their automated processes can afford such a robust, industrial robot system — one that can be unpacked and programmed in […]

Engineers at Johns Hopkins University are investigating the use of a robot (MrBot) that can operate within the closed bore of magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to help physicians perform remote biopsies of tumors under MRI guidance. Researchers involved in the project say that MRI is ideal for this type of application because it is the […]

At Art Center Pasadena, California, Bumsuk Lim, a former Honda designer who now teaches at the Art Center, has developed Art Center’s first official motorcycle design class, which, he admits, could turn into a fully-fledged design program. Lim has found that by combining an undervalued segment in the transportation industry and new future green technologies […]

GERMANY – AquaJelly is an artificial autonomous jellyfish with an electric drive and an intelligent, adaptive mechanical system. AquaJelly consists of a translucent hemisphere and eight tentacles used for propulsion. At the center of the AquaJelly is a watertight, laser-sintered pressure vessel. This comprises a central, electric drive, two lithium-ion-polymer batteries, the charge control device […]