This episode of Designing the Future is brought to you by Murata Power Solutions.
Robotics, perhaps the most anticipated technology of the 20th century, is finally delivering on the science fiction promise of truly useful, general-purpose, humanoid machines. Speed, mobility, dexterity, vision and the user interface, are all progressing so rapidly that hardly a week goes by without a major advancement. Engineers however, who must deliver on that promise, know that the essence of motion is power.
And in robotic applications, particularly humanoids, the need to use batteries or onboard fuel cells to operate systems, makes physics the limiting factor in ultimate machine performance. Converting the energy available from the onboard power source into forms that drive the mechatronics, along with the logic, is a serious matter for robot designers.
Jim Anderton discussed this important design issue with John Quinlan, Senior Engineering Manager for Boston-based Murata Power Solutions.
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