Researchers in Singapore and China have proposed a process flow to guide 3D printing of miniature soft pneumatic actuators. Robots with integrated prints could have applications in jet-engine maintenance and minimally invasive surgery.

Mechanical systems, such as engines and motors, rely on two principal types of motions of stiff components: linear motion, which involves an object moving from one point to another in a straight line; and rotational motion, which involves an object rotating on an axis. Nature has developed far more sophisticated forms of movement — or…

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 […]

Another area of Mechatronics that is very confusing is the area of actuators. The problem is that you can buy actuators that are assemblies of several components, or you can buy the components, and they’re all called actuators. This is traditionally an ambiguous area of mechatronics and I will try to add a little definition […]