Two of our favorite things, 3D printing and robots, have joined forces and the results are incredible. The Joris Laarman lab has revealed a robotic 3D printer that builds out freestanding, supportless metal pieces. The MX3D-Metal is an industrial robotic arm connected to a welding machine; this set up allows the MX3D-Metal to perform multi-axis printing tasks with met...
Rapid Autonomous Complex-Environment Competing Ackermann-steering Robot (RACECAR) vehicles featured a high-performance embedded computer, a rich sensor suite, an open-source robotics software framework, and student-developed autonomy algorithms that allowed the cars to navigate MIT’s tunnels as fast as possible. The winning team’s vehicle performed an almost flawless run...
The graphics industry is rapidly increasing its demand for computer-controlled machines. This in turn has created an ever growing need for greater productivity and responsiveness. From order to delivery, lead times are becoming shorter, which puts pressure on companies in these industries to provide adequate printing equipment that can produce short preparation times and...
Featuring a three day line up with entrepreneurs, inventors, corporations and more than 5,000 visitors, 4YFN was a big success last week. But perhaps one of the biggest hits was the 3D printed Humanoid Robot developed by Robosavvy. Not only can this cool robot drive a Segway, it can even be operated through Oculus Rift to make it a perfect telepresence robot. To expla...
At the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO, researchers at Virginia Tech for the U.S. Navy successfully demonstrated that technology at work in its Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR). The long-term goal of the robot is to keep Navy operatives from the danger of direct exposure to fire. SAFFiR was able to walk across uneven floors, identify overh...
Not only could the system introduce children to programming principles, but it could also serve as a research tool, to help determine which computational concepts children can grasp at what ages, and how interactive robots can best be integrated into educational curricula. Last week, at the Association for Computing Machinery and Institute of Electrical and Electronic...
Davis spoke during a session of the National Defense Industrial Association, or NDIA,-sponsored Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition, here, April 7. "Established and emerging robotics programs of record will be fielded in the 2019 to 2024" timeframe, he said, before describing some of those possible programs. The robotics include autonomous and se...
For all the increased power, and convenience, that robotic automation provides to forgers, there is a particular challenge to plant operators: staying up-to-date with the technology of robotics requires an increasing level of specialty. Someone in the forging operation has to be dedicated to robotics expertise. Short of hiring, or being, such an expert, it's helpful to c...
While several sensible solutions have already been found, these are typically very expensive, almost impossible to customize and can’t be easily transferred to other setups. If anything, it emphasizes that the human hand is a truly marvellous creation that took millions and millions of years to perfect. But Yale wouldn’t be Yale if it scientists were so easily put off...
"By using OmniVision's OV9712 image sensor and OV788 video processor, the Arlo camera delivers crystal clear HD image quality, power efficiency and superior 'instant on' video recording. OmniVision's leadership in advanced digital imaging solutions makes them a natural fit for NETGEAR's smart home innovations," said Erich Volkert, senior director of product management fo...
Automatic gear grinding machine controller developed by FUYU technology is combined with the exclusive grinding process of gear cutting tool processing equipment and motion control technology, to develop a high performance controller. Integrated with 3 or 4 axis servo control system realize high precision grinding tooth type. Independent research and development of an in...
Nowadays, gradual development can no longer meet the requirements. It is increasingly important to ensure long-term competitive advantage. The new high-precision three-axis laser system is designed to optimize the cutting of longer and thicker objects. Compared with the traditional bridge laser system, the envelope of work is almost the same, but faster, more powerful, a...
China's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, China's robot automated production line equipment market, although the start time is not long, is in the transition from traditional equipment to advanced manufacturing equipment. Nowadays, industrial automation has become an inevitable trend in the development of China's manufacturing industry. With the rise of dome...
Electronics devices assembler, Firm A Production control department. Short product life cycles call for device manufacturing facilities to be flexible. Firm A was dealing with the request for shortening delivery time from their customer. Keys to the issue ・ Shorten the takt time by 2 seconds. ・ Design a line of high productivity within a limited space "Cut tw...
Clients expect neatly ground edges. Amer Sports produces the ski brands Atomic and Salomon, approximately 1,100 models and varying carving types. “Grinding the ski tips is a rather complex task, since it needs absolutely consistent contact force”, explains Stephan Buchsteiner, Head of Industrial Operations Ski. Until now every model required an individual program, which ...
Starting at $199, the compact BRX PLCs offer outstanding features including built-in data logging, motion control, serial and Ethernet communication, an interchangeable (hot-swappable) communications port and integrated high-speed I/O. Support for EtherNet/IP, Modbus RTU and TCP, ASCII and custom protocols is also included. Designed as stand-alone controllers with expans...
Currently, line crews have to suit up in protective clothing, employ elaborate safety procedures and sometimes completely shut off the power before inspecting a power line. It can be difficult, time-consuming and often dangerous work. Now, a team led by Javad Mohammadpour, assistant professor of electrical engineering, has designed, prototyped and tested a robot that ...
If such an imaging system could be manufactured cheaply, it could be wrapped around any number of objects, from street poles to furniture, cars and even clothing, to capture wide, seamless images with unusual fields of view. This design could also lead to cameras the size of a credit card that a photographer could simply flex to control its field of view, the researchers...
Drawing on technologies used in the oil and gas sector, the 2m-long tracked "Stobot" can excavate sludge using both a backhoe and a front-mounted scoop. According to Red Marine, this reduces sludge disturbance and water separation issues compared to alternative dredging solutions. Material is then transported via an export conveyor to a skip system that transfers the exc...
Smart applications of automation technologies increase safety, improve quality, decrease downtime, and, perhaps, in an unintended benefit, can attract younger engineers. These were among application lessons learned from a major chemical company that installed a new control room designed with the year 2020 in mind, among presentations at the ARC Group Industry Forum, in F...
“A new version of Atlas, designed to operate outdoors and inside buildings. It is electrically powered and hydraulically actuated. It uses sensors in its body and legs to balance and LIDAR and stereo sensors in its head to avoid obstacles, assess the terrain and help with navigation. This version of Atlas is about 5’ 9” tall (about a head shorter than the DRC Atlas) and ...
Though this project is backed by the governments of China, Japan, Canada, and India, as well as the United States, it may never be built. For its location is considered sacred by some Hawaiians, whose protests have been heard all the way to the State Supreme Court of Hawaii, which in December 2015 invalidated TMT’s previously granted building permit. With the project ...
Anyone can take a scan using a phone, tablet or hand-held scanner and upload it to Scandy's system, where enhancements to the scan are automatically made. Next, users receive an improved scan for sharing on social networks, and the final product is shipped to their door for as low as $20. "Scandy's solution removes the need for 3D modeling software or experience, and ...
Other robot vacuums feel their way blindly around an environment and may miss patches of dirt as a result, according to Dyson. The Dyson 360 Eye tracks its position and builds up a detailed floor plan to enable it to systematically navigate around a room. Infrared sensors work with a lens on top of the machine that houses a 360° panoramic camera that can "see" the who...
3 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding solicitation, only one directly lists composites. The description for “Replacement Nose Fairing Material” is listed below. Instead, most of the research topics deal with sensors, microelectronics or modeling and computing, though the Navy’s subgroup includes “Optimization of Advanced Wireless Textiles” and “Advanced Tex...
With ultra wide bandwidths and higher frequencies, the development of 5G chipsets, components and devices will require a unique mix of test and measurement equipment unlike 3G and 4G LTE. COLUMBIA, Md., – Rohde Schwarz, Inc., an industry leader in mobile wireless test, has announced that it will demonstrate several key test systems for the development and test of 5G c...
Industrial robots are no longer a rare sight in modern manufacturing plants. In the automotive industry, for example, they handle painting and welding jobs. But robots will have even more to offer manufacturing in the future. In my last post, I provided some insight into the ways in which design, engineering and production can already be efficiently and productively o...
TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese mobile carrier Softbank said Tuesday it will incorporate artificial intelligence technology from IBM into its empathetic robot Pepper that will be available to Japanese consumers around midyear. The AI engine "Watson" is already used in health care, travel and insurance services in English, but an adaptation was needed to make it work and think ...
For example, Northrop Grumman recently completed performance testing on an Advanced Pulse Generator (APG) as part of an upgrade to the Combat Electromagnetic Environment Simulator (CEESIM), which is used to test and validate the performance of electronic-warfare (EW) equipment. The updated APG utilizes high-speed DDS technology to generate RF waveforms for a variety of s...
When you think college campus, you might think classes, parties, and dorms, but for some students at the University of Illinois at Chicago the college experience is all about the robots. Well, maybe not ALL about the robots, but there is a serious devotion to robotics among the members of the Chicago Engineering Design Team. The team, which started in 2001, began as a...
And with the ability to launch a hyper-velocity projectile (HVP) up to Mach 7 in less than a second, it’s a doozy. You may have heard about the Innovative Naval Prototype (INP) initiative, designed to foster “game-changing and disruptive technologies ahead of the normal requirements process.” And the ONR — in conjunction with BAE Systems — launched the Electromagnetic...
The findings, by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine were published online in the Journal of Neural Engineering. They describe, for the first time, 10-degree brain control of a prosthetic device in which the trial participant used the arm and hand to reach, grasp, and place various objects. “Our project has shown that we can interpret sign...
The resulting machine tool certainly cannot take the place of a machining center for precision milling of hard metal parts, but it can effectively machine complex parts in soft materials such as plastic. The machine could also be used as a solution for quickly performing complex deburring routines. The RoboBox is programmed using Robotmaster software.
The automated cleaning technology is hands-free and waterless. The cleaning module uses a noncondensing spray capable of removing light oils, dust and particles. According to the company, the system can be programmed to complete a variety of cleaning applications and is flexible enough to clean a range of surfaces.
When science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov first penned stories about positronic robots in the 1940s, it’s doubtful he could have foreseen that one of the weak points real robots would have is relatively mundane: the cabling used to connect their moving parts. This wiring can flex millions of times in normal use. The problem is that most cable is not designed for this sort...
Maker like Marios Papachristou has used Legos to build a special 3D printer that ressembles the design of RepRap Mendel 3D printer. Researcher Stefanie Mueller has started using Legos in their program called faBrickator, a software program which allows users to 'legofy' their designs. And recently one Instructables user named William has created a Lego 3D printer using...
