Robotics
Expanded mobility with the bionic wheelchair
People confined to a wheelchair are still confronted with insurmountable obstacles in everyday life – even in today’s more wheelchair-accessible society. There are often no elevators in a building – or if so, they’re out of order. And while there are already wheelchairs that can climb stairs, persons with physical disabilities still require assistance to prevent tipping over. Researchers at the Technical University of Muni...
Portable handheld interface enables more freedom to move
Delta Electronics has announced a portable handheld interface enabling the operator to move around the machine or the robot, to be able to monitor and control closely the process and interact with it in real time. The DOP-H HMI is suitable for use with industrial robots, robot arms, assembly machines and other motion control systems.
Metallic glass gears make for graceful robots
At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, technologist Douglas Hofmann and his collaborators are building a better gear. Hofmann is the lead author of two recent papers on gears made from bulk metallic glass (BMG), a specially crafted alloy with properties that make it ideal for robotics. "Although BMGs have been explored for a long time, understanding how to design and implement them into structural hardware has proven el...
Toddler robots help solve how children learn
Children learn words using the same method as robots, according to psychologists. This suggests that early learning is based not on conscious thought but on an automatic ability to associate objects which enables babies to quickly make sense of their environment. Dr Katie Twomey from Lancaster University, with Dr Jessica Horst from Sussex University, Dr Anthony Morse and Professor Angelo Cangelosi from Plymouth wanted to find out how yo...
Robot dispensing systems dramatically boost productivity
Amada Miyachi Europe now offer a range of robot dispensing system options that can be fully customised for use in the automotive, electronics and solar cells, information technology and multimedia, medical, aerospace, and defence industries. Amada Miyachi Europe combines its standard desktop XYZ fluid dispensing systems with precision, user-friendly JANOME Industrial Equipment desktop robots that can dramatically boost productivity.
Remember D.R.O.N.E - improving UAV safety
With safety concerns arising from the growing number of commercial drones sold in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated its UK Dronecode in an effort to improve safety. The fact is that the skies above the UK, much like our roads, are becoming more congested and incidents of drones narrowly avoiding collisions with passenger planes are becoming commonplace.
Pushing boundaries of drone control for extreme conditions
The use of UAVs or drones is growing both in the commercial and academic realms. Companies and governmental agencies are finding them increasingly useful to help their businesses, while researchers constantly are exploring unique uses for the devices. But that growth involves a technology that is still new and always evolving. From fixed-wing drones to quad-copter models, large and small, the usefulness and mechanics of UAV technology are st...
Putting on a show for Disney
What could possibly be better than the Christmas fireworks display at Disney World Florida, you might be asking yourself? Disney and Intel have partnered together to create a new type of light show where 300 colourful lights will fly simultaneously to the sound of holiday harmonies. The drone performance is called ‘Starbright Holidays’.
CAD tools used to teach robotics
The online testing and assessment system tool, MapleSim, from Maplesoft is being employed at The University of Manchester where Dr. Joaquin Carrasco, Professor of Control Systems at the University’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has taught various control systems courses to Master’s students for the past six years.
Ultrasound-powered actuator develops micro robot
The quest to develop a wireless micro-robot for biomedical applications requires a small-scale "motor" that can be wirelessly powered through biological media. While magnetic fields can be used to power small robots wirelessly, they do not provide selectivity since all actuators (the components controlling motion) under the same magnetic field just follow the same motion.