Robotics & Automation News

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MIT scientists find new way to help robots handle fluids

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Researchers create new simulation tool for robots to manipulate complex fluids in a step towards helping robots more effortlessly assist with daily tasks that deal with liquids

Imagine you’re enjoying a picnic by a riverbank on a windy day. (Why you chose to do this on a windy day was your own poor decision).

A gust of wind accidentally catches your paper napkin and lands on the water’s surface, quickly drifting away from you. You grab a nearby stick and carefully agitate the water to retrieve it, creating a series of small waves.

These waves eventually push the napkin back towards the shore, so you grab it. In this scenario, the water acts as a medium for transmitting forces, enabling you to manipulate the position of the napkin without direct contact. [Read more…] about MIT scientists find new way to help robots handle fluids

Importance of Mechanical Seals in Industrial Robotics

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Technology has gone through a boon: electrical and mechanical engineering fields have seen unprecedented growth. The industry is churning out innovations never thought of before, and we are ushering into a new era of technological advancement.

One such technological advancement is Industrial Robotics. Industrial robotics refers to the production of robots to work on assembly lines. They can automate many menial jobs and increase efficiency. The market for industrial robots is growing at about 10 percent a year.

Due to their immense importance in the industry, assembly line robots must have flawless designs. Even minor problems in robot manufacturing can collapse the entire supply chain. [Read more…] about Importance of Mechanical Seals in Industrial Robotics

Scientists use ‘swarmalation’ to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots

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During the swarming of birds or fish, each entity coordinates its location relative to the others, so that the swarm moves as one larger, coherent unit.

Fireflies on the other hand coordinate their temporal behavior: within a group, they eventually all flash on and off at the same time and thus act as synchronized oscillators.

Few entities, however, coordinate both their spatial movements and inherent time clocks; the limited examples are termed “swarmalators”, which simultaneously swarm in space and oscillate in time. [Read more…] about Scientists use ‘swarmalation’ to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots

UCLA engineers develop miniaturized ‘warehouse robots’ for biotechnology applications

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UCLA engineers have developed minuscule warehouse logistics robots that could help expedite and automate medical diagnostic technologies and other applications that move and manipulate tiny drops of fluid. The study was published in Science Robotics.

The robots are disc-shaped magnets about 2 millimeters in diameter, designed to work together to move and manipulate droplets of blood or other fluids, with precision.

For example, the robots can cleave one large droplet of fluid into smaller drops that are equal in volume for consistent testing. [Read more…] about UCLA engineers develop miniaturized ‘warehouse robots’ for biotechnology applications

The critical role of hydraulic manifolds in robotics and automation

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By Nimit Patel, CEO, Hydraulic Manifolds USA

With increasing labor costs and technology becoming less expensive, the paradigm of manufacturing productivity will be forever changed. The need for increased productivity will be addressed by automation.

Recently, hydraulic manifolds have played a critical role in robotics, automation, and mobile applications.

Years of experience designing manifolds is critical to avoid the pitfalls of standardized off-the-shelf solutions. [Read more…] about The critical role of hydraulic manifolds in robotics and automation

Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

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A team of researchers at Kanazawa University has developed a robot control system – or fingertips – for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions.

The researchers say that the study was able to verify that “object grasping by soft surface fluid fingertips with high friction was controllable by applying a suitable lubricant”.

However, they added that it was necessary to do more experiments under various conditions in order to apply the current controlling technology to manufacturing environments. [Read more…] about Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

Subsea valve actuator ‘reduces energy consumption by up to 75 per cent’, says Rexroth

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Launched less than a year ago, Bosch Rexroth’s innovative Subsea Valve Actuator (SVA) – an entirely new concept for underwater actuators which offers SIL3 safety levels and up to 75 per cent lower energy consumption – has been granted a Mechanical Engineering Design Award.

The SVA was developed to help address some of the challenges and shortcomings associated with either purely electromechanical or electrohydraulic actuator technology used on the sea floor for oil and gas exploration and production systems.

Until now, underwater actuators required large, central hydraulic power units above water. Designed to supply the actuators with fluid, the fluid-lines themselves can be miles long. [Read more…] about Subsea valve actuator ‘reduces energy consumption by up to 75 per cent’, says Rexroth

Six innovative companies nominated for grand prize at microtechnology trade show

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Six innovative companies have been nominated for the grand prize at the microtechnology trade show EPHJ, the leading showcase for watchmaking, jewellery, and micro- and medical technologies sectors.

The jury of experts of the 2019 EPHJ-EPMT-SMT Trade Fair has selected six highly innovative projects for the Exhibitors’ Grand Prix to be voted on by the exhibitors to select and announce the winner at the show, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 18-21 June.

Levitation of machines, the green properties of supercritical CO2, machine learning algorithms, new hope for the 16 million people suffering from retinal vein occlusion, a machine that is mightier than a spark and a new fine-layer treatment process are just a few of the spectacular innovations proposed by the six nominees for the 2019 Exhibitors’ Grand Prix selected by the Jury for the EPHJ-EPMT-SMT Trade Show. [Read more…] about Six innovative companies nominated for grand prize at microtechnology trade show