Robotics & Automation News

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Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

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harmonic drive Waveplus

Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing expert Harmonic Drive UK, explains WavePlus technology, an innovative development in strain wave gearing

Sometimes, you only need one small innovation to make something revolutionary.

Sliced bread, for example, simply took a stroke of inspiration for Otto Rohwedder to combine automatic bread wrapping equipment with cutting functionality.

The strain wave gear has been the pinnacle of precision gearing since the technology was first developed in 1957 by renowned inventor and founder of Harmonic Drive, Walton Musser.

Consisting of just three crucial components – the wave generator, flexspline and the circular spline – and ensuring zero backlash as well as a high gear reduction ratio, strain wave gears have long been the standard for critical applications.  [Read more…] about Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

Boeing to acquire Liquid Robotics to ‘enhance autonomous seabed-to-space information services’

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Developer of Wave Glider ocean robot boosts Boeing’s ocean data collection capabilities

Boeing has reached an agreement to buy Liquid Robotics, a builder of autonomous maritime systems and developer of the Wave Glider ocean surface robot, to grow its seabed-to-space autonomous capabilities.

Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, says: “With Liquid Robotics’ innovative technology and Boeing’s leading intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions, we are helping our customers address maritime challenges in ways that make existing platforms smarter, missions safer and operations more efficient.”

In September 2014, Boeing and Liquid Robotics entered into a teaming agreement resulting in extensive integration on the Sensor Hosting Autonomous Remote Craft (Sharc), a version of the Wave Glider. [Read more…] about Boeing to acquire Liquid Robotics to ‘enhance autonomous seabed-to-space information services’

Liquid Robotics and Hydro Systems deliver Japan’s first long-term ocean observation network

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Liquid Robotics and its Japanese partner Hydro Systems Development (HSD) have delivered the first fleet of Wave Gliders to the Japan Coast Guard.

Liquid Robotics and HSD will assist the Japan Coast Guard in deploying eight Wave Gliders for a multi-year mission providing autonomous observation and situational awareness of ocean currents, wave activity, and weather along Japan’s coastlines.

This is the first ocean observation network in Japan’s history that will provide comprehensive and economical monitoring of Japan’s ocean conditions.  [Read more…] about Liquid Robotics and Hydro Systems deliver Japan’s first long-term ocean observation network

Liquid Robotics ocean robot swims 3,000 miles to protect fish in Hawaii

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liquid robotics wave rider

Liquid Robotics says its Wave Glider ocean robot swam 2,808 nautical miles (5,200 km) to the Big Island of Hawaii after successfully completing a four-month patrol mission of the Pitcairn Island Marine Sanctuary.

This achievement represents a fundamental enabling capability for unmanned systems as it proves the feasibility and flexibility of autonomous mission deployment.

Using the Wave Glider platform, Liquid Robotics’ customers are able to deploy sensors in the most remote marine locations without sending a large ship for recovery.  [Read more…] about Liquid Robotics ocean robot swims 3,000 miles to protect fish in Hawaii

Liquid Robotics’ ocean robots surpass one million nautical miles at sea

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Liquid Ocean robotics vessel
Liquid Ocean robotics vessel

Liquid Robotics, which makes wave and solar powered ocean robots, says its fleets of Wave Gliders have reached 1 million nautical miles at sea—an important milestone for the unmanned surface vehicle (USV) industry.

The Wave Glider is the first USV to complete missions from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean, operate through 17 hurricanes/typhoons, and achieve a Guinness World Record for the “longest journey by an autonomous, unmanned surface vehicle on the planet”.

One million nautical miles is the equivalent to 1.29x round trip journey to the moon (at the moon’s furthest point) or approximately 46 times around the world.  [Read more…] about Liquid Robotics’ ocean robots surpass one million nautical miles at sea