The World is Flat - Except in Dynamics!
2009-03-31

FREE WEBCAST: Dynamic modeling and analysis are essential when designing complex mechatronic systems. In this webcast we’ll look at the present state and future of dynamics education, and the value proposition of software programs such as, MSC’s ADAMS. PLAY


The Flying Car Takes Off
2009-03-26

Terrafugia has developed a car that flies or is it a plane that drives? PLAY


"American Idol" for High School Robotics?
2009-03-24

New York's Javits Center hosts a First Robotics competition. PLAY


Robot Muscles
2009-03-24

Can new materials make robots tougher and more reliable?

 PLAY


MIT Tests Robotic Forklift
2009-02-28

MIT is working on a robotic forklift that can be used for supply missions in combat areas. PLAY


First Robotics Competition’s Lunacy Game
2009-02-27

Check out this animated explanation of the rules of the FRC game called Lunacy, and then check out other live-action videos of the game. PLAY


Snake-Like Robot Simulates Realistic Movement
2009-02-27

Students at the State Scientific Center of Russia’s robotics group demonstrate a robotic snake, with insets showing what the internal camera sees. PLAY


Designing for Efficiency
2008-12-18

FREE WEBCAST: If You Can’t Conserve Energy, Stay Out Of The Kitchen!

Conserving energy and sustainability are the most compelling reasons for a mechatronics approach to design today. There is a price associated with efficiency, but greater costs are incurred when efficiency is overlooked. This 3-part webcast series highlights case studies and processes you can implement in your own design.

 PLAY


Mechatronics Helps Rescue The Automotive Industry
2008-11-19

FREE WEBCAST: Learn how a multi-disciplinary approach to design will save your job. PLAY


Roboticist's Beer-Launching Fridge on Letterman
2008-11-18

Finally, robotics being used for the benefit of mankind. On The David Letterman Show, this roboticist explains and demonstrates his beer-launching refrigerator. And people called him lazy. PLAY


Compliance in Mechatronic Motion Systems
2008-09-29

FREE WEBCAST: Designs in nature often exploit compliance, while man-made designs often avoid compliance.   PLAY


Rubber Circuits Offer Robots Flexibility
2008-09-28

Japanese researchers say stretchy rubber circuits could give robots soft and sensitive skins to make them safer.
 PLAY


The Electronic Cigarette
2008-09-18

A mechatronic design, the electronic cigarette includes a micrprocessor, motor and more.. PLAY


New Robot Leg Design
2008-09-18

New robotic legs use springs and motors to move. Check it out.
 PLAY


In Motion, the Exoskeleton Motorcycle
2008-09-10

In June we gave you a story on Hybrid Exoskeleton Motorcycle, now watch the video. PLAY


Hybrid Control of Inverted Pendulum with Wii Remote
2008-09-04

Here is the energy swing-up portion of the hybrid controller for a classic rotary inverted pendulum with manual control via the Wii  remote. PLAY


Nexi, MIT's newest Humanoid
2008-09-02

Check out Nexi, the newest robot from the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab.  Nexi is a small humanoid robot that exhibits emotions.  It has 5 degrees of freedom and moves around in a segway fashion.  PLAY


MIT Tests Self Propelling Fish Farm Prototype
2008-08-29

The propellers are driven by electricity from a diesel generator on a small boat tethered above the cage. PLAY


Johnny Lee's VR Display with Wiimote
2008-08-22

Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the Wii Remote  PLAY


Toyota's Segway
2008-08-15

Toyota revealed its plans Friday to develop Winglet,  a segway-like personal transporter, that comes in three sizes. PLAY


The Nissan Pivo 2, a Robotic Car
2008-08-08

The Nissan Pivo 2 is a an advanced electric concept car powered with a compact lithium-ion battery, a rotating cabin and robotic agent!  PLAY


Robotic Foosball
2008-07-22

This foosball table uses a 96-pinhole camera and LED sensor grid system to keeps track of the ball’s position on the table. PLAY


A Mechatronic Marvel: The Barcode Scanner
2008-07-08

There are few things in the world today that would disrupt society more than if barcode scanners stopped working.  This webcast explores the role of mechatronics in the development of this near indispensable technology. PLAY


Controlling Robots with an iPhone
2008-06-24

Using the Apple iPhone, the University of South Florida has created an iPhone application that controls the iRobot's PackBot. PLAY


Monkeys Control Robots with Minds
2008-05-30

Sensors placed in the brains of monkeys help control robotic arms.

 PLAY


Exoskeleton is Real Iron Man
2008-05-20

As the film, Iron Man tops the box office, Raytheon Sacros's Exoskeleton is being touted as the real Iron Man. This robotic suit, designed for the U.S. Army, can lift a 200 lb payload and never gets tired. PLAY


LittleDog the Robot
2008-05-19

LittleDog is a quadruped robot for research on learning locomotion. Developed by Boston Dynamics,  LittleDog is much smaller than its brother BigDog.  Check him out! PLAY


Stanford's Unmanned Car
2008-05-15

In the nature of autonomous vehicles, take a mechatronic tour  inside Junior, Stanford's autonomous Urban Challenge car, which competed last fall and placed second. PLAY


University of Delaware Targets Medical Robotics
2008-05-04

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Modular Robot Reassembles
2008-04-30

Developed at UPENN, these 15 modules are arranged in groups of five, each of cluster has a module with a camera, blinking LED, and an accelerometer using magnets. PLAY


Robotic Jellyfish
2008-04-29

The waterborne AquaJelly makes use of mechatronic design practices, control strategies and actuation. PLAY


Bluetooth Advances Prosthetics
2008-04-27

Motorized Power Knees use Bluetooth Technology to help war amputees walk.  The new prosthetic includes Bluetooth transmitters and receivers in the ankles. Essentially the pair are talking back and forth and mimic the leg movements of one another.  PLAY


Servo Motor System
2008-04-25

Walk through a servo motor system and see how the DC motors and PC unit all connect up for optimal performance. PLAY


The New Segway RMP
2008-04-09

At the RoboBusiness conference in Pittsburgh, Penn. recently, Segway showed-off its new Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP) line. Battery powered, these payload transport systems are very quiet and has an onboard charging system, controlled by a USB or CAN serial bus interface. PLAY


BigDog the Robot
2008-04-02

Check out the latest video of BigDog, BostonDynamics's mule-sized robot that can cross any terrain.  BigDog has an on-board computer that controls locomotion, servos the legs and handles a wide variety of sensors. PLAY


Relating to Robots
2008-03-30

Gone are the days when robots are just sci-fi characters.  Today robots are being developed to be more emotional, provoking emotion in the humans who control them. PLAY


WEBCAST: A Mechatronics Marvel, The Digital Camera
2008-03-19

Avid photographers talk about image focus, shutter speed, depth of field but rarely do they talk about image sensors, gyroscopes actuators and ultrasonic motors. But, because of those things, the digital camera is truly a mechatronics marvel.  Play

Before There Was Digital, There Was Analog

Review the history of early electronic technology and how vacuum tubes, transistors and integrated circuits paved the way for the digital photographic images we see everyday.  PLAY


Differences Between Film and Digital Camera Design
2008-03-18

The major difference between traditional film and digital cameras is how they capture images. Instead of film, digital imaging represents images as a sequence of numbers and the optical sensor is essential. Watch as Kevin and Mark tear down the Nikon D3 to explain how its components convert incoming light into an electric signal. More PLAY


Mechatronics Design - Achieving Digital Camera Image Control
2008-03-17

Autofocus and vibration reduction features have all but eliminated fuzzy digital pictures and are a must for action shots. Learn how sharp images become a reality with active and passive autofocus approaches including the use of echo technology, triangulation, and ultrasonic motors. Plus, examine a vari-angle prism system and piezoelectric supersonic linear actuator stabilization, along with image sensor and lens-based stabilization design for Nikon cameras More PLAY


Servicing Space Robot
2008-03-11

Discover the mechatronic Dextre, the newest on-orbit robot that NASA will install at the ISS this week. PLAY


Origin of Google's Lunar X Prize
2008-03-06

The X PRIZE Foundation's Chairman & CEO, Peter Diamandis talks about the origins of the Lunar X PRIZE. PLAY


The da Vinci S Robot Performs Open Heart Surgery
2008-02-20

Using the da Vinci S surgical robot system, a double vessel bypass surgery is performed on a beating human heart. PLAY


Getting Gas is Getting Robotic
2008-02-06

Tankpitstop, a $111,100 fully automated fuel robot invented by Dutch engineers debuted in the Netherlands this week. The robotic system works by awknowledging the car type on arrival, matching it to a database of fuel cap designs and fuel types. Then, a robotic arm made of multiple sensors opens the car's flap and dispenses gas. PLAY


Hard Drive with Voice Coil
2008-01-29

Colordado State Professor of Mechatronics, David Alciatore, explains how a basic computer hard-drive syncs with a voice coil and how its run by microcontrollers. PLAY


Prototype Football Measures In-Flight Acceleration with Wireless Data Recorder
2008-01-23

Engineering students at SUNY Buffalo’s ARM Lab developed an experimental prototype football that uses a wireless data recorder to measure in-flight dynamics. Recorded data shows qualitative agreement with six degree of freedom simulations. PLAY


Tune into CE TV
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Case Studies of Successful Mechatronic Design
2008-01-10

Think you know the fundamentals of mechatronics in product design? Now see the process in action. PLAY


Meeting the Sustainable Packaging Challenge
2008-01-10

 PLAY


2007 System Integrator Awards
2008-01-10

Tune into this webcast to find out how these pacesetter system integrators are implementing new technology to better serve industry. PLAY


Optical Encoders Meet Miniaturization Needs
2008-01-10

 PLAY


What Evolutionary Robotics Teaches Us
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Unleashing the Internal Combustion Engine through Mech
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Podcast: Help for Failing Hearts
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Podcast: Exploring Other Worlds
2008-01-10

 PLAY


NASCAR Embraces Motion Control Technologies
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Mechatronics: 21st century design engineering
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Mars Exploration Rover Instrument Positioning System
2008-01-10

 PLAY


Kundel’s Simple Magnet Motors
2008-01-10

Stephen Kundel has patented a way to use a handful of powerful permanent magnets to create simple motors that have no conventional windings. PLAY


Integrating Measurements, Simulations in Circuit Design
2008-01-10

In this session, learn how you can use measurements and simulations to help at the board level, select your next electric component and improve the circuit verification process. Technologies include National Instruments’ LabVIEW and SignalExpress. PLAY


Inside Seat on Shuttle Atlantis
2008-01-10

Check out this series of podcasts on the Shuttle Atlantis and its recent mission to the International Space Station. PLAY


Designing Intelligent Power Supplies
2008-01-10

With an increasing use of digital control there are more ways than ever to design power supplies. In this webcast, explore the impact of each level of microcontroller integration in analog design, and how each level shifts issues associated with control and reliability. PLAY


Control Your Machines Without Wires
2008-01-10

Learn how wireless solutions enable better machine control, diagnostics and maintenance, while increasing the number of data-gathering locations. PLAY


Boeing 787 Dreamliner Takes On Motion Sickness
2008-01-10

Mike Sinnett of Boeing discusses how the giant aircraft maker’s engineers developed a “wind gust suppression” technology that gives the Boeing 787 Dreamliner a smoother ride, even in turbulent conditions. PLAY


Leverage PWM Output
2008-01-09

Exploit it to achieve low-cost DAQ PLAY


Best Practices for Advanced HMI
2005-06-23

Today’s chips are faster, more powerful and more efficient than ever before, giving manufacturers unprecedented flexibility in how HMIs are deployed. PLAY



RSSBlogs

Howard Baldwin Image

The Future of Mechatronics


If these students are any indication, the future of mechatronics is bright.


Posted in: Mining Mechatronics | 03.30.2009.

Mediocrity in the Design Process: Marinara sauce gone wrong.


Stefan Wolpert
Latest blog Post:
The tragedy of over-compromise can make products ill-equipped. When will the design process become more fluid in the introduction of diversified products? Stefan discusses an example and relates it to technology.
Posted in: Mechatronics on Campus | 11.27.2008.

 
 

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