Engineering TV : Robotics

MAARS Robot - Part 2

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:25:00 GMT

QinetiQ North America's Dan Deguire, Senior Program Manager for Future Robotics, details the safety features built into the MAARS robotic platform as well as additional features that set it apart from the SWORDS robots that came before it. The new Digital Control Unit (DCU) significantly improves command and control and situational awareness for the operator, resulting in greater safety margins. For more information, visit NWUAV Propulsion Systems.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(396 Views, 0 Comments)

MAARS Robot - Part 1

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:00 GMT
Electronic Design's Bill Wong had a chance to talk with QinetiQ North America's Dan Deguire about the MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System), a modular remote weapons platform & IED neutralization tool. MAARS uses the more powerful M240B medium machine gun and has significant improvements in command and control, situational awareness, maneuverability, mobility, lethality, and safety compared to its SWORDS predecessor. For more information, visit NWUAV Propulsion Systems.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(626 Views, 1 Comments)

GoldenEye 80 VTOL UAV - Part 2

Terry Knight — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:11:00 GMT
The GoldenEye 80 vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned ducted fan air vehicle features several acoustic dampening techniques that enable quiet hover and stare operations from altitude and an advanced flight control computer to rapidly transition from hover to forward flight dash speeds in seconds. It made its first public demonstration flight at Webster Field of the Patuxent River Air Station, Maryland on August 10, 2009. For more information, visit Aurora Flight Sciences.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(1225 Views, 0 Comments)

GoldenEye 80 VTOL UAV - Part 1

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:48:00 GMT
Aurora Flight Sciences' John Lambert and Tom Clancy talk to Engineering TV about the GoldenEye 80 Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft System. Originally developed under the DARPA's OAV-II Program, the GoldenEye 80 features an advanced EO/IR mission equipment package (MEP), a low acoustic signature heavy fuel propulsion system and a STANAG compliant portable Ground Control Station. For more information, visit Aurora Flight Sciences.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(1684 Views, 1 Comments)

A160T Hummingbird - Part 2

Terry Knight — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT
The A160T Hummingbird unmanned aerial vehicle looks like a helicopter but is unlike any other helicopter on the market today. It features a unique optimum speed rotor technology that enables the Hummingbird to adjust the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) of the rotor blades at different altitudes and cruise speeds. During flight, an operator can vary the RPM of the A160's rotors (speed them up or slow them down) at different altitudes to improve overall efficiency and save fuel. This is quite a departure from conventional rotor systems, which tend to have a fixed rotor RPM regardless of altitude. For more information, visit Boeing.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(1140 Views, 0 Comments)

A160T Hummingbird - Part 1

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:02:00 GMT
Developed under the auspices of the DARPA, the A160 Turbine Hummingbird (A160T) is a revolutionary vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system capable of endurance greater than 20 hours, with a range of 2,250 nautical miles, and a payload capacity of 2,500 pounds. In 2008, the A160T set a world record for endurance (verified by the FAI) with an 18.7-hour flight. For more information, visit Boeing.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(2786 Views, 1 Comments)

Harmonic Drive Servo Actuators

Terry Knight — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT
Bob Mullins from Harmonic Drive gives a run-down of some of their featured offerings, including hollow shaft actuators and custom servo actuators. Servo actuators are an assembly of a brush or brushless servo motor, zero backlash Harmonic Drive precision strain wave gearing, and a high capacity output bearing. They are compatible with most industry-standard controllers and amplifiers. Also watch this episode: Harmonic Drive Total Motion Control. For more information, visit Harmonic Drive.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(786 Views, 0 Comments)

Soft Servo Motion Control and Robotic Hand

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT
Harmonic Drive demonstrates semiconductor equipment using their drives and actuators, a MECHATROLINK II servo network, and Soft Servo Systems' SMP controller. The SMP series is a line of general motion controller with up to 32 axes (soon to be 64) of high-end general motion control, an industry standard soft PLC and a Windows-based GUI application in a single package. Also on display is a new robotic hand (finger module) developed for high-speed dynamic grasping. The Harmonic Drive actuator is lightweight, high-speed and backlash is small enough for high-gain feedback control. Also watch this episode: Harmonic Drive Servo Actuators. For more information, visit Harmonic Drive.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(990 Views, 1 Comments)

Harmonic Drive Operating Principles

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT
Bob Mullins explains the operating principles behind the Harmonic Drive strain wave gearing. The mechanism is comprised of three components: Wave Generator, Flexspline, and Circular Spline. The high performance attributes of this gearing technology including zero backlash, high torque, compact size, and excellent positional accuracy are a direct result of the unique operating principles. Also watch this episode: Soft Servo Motion Control and Robotic Hand. For more information, visit Harmonic Drive.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(1232 Views, 0 Comments)

Harmonic Drive Total Motion Control

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:00:00 GMT
Harmonic Drive offers precision gears, gear heads, servo actuators and motion control systems. Harmonic Drives come in many variations and are used in such applications as multi-axis articulated robots, industrial robots, medical equipment, and optical measuring equipment, and even orbital satellites. Robert Mullins tells us more about Harmonic Drive and their capabilities for Total Motion Control. Also watch this episode: Harmonic Drive Operating Principles. For more information, visit Harmonic Drive.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(970 Views, 0 Comments)

Dragon Runner SUGV

Terry Knight — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:00:00 GMT
The Dragon Runner Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) is a modular ground robot system capable of both quick reconnaissance and improvised explosive device (IED) disarmament in urban, mountainous or rural environments. Recently, engineers and roboticists have developed enhancements that now make it possible to take the basic Dragon Runner and add whatever combination of treads, flippers, cameras, sensors and/or arms a mission requires. For more information, visit QinetiQ North America .

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(1126 Views, 0 Comments)

Pronto4 Capabilities and ProntoMimic Software

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:08:00 GMT
Vehicles retrofitted with the Pronto4 System can perform flexible roles in a tele-operational or semi-autonomous mode. The ProntoMimic Software Suite has a series of path creation / following interfaces that perform the task of path creation and maintenance using numerical data or aerial images and path execution in the form of GPS waypoint following. The software is highly flexible and adaptable, and can also be used for tele-operation. Also watch this episode: Pronto4 Agnostic Autonomy System. For more information, visit Kairos Autonomi.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(3048 Views, 0 Comments)

Pronto4 Technical Components

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:01:00 GMT
Troy Takach, President & CEO of Kairos Autonomi, takes us through the components of the Pronto4 Agnostic Autonomy System. This compact, modularly-constructed hardware system is capable of installation anywhere in the field in a four-four-four process — a four-person team can install four backpack-sized modules in four hours. Also watch this episode: Pronto4 Capabilities and ProntoMimic Software. For more information, visit Kairos Autonomi.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(628 Views, 0 Comments)

Pronto4 Agnostic Autonomy System

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:22:00 GMT
Rather than build expensive, purpose-built systems, Kairos Autonomi produces high-quality, cost-effective solutions that can be retrofitted or "strapped-on" to any existing vehicle or vessel that has a steering wheel. The Pronto4 Agnostic Autonomy System converts any existing ground vehicle or surface vessel — either steering-wheel or skid-steer — into an unmanned system in less than four hours. Featuring scalable autonomy, the Pronto4 system allows for vehicle control ranging from tele-operation to semi-autonomy. Also watch this episode: Pronto4 Technical Components. For more information, visit Kairos Autonomi.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(901 Views, 0 Comments)

WKU Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:10:00 GMT
Students of WKU's Department of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences are training to work in management in the manufacturing business, and for their senior project are asked to come up with a simple task - design a product and build it. Working like a business, the students have to order the parts within a budget and divide into task-driven teams. One student, Joshua Ferriell, the project manager, said one of the greatest challenges was learning the lathe, laser and mill, then programming everything to operate with a push of one button. Students are learning the unique skill of integrating some of the most advanced manufacturing tools in the industry, making the young engineers highly marketable in the job field. Also watch this episode: WKU Advanced Manufacturing Lab. For more information, visit Ogden College of Science & Engineering and FESTO Didactic.

Have a story suggestion? Want to be featured on Engineering TV?
Send us a tip at: EngineeringTV@Penton.com!

(814 Views, 0 Comments)