Industries
Five-fingered robot hand gets a grip of its self
Robots today can perform space missions, solve a Rubik’s cube, sort hospital medication and even make pancakes. But most can’t manage the simple act of grasping a pencil and spinning it around to get a solid grip. Intricate tasks that require dexterous in-hand manipulation — rolling, pivoting, bending, sensing friction and other things humans do effortlessly with our hands — have proved notoriously difficult for robots.
Technology is providing the building blocks of the future
The dirty, dusty and noisy environment of a busy building site is perhaps the last place you’d expect to find the latest technology innovations. Indeed, the majority of fundamental building tools haven’t really changed that much since mankind developed the ability to create them. However, the high-tech buildings and cities of tomorrow are being designed and constructed by equally revolutionary technology.
2A PXI relay module designed for medium power switching
Pickering Interfaces is pleased to announce the launch of a high-density 2A PXI Relay Module configured with 83 SPDT relays. This Relay Module was originally designed for applications in Aerospace and Defense requiring a higher density 2A alternative to Pickering’s current 52 SPDT Module (model 40-139). This Relay Module is suitable for applications requiring medium power switching with very high density. It features a 2A current capacity a...
Unmanned cloud-seeding aircraft takes flight
For the first time in aviation history, a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft has successfully tested a cloud-seeding payload during an experimental flight in Nevada. Flown at Hawthorne Industrial Airport under the state’s FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site designation, the Drone America Savant aircraft reached an altitude of 400ft and flew for approximately 18 minutes on April 29th, 2016.
When VR is your health treatment option
Nicolette Emmino takes a look at the role virtual reality (VR) can play within medical applications. Virtual reality - we’ve been hearing a lot about the computer technology that reproduces entire environments and simulates a user’s presence to artificially create sensory experiences, especially with recent releases like Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR devices.
3D printed bones feature 30% pulverised natural bone
To make a good framework for filling in missing bone, mix at least 30% pulverised natural bone with some special man-made plastic and create the needed shape with a 3D printer. That’s the recipe for success reported by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University in a paper published April 18th online in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
'Kidney on a chip' could lead to safer drug dosing
University of Michigan researchers have used a 'kidney on a chip' device to mimic the flow of medication through human kidneys and measure its effect on kidney cells. The technique could lead to more precise dosing of drugs, including some potentially toxic medicines often delivered in intensive care units.
AVX’s space-level BME X7R MLCCs are now NASA approved
AVX has revealed that it is the first, and currently only, company to be recognised as a qualified supplier of space-level BME (Base Metal Electrode) X7R dielectric MLCCs for use in aerospace designs and US military applications under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) S-311-P-838 specification.
eCompass enables superior indoor & undercover navigation
Smartphone and wearables are about to get better at guiding and mapping, even where satellite navigation cannot work, using the latest electronic compass (eCompass) from STMicroelectronics.
ETL Systems launches GPS range
ETL Systems has announced the launch of a range of products for Global Positioning System (GPS) and the broader Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications. The range includes outdoor and indoor GPS over Fibre Outdoor and GPS Splitter units, which provide a reliable method for distributing GPS timing signals from a single antenna.