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Archive for the ‘Automation’ Category.
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. released two new high-voltage, single- and dual-supply single-pole double-throw (SPDT) analog switches. The DG469 and DG470 devices are identical, except the DG470 provides an enable pin, which puts all of the switches in a high-impedance state, maintaining a “safe state” at power up and preventing accidental signal or power shorts.
Continue reading ‘Vishay Announces High-Voltage SPDT Analog Switches’ »
Test engineers in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to consumer electronics are facing the challenge of testing increasingly complicated designs with shrinking timelines and budgets. To address these issues, engineers and scientists are incorporating new test and measurement technologies that are capable of meeting complex design requirements without raising costs. National Instruments (NI) has identified five trends it anticipates will significantly influence the test and measurement industry over the next three years.”Companies are turning to the latest technologies including PXI, FPGAs and multicore processors to develop high-performance test systems that can meet consumer demand for higher-quality products,” said Eric Starkloff, National Instruments director of test product marketing.
“Fortunately, more technology vendors are developing industry-standard tools capable of solving problems that previously depended on expensive, dedicated test systems.”
Continue reading ‘Test And Measurement Industry Trends Toward Software-Defined Instrumentation’ »
ADVANCED Motion Controls announces development efforts with Robosoft, located in Bidart, France, to produce a new standard in service robots. To date, Robosoft has uniquely created a multi-use hardware platform for remote service mobile robotic needs. The robuLAB series for example can be used for indoor security, medical assistance, assisted living or any other service need.
The hardware incorporates ADVANCED Motion Controls servo drives at the heart of the motion control. Robosoft’s robuBOX is a flexible software platform that is operationally ready to take on many tasks and can be quickly and safely tailored to fit the customer’s exact needs. With the combination of the Robosoft’s hardware and software, including ADVANCED Motion Controls DigiFlex Performance high power density servo drives, OEM’s and users can develop new robotic applications much faster than attempting full scale development.
“Motor-drives are the key components in service robotics, this is the gateway between hardware and software,” says Vincent Dupourqué, CEO of ROBOSOFT. “The ADVANCED Motion Controls drives perfectly fit our control software needs, allowing implementation of advanced algorithms for mobile robots and manipulators.”
Additionally, for those customers looking to develop their own control algorithms within Microsoft’s Robotics Development Studio, drivers for ADVANCED Motion Controls’ DigiFlex Performance servo drives, and additional software features, are being developed by Robosoft in the robuBOX and will be available to developers before the end of 2008.
“Flexible mobile robotic platforms with available standards have now come of age. Robosoft’s robuters and robuBOX hardware and software products are proving to be excellent building blocks for companies looking to create their own specific robot designs” says Karl Meier, Marketing Manager of ADVANCED Motion Controls.
About robuBOX
RobuBOX launch took place in mid-2006. Several robots embedding the robuBOX have been deployed since: Estele, the remote tele-echography system already in operation in 4 French Hospitals, robuCAB an automatic vehicle guided by GPS, a mobile robot for construction sites carrying pallets of materials, as well as the off-the-shelf ROBOSOFT robuLAB and robuROC mobile platforms for miscellaneous indoor and outdoor applications.
robuBOX is now available and allows robotics integrators and mass market manufacturers to seamlessly build a variety of advanced robotics solutions using the Microsoft Robotics Studio environment.
About DigiFlex Performanceservo drives
DigiFlex Performance servo drive series, originally launched in early 2007, provides complete OEM flexibility by allowing use of any controller, any motor with any feedback. The product platform continues to set new motion control standards and provides excellent power density for applications requiring compact enclosure. Including both panel and PCB mount versions, many industries are now using these servos: military, homeland security, robotics, semiconductors, machine tool, medical, lab automation, etc.
About ROBOSOFT
ROBOSOFT is the European leader in service robotics. With more than 20 years of recognized scientific and industrial expertise in this field, ROBOSOFT provides advanced robotics solutions for transport, cleaning, surveillance, healthcare and research markets since 1985.
Beyond professional applications, the era of personal robotics is now starting. ROBOSOFT thinks that its service robots called “robuters” will be part of everyday life within 5 years. According to forecasts of Japan Robotics Association: in 2010 worldwide personal and service robotics market will reach 17 billion dollars. Robuters will make easier everybody’s life in activities such as entertainment, education, culture, healthcare, assistance to elderly and handicapped people etc… In order to bring these applications to life, ROBOSOFT already integrates 80% of software complexity in its robuBOX, a software module based on Microsoft Robotics Studio, which is already incorporated in ROBOSOFT’s robots, but can also be licensed to integrators and robots manufacturers for mass production.
About ADVANCED Motion Controls
ADVANCED Motion Controls designs, manufactures and supplies the highest performance servo drives and servo amplifiers available since 1988. From complete PWM servo control to custom servo solutions, ADVANCED Motion Controls provides brushed and brushless motor drives with the latest in digital servo technology. AC servo and DC servo motor controllers are available for general servo automation or specific robotic control. Complete servo motor drive controls are available for: AC and DC brushless servo motors, DC brush type servo motor, linear and rotary servo motors, closed loop vector motors, voice coils, inductive loads and actuators for precise motion systems. Servo drives with networking capabilities for either centralized or distributed motion control servo systems are readily available.
The all new A30 MEMS High Performance Single Axis Accelerometer offers excellent bias with a small light weight form factor and low power. Designed for commercial stabilization and aircraft applications, the unit utilizes standard +5V DC power and has a voltage output.
Continue reading ‘A30 High Performance MEMS Accelerometer’ »
The all new LandMark20 MEMS GPS/AHRS is an ultra low power combined digital Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) that provides internally temperature compensated RS485 output of delta velocity, delta theta, heading, pitch and roll angle and altitude information and a 16 channel C/A code GPS receiver with 10Hz position update rate.
A complete turnkey software development kit with advanced features including direct PC interface, data recording, bandwidth and output rate selection is also available.A complete turnkey software development kit with advanced features including direct PC interface, data recording, bandwidth, output rate selection and GPS is also available.
Continue reading ‘MEMS LandMark20 GPS/AHRS - Low Noise AHRS with GPS’ »
Human-implantable RFID microchips face an uncertain future in the wake of developments that the technology’s developer, VeriChip, announced last week. The Delray Beach, Florida-based company announced it sold most of its assets to tool manufacturer Stanley Works for $45 million and that the rest of the company is for sale (see VeriChip Sells an RFID Business, More Change May Come). The remaining company essentially consists of the VeriMed Health Link business line, a patient identification service based on VeriChip’s controversial, FDA-approved line of implantable RFID tags for lifetime human identification.
“That business is not self-sustainable,” VeriChip vice president of corporate development Jay McKeage candidly told RFID Update. “It cannot stand on its own because of the cash burn involved in marketing to consumers.”
VeriMed Health Link is a service in which patients have an RFID tag injected under their skin in the arm to provide lifetime identification. The tag is encoded with a 16-digit unique ID number, which medical professionals with VeriChip-issued readers can use to access the patient’s complete medical history from a secure database. VeriChip markets the system on patient-safety benefits — emergency room doctors or other medical staff can access a patient’s medical history without relying on a patient response or an ID card. The idea is that even if a patient arrives unconscious or otherwise uncommunicative, his or her complete medical history is still accessible. The FDA approved VeriChip’s human-implantable passive RFID microchips in 2004, but adoption has been limited.
Continue reading ‘Implantable RFID Business ‘Not Self-Sustainable’’ »
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has authorized Raytheon Company to demonstrate target recognition technology designed to increase protection for ground forces without compounding risk to an aircraft stalking enemies who threaten those forces.
First in a laboratory and then aloft, the company expects to show how its Air-to-Ground Radar Imaging II program would permit aircraft at a safe distance to detect, track and target hostile forces in motion on the ground.
The laboratory demonstration is expected in autumn 2008, followed by a flight next spring aboard a Raytheon test aircraft.
Continue reading ‘Raytheon Develops Technology To Help Aircraft Protect Ground Forces’ »
Nanomotion introduces the new EDGE motor, one of the smallest ceramic servo motors
in the industrial market. The EGDE motor provides 30 grams of thrust with a maximum
operating velocity of 150mm/sec.
is well suited for applications in Aerospace & Military, Medical Devices, and Industrial
Automation.
Nanomotion’s dual axis ASIC which can function as a drive and control. The Edge
motor is ideal for shutter/aperture control, small medical pumps, grippers, and other
devices.
One to eight port cards are available for RS-232 applications; one or two port cards for RS-422/485. Use RS-422 to extend range, RS-485 to extend range and provide multi-drop ability.DB9 connectors offer positive thumbscrew locking, more robust than phone jack connectors. One port model has port on faceplate. Two, four and eight port models include fan-out cables.Operate on both 3.3 and 5 volt PCI, as well as PCI-X buses. Maximum baud rate on most models is 460.8 kbps (Model QSCLP-100 has a maximum baud rate of 921.6 kbps). Support Win 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Linux and OS/2.Unique Benefits: 
The all new LandMark20 MEMS IMU is a silicon low noise digital Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) that provides internally temperature compensated RS485 output of delta velocity and delta theta.
Features:
The LandMark20 IMU is ideal for applications requiring improved performance MEMS gyros, but also needing ultra low power consumption, small size, light weight and no inherent wear out modes for long life. The signature feature of the LandMark20 IMU is the improved gyro performance. The low noise gyros enable precision measurement and improved in-run and bias over temperature. The IMU’s performance is optimized with fully temperature compensated bias and scale factor and compensated misalighnment and g-sensitivity. The rate outputs are free from bias steps and linear outputs are without acceleration hysteresis. The unit is highly durable and can withstand environmental vibration and shock typically associated with commerical aircraft requirements.
Continue reading ‘Silicon Low Noise Digital Inertial Measurement Unit Landmark 20 IMU’ »
