TechBlog

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. Capable of driving linear or rotary motion, the EDGE
is well suited for applications in Aerospace & Military, Medical Devices, and Industrial
Automation.

The Edge motor weighs .6 grams and operates at 8 Vrms. It is supported by
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.

The tiniest endoscope yet takes 30 two-megapixel images per second and offloads them wirelessly. See how it works inside the body in an animation

Sayaka Endoscope Capsule: In situ, in your gut Photo by Medi-Mation

Continue reading ‘How It Works: The Endoscope Camera in a Pill’ »

Electromechanical Rod Actuators DNCE

The DNCE electromechanical rod actuator is a screw driven linear actuator with a nonrotating round piston rod. Based on ISO 6430, DNCE is able to be easily integrated into existing applications using DNC pneumatic cylinders. DNCE electromechanical actuators provide high precision and flexibility making them an ideal motion control solution when positioning accuracy is critical. It can be supplied as either a stand-alone mechanical axis to be mounted to a Festo or third party motor or as part of a complete Festo solution integrated with an MTR-DCI intelligent motor and controller.Motor and mounting attachments ordered separately.
Continue reading ‘Electromechanical Rod Actuators DNCE’ »

Could new weapons stun or paralyze with a beam of radio energy? I have discussed proposals for ‘bioelectromagnetic wepaonry’ in DefenceTech before, here and here, but for the first time details are emerging of Air Force-sponsored work in this field.

I have a piece in ther TechWatch section of this month’s Popular Mechanics magazine exploring a new nonlethal program. In addition to the well-known Active Denial System (ADS) — which amounts to a mobile microwave oven — basic research has started on something potentially far more effective and with much wider implications.

This report, entitled “Interdisciplinary research project to explore the potential for developing non- lethal weapons based on radiofrequency/microwave bioeffects” — states their goal: Continue reading ‘US Bioelectromagnetic Weapons Research’ »

Industry:
Research, Machines/Mechanics

Products:
Data Acquisition, Real-Time Module, R Series, LabVIEW, SoftMotion Controllers, PXI/CompactPCI, FPGA Module

The Challenge:
Measuring and controlling, in real time, the position of bulk components to absorb energetic particles out of the nominal beam core with high reliability and accuracy at the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The Solution:
Using LabVIEW, the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, the LabVIEW FPGA Module, and NI SoftMotion software with NI R Series reconfigurable I/O hardware for PXI to develop an FPGA-based motion control system capable of intercepting misguided or unstable particle beams.

“We selected the LabVIEW and PXI solution for the deployment platform due to the small size, ruggedness, and cost savings over the traditional VME and programmable logic controller-based model. “

Continue reading ‘CERN Uses NI LabVIEW Software and PXI Hardware to Control World’s Largest Particle Accelerator’ »

DAHLGREN, VA. — The Navy set a new world record for the most powerful electromagnetic railgun when it fired a test shot here Thursday morning.

The gun fired an aluminum projectile at 10.68 megajoules. A joule is the work needed to produce one watt of energy for one second. A megajoule is 1 million joules.

Guests including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and Rear Adm. William Landay, head of the Office of Naval Research, witnessed the shot via a live video feed at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren. The gun was launched from a control center after approximately four minutes of charging the electromagnetic rails. After the charge, the gun fired and witnesses saw a quick burst of flame as the projectile, traveling at 2,500 meters per second, or Mach 7, hit its target.

Continue reading ‘U.S. Navy Breaks Record with Railgun Test-Shot’ »