TechBlog

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’ »

By Kimberly Patch, Technology Research News

It turns out that butterflies’ fluttering is neither random nor clumsy.

Researchers from Oxford University in England have devised a method of studying the way butterflies fly, and their initial results show that the insects have many more tricks of flight than they get credit for.

The researchers trained red admiral butterflies to fly between artificial flowers in a wind tunnel, and recorded the way air flowed around their wings using smoke and high-resolution cameras. The work provides fodder for researchers working on insect-sized flying robots.

Continue reading ‘Butterflies offer lessons for robots’ »

I’m in two minds about this story - impressed, because nanotechnology is cool and tiny robots are even cooler, but more than a little disturbed at the idea of killer robots flying around and zapping people in the neck.  Reuters is reporting that Israel are developing a bionic hornet that could chase, photograph and eventually kill enemy combatants or terrorists.  Able to navigate tightly confined areas and so small as to be difficult to target by traditional weaponry, the concept is expected to reach prototype stage within three years.

It’s uncertain as yet whether the robots would be remotely controlled or have some sort of AI, though a combination of both is perhaps most likely; general targeting by remote, while short-range sensors automatically manage obstacle avoidance, tracking and flight.

The motors are not really servos, they are more like digital actuators and are called AIMotors because they have all these cool features like position and current feedback. This particular model is the second gen of the Ai series, the AI701 specially designed for robotics by Korean manufacturer MegaRobotics. The dog kit used fourteen of these AI701 modules for the dog’s body and head. The more powerful AI1001 is also available. More on this when I get some free time.

You can find the kit at Tribotix and also E-Clec-Tech for a bit less.

Continue reading ‘MGR-K401 Robotic Dog’ »

A Concept of Morphing UAV/UCAV which is a prototype under development by the US.

DETROIT–Drivers have never had so many distractions tempting them to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel.

Talking on cell phones and typing text messages while driving has already led to bans in many states. But now auto companies, likening their latest models to living rooms on the road, are turning cars into cocoons of communication systems and high-tech entertainment.

Some drivers are packing their car interiors with GPS navigation screens, portable DVD players and even computer keyboards and printers.

Continue reading ‘More high-tech invitations to take your mind off road’ »

Our design team was asked to develop a wireless system to demonstrate a triaxial accelerometer (Freescale MMA7260QT). The goal was to replace the serial cable of the original RD3112MMA7260Q (STAR) demo by a wireless connection using the latest Freescale technology to transfer accelerometer values from sensor to PC in real time.

Key features of the wireless demo include:

• Very small footprint (both hardware and software)
• Low power
• Battery powered
• 20 meter wireless range
• Printed wire antenna
• Real-time response
• Low cost
• May be used as a reference design

Continue reading ‘Ultra-low-power Wireless Designs white paper offers step-by-step guidance’ »

Latest additions to KA MCU family designed to enhance integration and performance for consumer and industrial applications

Freescale Semiconductor has added two devices to its ultra-low-end 8-bit RS08KA microcontroller (MCU) family. Freescale’s MC9RS08KA8 (KA8) and MC9RS08KA4 (KA4) MCUs are designed for applications with space and price constraints, such as home appliances and portable medical equipment.

The MC9RS08KA8/4 devices offer a robust support environment and a pin-compatible route into MC9S08QG/SH and MC9S08QA4/2 devices for designers who need to add new functionality to their designs. Shared peripherals and a common set of development tools help make the KA8/4 devices easy for engineers to leverage for their design investment.

The KA8/4 devices feature standard on-chip modules including a very small and highly efficient RS08 CPU core, up to 254B RAM,, up to 8KB flash and an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter (available on the KA8), providing customers with a higher level of integration.

Continue reading ‘Freescale 8-bit microcontroller family grows to address entry-level mass market’ »

Joel White Kathleen Truesdell, Lloyd B. Williams, Mary S. AtKisson, John S.

1 Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, 2 CogniScent, Inc., North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America, 3 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States of America

Continue reading ‘Solid-State, Dye-Labeled DNA Detects Volatile Compounds in the Vapor Phase’ »

Product Name:
nRF24E2 Transmitter / MCU / ADCProduct Description:
Introducing the nRF24E2 transmitter with embedded 8051 MCU, 9 channel 12-bit ADC, and peripherals — the industry’s most complete wireless 2.4GHz ISM band platform

Continue reading ‘Nordic Semiconductor nRF24E2’ »