Automation & Controls

New Products & Services

Optical Distance Sensor A highly accurate optical distance sensor is available from Werth Messtechnik, Giessen, Germany. The Werth Chromatic Focus Point sensor can measure dimensional, shape, and positional deviations...

An Army of Microrobots Can Wipe Out Dental Plaque

A visit to the dentist typically involves time-consuming and sometimes unpleasant scraping with mechanical tools to remove plaque from teeth. What if, instead, a dentist could deploy a small...

Want a Magnetized Medical Robot? Just 3D Print It

A microrobot can take up to 8 hours to make. With the help of a 3D printer, University of Toronto engineers got the process down to 20 minutes

Answering Your Questions: How Do Medical Robots Help Surgeons?

A reader asks: "With medical robots, what's in it for surgeons?"

Product Focus May 2019: Fluid Handling

Peristaltic Fill/Finish System Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group, Cornwall, UK, has unveiled a new highly accurate peristaltic fill/finish system. A wide variety of modules are available for the...

New Products & Services

Board-to Board Connector A miniature board-to-board connector from Hirose, Downers Grove, IL, combines a rugged design with transmission speeds of more than 10 Gpbs to support a number of medical applications. Featuring...

KMC Global's Controls & Automation Division Expands

KMC Global, a group of wholly owned, autonomous companies that manufacture equipment designed to enhance how industries process material, has announced the expansion of its Controls &...

Robots Perform Spinal Surgery with Pinpoint Accuracy

Robots will perform spinal surgery with greater accuracy than humanly possible as part of a ground-breaking research project. A research team has created a system that allows two robotic...

Flexible Endoscopic Robot Offers Precision Control

A flexible endoscopic surgical robot opens a new chapter for minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery with its precision control of 3.7 mm diameter robotic arms. The two arms, placed at...

Training Program Launched for Revolutionary Surgical Robotic System

A U.S.-based training program has been launched for Versius, a next-generation surgical robotic system that uses biomimicry to perform like a human arm. CMR Surgical has...

Medical Robotics Market Forecast: $13 Billion by 2022

The medical robotics market is expected to exceed more than US$13.0 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 21.1 percent. These systems are shifting the design of the surgical suite, changing...

Upon Inspection, Robots Pick Up and Understand Any Object

A system lets robots inspect random objects and visually understand them enough to accomplish specific tasks without ever having seen them before. The system, called Dense Object...

Collaborative Robots Fill Automation Gaps For Medical Device Manufacturers

When small and mid-sized medical device manufacturers envision a robot, many think of either huge industrial robots working in fenced-off areas in large factories or...

3D Printed Biopsy Robot for Breast Cancer Research

A 3D printed biopsy robot is propelled by cylinders driven by air pressure. With the help of hoses that supply the air, the control of the robot can be placed outside the MRI scanner. The...

Intelligent Machines: Can You Build a Robot You Can Trust?

For social robots to become commonplace in clinical settings, engineers will need to build both technology improvements as well something slightly more complicated: Trust.

Engineering Real-Life 'Superpowers'

Engineers today are using their creativity to build a variety of superhero-like technologies that enhance our human capabilities, including exosuits, invisibility cloaks, and wall-scaling gloves. What drives...

Answering Your Questions: Are Assistive Robotics Safe for Patients?

Robotics are increasingly find a role in patient rehabilitation. But are the technologies safe?

Flexible Materials, Sensors Combine to Make Realistic Robotic Small Intestine

Researchers are developing an artificial, robotic small intestine for use in medical laboratories. The idea of a robotic small intestine may seem strange, as...

The Promise of Asimov Robots in Medical Manufacturing

Most people are aware of the newest developments and the latest generation of robots and artificial intelligence (AI). Much has been made of how these things will bring changes to...

Center Demonstrates Decentralized, Digital Factory

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Tampere University of Technology (TUT), and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) have established a joint digital factory demo in the Smart...

Open Core Engineering: New Freedom for Machine Automation Programming

The increasing sophistication and complexity of medical devices is compounded by strict regulatory requirements that demand systems that can produce consistent, repeatable...

Disposable Cartridge Components

Plastikos, Erie, PA, offers disposable cartridge components made of cyclic olefin polymer (COC) for wearable drug delivery devices holding medications such as insulin and pain medicines. The disposable...

Five-Fingered Robot Gets a Grip

Intricate tasks that require dexterous in-hand manipulation — rolling, pivoting, bending, and sensing friction — are a challenge for today's robots. A University of Washington team of computer scientists and...

Robotic Finger Moves Like Natural One

While most robotic parts in current use are rigid, have a limited range of motion, and don’t really look lifelike, a scientist from Florida Atlantic University has designed a novel robotic finger that, he...

How to Acquire the Best Application Advantage

Brushless motors are used worldwide for their basic benefit of optimizing performance per package size. No other technology can match it. In addition, brushless brings tremendous advantages to many...

Transforming Healthcare with M2M and mHealth Technology

Modern mobile networks are ubiquitous and accessible virtually everywhere, from remote villages in Africa to deep inside warehouses and hospitals. This universal wireless coverage,...

Secure, Cost-Effective, and Remotely Connected Medical Devices Are Revolutionizing Home Patient Care

Remote medical care is undergoing a revolution and the future is bright. Thanks to wireless networks and cloud connectivity across a growing...

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH: ValveMate 9000 Precision Valve Controller

Nordson EFD, East Providence, RI, introduces the new ValveMate™ 9000, state-of-the-art precision valve controller. The intricate microprocessor circuitry ensures the dispensing...