Low Cost Hobbyists FPGA Kickstarter
If you have been thinking of dipping your toe into the world of FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) but always thought they were too expensive for hobbyist then you might want to check out the 'Mojo FPGA' on Kickstarter .
The Mojo is designed to make digital design easy and cost effective for anyone who is just getting started. FPGAs do not retain their configuration when the power is lost, so they must be reconfigured every time the board is turned on. Typically, a PROM is used to load the configuration file (also known as bit file) into the FPGA automatically. The problem with that is you generally need a fairly expensive programmer to program the PROMs. The Mojo features a basic serial port (similar to an Arduino) that can be used to program a new bit file into on-board flash memory. When the board is powered on, a microcontroller reads the flash memory and configures the FPGA automatically. All that is required is a low-cost USB to serial converter.
The original Kickstarter goal was 7,000 but they blew through that goal and are currently at 70,000. If you pledge $65 dollars you get a fully assembled board.
Case Study: Robot for tool production company with 10 employees
The acquisition cost for the entire system including imaging will have paid itself off in only 10 months with single shifts. If the robot is used for 2 shifts, it will actually have paid itself off in only seven months.
Robotics In Law Enforcement
Soon, the police wont have to draw their guns. They will be able to just push buttons and move joysticks to capture the bad guys.
Case Study: Kawasaki Robotics Upgrade Project Proves Successful
The Kawasaki Robotics project on the existing robotics paint system consisted of upgrading two Kawasaki robots and replacing four Kobelco robots with new Kawasaki robots.
Measurable Energy Savings in Die Casting Automation
Experience shows that it is not the robots that are the biggest energy consumers, but the entire peripheral equipment.
The Kinetic Sculptures Of Bjorn Schulke
The Pratt Institutes' Manhattan Gallery is currently running an art exhibit entitled " KINESTHETICS: ART IMITATING LIFE ". The show runs till the end of April and features cool drones created by artists is Bjorn Schulke. His personal website also has some really cool works from previous exhibits.
BigDog Throwing In Slow Motion
New video of Boston Dynamics' BigDog, equipped with a 5th limb, demonstrating how fair it can throw a 35 lbs cinder block. Youtube vidoes of BigDog are always interesting if for no other reason than for the comments provided by "the teens":
Cloud Manufacturing
As the automation industry begins its reach into the cloud, manufacturing communities will not only improve productivity, they will begin to reclaim the prominence the industry once claimed in the economy.
Survey of Control System Integrators
Nearly all automation vendors rely on system integrator partners to take some percentage of their hardware and software products to market in the form of completely functional systems.
Curvilinear Motion Guides and Actuated Rotary Systems
Designing curvilinear guide or actuator systems can be more difficult than designing linear ones. However, installing such systems can improve payload transportation and handling simplicity and efficiency.
Top Gear: New Range Rover Vs Unmanned TerraMax
Last weeks episode of Top Gear had James May, in a Range Rover, battle the military cargo UGV "TerraMax" through various terrain at a Nevada test course. If you live in Britain you can watch the entire race here and if you live anywhere else you can watch this youtube clip and imagine an old British guy in a fancy car racing beside it.
Foxconn Stops Recruitment, Moves To Robots: Report
Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple (AAPL) iPhones and Amazon (AMZN) Kindles in China, has stopped hiring workers at its key Zhengzhou and Shenzhen plants in what may be a shift toward robotic production, a Chinese news report said Wednesday.
CBN Daily, in a story picked up by other Chinese media, quoted insiders as saying that the recruitment freeze is being done to adjust the production line and prepare for "artificial intelligence production."
Taiwan-owned Foxconn's Henan Employment Center in central China is said to have a notice saying that due to production line adjustments, recruitment has been changed. The Zhengzhou plant, which is located in Henan province, also is said to have halted hiring since December and no large-scale recruitment is expected until June. The Shenzhen plant is situated north of Hong Kong in southern China.
A worker at the Henan Employment Center reportedly said the recruitment suspension might have something to do "with the diminished output of iPhone 5."
Reports since late last year have said that Foxconn has been gradually installing robots on its production lines in Zhengzhou and Shenzhen to improve production of Apple and other devices. Foxconn also has announced plans to install 10,000 robots on its factory lines that could replace up to 1 million workers over several years.
Russian Ostrich!
Inventables: The Hardware Store For Designers
Inventables has all kinds of interesting raw materials available for purchase in small quantities. Materials include:
Aluminum Foam
Conductive Velcro
Conductive Paint
Temperature-Sensitive Glass
etc.
Y Combinator Hardware Hackathon
From Upverter:
Y Combinator has seen a huge increase in the number of hardware startups they fund. And so in an effort to encourage the renaissance and throw some gas on the fire, we are hosting a hardware hackathon. The focus is on getting like-minded hardware hackers into the same space, sharing ideas, designing hardware and ultimately creating more hardware startups.
Want a taste of what goes on in a hardware hackathon? Read about Upverter's first ever hackathon in August 2012: Day 1 , Day 2 and the wrap up . We also held a hardware hackathon at the Open Compute Summit just this past month.
If you’re hardware savvy and interested in starting a hardware startup, you should apply to come and hack with us!
Want to start a startup? Get funded by Y Combinator.
When
February 23rd, 2013, 10AM - 10PM
Where
Y Combinator
320 Pioneer Way
Mountain View, CA 94041
map
You can apply here .
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