An Introduction To Plug-and-Play Motion Subsystems
If you build machines, you probably work with actuators and positioning stages every day. But do you truly get the best performance or lowest cost of ownership from these motion devices? The answer may not be what you expect.
Real-time behaviour synthesis for dynamic Hand-Manipulation
From Vikash Kumar at University of Washington:
Dexterous hand manipulation is one of the most complex types of biological movement, and has proven very difficult to replicate in robots. The usual approaches to robotic control - following pre-defined trajectories or planning online with reduced models - are both inapplicable. Dexterous manipulation is so sensitive to small variations in contact force and object location that it seems to require online planning without any simplifications. Here we demonstrate for the first time online planning (or model-predictive control) with a full physics model of a humanoid hand, with 28 degrees of freedom and 48 pneumatic actuators. We augment the actuation space with motor synergies which speed up optimization without removing flexibility. Most of our results are in simulation, showing nonprehensile object manipulation as well as typing. In both cases the input to the system is a high level task description, while all details of the hand movement emerge online from fully automated numerical optimization. We also show preliminary results on a hardware platform we have developed "ADROIT" - a ShadowHand skeleton equipped with faster and more compliant actuation... (website)
Service Robots Use Flat Motors
Service robots being designed for the disabled must be reliable, safe, and easy to use. Having the right motion system components is essential for these highly specific applications.
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MMP Inc. / MIDWEST MOTION PRODUCTS, INC.
The Leader in Rapid Prototyping of High-Quality Motion Control Solutions. MMP is actively engaged in the design, manufacturing and distribution of standard and custom motion control equipment, including fully reversible brushed and brushless DC gearmotors, motors with failsafe brakes and servomotors with feedback devices such as analog tachometers and encoders. We also provide fully-sealed IP-65 motor speed controls @ 12/24/48 VDC, AC~DC power supplies and a wide variety of 12/24 VDC linear actuators. If you need a sample right away, we can be a project saving convenience for you. We provide more than 8000+ released DC Gearmotor designs with cost-effective solutions for robotics and automation companies. These designs are unique and custom-built to suit the specific application requirements of the motion control projects.
