Some of the earliest uses for sensors that emerged over a hundred years ago involved direct actuation for control. Think of the mercury thermostat. A thermally responsive coil moves with changes in temperature and tilts a mercury chamber until it closes a set of contacts to turn on a heater in the home or office […]
Cornell’s “Pseudo-LiDAR” Advances Vision-Based, 3D Object Recognition for Autonomous Driving
Cornell researchers develop a novel method employing low-cost, stereo cameras that allow autonomous vehicles to detect 3D objects with a range and accuracy approaching that of LiDAR. A group of Cornell researchers have published a paper demonstrating a new approach to object detection that shows potential to significantly reduce the cost of self-driving vehicle hardware.…
What are photoelectric proximity sensors?
Proximity sensors are used to sense the presence of objects or materials across a broad range of industrial and manufacturing applications. Key to their operation is that they don’t require physical contact with the target or object being sensed. This is why they’re often called non-contact sensors. One of the most common types of proximity […]
Machine sensing, smell to improve the self-driving experience, safety
Abruptly, I entered the cab escaping the arctic weather to confront something worse than freezing rain – body odor. Luckily, another taxi pulled to the curb, and I continued my journey to last Tuesday’s RobotLab forum on Cybersecurity & Machines. Moderating a panel at the new Global Cyber Center, with John Frankel of ffVC and Guy Franklin of SOSA, I…
MIT robot combines vision and touch to learn the game of Jenga
In the basement of MIT’s Building 3, a robot is carefully contemplating its next move. It gently pokes at a tower of blocks, looking for the best block to extract without toppling the tower, in a solitary, slow-moving, yet surprisingly agile game of Jenga. The robot, developed by MIT engineers, is equipped with a soft-pronged…
The robot eye with an all-round field of view
Robots can move – but not see – in all directions. The patented laser sensor SensePRO developed by the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Additive Manufacturing Technologies IAPT provides a solution to this problem. Where am I? Like humans, robots also need to answer that question, while they tirelessly glue, weld or apply seals to workpieces.…
UT Austin Patent Gives Robots Ultra-Sensitive Skin
The University of Texas at Arlington has patented a smart skin, created by a UTA researcher, that will give robots more sensitive tactile feeling than humans. “The idea is to have robots work better alongside people,” said Zeynep Çelik-Butler, a UTA electrical engineering professor. “The smart skin is actually made up of millions of flexible…
How to use color vision sensors to prevent manufacturing mistakes
Mis-aligned parts, missing components or mislabeled items are costly mistakes in today’s manufacturing climate. Color vision sensors provide 100% inspection for applications which are difficult to solve using monochrome inspection methods. Learn how the VeriSens Color vision sensor has brought ease of use with powerful inspection tools to identify defective goods, misaligned and out-of-order products.…
Pyromation, Inc. Reaches 50 Year Mark
From its humble beginnings as a two-man sales and service operation designing and installing control systems for industrial equipment, Pyromation, Inc. has grown to one of the most respected names in the temperature sensor business. Over the last 50 years, the Company – headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana – has become one of the largest…