Scottish researchers have produced a pressure-sensitive mat containing a graphene-based material that generates power when humans walk on it. They suggest that the low-cost, energy-efficient technology could be used to power sensors, to monitor building occupancy, or to reduce energy use by, for example, controlling temperatures as people or enter or leave a room.
A US company that has developed a technology that uses PCBs (printed circuit boards) to create electric motor stators, has joined forces with a pump-maker to apply the technology to a “next generation” 3hp (2.2kW) pump motor that, they claim, is much more efficient, lighter and shorter than existing motors.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK, working with colleagues from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, have developed an electric motor using 3D printing technology that they believe could lead to more powerful motors that use less material.
A British electric drive developer – Milton-Keynes-based Helix – has produced an electric motor that weighs only 28kg, yet is capable of delivering 650kW of continuous power and 398Nm of continuous torque. The 261mm-long and 206mm-diameter motor has a maximum speed of 25,000 rpm.
Germany’s KEB Automation has developed and patented a sensorless method for controlling motors that, it claims, is “in no way inferior to operation with an encoder”. The field-oriented vector method can control permanent magnet synchronous, IPM (internal permanent magnet) and synchronous reluctance motors over their entire speed range, with less susceptibility to faults, reduced wiring effort and lower costs than encoder-based systems.
The Taiwanese edge computing specialist Adlink Technology has announced a software-defined EtherCat motion controller that, it claims, overcomes the limits of hardware-based controllers, extending maximum axis counts from 64 to 128 axes and achieving cycle times as short as 125μs. The company says that its SuperCat technology marks “a significant advancement in EtherCat control”, enhancing performance, and streamlining the integration of automation processes, while offering cost-effective hardware and “effortless” software configuration.
Beckhoff has enhanced the flexibility of its Atro modular robotic system by introducing new link modules that open up new possible topologies, including multi-arm robots. It unveiled the new modules at the Automatica show in Germany where it demonstrated a T-shaped link module with two junctions being used to create a two-armed robot with four motor modules – or joints – in each of the arms. There are also L- and S-shaped link modules.
Two Italian companies – the robot-maker Comau and the shipbuilder Fincantieri – have unveiled a mobile robotic welding system at the Automatica exhibition in Germany. They say that the MR4Weld (Mobile Robot for Welding) could deliver a three-fold increase in productivity compared to manual techniques. Although the system is being designed and deployed initially to weld steel structures in shipyards, the developers believe that it could be reconfigured easily to address other applications and industries.
The German vacuum technology specialist Schmalz claims to have set a new speed record for automated bin-picking using a pair of Scara robots that were able to perform 2,700 picks per hour. For this pilot application, Schmalz worked with the German systems integrator Körber to integrate a robot cell into an existing logistics installation at Schmalz’s headquarters.
Collins Aerospace’s UK operation is developing a 1MW motor for use in a hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system that aims to achieve a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions compared to today's best regional turboprop aircraft. The 1MW motor will deliver four times the power and twice the voltage of Collins’ most advanced electric motor generators flying today, with half the heat loss and half the weight.
The Japanese manufacturer IHI has developed a “breakthrough” prototype high-flux plastic magnet rotor for use in ultra-high-speed motors, that would be would be efficient, lightweight and compact. IHI says these motors could revolutionise the production, performance and economy of electric aircraft and automotive propulsion systems.
The Italian robotics and automation manufacturer Comau has developed a bin-picking technology that can be used with any make of robot, bin or gripper to recognise, locate and grasp up to 40 randomly placed items every minute. The MI.RA Picker uses two high-resolution laser sensors and a central camera, combined with virtual simulation tools and predictive algorithms, to optimise path management and achieve collision-free trajectories, while lowering costs and potential risks.
A team of engineers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the US are working on a 1MW motor that, they believe, could be a key stepping stone toward electrifying larger aircraft. They have designed and tested the motor’s main components, and shown through detailed computations that the parts could work together to generate 1MW at a weight and size competitive with current small aero-engines. The researchers plan to assemble and start testing a fully working motor later this year.
Mitsubishi Electric has announced a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor module for industrial applications that it says will result in smaller, more efficient and lighter industrial equipment.
ABB has announced a “revolutionary” electric motor-driven marine propulsion system that, it claims, breaks new ground for efficiency in the marine industry. Inspired by the dynamic movements of a whale’s tail, the system – called Dynafin – is the result of more than a decade of research, development, and testing. The first prototype is expected to be available in 2025.
