motion control

Reports say Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died, setting in motion the process of filling his Senate seat. Under state law, the governor would call a special election to fill the vacancy, and attention is turning to who might run and how the balance of the Senate could be affected.

Researchers describe a technique that uses three-dimensional structured light fields to steer and control electron behavior, a development in the field of physics with potential implications for ultrafast electronics and quantum technologies. The work demonstrates how shaping light in full three dimensions offers finer control over electron motion than conventional approaches.

Researchers have developed a tiny jumping robot capable of precisely controlling the height of each jump. The achievement is notable because fine-tuned jump control at small scales is difficult, and could support applications in exploration, search-and-rescue, or microrobotics research.

A new single-board computer paired with a controller module has been introduced for robotics applications, combining inference, computer vision, navigation, motion control and connectivity in one package. The integrated approach is aimed at developers building autonomous robots, reducing the need to assemble separate subsystems for perception, decision-making and communications.

The Association for Advancing Automation reports that artificial intelligence is improving the way robots perform kicking motions, a development relevant to legged robotics and dynamic movement control. The industry group's insight highlights how machine learning helps machines balance and coordinate movements that were previously difficult to program. Discussion is so far limited to the industry publication itself.