Battle Heat: Competitors vie for a
victory at NI Week's annual Robolab event.
Austin, TX—The palm-sized Lego rover bounces off the wall and rounds a corner, heading towards a corner without side barriers. A standing-room-only crowd wonders whether the high wheels mean it will take the bumpy shortcut, or whether the programmers want their vehicle to take the long, smooth road. Robolab (www.ni.com/company/robolab.htm) was first conceived as a way to get kids interested in engineering, but the applause, sighs, and shouts from NI Week attendees prove that there's a big appeal for adults. Fourteen teams, ranging from teachers to brand new NI employees to college engineers have built vehicles over the course of six hours. Some, like the high school team that has matching team T-shirts, have done this quite a few times, while others prove that whether you're 12 or 50, it's possible to fail in front of a crowd without feeling embarrassed. During the year, when scores of NI employees go to local grade schools to teach kids and teachers how to build and program motorized robots. It's a big thing, with 50 teachers attending a summer course in programming and as many as 500 students and parents coming to NI for the big finale showcase of the vehicles. The focus is on learning, so there aren't any competitions.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
The 3D printing revolution seems to have a knack for quickly moving technology ahead by way of collaborative effort and even a little friendly competition -- all of course in the name of scientific advancement.
Advantech has launched a new series of motion-control I/O modules to meet the increased demands that come with more distributed industrial systems that require control of a growing number of axes and devices.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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