Podcasts : Motion Control Podcast Series

Turn up the volume for our motion control podcasts, covering everything from new motion control technologies for NASCAR to a robotic leg with a human-like gait.
An Ear For Motion Control
At the University of Virginia's Holt-Géléoc Lab of Sensory Neurophysiology, researchers use piezo actuators and nano-positioning devices to help unlock the secrets of human hearing. In this podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Holt, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, tells us about the design and capabilities of these precision motion control systems. You can also read about more about the lab's work in this Design News article. 5:00
Honda's Asimo Robot Walked the Walk, Now Runs the Run
At CES, Honda's ASIMO robot demonstrates the ability to run at a speed of up to four mile per hour. Project leader Stephen Keeney speaks about the technologies that made ASIMO run and the prospect of the robot as a humanoid helper.
NASCAR Embraces Motion Control Technologies
Dr. Eric Warren, Evernham Motorsports technical director and a PhD aerospace engineer, talks about how CNC machining, robotics and linear drive systems are giving NASCAR teams an edge on race day. (16:01 min)
Sustainable Packaging Materials Challenge Machine Builders
Packaging machine builders will likely have to make some design changes to cope with the new biodegradable packaging materials that are starting to crop up. In this podcast, Bruce Kucera, vice president of Norland International, will tell us how his company created a blow-molding machine specifically for use with polylactic acid (PLA), one of the biopolymers. The key to success, he says, involved a move to better temperature controls. 8:02
Gibson's CNC Bandsaw Shapes Guitar Parts
Gibson recently applied CNC technology to its formerly manual sawing operations with some help from Warsaw Machinery. Warsaw came up with a new kind of CNC bandsaw that Gibson is now using to cut some of its guitar necks and bodies. In this podcast, Kathy Wettschurack, Warsaw's executive vice president and chief design engineer, talks about the design of this automated saw. 10:34
Novint Falcon Offers More Than Haptic Fun and Games
The Falcon, a new haptic computer game controller that Novint started shipping this week, has been getting lots of attention for its ability to let users to "touch" objects within virtual game environments. But the device has wider implications as a low-cost haptic interface for more serious software. In this podcast, Novint CEO Tom Anderson talks about the Falcon's design and its potential beyond gaming. 9:40
Brushed dc Motors Give Robotic Leg A Natural Swing
Robotics researcher Shane Migliore talks about his work on a robotic leg that has a human-like gate as opposed to the trajectory-and-position controlled legs found on most biped robots today. One key to the project: brushed dc motors that exhibit no cogging.
Kundel's Simple Magnet Motors
Stephen Kundel has patented a way to use a handful of powerful permanent magnets to create simple motors that have no conventional windings. The same technology can also be used in linear drive systems that have drastically reduced power requirements. Listen in as he describes his inventions. 6:37
Negative Stiffness Stops the Shakes With Vibration Isolation Technology
Listen as David Platus, founder of Minus K Technology, describes talks about negative stiffness mechanisms as a way to fight low-frequency vibration.
FIRST Robotics Championship: An Intense Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition Director Bill Miller tells Sean Snyder how intense the competition will be next week at the FIRST Competition Championship. Finalists will convene in Atlanta's Georgia Dome and were selected from 1,300 teams consisting of 32,000 high schoolers.
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