Archive for the ‘control’ tag
Snake-like robot operates on land and in water
The mechanism of a snakes propulsion is almost the same in water and on ground. With this in mind, the Hirose Fukushima Lab has developed the ACM-R5, an amphibious snake-like robot that undulates its long body to operate on ground and in water.
The ACM-R5 consists of a universal joint and bellows. This universal joint features a passive twist joint at the intersection point of two bending axis to prevent mechanical interface with the bellows.
Read more on: bellows, control, robot, RoboticsEngineers gain control of internal imaging device
In collaboration with engineers from the manufacturer Given Imaging, the Israelite Hospital in Hamburg and the Royal Imperial College in London, researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering in Sankt Ingbert have developed the first-ever control system for the camera pill.
Currently images of the inside of the intestine can be obtained via a tiny camera swallowed by the patient. It makes its way through the intestine and transmits images of the intestinal villi to an external receiver which the patient carries on a belt. This device stores the data that can later be analysed by a doctor. The camera is not very suitable for examinations of the esophagus and the stomach because it only takes about three or four seconds to make its way through the esophagus – producing two to four images per second – and once it reaches the stomach, its roughly five-gram weight causes it to drop very quickly to the lower wall of the stomach. In other words, it is too fast to deliver usable images. For examinations of the esophagus and the stomach patients still have to swallow a thick endoscope.
Read more on: Bio Tech, camera, control, DAQ, Electronics, imaging, magnetic