Advanced Automation Articles

From: Assembly Automation, volume: 29 issue: 4 pp326-331, 2009
In this paper Christine Connolly describes the approach and technology of various companies making automated assembly equipment for medical devices. She examines three companies that operate on different scales in the medical devices field focusing on their technology, philosophy and typical applications.

From: Sensor Review, volume: 29 issue: 4 pp316-318, 2009
A research group from the Department of Physics at the University of California, Berkley, has succeeded in fabricating what is by far the smallest radio receiver ever developed. Based on a single carbon nanotube (CNT), the radio is over 19 orders of magnitude smaller than the Philco vacuum tube radios from the 1930s, is sufficiently small to fit inside a living cell and has the potential to be used in a range of both conventional and novel applications. This paper describes the construction and mode of operation of the CNT radio and the experiments used to test its functionality.

From: Industrial Robot, volume: 36 issue: 5 pp421-427, 2009
Slipping into a robotic exoskeleton that could enhance strength or even serve as a prosthetic limb is a highly appealing concept and contrary to popular belief, exoskeletons that aim to impart superhuman strength are not new and can be traced back to 1965. It was then that, with funding from the US Department of Defense, General Electric developed the prototype Hardiman which was intended to allow the wearer to lift loads of up to 1,500 lb. However, by 1970 only one arm had been made to work and although it could lift 750 lbs and responded according to specification, it weighed three-quarters of a ton. Nevertheless, exoskeletons continue to feature highly in science fiction, but what are the real prospects for these devices? This paper reviews the latest developments in exoskeleton and robotic prosthetic technology.

From: Sensor Review, volume: 29 issue: 3 pp200-202, 2009
Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a Tongue Drive system that produces an alphabet of signals from movements of the tongue within the mouth. Tongue and teeth replace finger and keyboard, empowering people with no movement in their upper limbs to control complex equipment such as home appliances, wheelchairs and even computers. This paper reviews the Institute's work.

From: Rapid Prototyping Journal, volume: 15 issue: 3 pp216-225, 2009
It is hard to believe that routine dental techniques were affected by revolutionary concepts originally theorized by engineering methods. The purpose of this review study is to represent the historical development and various methods currently used for building dental appliances. It is a reality that in future, most of the restorative disciplines will be fully revised and computer methods will evolve to an extent where dentistry can be performed by computer-assisted methods with optimum safety, simplicity and reliability.

From: Sensor Review, volume: 29 issue: 2 pp98-103, 2009
Mobile phone enhancements are driving innovations in electronics that are transferable to other industries. Wafer-thinning and 3D interconnection techniques shrink complex circuitry, enabling the construction of sensitive intelligent wireless sensors. Biologically inert packaging enables such devices to be implanted in the human body to improve sight and hearing, and monitor bone healing after surgery. This paper explores progress in electronic circuit miniaturization, and studies the new medical sensor devices emerging.

From: Assembly Automation, volume: 29 issue: 1 pp14-18, 2009
This paper describes an innovative new technology for assembling lens elements to electronic image capture modules with high-image quality. Electronic camera systems can be assembled more quickly and accurately than with previous methods and with overall cost savings. Companies may also find that other high-accuracy devices can be assembled more precisely and cheaper using quick UV cure adhesives and vision systems for accurate placement.

From: Sensor Review, volume: 29 issue: 1 pp13-19, 2009
In 2002, the European Commission formed the eSafety working group to encourage the development and use of intelligent and integrated safety systems in cars. The eSafety website gives the shocking statistic that more than 1.2 million people were injured in road accidents in the EU in 2005, and over 40,000 killed. Analysis of accidents shows that about 93 per cent involve human error, and therefore sensing systems that assist and warn the driver could save lives. The current emphasis is on technologies preventing rear-end collisions, keeping the vehicle in its lane, or assisting it to overtake, and technology that wakens drowsy drivers. This last item could help prevent 30 per cent of fatal motorway crashes and 9 per cent of all fatal accidents. This paper reveals how technology is being applied to augment drivers' skills and improve road safety throughout Europe.

From: Industrial Robot, volume: 36 issue: 1 pp51-59, 2009
This paper describes a mobile robotic system, which employs an odour-sensing capability to perform automated monitoring of hazardous industrial sites. Possible applications include detection of gas leaks and dangerous substances along predefined paths, inspection of pipes in factories, and mine sweeping, thus increasing the safety level for human operators.

From: Rapid Prototyping Journal, volume: 14 issue: 5 pp318-324, 2008
Human skeletal remains are an important cultural heritage in the archaeo-anthropological field. The examination of bones gives information about sex and age, stature and possible pathologies and trauma in the individual under investigation. Furthermore, anthropometric analyses are performed to evaluate specific indexes which are useful to recognize morphometric variability in human populations. In a traditional approach, invasive restoration works of the most representative remains are the preliminary step to the anthropological analyses of the skeletal material. However, this approach induces a number of problems. This paper describes the application of a new method called the virtual anthropological approach which is based on technologies, such as reverse engineering and rapid prototyping, which can overcome these limitations.