A FIFA-compliant match ball from adidas has a TDK InvenSense 6-axis MotionTracking device and other electronics mounted in the center of the ball. As shown in Figure 1, the adidas patented suspension system stabilizes the electronics module. Instead of having the sensing/communication module mounted on the surface of the ball near the inflator valve, the […]
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How do sensors help you play ball? Pt. 1
In addition to the respect and pride of accomplishment that winning in any sport provides, if it’s done at the professional level, the monetary rewards of winning can be great as well. In fact, exceptional performance can create a lasting legacy for a player, a team, and a coach. This gives coaches, trainers, and the […]
What role does sensing play in a flying car?
Will your first or perhaps your next sports car be capable of flying? If you are looking for the cool factor, the Samson Sky Switchblade Flying Car is certainly worth checking out. Completing its first flight on Nov. 9, 2023, after 14 years of design and rigorous testing, the flight test data will enable the […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 4.
Multimodal robots that can fly and walk or crawl have been the basis of research for many years. In 2016, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Laboratory reported the development of the Picobug with multimodal characteristics of climbing, jumping, and gliding, or even flying and swimming. With a research paper detailing many executed and […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 3.
The abilities of robots continue to advance with highly capable products performing a variety of tasks, looking almost humanlike as they speak, and even garnering appearances in movies. Perhaps less attractive but equally or even more useful, creeping or crawling robots bring drones down to earth and, in fact, inside the earth. Unlike the micro […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 2.
While flying drones are common in military, consumer, and even commercial applications, there are a few intriguing, much smaller and less familiar flying drones in development. Called a micro air vehicle (MAV), or micro aerial vehicle, this class of very small flying drones have applications in agriculture, disaster relief, by both military and enterprise users, […]
What’s the difference between sensors used in underwater, flying, and creeping robots or drones? Pt 1.
Obviously, different design requirements exist depending on the targeted applications, but autonomous or remotely piloted drones also dictate different criteria. One of the more unique underwater applications involved undersea (in the ice) measurements in Antarctica. The intent of the expedition was to gather sufficient, highly accurate information to improve modeling of ice shelf melting and […]
What advanced sensing techniques are used in cobots?
Most robots incorporate a broad range of sensing technologies to better understand the operating environment and to fulfill their design purpose. These sensors provide information about position, size, orientation, velocity, distance, temperature, weight, force, and more. For collaborative robots or cobots that operate in a close proximity to and even interact with humans, additional sensing […]
October 2023 Issue: Power & Energy Efficiency Handbook
Engineering a green mindset and sustainable future Growing up in the pre-2000s era with a power electronics engineer for a father, my family’s first introduction to power and energy efficiency efforts was primarily analog. The word “vampire” was associated with a TV show called Dark Shadows; it had nothing to do with standby power […]
How are sensors being used in new applications?
Sometimes learning about how sensing technology is used in an application that the reader is not that familiar with can provide inspiration for a new approach in an area that they are very familiar with. That is the intent of the applications that follow. Even if they are not used for inspiration, they make interesting […]
