motor

MIT's Electrofluidic Fiber Muscles What If Robots Had Muscles Instead of Motors? MIT’s Fiber Actuators

The field of soft robotics has taken a significant leap forward with the development of electrofluidic fiber muscles by researchers at the MIT Media Lab. Traditional robotic actuators depends on bulky external reservoirs, heavy compressors, or noisy pneumatic systems, which limit their mobility and integrations. These new fiber muscles solve this by utilizing thin McKibben actuators driven by…

Edge AI Mastery: The Stinger V2 This Nerf Gun Uses AI to Predict When You’ll Pull the Trigger

A hobbyist maker has taken Nerf modding to the next level by integrating machine learning into a custom-built blaster called the Stinger. High-performance "flywheel" blasters usually suffer from a slight delay while the motors spin up to full speed, which can be the difference between a hit or a miss in a fast-paced game. To solve this, creator "stingernerf" bypassed traditional hardware…

Simple Transistor-Based Self-Timing Electric Motor Built from Scratch Simple Self-Timing Electric Motor Built from Scratch

A maker recently demonstrated how to build a fully functional self timing electric motor using only basic electronic components, no microcontrollers, motor drivers, or brushes required. The minimalist design uses a single transistor, two hand-wound coils, a battery, and a pair of neodymium magnets mounted on a rotating shaft. Instead of relying on electronic timing…

Wrist-Mounted Grappling Hook Wrist-Mounted Grappling Hook Project: Spider-Man Web-Shooter IRL?

A YouTube channel named The Amazing PhD has presented an engineering project that showcases the development of a wrist-mounted grappling hook system, a compact mechanical device inspired by fictional gadgets but implemented using real-world engineering principles. In the video, the creator documents the complete design and development process, explaining how the system integrates a projectile…

Makers Attempt to Build Underwater Vehicle to Outswim Sharks DIY Underwater Jetpack: Shark vs 100 kg of Thrust

Makers at the YouTube channel CPSdrone took on the challenge of trying to outswim a hungry shark. They pictured getting on the Aquadart 770 Extreme, which is supposed to go at a maximum speed of 25 km/h and saw themselves becoming lunch. On a mission to outperform this underwater sea scooter, they started with thrust testing motors in a water tank in their workshop. 

They tried the…

ROHM's New Three-Phase BLDC Gate Driver ROHM's New Three-Phase BLDC Gate Driver Uses TriC3 to Cut Switching Loss for Medium-Voltage Motors

ROHM’s new three-phase brushless DC motor gate driver uses its proprietary TriC3™ technology to minimise FET switching loss without compromising on electromagnetic interference (EMI). It is designed for motors that run on 12 to 48V power sources, meaning that applications include electric drills, industrial fans, air conditioners, and E-bikes.

The TriC3™ tech helps mitigate the usual…

Smart Trash Bins Use AI to Catch Garbage AI Trash Cans That Can Trash Talk and Chase Garbage

A Chinese DIY studio, tired of its messy workspace, decided to take smart cleaning to a whole new level. They went ahead and built 20 AI-powered trash bins that can detect, chase, and catch flying garbage, all while giving you lip if you miss. The team gave the trash bins cameras, embedded AI models to recognize thrown objects, and motors for movement. 

When a piece of trash flies…

Renesas Unveils RA2T1 MCUs Renesas Launches RA2T1 MCUs for Single-Motor Applications

Renesas Electronics Corporation has launched a new group of microcontrollers (MCUs) named RA2T1, tailored for systems that control a single motor. The group is based on the Arm Cortex-M23 processor, running at 64 MHz, and is meant for devices like fans, power tools, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, printers, and hair dryers. They have a 3-channel sample and hold (S&H) function to measure…

Interfacing TMC2209 with Arduino Interfacing TMC2209 Stepper Motor Driver with Arduino UNO – Basic Direction and Stepping Control

In this comprehensive TMC2209 Arduino tutorial, we'll walk through a complete example of how to interface a Bigtree Tech TMC2209 stepper motor driver with Arduino UNO for precise directional rotation and step control. This stepper motor driver guide is perfect for beginners looking to learn Arduino stepper motor control using digital signals to move motors…

Real-Life Rideable Transformer Robot Built This Transformer Robot Was Built to Be Ridden, Not Just Looked At

A maker built a real-life transformer robot that switches from a car to a robot, just like in the movies. The build is designed for someone to ride, much like a toy car. The robot uses Gimson Robotics 99.5:1 gearhead motors with additional 3D-printed two-stage gear reductions. Six motor assemblies power all leg joints.

It uses AS5047 magnetic encoders to track joint positions, allowing…

Reflex Drive Integrates Infineon for Advanced UAVs Indian Startup Reflex Drive Adopts Infineon Electronics for High-Efficiency UAV Systems

Reflex Drive, a deep-tech startup, has used key semiconductor components from Infineon Technologies AG. They’ve integrated Infineon's OptiMOS 80 V and 100 V power MOSFETs and the MOTIX IMD701 integrated motor control solution. This benefits their electric speed controllers (ESCs) through better thermal performance and high power density. The ESCs are compact, with a footprint of 120 cm³ and a…

DIY One-Wheel Electric Board From Hoverboard Junk Hoverboard to DIY Electric Ride on One Wheel

A combination of an old hoverboard, a go-kart tire, and some clever engineering apparently gets you a functional one-wheel electric ride that rides like a snowboard both on and off the road. A DIY creator from the YouTube channel Well Done Tips took what he believes to be one of the most useless electric rides ever made and transformed it into a surprisingly cool custom one-wheel electric…