A battery works on the basic principle that electrons tend to move from where they are abundant, or in excess, to where they are scarce. This can happen, if there is a medium that will allow the movement of these electrons. The part of battery with too many electrons is called the anode which means ..read more

In this post we will take a look at robot simulators and physics engines which should be discussed together. Robot Simulator: Basically a robot simulator is a computer program that facilitates building and testing of robots in a virtual environment. Some key points: Firstly, robot simulators help save great deal of time and money by ..read more

Effective power management is essential for effectively distribute, store and control power in electrical circuits of any size and purpose. By this, energy waste is reduced, and components within the circuit are also protected from being exposed to overcurrent and getting overheated. Our attention as always are not macro power systems but micro systems such ..read more

An inverter is a device to change DC current to AC. It can be used for example to run devices during electric outages or remote areas without electrical service. For example at a remote area if you have solar panel to supply electricity, it would be a DC voltage. You need an inverter to modify this current to an AC current, to power your tools, devices, appliances or equipment, most of which are made to run on AC current, due to its inherent efficiency over DC current when transmitting electricity to power or homes, offices and factories. An inverter changes the DC current direction, to match ..read more

Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute Researchers have developed a robot that can crawl inside natural gas pipelines to map them, while also detecting and repairing their leaks when necessary. The research project, which is near completion, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and its Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) program. Upon its application, use of this system will drastically reduce the costs of pipeline leak detection and leak repair processes.  Image Credi ..read more

headlines on web ..read more

ABB bought a Swiss tech company to improve its industrial robots’ AI and mobility capabilities. See full story at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/abb-buys-tech-company-give-industrial-robots-eyes-and-brains-4040766 ..read more

An electrical circuit is a loop which provides a path for electric current (electric charge) to flow. This loop must be closed. In other words, the current must be able to flow from positive to negative terminals otherwise the flow will not take place. The charge is made possible by a source such as a battery which motivates the electrons to move in the conductor. So it is the movement, in other words the flow of these electrons that constitutes the electrical charge. Note that this happens from negative to positive terminal which is the opposite of accepted convention for current direction. I ..read more

Conductors: Conductors are the materials that easily allow flow of electric current upon application of voltage, such as copper. Conductivity is the measure of how easily current will flow through that material and shown by the symbol σ (sigma). Its unit is Siemens / meter (S/m) but usually milliSiemens / meter is used. It is a characteristic property a material. In other words, it is not affected by the geometry or size of material. Insulators: Insulators are the materials that do not allow or very hardly allow the flow of electrical current upon application of voltage. Example: Glass. Resist ..read more

Sensors and transducers can sometimes be confused because they both react to some change in their environment but they are not the same thing. SENSOR A sensor is a component in an electronic system that can detect (sense) various types of changes in the physical environment and as a result, communicate these to the bigger system it is a part of. In other words they do the same job as what our 5 senses do for us. A sensor can measure how much the change occurs and transmits this information in a convenient format  such as electrical signals to the system. The change can be about any physic ..read more