The prototyping process is faster and easier than ever before. The Maker Movement encourages us to build, build, build. Rapid prototyping with Arduino and 3D-printed parts and overnight shipping from… Read More
Drones are a great example of mechatronics in practice. They have many interconnected systems that depend on multiple disciplines to communicate and function as designed. In this article, we’ll explain how… Read More
The Bowflex SelectTech 560® (ST560) is a “smart” dumbbell, a piece of exercise equipment with embedded sensors and processing to provide training feedback during your workout. The ST560 has an… Read More
I’ve been thinking about whether or not to share this publicly, but given the recent talk about how the working class has been largely ignored and how the rich are… Read More
Over the last few years, a lot has been written about the future of computing as centered around “big data” algorithms running on servers in data centers. However, embedded systems… Read More
Injection molded plastic parts have some wonderful benefits including scalability, the ability to make simple to extremely complex parts, and uniformity, the ability to make hundreds to millions of virtually… Read More
In product development, choosing open versus closed hardware and software platforms requires careful consideration. Selecting open source hardware has advantages and limitations, concisely described in this blog post by Simplexity CTO… Read More
There are typically a number of considerations when choosing whether you want to use a stock gear or to design a custom gear. Two of the key considerations are cost… Read More
On October 7, 2016, I was lucky enough to attend the 2016 Open Source Hardware Summit in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I attended along with Norvan Gorgi from Simplexity, who posted his conference report here…. Read More
What is a Motion Control System? At the most fundamental level, a motion control system is any system that controls energy flow to generate mechanical motion with some desired properties…. Read More
Software: Design Complete
Hardware: Pre-production units for design verification
MFG. Readiness: CM schedule and budget, Unit build tracking
Software: Full feature implementationHardware: Prototype 2 units with production-representative materials and processes
Quality: Build Quality PlanSoftware: Core functionality implementationHardware: Prototype 1 units with rapid prototyped components
Quality: Critical manufacturing process identificationSoftware: Architecture design: block, sequence and state diagramsHardware: Major Component definition & Proof of Concept subsystems build
Quality: Design for Manufacturing tradeoffs evaluation