[advertisement]

The Near Future of Mechanical Drive for Humanoid Robots

AI has moved humanoid robots forward, but safety, reliability and cost in the actuator drivetrain still stand in the way of commercial deployment

With the development of AI and powerful computer algorithms, is the future of humanoid robotics now? The reality is that safety at speed, reliability and cost for electromechanical actuation still represent a significant challenge that limits the near-future commercial deployment of humanoids. In 1973, Ichiro Kato et al. at Waseda University developed WABOT-1. WABOT-1 could recognize and manipulate objects, speak and walk. In 1996, Honda developed the more advanced P2 Asimo humanoid robot. Honda’s humanoid launched the development of the first harmonic drives to minimize backlash and turn small electric motors into high-torque actuators for a stable walking biped. Honda’s robot had six-axis force/torque sensors and encoders that constitute today’s humanoid hardware.

Perceive, Understand & Perform

AICA and Schaeffler demonstrate the role Physical AI can play in the manufacturing environment

Strain Wave Gear Production in the Age of Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots need precise strain wave gears in their joints, and building and inspecting those gears at scale will call for equally advanced production technology

[advertisement]

Technical Articles

Conjugate Bevel and Hypoid Gears

An excerpt from Gear Technology Solutions by Dr. Hermann J. Stadtfeld exploring the mathematics behind conjugate bevel and hypoid gears—from the fundamental laws of gearing and the conditions for perfect conjugacy to why real-world power transmissions require deliberate crowning rather than theoretically exact conjugate designs.

.

Couplings and Clutches

A technical overview of the three principal face couplings (Hirth, Coniflex, and Curvic), comparing their tooth geometries, self-centering behavior, and Gleason’s cutting and grinding processes for manufacturing them.

.

Design Principles of Bevel Gears: Rationale for Zero Sum Profile Shifts and Generating Gear Choices

This article demonstrates why bevel gears are designed with a zero sum of profile shifts—showing that independent shifts merely replicate what a modified pressure angle already achieves—and explains the practical benefits of using conical generating gears for tooth profile crowning.

.

Root Interference

This excerpt from Gear Technology Solutions explains how oversized cutter blade edge radii cause root interference in bevel gears, and how to select correct radii to avoid noise, flank damage, and tooth fracture.

.

[advertisement]

Design

The toothed belt and pulley system known by the designation T, which has been selected as an example within this paper, was developed in the 1950s and standardized first in DIN 7721 (1977) and then in ISO 17396:2014. In this case study, the authors check if a single hob can properly cut T5 profile pulleys with 25 and 30 teeth—and if
so, define the range of the number of teeth covered by this hob.

Grinding

2023 is shaping up to be our planet’s hottest year on record, and the wind energy industry is feeling the heat. The GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council) says that the rate of wind turbine installations will need to quadruple globally by the end of the decade if we’re to achieve the IRENA’s (International Renewable Energy Agency) goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050—and keep the average annual temperature worldwide from increasing more than the predicted 1.5° C. Fortunately, “net zero” commitments are gathering global momentum. Before year’s end, total global windpower is expected to reach a historic milestone of 1 TW of installed capacity, eliminating 1.2 billion tons of CO2 annually, roughly the equivalent of all the carbon emissions of South America.

Inspection

Zahnradfertigung OTT GmbH & Co. KG was the first company to install the new fully automatic CNC-controlled P 152 precision measuring center from Klingelnberg in its ultra-modern machine park.

Heat Treating

Gas carburizing has been around for a long time. One could argue that gas carburizing is the most common heat treating process. Heat treaters performing gas carburizing are often characterized by a dirty environment, hazy surroundings, and that “smell.” While the product quality may be acceptable, gas carburized parts do come with some challenges, like excessive intergranular oxidation (IGO) or intergranular attack (IGA), which is often ground off. Low-pressure carburizing (LPC) has proven to be a much cleaner and very capable alternative process. Most furnace companies have combined LPC with high pressure gas quenching, which moved carburizing from the dark back room to a relatively “clean room” environment. However, there is still a strong need for oil quenching, which is the common feature of the long used standard integral-quench (IQ) furnace.

[Sponsored Content]

Videos

Forest City Gear Knows Robots!

Forest City Gear manufactures extremely high-precision gears made for the most advanced robotics, right in Roscoe, IL.  This family-owned team of gearheads specialize in high-precision gears engineered to handle the most demanding robotic applications—on Earth, and way beyond.

Industry News

Ceratizit USA announces the addition of Eric Rose as technical sales engineer for the U.S. Aerospace Assembly Tooling division. Rose will support Ceratizit’s sales teams and end users with specialized tooling applications used in the manufacture and assembly of aircraft, helicopters, rockets and satellite components.

Product News

 EcoCortec, the European subsidiary of Cortec Corporation, developed two certified compostable packaging films for heavy-duty industrial use: EcoShrink and EcoWrap. Manufactured at its facility in Croatia, these films serve as direct replacements for conventional polyethylene. They allow operations teams to maintain pallet load stability and meet environmental targets using their existing wrapping equipment and packaging workflows.

Calendar

AIoT World Expo

Feb 9, 2027 - Feb 11, 2027

The AIoT World Expo (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) explores the potential of intelligent machines, prescriptive analytics, sensor driven analytics and block chain solutions. Attendees learn about IoT technologies that are driving the transformation in manufacturing, supply chain and operations.

Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2027

Feb 23, 2027 - Feb 25, 2027

CES 2027

Jan 6, 2027 - Jan 9, 2027

PowerGen 2027

Jan 18, 2027 - Jan 21, 2027

[advertisement]

Current Issue


Current Issue
Archives
Subscribe

Buyer's Guide

Cutting Tools Gear Blanks & Raw Material Gear Drives Gear Machines Gear Manufacturing Services Gears Grinding Wheels & Abrasive Tools Heat Treating Inspection Equipment Lubricants Machine Tools Resources Services Software Used Machinery Workholding & Toolholding

The Gear Industry Buyers Guide is your complete directory of suppliers in the gear industry, including great companies like these.


VIEW ALL