For 21 years, Danny Florence has lived with one hand. But when he became a father, he decided to apply for an Open Bionics Hero Arm. With the help of the maxon driven prosthesis he can now build a strong bond with his son. At the age of five, Danny Florence lost both legs, a…

Paralyzed people can learn to walk again with the aid of electromechanical exoskeletons. However, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of engineering and hard training. Does the human control the machine, or does the machine control the human? This old question invariably comes to mind when we’re thinking about exoskeletons, i.e. electromechanical aid systems…

Hardness testers are used to check whether materials have the desired characteristics. These days, this is done in a fully automated, networked process. A material’s hardness can be used to gain information on various other properties, and the history of using hardness measurement to identify, analyze, or improve materials goes back over a hundred years.…

In spring, the famous cathedral of Notre-Dame was damaged in a devastating fire. However, the Paris fire department prevented the complete destruction of the building – with the help of a special unit in their ranks. In front of the eyes of an aghast public, the spire of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris collapses. To firefighters,…

When two Swiss robotics engineers developed a new computer-controlled leg press, they were thinking of athletes as their main target audience. Then it turned out that their Soft Robotic Training was surprisingly effective in the rehabilitation therapy of injuries and other physical conditions. The device has little in common with the leg presses you see…

Digitization and automation will change the way we develop and produce products. But what exactly does that mean? And what is behind the terms commonly used to refer to the smart factory? This issue of maxon’s driven magazine provides answers to these questions. When a fridge talks to the TV and a mobile phone, digitization…

Providing the right motor for small precision devices can be challenging With the growth and proliferation of collaborative robots, there has become an increased need for a wide variety of grippers and end effectors in general. One of the more challenging applications is for automated gauging and measurement of small parts. Such a device must…

The start-up company NISI (HK) Limited is currently developing a miniature surgical robot that can be inserted though natural openings in the body and only unfolds inside the abdomen. To achieve this goal, the engineers are pushing components to their limits and beyond. In the world of medtech, there are many astonishing new developments these…

Where motion is the key to a great cup of coffee, duplicating the precision and reliability of the motion of a person’s hand, wrist, and elbow require a unique robotic design. People love their coffee. Providing a consistent and reliable cup of coffee from a coffee shop often takes a lot of time in training…

Making a legged robot walk is not as simple as it looks. Coordinating the motion of all its joints to achieve smooth motions, close to those of real animals, requires advanced engineering and careful observation of moving animals. But what if we don’t exactly know how the animal looks or moves, as it has been…

maxon Group CEO Eugen Elmiger talks about the necessity of change in the digital age and shares his insights on where mechatronic drive technology is heading. Sometimes you need to look back to understand what’s possible in the future. Many markets that maxon formerly served with drive solutions no longer exist in the same form…

In France’s Bordeaux region, robots ensure that the wine is organically good. They autonomously eliminate grass and weeds between the vines, making pesticides unnecessary. To enable the robots to navigate the hilly terrain, the developers took some cues from Mars rovers. The wine region around Saint-Emilion in France is world famous and steeped in tradition.…

maxon has been selected to supply the optical filter changer system for what will soon be the largest wide field telescope in the world. The project, involving five French research laboratories, requires motors and controllers that are particularly reliable and capable of working to an accuracy of a tenth of a millimeter. With its 8.4-meter…

The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on a new system to enable easy docking between two spacecraft. maxon developed two special drive systems for this purpose. Even though it’s been done many times before, the docking maneuver between two objects in space is always a delicate and potentially dangerous procedure. The speed is extremely…

Bionicman is a different kind of superhero. His futuristic prosthetic hand lends him superhuman powers. He uses these powers to give children with disabilities more confidence—and cool, 3D-printed hands. When Michel Fornasier dons his sparkling blue cape, he ceases to be a normal human with everyday problems and limitations. He transforms into his alter ego,…

Drive technology is a basic building block for the performance of machines, robots, and hand-held devices. However, there is much more to consider than just the design and the motor selection. Interdisciplinary thinking, specific engineering knowledge, depth of experience, and a clear understanding of the requirements are critical factors. Any kind of technological progress should…

Let’s take a look at some projects researchers and engineers are working on right now. No stress After seven years of development, California-based company Opener recently presented its Blackfly electric airplane. The single-seater has already taken to the air successfully on a test flight. The vehicles are intended to “liberate the public from the restrictions…

To learn more about Mars and its structure, NASA sent the robotic probe InSight that landed in November 2018. Now it’s time to find out how much heat is escaping Mars’s interior. This will be done with an instrument called HP3 that will enter five meters deep into the ground. It is a bolt, lovingly…

A question of torque – Inspection robots for pipes and ducts, rescue robots in disaster areas, or humanoid robots – they all have one thing in common: They are mobile robots that aid humans. We explain some of their requirements for drive technology in detail. One of the basic requirements for the drives of mobile…

Meet the new colleague for the crew of the International Space Station (ISS): an autonomous camera drone. The small sphere films the astronauts at work and this drone could potentially save about ten percent of their valuable working time. An astronaut of the International Space Station (ISS) moves weightlessly from one module to the next.…

In 2020, the US space agency NASA will send a new rover to the Red Planet. Included: a small helicopter, which will take the first aerial photos of Mars. The rotors will be controlled by robust DC motors. The US space agency NASA has announced that their Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will be sending a…

Robotic devices for clinical rehabilitation of patients with neurological impairments come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and employ different kinds of actuators. The design process for rehabilitation robots is driven by the intention that the technical system will be paired with a human being; it is of paramount importance that safety and…

A small start-up is set to turn the market for hand prostheses on its head – with an innovative spirit, compact DC motors, and a touch function. Opening the door is only the first of many challenges. A human hand encloses the handle, depresses it, and moves flexibly. In comparison, an electromechanical hand prosthesis is…

Hiking, going cycling with friends. With the right prosthetic leg, amputees can once again lead an active life. Ottobock and maxon motor are helping to improve the quality of their lives. In their daily lives, amputees are faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles such as crowds of people and paths with rough surfaces. With the right…

The Radiology department at the University Hospital of Basel has state-of-the-art equipment. In addition to the world’s first 3D X-ray device, the hospital also relies on a new laser navigation system for CT scanning – guided minimally invasive surgery. “It offers a lot of advantages for image-guided operations,” explains Dr. Christoph Zech, head of the…