Category: Mechanical Design

There have been several times in my engineering career that I have needed to limit the force a mechanism can produce, but still allow for unpredictable amounts of deflection. This is very useful in...

Rodless cylinders is a cylinder without a rod. It seems like a stupid idea because if there isn't a rod, how does it do work? I accidentally discovered the concept of a rodless cylinder a few...

As technology improves, mechanical designs have become sleaker and more compact. One exception has been electric motors. For decades, the shape and form factor of a motor has remained constant. ...

If you've ever ridden it, you know the mere 17 second ride on Top Thrill Dragster is nothing less than perfection. You are accelerated to 120 mph (193 kph) in under 4 seconds and then rushed over a...

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Spence Krause from the Pittsburgh Robotics Company SKA. Please enjoy as Spencer and I discuss life, work, failure and of course: Roller...

Parallel links are one of the best and easiest ways to maintain level with the ground, but often we just need to keep the same angle.  I once designed a holder for a seam welding robot that...