Those attending the recent Windpower 2013 exhibition could get a first-hand explanation of the Looped Airfoil Wind Turbine, a concept said to overcome shortcomings of horizontal wind turbines. Devised by a startup called EverLift Inc. in Nassau, Del., the device looks a little like a conveyor belt with airfoils for cleats. The airfoils cut through the wind and push the belt along. Electric generators would be driven by the moving chain via a rack-and-pinion setup....More

The last 20 years have seen precision amplifiers used for positioning and velocity control make major strides in power output, size, and control features. Applications such as laboratory automation, semiconductor equipment, and scientific automation make use of high-end amplifier capabilities such as field-oriented control. The cost of electronics is coming down to a point where even industries identified with basic motion needs now consider using high-end features, particularly where smoothness, motor efficiency, and top speed matter....More

Adding adaptive-damping elements or hydrostatic bearings to a linear-motion axis increases damping, and improves the performance of machine tools as well as other precision equipment....More

You may be for or against the sequester — the mandatory budget cuts that hit many federal agencies. But all the hand-wringing over its consequences is bringing to light some of the interesting ways our tax dollars are being spent....More

Engineers at German-based EDAG needed a rotating ring table for small-lot production of cars. It had to hold as many as four car-body tools, up to 20 tons, and have enough room in its center hole to accommodate a heavy-duty robot....More

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have devised a passive time-delay component which will make phase-array radars smaller, simpler, more efficient, and less expensive....More