In search of signs of life on Mars

Mars once had liquid water and an atmosphere—was there life too? To answer this fundamental question, NASA sends the Perseverance rover, a robot of unparalleled complexity. Read more

Agile collaborative robot

Collaborative robots (cobots) are robotic arms that can be manipulated directly by human users to allow the teaching of tasks without having to use complex programming interfaces. Commercially available cobots are based on serial architectures. They use actuators with…

How to design an exoskeleton

An exoskeleton must be lightweight, compact, powerful, reliable, and easy to use – what could be easier? Many developers around the world dabble in this discipline with different degrees of success. Christian Bermes, head of the VariLeg enhanced team…

Drive technology for agriculture 4.0

The agricultural sector is undergoing significant changes and is modernising. Reducing difficult working conditions, optimising working time, developing the energy self-sufficiency of farms, increasing productivity, using fewer pesticides… To take the strain off farmers, many robots are being developed…

maxon develops ultra-efficient UAV drive with startup Flybotix

maxon has collaborated with drone startup Flybotix to develop performance-optimized brushless DC motors for a new kind of inspection drone. With the know-how gained from this and other projects, maxon is making inroads into the new UAV market, where…

Uncovering the secrets of Mars

Our fascination with Mars is stronger than ever. At this very moment, yet another robot called Perseverance is on its way to uncover the secrets of Mars. The mission will also involve the first helicopter flight in space.

maxon and ANYbotics enter into a strategic partnership

Drive specialist maxon, renowned for its Mars motors, is joining forces with the robotics startup ANYbotics and will in future supply the drive systems of the autonomous ANYmal inspection robot. The robot will soon be marketed in large quantities. This cooperation will also benefit maxon, since ANYbotics provides important robotics know-how and is currently the…

A wasp shows the way

What do wasps have to do with brain surgery?  At first glance, not a whole lot. However, one species serves as the model for an innovative brain surgery needle that is…