Hizook.com Website Review

NEW DYNAMIXEL SERVOS (XM430 SERIES): UPDATED MECHANICAL DESIGN AND A CONSTANT TORQUE MODE. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Robotis' Dynamixel servos.  I've written about them in the past (here Dynamixel servos are a pretty big change for Robotis.. the new mechanical design has a lot of benefits: better mounting options (direct-to-case rather than the weird nut insert), more visually appealing, and the ability to route the cable directly through the backside load bearing. But they also offer a lot of improved performance -- comparing the old MX-28AR to the new XM430-W350, we get 65% higher torque for 5% lower price (I'm told the MSRP will be ~$240). Plus a whole bunch of new operating modes, including a few that directly control current (and torque by proxy): Torque Control Mode (perfect for robot grippers!), Current-and-Position Control, and even raw PWM.  Read on for details, including a new open-source Python library to control the XM Series using Robotis' v2 Humanity will eventually combine sensing, computation, and actuation (ie. robots) and human biology to create more-capable human cyborgs (for lack of a better word). There are a number of good examples of this already: Contact lenses that change their focus, exoskeletons to provide superhuman strength, and even some special prosthetics. By and large, these advances are non-invasive. However, I think we're nearing an era where that will no longer be a restriction -- people will have elective surgeries to add robotic elements to their bodies. My friend Ravi Balasubramanian from Oregon State (recent NSF CAREER Award winner!) is already making great strides in this vein; Ravi designs implantable robotic mechanisms that re-engineer the human hand to restore adaptive grasping capabilities to patients who have lost range-of-motion or grasp strength -- read on for details. This is just the beginning; some day, I imagine technologies where we can programmatically change muscle-tendon connections to trade off dexterity vs. strength (much like humans vs. chimps). Warning: This