Kinetic art is a medium that incorporates movement and motion into physical objects. If you have ever considered automation to be more of an art than a science, this robotic sculpture is must-see. Byline: NGC Karen With a career focusing on mechanical engineering roles for medical devices, I have not followed a traditional artist’s trajectory….
Eagle Motorsports and Georgia Southern University have been using AutomationDirect for two years to collect valuable data in order to improve our engineering decisions regarding suspension. It is important to know how fast the suspension on a vehicle moves in order to properly adjust the stiffness of the shocks and springs. These velocities can be…
This award, sponsored by AutomationDirect, celebrates the art of digital animation and its close relationship to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). The 2023 Digital Animation Award is offered to help encourage students to cultivate skills in design and creation of animation including, but not limited to, storytelling, creativity, use of computer software, and…
Students in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, have found a way to combine their passion for video games with the industrial controls coursework they are studying at the Centennial Secondary School. The team of 11th and 12th year students was guided by their instructor; John Harpell, an electronics and automation controls veteran with thirty years of experience….
A team of engineering students from Oklahoma State emailed Automation Direct last year with a disturbing problem: Fish were dying! These engineering students had been contacted, in turn, by students in the nearby Culinary Arts program who run an aquaponics farm. Aquaponics combines aquaculture (raising fish and other marine life in tanks) with hydroponics (growing…
By Michael Probst, BSEE ’22 The Georgia Institute of Technology Engineering Department requires two semesters of design experience, with a course known as “senior design”. Students divide themselves into teams of 4-6 students, often comprised of members from within a single department, or students can form interdisciplinary teams. The projects themselves come from three sources:…
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Student Brings Joy to Kids During COVID-19 with Automated Halloween Display
In a typical year, children excitedly count down the days in October to Halloween. However, Halloween 2020 was different due to COVID-19, and many kids felt it was going to be a disappointing nightmare. That wasn’t the case in one town in Utah, thanks to the efforts of Shaun Oaks, father of two young children…
A key AutomationDirect value is to be a responsible, involved citizen of the communities where team members live and work. That’s one of the reasons the company has served for the past two years as an employer for Internship Forsyth which gives students the opportunity to learn real-world skills by working at local companies. The…
A student design team developed a PLC-based control system to safely automate a test stand and prove out an engine prior to rocket launch. By Simon Bambey and Griffin Peirce, UBC Rocket Student Team At the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, a group of determined students faced a technical task more challenging…
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Eastern Washington University Students Look for a Smooth Ride
Everyone likes a smooth ride in their vehicle — unless you are off road in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Most of us will avoid the bumps and potholes to drive on the smoothest pavement possible. Car manufacturers recognize this too. They spend lots of money on TV, print and digital advertising to promote that their…