Industry 4.0, robotic applications, and automation have altered manufacturing in various industries and ways. Though traditional handcraft is restored in many places, automation expands across ...

Steel measuring tape is an interesting material, in that it's rigid enough to hold its shape when extended, but flexible enough that it gives way under pressure. Scientists have taken advantage of ...

A new wheeled robot is able to climb metal structures in a clever and unique way – it uses an extendible tape-measure limb. Descendants of the bot may one day find use inspecting or repairing things ...

It's a game a lot of us played as children -- and maybe even later in life: unspooling measuring tape to see how far it would extend before bending. But to engineer, this game was an inspiration, ...

Optimization algorithms for robotic assembly systems seek to enhance efficiency, flexibility and robustness in automated manufacturing tasks. Central challenges include the sequencing of assembly ...