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Mechanical and Aerospace Stories

April 3, 2008

Major league robot: The engineering of perception

catchbotsm2.jpgMajor league baseball players like Derek Jeter make actions like catching a fly ball look effortless. But if you want to understand the complexity underlying these moves, try teaching them to a robot. By combining expertise in engineering and psychology, ASU researchers have created Catchbot, a baseball-playing robot. In the process, they have learned a lot about how people perceive and respond to a moving target. --by Skip Derra

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December 31, 2007

Power-generating backpack makes most of simple motion

An ASU researcher has designed a special backpack that can produce an electrical charge through the force of the motion of its wearer. This "energy harvesting" can generate the power to charge batteries or run small electronic devices such as cell phones, iPods or flashlights. --by Joe Kullman

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March 21, 2007

Taking flight on the course

Predicting how the smallest details of a golf ball's design will make it act in flight is a painstakingly complex task. --by Joe Kullman

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January 30, 2007

Different ball game: Marrying golf and high technology

Golfers are always looking for an “edge” to improve their game. So are jet aircraft designers. Thanks to work by ASU engineers, the ardent pursuit of better golfing appears poised to lead to technological innovations that reach far beyond the game. --by Joe Kullman

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