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The Near Future of Mechanical Drive for Humanoid Robots

AI has moved humanoid robots forward, but safety, reliability and cost in the actuator drivetrain still stand in the way of commercial deployment

With the development of AI and powerful computer algorithms, is the future of humanoid robotics now? The reality is that safety at speed, reliability and cost for electromechanical actuation still represent a significant challenge that limits the near-future commercial deployment of humanoids. In 1973, Ichiro Kato et al. at Waseda University developed WABOT-1. WABOT-1 could recognize and manipulate objects, speak and walk. In 1996, Honda developed the more advanced P2 Asimo humanoid robot. Honda’s humanoid launched the development of the first harmonic drives to minimize backlash and turn small electric motors into high-torque actuators for a stable walking biped. Honda’s robot had six-axis force/torque sensors and encoders that constitute today’s humanoid hardware.

Strain Wave Gear Production in the Age of Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots need precise strain wave gears in their joints, and building and inspecting those gears at scale will call for equally advanced production technology

Perceive, Understand & Perform

AICA and Schaeffler demonstrate the role Physical AI can play in the manufacturing environment

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Technical Articles

Smart Alloying Eliminates Manufacturing Steps in Automotive Gears

20NiMo9-7 alloy achieves up to 48 percent higher fatigue strength than conventional carburizing steels in the as-carburized condition, eliminating the need for shot peening and grinding in automotive gear applications.

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Design and Load Capacity of Crown Gears in Comparison to Bevel Gears

Through loaded tooth contact analysis of two applications, this paper demonstrates that crown gears can match bevel gear load capacity while offering meaningful advantages in weight reduction, axial-force-free pinion mounting, and assembly simplicity.

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Conjugate Bevel and Hypoid Gears

An excerpt from Gear Technology Solutions by Dr. Hermann J. Stadtfeld exploring the mathematics behind conjugate bevel and hypoid gears—from the fundamental laws of gearing and the conditions for perfect conjugacy to why real-world power transmissions require deliberate crowning rather than theoretically exact conjugate designs.

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Analytical Calculation of the Gear Body Stiffness of Face Gears

This paper presents a new analytical method using plate and disk mechanical models to calculate the gear body stiffness of face gear wheels, showing that stiffness decreases toward the outer radius—a behavior that conventional cylindrical gear approaches fail to capture.

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Design

Gleason's Coniflex® Pro Design and Manufacturing System for producing stronger, quieter, and more reliable e-drive differential gears in high volumes, for automotive, truck, bus and off-highway transmissions. It‘s the differential difference!


Grinding

When grinding steel parts, the surface of the part can "burn" if too much heat is applied in a short time. Grinding burn refers to all those structural changes in edge zones of steel parts that are caused by grinding processes in steels due to the thermal energy introduced. Grinding burn can mainly occur in the form of tempering zones or new hardening zones.

Inspection

For precision measuring, skilled machinists, toolmakers, and inspectors must have accurate tools and gages, produced from quality materials, carefully manufactured, and rigidly inspected, to ensure lasting dependability. Gages have evolved throughout the years beginning with mechanical, then electronic models, and now convenient wireless electronic versions have come on the scene. Each type has an important place in today’s quality control and inspection processes.

Heat Treating

Since I have had the privilege of visiting numerous gear plants and research centers in the U.S., as well as 170 in 33 countries, and I closely watch the progression of technology, I wanted to share my observations about some technological advancements. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on three key areas: Robotics, Machine Tools, and Heat Treating.

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Videos

Grob Showcases Gear Ring Production with Power Skiving

The Grob G750T boasts efficient machining for gear rings by offering precise and efficient power skiving and seamless integration of milling and turning for maximum flexibility and productivity.

Industry News

Nick Piselli recently joined the sales team at Piselli Enterprises located in Statesville, NC. He joins his father Richard and his brother Matthew to serve the gear industry with high-quality new and used gear machinery equipment. 

Product News

Universal Robots (UR), a Teradyne Robotics company, introduced Gen 7, its seventh-generation collaborative robot platform, at IMTS 2026 in Chicago. Gen 7 has a redesigned control box, teach pendant and tool flange and runs on the company's PolyScope X operating system. It is designed to support AI-based applications such as vision guidance and force-sensitive assembly on the production floor.

Calendar

AIoT World Expo

Feb 9, 2027 - Feb 11, 2027

The AIoT World Expo (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) explores the potential of intelligent machines, prescriptive analytics, sensor driven analytics and block chain solutions. Attendees learn about IoT technologies that are driving the transformation in manufacturing, supply chain and operations.

Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2027

Feb 23, 2027 - Feb 25, 2027

CES 2027

Jan 6, 2027 - Jan 9, 2027

PowerGen 2027

Jan 18, 2027 - Jan 21, 2027

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The Gear Industry Buyers Guide is your complete directory of suppliers in the gear industry, including great companies like these.


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