Extraordinarily commonplace

It is six o’clock; the alarm rings. Outside, a new dawn breaks. The window shades of the family home open automatically, powered by a drive system. One by one, the members of the Mayberg family join the others at the breakfast table. Mike (8) and his sister Mia (4) are eating their cereal. Their parents Max and Marissa browse the newspaper and plan their day while their household robot makes coffee. Marissa is a design engineer in the automotive industry and works part-time, 3 days per week. Her husband Max is a dentist. The family lives in a modern house in the suburbs.

Blinds

Today, it is no longer necessary to open or close window shades manually. Actuators now do this job. Blinds open and close at the press of a button, or triggered by a sensor. This kind of application often uses brushless flat motors. Their compact size makes them well-suited for the task, and they have the necessary torque.

Shower system

Marissa Mayberg loves to take a relaxing shower in the morning. She uses an innovative massage brush to stimulate blood circulation. It is made by the Swiss company Aglaja, battery powered, and can be installed in almost any shower. The brushes rotate, adapt to the body, and can be adjusted horizontally and vertically by means of a remote control. It is even possible to configure personalized massage programs. The brush rotation and the automatic height adjustment are each handled by a DC motor with a planetary gearhead.

Delivery robots

Packages, pizza, toothpaste, milk and eggs, delivered to your doorstep by robots – this will soon be reality. In the near future, robotic vehicles will autonomously deliver packages when the customer desires – around the clock. A start-up from Estonia is already operating several robots across the world as a test project. Their wheels are driven by maxon components. (…)

Read more in the latest issue of „driven“.