Robotics are everywhere, or so it seems. Robot combat, STEM outreach, robotic arms and advanced surgical devices are but a few applications that touch our everyday life.
As a student, I was the President of the Santa Barbara City College Robotics Club and a FIRST Robotics competitor. These early experiences and opportunities have turned robotics into a personal passion
As the world develops technologically, robots are used in more and more everyday applications. As an example, autonomous robots are helping streamline supply chain operations with increased speed and improved accuracy.
Coupled with AI, autonomous robotics have a higher level of autonomy for data collection and decision making that can help reduce costs and boost productivity overall.
As I learn more about the technology, I realize robots are limited by the performance of their internal components. Fortunately, Samtec offers a broad line of high-performance interconnect used in a number of robotic applications.
I/O and Power Interconnect
Manufacturing has been transformed by autonomous, industrial-sized robots. Once programmed and calibrated, high-volume, precision manufacturing is an everyday reality. Industrial robots all need power and electronic control. Thankfully, Samtec’s interconnect solutions play a vital role in these applications.
Samtec Sealed I/O Systems, ranging from High-Speed I/O Systems to Sealed Circular and Rectangular, offer protection from dust and water. Sealed I/O connectors are ideal for high reliability in rugged applications.
Our Rugged Tiger Eye™ Systems are multi-finger, heat-treated, Beryllium Copper (BeCu) contacts ideal for micro rugged, high-reliability, high-cycle applications. Tiger Eye solutions have been designed with rugged environments like manufacturing floors in mind.
High-Performance Interconnect
Robots of all kinds need compute engines to act as the “brains” of the system. In some applications, discrete electonic design based on MCUs, CPUs, FPGAs or GPUs are used. In other applications, System-on-Modules (SoMs) or Computer-on-Modules (CoMs) are used as the compute engine,
One common SoM for many robotics applications is the the NVIDIA’s Jetson TX2i / TX2 / TX1. The GPU-based SoM utilizes Samtec’s high-speed, high-density SEARAY™ open pin field arrays for mating to OEM-designed carrier cards. The Jetson extends AI computing in autonomous robots and other edge computing devices.
Samtec’s SEARAY™ products are the industry’s largest offering of high speed, high density open-pin-field arrays. They support 56 Gbps PAM4 data rates and are also Final Inch® certified for Break Out Region trace routing recommendations to save designers time and money.
Rugged Testing Increases Reliability
In addition to all these products, Samtec also offers testing and support with:
SET (Severe Environment Tested) – New initiative to test products beyond typical standards for extreme applications. Please visit the Severe Environment Testing page or contact set@samtec.com for more information.
10 year MFG Extended Life Product – Rigorous testing to evaluate contact resistance in simulated storage/field conditions. For complete details on Samtec’s E.L.P.™ program, a list of qualifying products and test results, visit samtec.com/ELP or email the Customer Engineering Support Group at ASG@samtec.com
Design Qualification Testing – All Samtec series undergo Design Qualification Testing. Specific testing includes:
- Gas Tight
- Normal Force
- Thermal Aging
- Mating/Unmating/Durability
- IR/DWV
- Current Carrying Capacity (CCC)
- Mechanical Shock/Random Vibration/LLCR
- Mechanical Shock/Random Vibration/Event Detection
When it comes to high-performance interconnect for robotics applications, Samtec makes a great partner.
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