This Week in Power & Motion: RISE Robotics Collaboration for Wave Energy Capture Receives DOE Grant

There is much going on in the world of fluid power and motion control from technology introductions and industry advancements to new trends and industry leaders. To keep our readers as informed as possible, the Power & Motion team has collected some of the latest industry news.

Keep an eye out for a new edition each week to ensure you stay up to date on what's happening in the world of fluid power and motion control.

Bailey Acquires Hydrolico

Bailey International LLC has acquired Quebec-based Hydrolico International Inc. Through the acquisition, Bailey will be able to expand its hydraulic and pneumatic manufacturing expertise the company says in its press release announcing the acquisition.

"This combination allows us to bring a combined 70 years of expertise to the market," said Ken Baker, CEO of Bailey International, in the company's press release. "We look forward to providing more products, additional capabilities and excellent service to our customers," said Baker.

Bailey's acquisition of Hydrolico will enhance hydraulic and pneumatic manufacturing capabilities.

Hydrolico's facilities in Montreal and Walker, Mich. will add to Bailey's manufacturing footprint in North America, helping it to better serve customers around the world.

RISE Robotics Receives DOE Grant

RISE Robotics is collaborating with C.A. Goudey & Associates on a seaweed farming system which has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for small businesses. C.A. Goudey & Associates is utilizing RISE's electromechanical technology in its farming system.

The project has received funding to develop a method for extracting wave energy from C.A. Goudey & Associates' Variable Displacement Spar Buoy (VDSB), which is a key component of its seaweed farming system.

"Offshore seaweed farms have great potential in our nation’s food and energy future but power is needed out there to monitor the crop and maintain communications back to shore," said Engineer Clifford Goudey in the press release announcing its receipt of the DOE grant. "Tapping wave energy is a great way of generating that needed power."

For its part, RISE will evaluate and document the ability of its RISE Cylinder to capture wave energy and use that captured energy to power the seaweed farming system.

Gestural notions of future complete C.A. Goudey & Associates & RISE Robotics Variable Displacement Spar Buoy design.

Embark Trucks Developing Emergency Vehicle Interaction Tech for Autonomous Trucks

Embark Trucks Inc., a developer of autonomous truck technology, is working with law enforcement in Texas to develop capabilities for its system to properly interact with emergency vehicles. Doing so will enable Embark-powered autonomous trucks to identify, stop for and interface appropriately with law enforcement vehicles the company said in its press release announcing the partnership.

The company says it is working with the Texas Department of Public Safety to enable its technology to identify law enforcement vehicles during traffic stops as well as develop communication protocols and standard operating procedures for when autonomous trucks interact with law enforcement.

Public demonstrations are planned for later in the summer of 2022.

According to the company's press release, the capability will be feasible through two main components:

First, Embark’s engineering team is building the technical functionality for the capability, training Embark-powered trucks to identify emergency vehicle lights and other cues to slow down and pull over safely onto highway shoulders in accordance with law enforcement requests.
Second, Embark is developing an interaction procedure with input from law enforcement that can enable any law enforcement officer to safely stop, approach and receive information from an autonomous truck intuitively and without any additional equipment. This effort may include outfitting Embark trucks with clear visual cues and information to signal to law enforcement personnel that an Embark-powered truck is an autonomous vehicle and has come to a safe stop with no risk of restarting unexpectedly. Embark also plans to outfit trucks with a lockbox accessible to law enforcement containing vehicle and load information such as registration and bills of lading, as well as contact information so that law enforcement officers can reach an Embark Guardian operator to verify documentation.

Embark is developing capabilities for its autonomous truck technology to recognize and appropriately interact with law enforcement vehicles.

NFPA Awards Fluid Power Scholarships

The National Fluid Power Association's (NFPA) Education and Technology Foundation has awarded scholarships to 19 students studying fluid power technologies. Each recipient received a $2,000 scholarship for meeting criteria including a minimum GPA of 3.0, writing a 500-word essay and providing a letter of recommendation.

Through its scholarship program, NFPA is working to help future generations enter the fluid power field.

Winners of the scholarship were:

Paton DeSha, Chattanooga State TCAT
Brendan McCluskey, Georgia Institute of Technology (Raymond F. Hanley Memorial Award)
Dmitriy Rybalko, Hennepin Technical College
Thomas Lahr, Hennepin Technical College
Austin Nolley, Iowa State University
Ben Quade, Iowa State University
Edward Heelan, Moraine Valley Community College
Hugo Garcia, Moraine Valley Community College
Tatiyana Timmons, Murray State University
Jose Solorio, Purdue University
Nathan Linke, South Dakota State University
Paul Schlotman, South Dakota State University
Wyatt Morlan, Spokane Community College
Ryan Collins, Spokane Community College
Zoe Kulphongpatana, University of Kansas
Albert Ly, Triton College
Michael Glochowsky, Triton College
Nicholas Zambrano, University of Southern California
Spencer Burke, University of Texas at Austin (Robert Mackey Memorial Award)

More Acquisition News from Timken and Meritor

The Timken Company has completed its acquisition of Spinea, s.r.o, a technology company based in Slovakia which develops cycloidal reduction gears and actuators. Spinea's solutions are typically used in automation and robotics applications in the manufacturing sector, helping further advance Timken's work in this market.

Timken has diversified its portfolio in several markets through acquisitions over the past several years, including industrial automation. The acquisition of Spinea will complement these and further scale Timken's automation solutions which was its second-largest market in 2021.

Meanwhile, the shareholders of Meritor Inc. have approved the company's acquisition by engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. The merger will bring together two of the largest powertrain companies, both of which have expanded into the electrification power systems space in recent years.

Cummins announced in February 2022 its plans to acquire Meritor due to complimentary strengths between the companies and their mutual efforts to develop zero-emissions solutions for a variety of industries, particularly heavy-duty trucking and off-road equipment.

The companies expect their electrification development efforts—Meritor's eAxles and Cummins' battery and fuel cell power systems—will be mutually beneficial, particularly as systems become more integrated to achieve desired efficiency and emissions reduction targets.

"The strong support our shareholders have expressed for this transaction reflects the compelling value and important opportunity to shape the future of powertrain components and accelerate development of electrified power solutions for commercial vehicles," said Chris Villavarayan, CEO and president of Meritor, in the company's press release announcing the acquisition approval. "We look forward to securing the remaining regulatory approvals and closing the transaction."