The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been pioneering antenna measurement methods for decades, but a new robot may be the ultimate innovation, extending measurements to higher frequencies while characterizing antennas faster and more easily than previous NIST facilities.

The robot—actually a robotic arm of the type used in manufacturing—will be used to rapidly and accurately measure the properties of antennas used in advanced communications as well as remote sensing for weather prediction, climate monitoring, imaging systems, and radar.

NIST researchers came up with the idea for the robotic arm in 2011 as a means of meeting the demands posed by new, high-frequency antennas. The robot has now been validated and is being used to serve NIST customers. The robot’s formal name is the Configurable Robotic Millimeter-Wave Antenna (CROMMA) facility.

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