Stories Category - Progressive Automations Blog

When homesteader and TV personality Eivin Kilcher set out to build a backyard airplane cockpit for his children, he didn’t just create a toy—he engineered a DIY flight simulator powered by real motion control technology. Proudly sponsored by Progressive Automations, the PA-HD2 linear actuators provided the power, stability, and precision needed to move major components of the simulator safely. For anyone interested in DIY engineering projects ...

Learn how CU Hyperloop used PA-13 actuators to power their tunnel boring machine, achieving precision, safety, and success in the 2025 Not-A-Boring Competition.

Mobility limitations in a wheelchair can present challenges for individuals getting around town. David Padgett, a quadriplegic who uses a power wheelchair for daily mobility, needed a solution that was both functional and visually compelling. He set out to build a custom wheelchair trailer capable of securely transporting his chair while maintaining a compact height suitable for hospital parking garages. In this article, we will highlight his ...

In wildfire management, few tools are as essential—and as potentially hazardous—as the drip torch. Drip torches are used to start controlled fires safely during prescribed burns to manage forest fuel loads and help prevent uncontrolled wildfires, however, even these essential tools can be improved. That’s exactly what our customer, Ricky Heflin, set out to do when he designed his adjustable torch system using our PA-01 Linear Actuator. In this...

In the world of custom furniture, innovation often arises from a combination of inspiration and problem-solving. For Ryan Wilson of Wilson Custom Designs (@wilsoncustomdesigns), a chance discovery of Progressive Automations set the stage for an extraordinary project—an awe-inspiring conference table for Turtlebox Audio. This table, which seamlessly integrates a hidden speaker lift system into a reclaimed cypress slab, is a true testament to cr...

In an insightful webinar hosted by Progressive Automations, we are proud to have Mike Senna, a renowned robotics innovator and engineering mentor as our guest speaker. Senna, well-known for creating iconic robots such as Wall-E, R2-D2, and BB-8, shared his experiences, career lessons, and key principles that aspiring engineers should adopt for success. This article encapsulates the valuable insights from the webinar, touching on skill developm...