How do machines like MRI that use large freely rotating pieces with sensors and tools attached deliver power and send/recieve data, I don’t think they would have miles of cables on a spool thats ready to be wound back and forth?
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In addition to slip rings there is also:
* Inductive coupling. An electromagnet on the frame induces power in a coil on the rotating part. Same principle as wireless phone chargers.
* Batteries in the rotating part powering a wireless radio link. That’s how car Tyre Pressure Monitoring Sensors (TPMS) work. The obvious down side is having to replace batteries, keeping the whole unit balanced and how the battery responds to centrifugal force.
* Optical encoders. Passive (non powered) when you need to know the position of the rotating part without
needing to have an active sensor inside it.
* Clock spring. Used in car steering wheels. It’s a long thin ribbon of wires that coils up more tightly when the wheel turns. Obviously only useful when the wheel is limited to a few revolutions before being unwound again
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