Serving the Electronic Design Community Since 1956
The value of open source
April 29, 2013 10:13 am | by Screaming Circuits | Blogs | CommentsThere were a number of interesting sessions and debates last week at the DesignWest show. One of the more passion filled, was on the value of Open Source hardware. Some people think it will save the world,if only everyone will do everything open source. Some people think it's a stupid waste of time without a real business model.
Guns are only as ‘smart’ as we are
April 29, 2013 9:48 am | by Stephanie Carmichael, Contributor | Blogs | CommentsI’m uncomfortable with the phrase "smart gun." Maybe that’s because the words make me think of Skynet in Terminator, or the great lesson to man about the dangers of artificial intelligence gussied up in a blockbuster action-movie franchise. While it’s probably not going to rebel and nearly exterminate all of mankind, in the wrong hands, real-world technology can become a tool for evil.
Federal food assistance program encourages healthy beverage purchases
April 29, 2013 12:07 am | by Yale UniversityYale University | News | CommentsEfforts to encourage healthy beverage choices by people receiving federal food assistance are paying off, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. The study shows that purchases of 100% juice declined among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) after the program changed in 2007 to offer foods that better reflect dietary recommendations for Americans. The st...
Robots Able to Reach through Clutter with Whole-Arm Tactile Sensing
April 29, 2013 12:00 am | by Georgia Institute of Technology | News | CommentsRobots are now able to intelligently maneuver within clutter, gently making contact with objects while accomplishing a task, thanks to technology developed by Dr. Charlie Kemp and the Healthcare Robotics Lab. ...
IRI Intros: 5 Questions with Tim Lieuwen
April 29, 2013 12:00 am | by Georgia Institute of Technology | News | CommentsYou’ve probably heard that Georgia Tech has a number of Interdisciplinary Research Institutes (IRIs) – but do you know much about them? This article is the second in a series of Q&As to introduce the Tech community to the eight IRIs and their faculty leaders. In this installment, Executive Director Tim Lieuwen answers questions about the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute....
Understanding the turbulence in plasmas
April 29, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | News | CommentsA longstanding joke holds that practical fusion power is about 20 years away — and always will be. One simple phenomenon explains why practical, self-sustaining fusion reactions have proved difficult to achieve: Turbulence in the superhot, electrically charged gas, called plasma, that circulates inside a fusion reactor can cause the plasma to lose much of its heat. This prevents the plasma from reaching the temperatures needed to over...
A look back at Lightfair 2013
April 26, 2013 4:54 pm | by Chris Warner, Executive Editor | Articles | CommentsCold weather has been hanging on well into April here in the northeast. But if you were in Philadelphia this week, you would be forgiven for walking around wearing sunglasses – especially indoors at the Pennsylvania Convention Center – a sure sign that Lightfair is in town.
MIT students win twice in White House competition
April 26, 2013 4:05 pm | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | News | CommentsFor the second year in a row, a team of MIT students — including two this year from the MIT School of Architecture + Planning — have won double awards in the Better Buildings Case Competition conducted at the White House by the U.S. Department of Energy. In support of President Obama's goal of cutting energy waste from homes and businesses by half over the next two decades, the annual competition invites university energy clubs to pro...
Smartphones overtake 'dumb' phones worldwide
April 26, 2013 4:04 pm | by PETER SVENSSON - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsResearch firm IDC said more smartphones than "dumb" phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide. Manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year, compared...
Imminent emergence of 17-year cicada creates buzz at Yale Peabody Museum
April 26, 2013 2:58 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | News | CommentsThis spring will mark the return of the 17-year cicada, as nymphs of this common species emerge in late May — for the first time since 1996 — from colonies in forested regions in south-central Connecticut. In conjunction with this phenomenon, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History will present an exhibition offering an in-depth look at this unusual creature, including information on the biology, life cycle, and range of the noisy insect....
IP65-rated pushbuttons include new brushed chrome option
April 26, 2013 12:07 pm | NKK Switches | Product Releases | CommentsNKK Switches announced it has updated its YB2 Series of 24mm square and 25mm round tamperproof pushbuttons. New to the series is a brushed chrome cap and bezel option for non-illuminated models. This new option gives design engineers greater flexibility to match YB2 Series devices with the style of their designs.
Tracking gunfire with a smartphone
April 26, 2013 12:06 pm | by Vanderbilt University | News | CommentsYou are walking down the street with a friend. A shot is fired. The two of you duck behind the nearest cover and you pull out your smartphone. A map of the neighborhood pops up on its screen with a large red arrow pointing in the direction the shot came from.
AT&T to sell home automation, security packages
April 26, 2013 11:48 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAT&T Inc. is launching its home security and automation service in 15 cities Friday, with an eye toward getting customers hooked on security cameras, thermostats and locks they can control from phones and tablets. AT&T's "Digital Life" packages will be sold in cellphone stores in markets including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.
Samsung profit at record high on smartphone boost
April 26, 2013 11:46 am | by YOUKYUNG LEE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics said Friday its first quarter profit jumped to a record high as smartphone sales remained strong despite the April launch of an updated version of its flagship Galaxy phone. Sales of consumer electronics usually slow in the first three months of the year after the holiday shopping season...
Constant-current power supply achieves efficiencies up to 91%
April 26, 2013 11:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe series of constant current (CC) models of the high-voltage output (maximum output voltage up to 280VDC) with IP65/67 design for customers’ choices and with the efficiency up to 91%. This series are built-in two-stage PFC circuit to achieve the EU harmonic interference limited of lighting products requirements....
