Articles
Could NASA help paraplegics walk?
October 18, 2012 9:37 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsNASA has been known to make pretty large contributions to society. But they might have outdone themselves on this one. The agency is currently in the research and development phase for a powered armor suit that could one day allow paraplegics to walk. The suit, called X1, is a robotic exoskeleton designed to be worn over the body to assist in leg movements.
What trend or new technology will drive the test instrument market in 2013?
October 15, 2012 2:35 pm | CommentsIn the November issue of ECN Magazine, we talk Test and Measurement in the Roundtable with industry experts and engineers to get the low down on the question: What trend or new technology will drive the test instrument market in 2013? Each expert offers up insights and opinions into the trends of the past year.
Wireless power technology embraces user-friendly features
October 12, 2012 8:37 am | by Pearl (Ke) Cao and Vladimir A. Muratov, Texas Instruments | CommentsWireless charging technology has been recognized as a very attractive solution to a wide range of applications because it conveniently replaces power cords and charging cables. This emerging technology is being adopted for charging mobile phones and other handheld devices.
The 10-letter keyboard that will make your head hurt
October 11, 2012 4:50 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsThe ASETNIOP keyboard is one of those things that may be great for future generations but will have a tough time integrating itself into the current workforce. The keyboard works on the premise that the traditional setup for typing is structurally inefficient, and you really only need 10 buttons to type
How to solve the problem of excessive leakage current in the healthcare industry
October 11, 2012 12:52 pm | by Lennart Elmlund, Director of Marketing, Bridgeport Magnetics Group | CommentsThe 2012 Edition of NFPA 99 Healthcare Facilities Code reflects the new format of using a risk-based approach for determining the level of protection. An example is the definition of wet locations. The new code, in absence of any government regulations, gives the responsibility to the governing body of the healthcare organization to designate wet procedure locations.
What to look for in relays for space applications
October 11, 2012 9:34 am | by Karl Kitts, Engineering Director, High Performance Relays, TE Connectivity | CommentsWhen NASA’s Curiosity rover made a perfect landing in Gale Crater of Mars, it was 150 million miles from the nearest repairman. Every component has to operate reliably to support the vehicle’s expected operation life of 98 weeks—or one Martian year. Specifying a relay for space obviously involves finding a compact, lightweight device that meets electrical needs.
What equipment do you need to skydive from 120,000 feet?
October 11, 2012 8:54 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsBy this point, you’ve probably heard that Felix Baumgartner is planning to skydive from 120,000 feet above the earth. For the record, that’s about 23 miles from solid ground. The jump was originally supposed to happen on October 9, but because of 14 mph wind speeds—they needed speeds of less than 2 mph to jump safely
LRDIMM answers the enterprise compute and communications systems call
October 10, 2012 4:39 pm | by Sameer Kuppahalli, Inphi Corporation | CommentsAmong the myriad technology sectors looking to boost performance efficiently, the enterprise segment poses a unique challenge to communications and other system makers. While servers can be deployed in any number of environments – and scaled to meet applications’ specific needs...
Integrating power electronics design technologies
October 9, 2012 4:47 pm | by Tony Christian, Director, Cambashi | CommentsThe field of power electronics, the application of electronics for the control and conversion of electric power, is underpinned by basic electrical principles that were established in the distant past by the pioneers of electrical science. But today, the need to supply, modify and control the voltage, current or frequency
Prevent accidents by making your backseat disappear
October 9, 2012 11:16 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | CommentsCrunch. That’s the last sound you want to hear when you’re backing up your car. It is scary. It is alarming. It is NOT a good sound.It’s the reason dashboard cams were invented. Unfortunately, the embedded cameras only show a small portion of what’s behind the car, and accidents still happen.
Solder wicki
October 8, 2012 11:31 am | by M. Simon | CommentsI like to do projects. I like to do projects that involve soldering. These days that means surface mount. And therein lies a tale. I design my own boards and get them produced by OSH Park they do great work. I try to make the boards easy to solder. To see the little bits when I do do the soldering I use a pair of Foster Grants with 3.25 magnification...
What’s the worst that could happen? RF communication disasters
October 8, 2012 11:07 am | by Michael Clonts, Product Manager, RT Logic | CommentsThe morning of December 4, 2011 began normally for the team of Air Force technicians. As they settled into their shift flying unmanned aircraft over Afghanistan, perhaps they chatted casually and swapped stories from the weekend. Very soon, however, their conversations were interrupted by shrill alarm sirens blaring from their control monitors.
Capnography for the masses
October 8, 2012 9:20 am | by Jeff Shiner, Sales and Business Development Manager at Spansion | CommentsAlmost every patient who enters a hospital can benefit from capnography. It’s a technology that has enabled better patient care through consistent monitoring, with measurement of carbon dioxide output, and feedback on ventilation, metabolism and circulation. Industry recognition of capnography is causing it to spread rapidly throughout the medical world.
Low-voltage ICs in power-hungry data centers benefit from high-voltage DC supply path
October 5, 2012 10:10 am | by Stephen Oliver, VP VI Chip Product Line, Vicor Corp., www.vicorpower.com | CommentsThere's a "back to the future" aspect to power distribution for datacenters in the 21st century. At the beginning of the 20th century, Thomas Edison was a proponent of distributing power to homes and businesses using higher-voltage DC, while Nikola Tesla’s backer George Westinghouse supported distribution via AC.
Kits for Kids
October 4, 2012 3:46 pm | by Jon Titus, Technical Contributor | CommentsElectronics, computer, and science kits can help kindle technical interests in kids of all ages. Each year the holidays seem to arrive sooner than expected and parents of young people interested in science and technology search for gift ideas. This column provides some suggestions. Some projects require adult help or supervision.
