Features
The Roundtable - Industrial
June 25, 2012 3:18 pm | Articles | CommentsThanks to rapid advances in both the software and hardware, network engineers are able to use wireless to fill in the old communications gaps. They’re extending the network’s edge to include devices of every description, and turning those devices into nodes on modern, intelligent data communications systems. Wireless makes it possible to network-enable just about any device, just about anywhere.
Bringing down the cost of fuel cells
June 22, 2012 1:43 pm | News | CommentsEngineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) have identified a catalyst that provides the same level of efficiency in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as the currently used platinum catalyst, but at 5% of the cost. Since more than 60% of the investment in making microbial fuel cells is the cost of platinum, the discovery may lead to much more affordable energy conversion and storage devices.
New technique allows simulation of noncrystalline materials
June 22, 2012 1:19 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsA multidisciplinary team of researchers at MIT and in Spain has found a new mathematical approach to simulating the electronic behavior of noncrystalline materials, which may eventually play an important part in new devices including solar cells, organic LED lights and printable, flexible electronic circuits.
Vehicle solar charging panel helps to offset battery drain from computer systems
June 22, 2012 10:16 am | Product Releases | CommentsStreamlight today introduced the Streamlight SolarStream, a supplemental solar charging panel for emergency responder and fleet vehicles. The Streamlight SolarStream helps to offset battery drain from computer systems and other rechargeable electronics when a vehicle is off, extending battery life and limiting battery-related vehicle maintenance.
6 must-have apps for a stress-free summer
June 22, 2012 8:51 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsBetween the heat, the busy weekends, and the school-free kids, summer can be more stressful than stress-free. Don’t worry, like every problem these days, there’s an app for that. For the sake of sanity, we’ve compiled a list of the best apps to keep your summer from feeling like a punishment. Nothing kills a day at the beach like an unexpected, hostile Facebook message from your mom...
Why I won’t trade my iPad for a Windows tablet
June 21, 2012 9:13 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen Microsoft announced their not-so-secret news that they were releasing a tablet on Monday, it didn’t really take anyone by surprise. It was only a matter of time before the big-name competitor delivered a platform for Windows 8. For the sake of full disclosure, I am an Apple fan(atic). I haven’t owned a non-mac computer in years—after watching every single Dell laptop crash in college...
Coordinated circuit protection for small solar power systems
June 20, 2012 2:43 pm | by Neal Schultz, Senior Applications Engineer, TE Circuit Protection | Articles | CommentsRising energy costs and increasing support for clean, renewable energy sources has made solar power a growth industry. Solar panels directly generate power by converting sunlight to electricity with no moving parts, zero emissions, and little to no maintenance.
50 hydrogen filling stations for Germany: Federal Ministry of Transportation and industrial partners build nationwide network of filling stations
June 20, 2012 11:14 am | News | CommentsThe German Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) and several industrial companies today signed a joint Letter of Intent to expand the network of hydrogen filling stations in Germany. By 2015, Germany will have a supply network of at least 50 public filling stations.
It's a bird...it's a plane...it's a Volkswagen!
June 19, 2012 4:39 pm | by Sara Cohen, Editorial Intern, WDD Magazine | Articles | CommentsThe ‘People’s Car Project’ debuted in China last year, as an experimental website aimed at soliciting ideas for future car models from Chinese inhabitants. The site received 119,000 concept-based ideas from its 33 million hits. The project aims to bring the Chinese public- VW’s largest market- to the forefront of its design team, and help the German automaker develop the “Volkswagen model of the future.”
Historic triumph: Audi achieves first victory of a hybrid vehicle at Le Mans
June 18, 2012 2:20 pm | News | CommentsAUDI AG has achieved another technological milestone in motorsport. On the 80th running of the famous Le Mans 24 Hours, a vehicle with hybrid drive – the Audi R18 e-tron quattro – has triumphed for the first time. Around 200,000 spectators witnessed a fascinating race with the drama and incidents that are typical for Le Mans plus an impressive demonstration of “Vorsprung durch Technik.”
Kickstarter: Helpful website or project killer?
June 18, 2012 10:46 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsIt seems innovative technology often gets stuck in the dark chasm that exists between a great idea and a final product. Between skyrocketing production costs, the difficulties of marketing on a limited budget, and unexpected hiccups, some projects never get off the ground. Kickstarter, a crowd-sourced funding website where inventors raise enough to manufacture their product, seems like the perfect solution to technological limbo.
Catching some rays
June 15, 2012 9:48 am | News | CommentsDrawn together by the force of nature, but pulled apart by the force of man – it sounds like the setting for a love story, but it is also a basic description of how scientists have begun to make more efficient organic solar cells. At the atomic level, organic solar cells function like the feuding families in Romeo and Juliet.
Rugbeer: Tackling technology in advertising
June 15, 2012 8:45 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsHave you ever had a vending machine eat your dollar while you stand, helpless, as it destroys your dream of a tasty afternoon snack? Honestly, who hasn’t wanted to tackle a vending machine at least once? Here’s your chance. Following in the footsteps of Coca-Cola’s Hug Machine, Ogilvy+Mather public relations has taken creative advertising to an entirely different level.
Efficient tuning of capacitive-sensing designs
June 14, 2012 3:14 pm | by Robert Jania, Cypress Semiconductor | Articles | CommentsA fundamental aspect of any capacitive sensing design is the calibration of the sensor. Calibration eliminates the sensor providing false actives in the system and as well as the sensor failing when it is supposed to be active. Until recently, individual sensor also had to be accompanied by discrete components comprised of resistors and capacitors in order to adjust the sensitivity of each particular sensor.
Capacitive sensing-based light control user interfaces
June 14, 2012 9:37 am | by Pushek Madaan, Cypress | Articles | CommentsSmart lighting control technology is being used in more and more consumer applications to allow control of light intensity, hue, and saturation. With the number of competing light control systems on the market, the user interface is often the major differiator between systems and determines the success or failure of a consumer product.
Does advertising kill technology?
June 13, 2012 8:48 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsIt’s something we hear a lot: “The [xyz] technology sounds amazing; too bad the advertisers are going to ruin it.” For example, Google Glass. A seemingly exciting and ambitious piece of technology -- until you realize it means having involuntary, interactive advertising experiences one inch from your eye all day.
Moving money by cellphone: US-backed effort that bypasses banks starts slowly in Haiti
June 11, 2012 1:35 pm | by Trenton Daniel | News | CommentsIn further attempts to rebuild Haiti, the U.S. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are giving aid to make money transfers available via cell phone in Haiti. Haitian reception, however, has been lukewarm towards the costly enterprise.
Environmental benefit of biofuels is overestimated, new study reveals
June 8, 2012 10:45 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsTwo scientists are challenging the currently accepted norms of biofuel production. A commentary published today in GCB Bioenergy reveals that calculations of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from bioenergy production are neglecting crucial information that has led to the overestimation of the benefits of biofuels compared to fossil fuels.
Innovations in MCU design enable higher performance and smaller code size
June 8, 2012 9:26 am | by Stevan Dobrasevic, Product Manager, Renesas Electronics America | Articles | CommentsEvolving user expectations are placing increasingly high cost and performance pressures on industrial manufacturers. Real-time performance has always been an important aspect of industrial designs, and increasingly, industrial designs are using sensors to monitor real-world signals such as temperature, pressure, flow, sound, and position.
Photovoltaic cells tap underwater solar energy
June 7, 2012 3:28 pm | News | CommentsScientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Electronics Science and Technology Division, dive into underwater photovoltaic research to develop high bandgap solar cells capable of producing sufficient power to operate electronic sensor systems at depths of 9 meters.
Less time commuting, less time polluting
June 6, 2012 4:20 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsIf you’ve ever commuted, at some point you’ve probably felt like you’re spending more time stuck in traffic than at your desk. A team of students in Germany is trying to shorten your commute, and limit the amount of emissions released into the atmosphere by your car while you’re stuck in traffic. The project, called Greenway, is a GPS with the ability to access a cloud containing real-time traffic information.
Energy sector expected to drive growth in the screw jack market
June 5, 2012 9:41 am | News | CommentsIMS Research forecasts continued stable growth in the screw jack market over the next five years. The global screw jack market is mature and has had a low single digit growth profile in recent years. Screw jacks perform important handling and lifting functions in industry, civil transport and energy sectors. According to the IMS Research report,
RF design is easy – Just let someone else do it
June 4, 2012 6:36 pm | by Andy Ross, Director of wireless applications for B&B Electronics, www.bb-elec.com | Articles | CommentsIf you’re not designing Wi-Fi (802.11) into your systems already, you’ll be doing so very soon. Wi-Fi is rapidly establishing itself as the standard wireless connection for industrial devices. It’s a big change, but it needn’t be intimidating. There are plenty of vendors out there who have all of the necessary expertise.
When life gives you lemons, make a touchpad
June 4, 2012 10:33 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsThe MaKey MaKey, designed by MIT Media Lab PhD students Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, is a circuit board that turns everyday objects into touchpads which can interact with your computer. The idea was to create an easy-to-use inventor’s kit that would let from a creative child to savvy grandma be an inventor. First, pick two objects that you want to use as the touchpad.
Elimination of handset subsidies would represent tectonic shift
June 1, 2012 4:36 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsMobile-phone subsidies may go the way of the rotary dial if an audacious plan by Telefonica and Vodafone bears fruit. The telecom giants are using Spain as the testing grounds for an experiment that could irrevocably change the relationship between consumers and mobile-service providers.
