Sensors Magazine articles from December 2006

Sensors Magazine archives from December 2006

At ISA Expo ...(goode sense)(new quality standards)
December 1, 2006... At this year's ISA Expo--as at Sensors Expo in June--much of the buzz centered on wireless networking. "ABB sees wireless as one of the core technologies that will help our customers improve their operation and lower their costs," said a...

Where RFID, sensing, and RTLS meet: new developments bring together RFID and sensors--and add location-identification capabilities.(WIRELESS, ASSET ASSESSMENT)
December 1, 2006... Two announcements touting recent RFID advances stood out among many. SecureRF's new RFID tag with security and cold chain management features (including a temperature sensor), claims to actively authenticate and encrypt reader/tag...

Stepping up large-scale security.(SAFETY AND SECURITY)(Vidient Systems partners with Intergraph Corp.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... New developments are advancing security capabilities for large facilities. For example, Vidient Systems, developer of intelligent video surveillance and analysis software, is partnering with Intergraph Corp., provider of spatial information...

Software enables manufacturing integration.(MANUFACTURING)(Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk Integrator)(UGS Tecnomatix Production Management)
December 1, 2006... UGS Corp. says its Tecnomatix Production Management portfolio, a family of manufacturing shop-floor applications, is the first software to integrate production management with overall product lifecycle management (PLM) process. UGS says the...

Border Chief says ...(MEDIA WATCH)
December 1, 2006... The federal government is spending billions on new Border Patrol agents and on sensor and radar networks in remote areas of the U.S.-Mexico border. The new commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Ralph Basham, recently discussed border...

Pinpointing seizures.(MEDIA WATCH)
December 1, 2006... Dawn Helton was the fifth patient in the world to try the new Geodesic Sensor Net (GSN), a "high-tech cap" made of electrodes, reports News 14 Carolina. The GSN records brain waves and lets doctors see epileptic seizures as they happen. Use of...

Where do you purchase your sensors, typically?(QUICK POLL)
December 1, 2006... Where do you purchase your sensors, typically? through the manufacturer 27% through a systems integrator 9% through a distributor 55% through some other outlet 9% Cast your vote in the current Quick Poll at...

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 1, 2006... Get an updated list of sensor-relevant industry events: www.sensorsmag.com/events

Wireless moisture monitor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... GE Sensing, Billerica, MA, offers the HygroTrac wireless system for monitoring environmental conditions remotely in buildings, to check for moisture-related problems. Small HygroTrac wireless sensors are installed throughout a building to...

Magnetic linear encoders.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... E Series magnetic linear encoders from Admotec Inc., Lebanon, NH, combine a magnetoresistive sensor and self-adhesive SS-backed magnetic tape. The sensor's built-in resolution-enhancing interpolator lets you choose resolutions from 0.5-200...

Precision temperature sensors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... TSic sensor ICs from Innovative Sensor Technology (IST) AG, Wattwil, Switzerland, are available in 3-pin, SOIC-8, and COF (chip on flex) cases and measure temperature from -50[degrees]C to 150[degrees]C. Temperature is available as a linear...

PXI Express DA modules.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... National Instruments, Austin, TX, offers the PXle-6259 and PXle-6251 M Series DA modules, which provide analog and digital I/O with up to 250 MBps dedicated per-slot bandwidth. M Series DA modules feature up to 32 analog channels with 16-bit,...

Instrumentation amplifiers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... AD8250 and AD8251 digitally programmable instrumentation amplifiers from Analog Devices Inc., Norwood, MA, offer bandwidth of up to 12 MHz and draw 3.5 mA. Available in 10-lead MSOP packages, the amplifiers operate with [+ or -]5 V to [+ or...

DA software application.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... Data Translation Inc., Marlboro, MA, offers quickDAQ real-time data collection and analysis software. The software acquires high-speed analog signals simultaneously and directly to disk at up to 2.0 MHz/channel; measures out of the box with any...

Subminiature accelerometers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... Model 71 Series subminiature SMT piezoresistive accelerometers from Endevco Corp., San Juan Capistrano, CA, are rugged, undamped, and offer sensitivities from 3-30 [micro]V/g for shock measurements from 6000-60,000 g. The internal sensing...

Portable weather station.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The TACMET II weather station from Climatronics Corp., Bohemia, NY, is a rapidly deployable, compact, self-contained weather station system that consumes little power and can operate from a variety of AC or DC power sources. An internal...

Laser distance sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The DLS-B from Dimetix AG, Herisau, Switzerland, measures absolute distances up to 500 m with 1.5 mm precision. The optical device lets you measure distances on natural and reflective surfaces, allowing you to determine position on objects that...

Remote I/O.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... G3 Technologies Inc., Louisburg, KS, offers the G303 RIO remote I/O device that has analog, digital, totalizer inputs, and relay outputs and communicates either through its RS-485 port or via its integrated spread spectrum radio. Features...

Proximity Measuring System.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The KD-2446 from Kaman Aerospace Corp., Measuring Systems Group, Middle-town, CT, is a high-precision inductive, eddy-current proximity measurement system that is RoHS- and CE-compliant. The system combines a sensor with integral cable and a...

Network SoC.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... Hilscher North America Inc., Lisle, IL, offers netX SoCs for industrial control products that require built-in network connectivity. Used with the available network stacks, netX can be a Master or Slave for industrial Ethernet and field-bus...

Thin accelerometer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... Kionix Inc., Ithaca, NY, offers its ultra thin KXPS5 triaxial accelerometer in a 3 x 5 x 0.9 mm LGA plastic package. The RoHS-compliant sensor features free-fall and high-g motion interrupts, a [+ or -]1.5 g to [+ or -]6 g factory programmable...

Sensor interface IC.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The MSCPSI smart programmable sensor interface from Mixed Signal Integration, San Jose, CA, takes small analog voltage signals from a sensor or MEMS device; anti-aliases, filters, and amplifies them; and then converts them into a digital signal...

Tilt sensor and switch.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The TMD-200 from Semaj Design LLC, Stoneham, MA, is a customer-configurable tilt angle sensor and switch that is suitable for use as a safety tilt switch for all types of man lifts. Configurable as either a dual- or single-axis device, each...

6-channel encoder modules.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... Avago Technologies, San Jose, CA, offers its RoHS-compliant AEDB-9340 Series small, 6-channel, optical, incremental, C-shaped encoder modules for brushless DC motors used in industrial automation. The modules are designed to fit easily into...

Vision software.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... In-Sight Explorer v3.3 software from Cognex Corp., Natick, MA, is for use with its In-Sight vision sensors and includes new calibration, communication, and other tools to minimize integration time when deploying vision sensors for robotic...

Air quality monitor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
December 1, 2006... The ProAir 2200 from ENMET Corp., Ann Arbor, MI, is a microprocessor-based airline monitor for industrial, aerospace, and pharmaceutical applications. The modular plant process air-line monitoring system can be custom configured to detect any...

Listening to melanoma.(University of Missouri-Columbia developed a method to detect spread of the cancer)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... University of Missouri-Columbia researchers have found a way to detect the spread of melanoma, a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer, by listening to the sound melanin makes in the blood cells. With as few as 10 cells/sample,...

Establishing burn depths.(Canada National Research Council files for a patent for a method of noninvasive diagnosis of burns)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Determining the extent of a burn injury is difficult from visual inspection. At stake is a surgical procedure should the underlying blood vessels not be receiving the amount of oxygen needed for the surrounding tissue to regenerate. The...

A touch of genius.(new pressure sensor developed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Finger TPS, a line of capacitive tactile pressure sensors mounted on stretchable fabric designed to be worn on a person's fingertips and palm, can measure the pressures exerted while the person uses a tool or performs some other action. The...

Is that meat okay to eat?(new food spoilage detector developed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... There's yet another food spoilage detector that can detect high levels of bacterial activity in poultry and other meats destined for the table. SensorfreshQ sniffs out biogenic amines that can be picked up by a handheld device that passes an...

And check the silverware too.(Cornell University develops table napkins made from nanofibers)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... At Cornell University, researchers are working on a new table napkin made of nanofibers that can advise of the presence of microorganisms you don't want to ingest. Coated with antibodies, proteins, and dyes, these wipes have successfully...

Better security with ambient air sensing: we all want to feel safe in public places, and knowing that there's nothing noxious in the air is a strong step in that direction.(SENSORS AT WORK)
December 1, 2006... Explosives, chemical warfare agents, and toxic industrial chemicals present the greatest threats for soft targets, including stadiums, malls, theme parks, airports, subways, train stations, and high-rise buildings. Most screening today uses a...

A machine that watches: introducing a new kind of optoelectronic sensor that detects and inspects objects, and synchronizes the action of an actuator with an object's position.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2006... During an automated manufacturing process, the product typically moves along a production line at either constant or variable speeds. The first task of optoelectronic inspection is to discard that motion. For example, machine vision systems use...

Automatic tank gauging: a new level of accuracy; A new device promises greater accuracy for custody transfer by combining fiber-optic sensing with a pressure sensor to address varying fluid densities and stratification in large storage tanks.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2006... Obtaining accurate level measurements in large storage tanks can be challenging: When the temperature of a liquid is not uniform or when a tank contains oils of different densities (as well as water and sludge), the liquid becomes density...

Pick the right camera interface: four digital interface standards are competing for your business. Time to brush up on your understanding of what each offers--and doesn't.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
December 1, 2006... Digital cameras are available with a variety of interface options to suit the particular needs of any given application. Before selecting a digital interface, system integrators need to consider a number of factors such as data transfer rate...

Just add parts and shake ...(HANDS-ON SENSOR ENGINEERING)(evolutionary computation technique for designing sensors)(Column)
December 1, 2006... This column usually focuses on prosaic and proven applications for circuits and sensors. This month, though, I am going to talk about an emerging field called evolvable hardware, which potentially has tremendous applicability to designing...

Moving SOA onto the plant floor.(ENTERPRISE INTELLIGENCE FROM YOUR SENSORS)
December 1, 2006... This year has seen a number of dynamic technologies advance the process of data integration, from Web portals and composite applications to Microsoft's .NET and SAP's NetWeaver. But one technology stands out: service-oriented architecture...

Monitoring within and without.(Vivometrics Inc. develops LifeShirt physiologic monitoring system )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Firefighters and HazMat workers have a very tough job. They're frequently in heavy gear, in unfriendly atmospheres, and working hard. Unfortunately, this combination of equipment, environment, and job stress means that frequently they're...

Beacons on the battlefield.(ICx Ion Optics developed IR emitters)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... It's a fact that, in the chaos of the battlefield (and especially in confused urban warfare situations), people die from so-called "friendly fire." Adapting a MEMS technology developed for use in gas sensors, ICx Ion Optics has created IR...

How ZigBee compares.(MESH, MOBILE, M2M--WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?)
December 1, 2006... ZigBee Apps vs. Bluetooth and WiFi What applications are served better by ZigBee than by other wireless standards such as Bluetooth and WiFi? Signed, Apps Picker Wise Guy: ZigBee, Bluetooth, and WiFi, all wireless networking...

Charity evaluators.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(Website list)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Every December, I list a couple of worthy causes such as Heifer International, Doctors Without Borders, and Habitat for Humanity. This December I'm listing two independent charity evaluation sites so that if you want to give but also want to...

Online giving site.(www.networkforgood.org)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Network for Good allows you to search for--and donate directly to-the charity of your choice, including those that don't have a Web presence. Think of it as a kind of charity clearing house. You can find charity contact information, access...

Online gift-giving guide.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
December 1, 2006... I've mentioned this site before, but it's worth mentioning again. New Scientist maintains the No More Socks page, devoted to gathering together neat gift ideas. You can choose from technology, home and garden, food, toys, charities, and extreme...

Henry Kissinger.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
December 1, 2006... The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer. Henry Kissinger (1923-), New York Times, October 28, 1973

Programmable Logic Controllers, 4th ed.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2006... Programmable Logic Controllers, 4th ed. Author: W. Bolton Publisher: Newnes, an imprint of Elsevier ISBN: 0-7506-8112-8 Page count: 292 This softcover book is intended to give students or technicians a thorough, practical...