Sensors Magazine articles from July 2005

Sensors Magazine archives from July 2005

What's new and exciting.(American Sensor Technologies' purchase of Macro Sensors)
July 1, 2005... The thing I like most about the June 2 announcement of American Sensor Technologies' purchase of Macro Sensors is the part about how the new, combined company will continue to accomplish all of its production in the United States. According to...

Compassion in action: the Sensors Humanitarian Award 2005; Medicine and engineering open a new field of research.
July 1, 2005... The classic stance for a very pregnant woman is with one hand--or both--pressed against the small of her back. She's wearing either slippers or her husband's shoes. And why? Her back hurts and her feet look like zeppelins. These afflictions...

The story behind the story.
July 1, 2005... A few years ago, Executive Editor Stephanie Henkel received a letter from a woman whose adult daughter, Becky Farmer, had developed ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease). This fatal neuromuscular disease...

Carbon nanotubes already having an impact on sensing.(Business Sense)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... According to a new report from market research and consulting firm NanoMarkets LLC (www.nanomarkets.net), the unique electrical, thermal, and physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) will create $3.6 billion in new business for the...

Car sense.(Business Sense)(OmniVision Technologies introduces image sensor OV7940, PerkinElmer Optoelectronics launches laser component for automotive applications, Analog Devices Inc. introduces inertial sensor)
July 1, 2005... Market analyst firm Techno Systems Research (www.t-s-r.co.jp/e/), of Japan, projects that application volumes for CMOS image sensors will surpass those for CCD sensors next year and, by 2008, 20 million CMOS sensors will be in use in the...

RE: Research.(Business Sense)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Seven New Mexico research institutions have signed the Inter-Institutional Agreement, a contract that allows bundling of patents for economic development. The move is designed to provide rapid response and flexibility so that when...

On-the-road learning.(Business Sense)(Total Expanded Measurement Uncertainty training program)(Sypris Test & Measurement)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... "As the use of measurement uncertainty to express accuracy and quality grows in American industry, more engineers and technicians are being exposed to the process and its results," says Mark Lapinskes, Technical Training Manager, Sypris...

Scanning and Sniffing for Security.(Business Sense)
July 1, 2005... The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced legislation that implies increased sensor deployment. The Airport Screener Technology Improvement Act of 2005 was introduced in light of recent reports from the Government...

Calendar.
July 1, 2005... For a full listing of sensor-related events, go to www.sensorsmag.com/events. Predictive Maintenance Thermography Lev. II August 2-5, San Diego, CA and Chicago, IL August 9-12, Denver, CO www.infraredtraining.com/courses ...

Bacterial air fresheners to the astronauts.(Research & Developments)
July 1, 2005... A team of researchers led by Gary Sayler at the University of Tennessee's Center for Environmental Biotechnology is working with specially altered, living bacteria interfaced to silicon chips. In the presence of certain chemical contaminants,...

Tell us what you see.(Research & Developments)(Sensors Unlimited Inc. upgrades dual-spectrum camera by developing communication device)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Sensors Unlimited, Inc., a manufacturer of shortwave IR cameras, is developing a communication device to add to its proprietary dual-spectrum camera. The company's MiniCamera, already in use by the Department of Defense, can perform...

Short takes.(Research & Developments)
July 1, 2005... Yippee! The Mars rover Opportunity is out of the sand trap. It took more than a month of backing and filling, but it has escaped, with the help of the rover team at JPL. While it was stuck, Opportunity clocked 629 ft. in wheel rotations but...

Getting the bigger picture for area security.(AppSnaps)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... How do you secure a seaport or an airport? Both are large, both involve lots of people and vehicles moving about on legitimate business, and both are, as we have sadly discovered, tempting targets for wrongdoers. As part of its security plan,...

Spotting leaks early.(AppSnaps)(detection systems used to detect water leakages in buildings)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... We've had so much rain recently that the topic of water creeping into buildings, especially where it's not wanted, has been much on my mind. Luckily, if you're building or renovating a wood, masonry, or steel frame structure, you can build in a...

High-tech healthy feet.(AppSnaps)(Sensor Products LLC introduces Tactilus plantar pressure measurement system)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Growing numbers of people have diabetes, an inability to regulate the body's blood sugar levels. Having high levels of glucose in the blood can cause nerve damage and poor circulation and this can lead to serious problems with feet. The nerve...

Change for the meter: equipped with high-power current sensors, new solid-state utility meters will enable more automated data collection and communication--without sacrificing accuracy.(PUTTING SENSORS TO WORK)
July 1, 2005... You know the drill: The utility truck drives up to your house; the meter reader gets out with a clipboard, checks the meter on your outside wall, notes down the new numbers, and drives off. Of course, if your meter is inside and you're away...

Ultrasonic sensing for challenging environments: if you're dealing with challenging environments, consider using ultrasonic sensors, with their longer and wider sensing ranges and immunity to color, ambient noise, and dust.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN)
July 1, 2005... Ultrasonic sensors are known for their robust performance in harsh and problematic environments, where there are a variety of reflective forms and where precise detection is essential. Additionally, they are unaffected by target color, ambient...

Choosing, using, and troubleshooting your piezo pressure sensor: the ubiquitous piezoresistive pressure sensor has established itself in applications ranging from glaucoma monitoring to earthmoving equipment control. Here's a primer on how to make the technology work for you.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN)(excerpt from "Sensor Technology Handbook")(Excerpt)
July 1, 2005... Pressure sensors convert input pressures to electrical outputs to measure pressure, force, and airflow. Today's piezoresistive pressure sensors feature a high degree of repeatability, low hysteresis, and long-term stability in applications with...

Maximizing data reliability in wireless sensor networks: unless your network is small and fairly static, your sensor data packets could spend time and energy roaming about in search of the right destination--or they might never arrive at all. This article will help you guide your data through the maze.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
July 1, 2005... Wireless sensor networking is an exciting new wave that allows multiple sensors and actuators to be deployed without concern for wiring costs or physical constraints. These devices can continuously collect data from areas where human presence...

A low-cost sensor and A/D interface: who needs a separate voltage reference? Simply maintain the proper interface between your sensor's output and the ADC's reference input, and you can reduce costs while improving performance.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN)
July 1, 2005... Most sensors are inherently analog and must have their signals digitized by an A/D converter (ADC) before they can be used in today's electronic systems. Although this means adding two components to your design for one job, you can exploit the...

Product news.
July 1, 2005... Product News is but a sampling of the many, many products we've seen recently. The ones included this month reflect a trend, are different enough to make me sit up and take notice, or are nice implementations of current technology. At the...

PC-Based Instrumentation and Control, 3d ed.(New to Bookshelves!)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2005... PC-Based Instrumentation and Control, 3rd ed. Author: Mike Tooley Published by Newnes, an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann ISBN: 0-7506-4716-7 This book is intended to give you enough information to understand...

Massa Products Corp.(Mel's Picks)(web services)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Do you want to know more about ultrasonics? Then visit the Massa Products Corp. Web site and check out the absolutely wonderful Fundamentals of Electroacoustics page. Here you'll find clear explanations of how media affects acoustic...

Germany.(Mel's Picks)(www.businessoftouch.com)(Website overview)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Here's a clever site that talks you through how to properly greet folks from other cultures. If you're traveling to a new country for business, take a moment to visit the site and find out how formal you should be, whether you should shake...

Google's Image search.(Mel's Picks)
July 1, 2005... Try this fun if somewhat addictive little online quiz. You're shown a grid of pictures. All of them are results from the same search term in Google's Image Search. Your mission is to correctly guess the search term that found the pictures....

Quote of the month.(Mel's Picks)
July 1, 2005... There must be quite a few things a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. --Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), The Bell Jar, 1963

What signal-conditioned sensor output format do you use most often?(Quick Poll)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... What signal-conditioned sensor output format do you use most often? 32.6% Amplified current (e.g., 4-20 mA) 30.6% Amplified voltage (e.g., 0.5 VDC) 15.8% USB 9.9% Serial digital (e.g., SPI, [I.sup.2]C) 3.9% Pulse width...