Sensors Magazine articles from March 2006

Sensors Magazine archives from March 2006

MEMS technology's true potential.(goode sense)(microelectromechanical systems)
March 1, 2006... Two recent market studies quantify the market for MEMS technology very differently. Both studies predict strong growth, but neither seems to touch on what I view as the true potential for microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and microsystems...

Biometrics now and then.(SECURITY)(fingerprint sensors)
March 1, 2006... Fingerprint sensors are being improved and applied in new ways--and in the future will be combined with other technologies to enhance security. Tychi Systems' BioKnob is the first known doorknob with fingerprint recognition....

Quieter, more efficient actuation.(INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION)(Artificial Muscle Inc. introduces electroactive polymer actuators)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Artificial Muscle Inc., (AMI) has introduced what it calls the world's first standard electroactive polymer actuators. The universal muscle actuator (UMA) applies AMI's patented technology to replace conventional actuators used in sensors and...

Got ideas? Get help here.(ROBOTICS, WIRELESS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) has launched an incubator program featuring the Robot Market Assessment Program (RMAP), which will fund and support formalized analysis of potential new markets for industrial robots. RIA will accept the...

Broader spectroscopy access.(PROCESS AUTOMATION)(Ocean Optics Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Ocean Optics has agreed to co-brand and distribute Raman spectrometer systems based on Centice Corp.'s patent-pending, multimodal multiplex spectroscopy (MMS) technology, which uses a coded wide-area aperture, instead of the conventional pin...

Patrolling for pollutants.(HUMAN HEALTH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... An article in Food Production Daily Europe reports that Raj Mutharasan of Drexel University has developed an inexpensive detector that "will be as easy to use as a thermometer, giving a result in 10 minutes." The device works by detecting how...

Sensor-spiked toys on CNN.(MEDIA WATCH)(Cable News Network)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CNN's Toy Makers Hawk Robotic Playmates story reports on sensor-rich offerings at the American International Toy Fair, while The Age, an Australian newspaper, contrasts the release of Uglobe's Pleo (replete with 38 sensors) with Sony's...

Sensor stars on CSI: Miami.(MEDIA WATCH)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Electronic Sensor Technology's zNose, designed to capture and analyze odors and chemical vapors within 10 s, has been featured recently on CBS's CSI: Miami. In one episode, the character Horatio's nemesis is accused of murder and the zNose...

Which computer bus do you plan to use for your next data acquisition system?(QUICK POLL)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Which computer bus do you plan to use for your next data acquisition system? USB 29.4% Wireless 28.2% Ethernet 26.9% I'm not planning a DA project 5.1% PCI ...

Calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... Find a list of sensor-focused event listings at www.sensorsmag.com/events

Wireless sensor software platform.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)(Crossbow Technology Inc. introduces sensor software )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... MoteWorks from Crossbow Technology Inc., San Jose, CA, is an open, standards-based integrated software platform that allows device manufacturers to integrate wireless sensor network capabilities into their products. The software provides an...

Ultrasonic proximity switches.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... Contrinex Inc., Old Saybrook, CT, offers Series 1180/1181 and Series 1300-1303 ultrasonic proximity switches in M18 and M30 configurations. Sensors are available as diffuse and reflex sensors, with switching or analog outputs (M18 devices) or...

Thickness, profile sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The FDA Class II visible GTS2 glass thickness sensor from LMI Technologies (USA) Inc., Cumming, GA, uses laser triangulation to measure flat panel glass up to 1.5 mm thick and other flat glass up to 3.0 mm thick at up to 2000 readings/s....

GPS receiver.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... NavSync Ltd., Aurora, IL, offers its CW12 GPS receiver as a functionally equivalent replacement to the Motorola M12+. The receiver offers 5 m rms positional accuracy,

Humidity transmitter.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The Series RH humidity or humidity/temperature transmitter from Dywer Instruments Inc., Michigan City, IN, is a 2-wire transmitter with a 4-20 mA loop-powered output. The polymer capacitance humidity sensor is unaffected by condensation, fog,...

Maintenance software.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... DEXTER v4.0 condition-based monitoring software from MACSEA Ltd., Stonington, CT, automates monitoring, diagnosis, and prediction of machinery health for any equipment that can be instrumented with sensors. It features automatic real-time and...

Temperature/humidity logger.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The TR-72W from Saelig Co. Inc., Pittsford, NY, is a temperature/humidity logger with a built-in Ethernet/LAN interface and internal storage for 8000 readings. Designed to measure ambient conditions of 0[degrees]C-50[degrees]C and noncondensing...

Small ultrasonic sensors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... UT20 ultrasonic sensors from SensoPart Inc., Pontiac, MI, are 32 X 20 X 12 mm and have a scanning distance from 20-150 mm with 0.2 mm resolution. Sensors offer switch-point, window, and retroreflective modes in one device; temperature...

Double sheet detectors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... Pepperl+Fuchs Inc., Twinsburg, OH, offers 18 mm dia. ultrasonic throughbeam sensors designed to identify misfeeds of a variety of media, including paper, cardboard, thin plastic, and foil to protect machinery and/or avoid waste. The sensors are...

Linear gauge sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The compact GS-1613 digital linear gauge from Ono Sokki Technology Inc., Addison, IL, uses a linear glass scale and is designed for installation in production equipment The gauge measures dimensions, curvature, eccentricity, displacement,...

Documenting calibrator.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The Micro-Cal Model 869 from Setra Systems Inc., Boxborough, MA, is designed for air-handling processes in critical environments requiring portability, high accuracy, and low-pressure documenting calibration. The battery-powered unit provides 8...

Customized code.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... MaxStream Inc., Lindon, UT, offers a new version of its XBee Professional Developer's kit that lets OEMs and systems integrators easily load their own code to the XBee and XBee-PRO RF module's processor. The kit includes code and instructions...

Programmable interpolator.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The Rincon mixed-signal chip from Tekwiss USA Inc., Newport Beach, CA, interfaces directly to two fully differential sensor bridges without requiring external components and provides 4 output modes. Configuration is stored in an onchip EEPROM....

Digital I/O board.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The USB-IIRO-16 embedded digital I/O board from ACCES I/O Products Inc., San Diego, CA, is a high-speed USB 2.0 device, USB 1.1 compatible, with 16 Form C (SPDT) electromechanical relays and 16 optically isolated digital inputs. The 4 X 4 X...

Desktop manometer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The DM 2005 desktop manometer from All Sensors Corp., Morgan Hill, CA, consists of a pressure sensor, small housing, RS-232 and USB cables, and software. Versions are available for digital, amplified, or amplified mini sensors and pressure...

Linear displacement transducer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... For absolute position indication in demanding applications, AMETEK Automation & Process Technologies, Clawson, MI, offers the GEMCO 953 Series Vmax linear displacement transducer (LDT). Features include a programmable span, active measuring...

Fuel monitoring system.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
March 1, 2006... The fuel monitoring system from AW Co., Franksville, WI, consists of two of the company's JV-KG positive displacement flowmeters, one for the supply line and the other for the return line, and an FEM-03A2 or EMO-500 ratio monitor to display...

Diagnosing Alzheimer's--before autopsy.(ADVANCING SENSOR TECHNOLOGY)
March 1, 2006... To treat a disease you first have to diagnose it. Although the proclivity toward developing Alzheimer's disease has been determined to be genetic, diagnosing it has so far been possible only by autopsy. This is the primary reason that no cure...

Stable polymer nanotubes demonstrated.(ADVANCING SENSOR TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Scientists at NIST have created 1-cm-long polymer nanotubes that can maintain their shape indefinitely. They could serve as channels for chemicals in nanofluidic reactor devices or as minuscule hypodermic needles for injecting single molecules....

Gate bias eliminates heating for CO sensor.(ADVANCING SENSOR TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A new gated-metal oxide CO sensor design requires no heated substrate. The trick to achieving this was the addition of a simple gate bias. The device's operating specs are impressive: -60[degrees]F to 140[degrees]F, sensitivity of 0-1000 ppm,...

Knowledge discovery from sensor data: drowning in data? Try data mining, a suite of automated tools that will help you extract the information you really need.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
March 1, 2006... Extracting useful knowledge from raw sensor data is not a trivial task. Conventional data analysis tools might not be suitable for handling the massive quantity, high dimensionality, and distributed nature of the data. Recent years have seen...

360[degrees] rotary position sensing with novel hall effect sensors: a new breed of hall sensors can sense all three magnetic flux density components at a single point.(SENSOR DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY)
March 1, 2006... Adding an integrated magnetic concentrator to Hall effect sensors enables high-accuracy 360[degrees] rotary position sensing. The Triaxis Hall technology, based on integrated magnetic concentrators (IMCs), enables the development of small,...

A better test for MEMS inertial sensors: save time and money by verifying the dynamic mechanical behavior of your sensor elements before the packaging and assembly steps.(micro-electro-mechanical systems)
March 1, 2006... The mechanical response of MEMS inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros) must be tested to verify the mechanical integrity and performance of the sensor element. One major obstacle to identifying inertial sensor defects early in the...

Extending USB to time-critical applications: by adding synchronization, timing, and determinism, USB is moving beyond PC peripherals and into time-critical DA.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)(Universal serial bus, personal computer)
March 1, 2006... Rack-based systems such as VXI and PXI have long been the mainstay of data acquisition and control systems. Due to the need for greater flexibility and reduced cost of ownership, there is a trend away from the bulky and expensive centralized...

Sensors control the world!(HANDS-ON SENSOR ENGINEERING)
March 1, 2006... Much recent focus in the sensors arena has been on remote monitoring, mainly in the form of wireless networks. Another very important application of sensors (wireless or otherwise) is in real-time control, where the information collected by the...

The integration platform--tying operations together.(ENTERPRISE INTELLIGENCE FROM YOUR SENSORS)
March 1, 2006... If integration blends data, applications, and processes into a functioning, unified whole to provide a single view of your operations, then the integration platform is the medium that delivers this bounty of information. But what is an...

Bands, mesh security, safety.(MESH, MOBILE, M2M-WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?)
March 1, 2006... Licensed vs. Unlicensed Bands What is the difference between the licensed and unlicensed bands and why should I care? Signed, Bandied About Wise Guy: In addition to fining Howard Stern, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...

Catch the wave.(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Accurate data on the behavior of storm surges could lead to more intelligent zoning, infrastructure, and land management programs. According to Ben McGee, a supervisory hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), "storm surge data had...

Catch the wear.(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)(Rohrback Cosasco Systems Inc.)(Motiva Enterprises LLC )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Corrosion is the leading cause of production and process equipment failure. Not only are equipment downtime and component replacement expensive, but also in many cases product leakage constitutes an environmental threat. Motiva Enterprises...

Catch the waste.(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)(Industrial Telemetry Inc.'s solution for compost management)
March 1, 2006... Municipalities typically generate a large amount of compostable material as a byproduct of their wastewater treatment operations. The "green" cities turn this unappealing substance into something of benefit to everyone, but the transformation...

Pressure sensors & transduscers.(PRINTED AND DIGITAL INFORMATION)(Kavlico Corp.'s brochure)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Kavlico's 4-color, quad-fold capability brochure has just been re-issued detailing the latest information about their standard and custom sensors and transducers. Included are typical performance specifications and features, a company profile,...

Biodata Ltd.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(www.microlink.co.uk/dataaq.html)(Website overview)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Biodata Ltd., an English company that specializes in DA, test and measurement, and control, maintains a Web site with tutorials on various DA topics, application stories, and product literature and information. The particular page I'm...

Fluke Corp.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(www.fluke.com/community )(Website overview)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Fluke Corp. has introduced something interesting on its Web site: an online newsgroup (which the company calls a community) for test and measurement tool users. While many of the forums deal with specific products, others are more general,...

EGBG.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html)(Website overview)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... I really don't like telemarketers who bother me at home. To be honest, I have yet to meet anyone who does. Here's an interesting idea from Martijn Engelbregt; a telemarketer counter-script. As the telemarketer gamely tries to follow his or her...

The Lost World of the Kalahari.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
March 1, 2006... Human beings are perhaps never more frightening than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right. --Laurens van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari

Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity.(NEW TO BOOKSHELVES)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2006... Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity Editor: Lynn E. Foster Publisher: Prentice Hall, Pearson Education ISBN: 0-13-192756-6 This book, a collection of short essays written by technologists, lawyers, investment...