Sensors Magazine articles from November 2005

Sensors Magazine archives from November 2005

New and evolving: technology and standards.(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... Few things are as inspiring to the practice of engineering as new technologies that break down barriers and enable new possibilities. Take, for instance, the new Nexense platform (see page 22). Rarely does sensing and measurement allow the...

MEMS, FOS benefit medical apps.(Business Sense)
November 1, 2005... MEMS technology has done much to advance medical device design. Just recently, the U.S. Patent Office granted Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS, www.mems-issys.com) a utility patent, "Method of fabricating a micromachined tube for fluid...

Of atoms and electrons.
November 1, 2005... According to Imago Scientific Instruments Corp., the decreasing feature sizes used in the microelectronics industry are challenging failure analysis engineers to analyze materials on an atomic scale. For example, manufacturers of read heads...

Simulation saves.(Business Sense)
November 1, 2005... According to market research firm Daratech (www.daratech.com), 80% of product costs are incurred during the first 20% of the design and development process. And that's the reason Daratech recommends use of simulation technologies to avoid...

Device server and network OS.(Business Sense)
November 1, 2005... "Bridging the gap between M2M networks and enterprise computing is essential to advancing and realizing the full business potential of M2M applications," says Glen Allmendinger, president and CEO of Harbor Research. Now Lantronix, Inc....

Consortium to enable mass screening for radiation.(Business Sense)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... A consortium headed by Columbia University Medical Center and involving Sionex Corp. (www.sionex.com) has been awarded a $25 million grant to develop new technologies to rapidly screen large numbers of people for radiation exposure in the event...

Calendar.
November 1, 2005... For more listings see our online events calendar at www.sensorsmag.com/events SensorsGov Expo & Conference December 6-8, 2005 Hampton, VA www.sensorsgov.com Random Vibration and Shock Testing Training January 24-26,...

Get the lead out and green up.(Research & Developments)(solders)
November 1, 2005... The E.U.'s proposed restrictions on hazardous substances (RoHS) have elicited considerable grumbling from U.S. manufacturers, especially those in the electronics business. The new regulations will cover five classes of material: lead (Pb),...

Stress mapping predicts materials failure.(Research & Developments)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Quick, accurate location and measurement of potential failure points in materials is the focus of a second-generation neutron residual stress mapping instrument being developed jointly by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of...

Short takes.(scheduled retirement of International Space Station)(John Maidstone awarded Nobel physics prize)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has surprised many but perhaps astounded none by stating that the space shuttle and the International Space Station were not the most intelligent use of the country's human and financial resources. The shuttle...

Tuning out the background.(new developments in radiation detectors)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Tracking down radioactivity is easy, right? You just turn on a Geiger counter and swoosh it around until you hear rapid clicking. Well, no. While you can spot radioactivity that way you can't necessarily distinguish between the natural...

Lights! Camera! Conveyor belt?(AccuVision internal backlit conveyor from Conveyor Technologies Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... While choosing the right camera and software is vital to any machine vision setup, lighting is another integral part of the equation. And correctly lighting parts as they whiz past on a conveyor is not necessarily straightforward. But what if...

The weather outside is frightful.(New Avionics Corp. remote-sensing ice detector probe)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... It's bad enough dealing with ice on the ground, but ice on an aircraft is definitely bad news. Detecting ice when it forms is important, if only to alert the pilot before the ice starts affecting the flying behavior of the aircraft. New...

In search of a low-cost temperature sensor: Part 1; You can build a basic temperature sensor with nails and a lemon, or run down to your local electronic parts store for diodes, an op amp, and a few resistors.(Hands-on sensor engineering)
November 1, 2005... Of all physical quantities, temperature is the most commonly measured. There are temperature sensors all around me--in my oven, refrigerator, water heater, and wall thermostat. Even the furnace has its own internal temperature sensor. Given...

XML's promise: XML, or Extensible Markup Language, can help you share your data more efficiently, both within your company and across your industry. Here's what you need to know.(Enterprise intelligence from your sensors)
November 1, 2005... We will reap the full benefits of this data integration tool when the software that collects our data speaks the right language. And the right language to facilitate sharing information is XML. Information is the name of the game. It's the...

Wired vs. wireless: cost and reliability.(Mesh, mobile, M2M--what do you want to know?)
November 1, 2005... What's Wrong With Wires? What's all this fuss about wireless communications? What's wrong with using wires, just as we've always done? Signed, Jack Plugg Dear Jack: There's nothing wrong with wired communications, such as...

A case study: MR vs. Hall effect for position sensing; How magnetoresistive sensors and integrated hall sensors differ and what this means for designers of magnetic angle and linear position sensors.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN)
November 1, 2005... While both magnetoresistive and integrated Hall sensors measure the strength of magnetic field components, they do so in different ways and this can directly affect their successful use in a position sensing application. Choosing which of the...

Security trials succeed.(Savi Technology Inc. completed testing of RFID devices)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Savi Technology (www.savi.com) and E.J. Brooks (www.ejbrooks.com) recently completed transpacific field trials of active RFID devices that automatically detect cargo-door intrusions and security breaches while communicating location and...

ZigBee for industry?(wireless network protocols)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... A new report from ARC Advisory Group (www.arcweb.com/research/reports/zigbee.htm) found that manufacturing end users see a huge potential value in wireless devices, but will make large deployments only with products based on standards....

Tamperproof diagnostics with metal-encased RF sensors.(Solidica Inc. to install prototype radio frequency sensors into Marine Corps' Light Armored Vehicle platform)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Solidica, Inc. (www.solidica.com), has received a contract with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to install prototype sensors into the U.S. Marine Corps' Light Armored Vehicle platform. The NCMS chose Solidica because of...

Platform integrates wired and wireless.(Pyxos platform from Echelon Corp.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Echelon Corp. (www.echelon.com) says its Pyxos platform, due in early 2006, is the first to enable control networks to be embedded economically within office equipment, building automation devices, vending machines, small appliances, and...

Low-cost well monitoring under test.(AirGATE Technologies Inc. is working on an ultra low-cost system for oil well monitoring)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... According to the Department of Energy, more than 75% of all oil wells in the U.S. (more than 400,000 total) produce fewer than 15 barrels per day. They operate on razor-thin economics, and development of a system that bolsters efficiencies...

Collaboration for building control.(Invensys Controls' wireless software stack and application protocols to be embedded into Cratlon Ltd's sensor chips)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Invensys Controls (www.invensyscontrols.com), which claims "over 40 points of presence in the average U.S. home" (including thermostats and smoke detectors) will embed its wireless software stack and application protocols into sensor chips by...

Wireless security beyond building walls.(PRODUCTS AND SERVICES)(AirMagnet Inc.'s sensors for wireless security)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... AirMagnet, Inc. (www.airmagnet.com) has introduced a new line of ruggedized sensors designed for outdoor and industrial use, enabling enterprises to extend a wireless security "perimeter" beyond building walls. Waterproof, hardened SmartEdge...

LabVIEW supports wireless networks.(PRODUCTS AND SERVICES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... The latest version of National Instruments' LabVIEW (www.ni.com/labview) graphical development software was created for designers of distributed control networks. LabVIEW, the de facto standard for graphical programming among engineers and...

Partners target energy management for buildings.(PRODUCTS AND SERVICES)(Tridium Inc. and Dust Networks )(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Building owners and facilities managers are increasingly pressured to manage energy costs more effectively, say Tridium, Inc. (www.tridium.com), provider of energy-management software, and Dust Networks (www.dustnetworks.com), provider of...

Harbor Research, Inc.(SIGNALS)
November 1, 2005... Robust systems can be built out of existing pieces, and what remains of technological risk pales next to the risk of delayed action. --Harbor Research, Inc.

Upgrading a steel mill--wirelessly: when Steel of West Virginia set out to reinstrument one of its mills, wireless sensing took the sting out of the upgrade.
November 1, 2005... Steel of West Virginia (SWV, www.swvainc.com), a subsidiary of Roanoke Electric Steel, owns and operates a minimill in Huntington, West Virginia, and steel-fabrication facilities in Tennessee and West Virginia. The company makes finished steel...

Who, what, where--asset management for mining operations: nickel producer Inco Ltd. is keeping track of miners and equipment with wireless location-based services. The benefits are enhanced safety and efficiency.
November 1, 2005... Mining companies have their work cut out for them as they track hundreds of people and vehicles moving through miles of tunnels. For Inco Ltd., one of the world's largest nickel producers with mining facilities in Canada, the U.K., Indonesia,...

Measure any parameter with a single platform: an exciting new sensing and measurement methodology uses a single platform to measure almost any physical parameter with extremely high accuracy.(SENSOR TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN)(Nexense is developing new sensor technology)(Cover story)
November 1, 2005... Imagine monitoring a person's vital signs with a noncontact sensor placed beneath a mattress. Imagine an engine torque sensor with incredible accuracy that could save consumers billions of dollars by increasing fuel efficiency and reducing...

Let's clear the air on hazardous location requirements and codes: hazardous location codes are intended to prevent fires or explosions caused by electrical equipment malfunction in the presence of flammable gases, combustible dust, or ignitable fibers.(PUTTING SENSORS TO WORK)
November 1, 2005... This article presents both a brief explanation of hazardous location requirements and an attempt to unravel the codes used to identify them. It is not intended for engineers designing the actual electrical equipment, but rather for those who...

From sensor data to usable information: collecting test, measurement, and production data is pointless if you can't get at the information and put it to use.(INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS)
November 1, 2005... Many companies are drowning in a sea of sensor data collected from research, design, validation, and manufacturing operations. The engineers and scientists often lack the tools they need to efficiently capture, organize, and extract information...

Product News.(sensors, wireless equipment)
November 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...

Vibration and Shock Handbook.(New to Bookshelves!)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2005... Vibration and Shock Handbook Editor: Clarence W. de Silva Publisher: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group ISBN: 0-8493-1580-8 Weighing in at 7.5 lb., and 3.5 in. thick, this book definitely counts as a tome. (The index alone is...

HART Communication Foundation.(launches free online courses)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... The HART Communication Foundation is now offering online, a free series of courses about the HART communications protocol. At present the only mini-course available is HART Basics but the aim is, at some later date, to add courses dealing with...

TechSavvy.com.(Mel's Picks)(Website overview)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... If you're looking for information on suppliers, standards, military specifications, and historical data, then go to TechSavvy.com. This portal site gives you access to several searchable databases (from HIS). The Global Engineering Documents...

For an interesting and unusual desk ornament/conversation piece.(Mel's Picks)
November 1, 2005... For an interesting and unusual desk ornament/conversation piece, go to this site where you can print out a calendar and then follow the instructions to cut, fold, and glue it into a regular dodecahedron with a month on each of its twelve faces....

Quote of the month.(Mel's Picks)
November 1, 2005... The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught. H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

What's your experience with plug-and-play sensors?(Quick Poll)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... What's your experience with plug-and-play sensors? 55.5% I don't know enough about them 14.8% My applications seem inappropriate for plug-and-play 7.4% I'm intrigued but haven't tried them 3.7% I've installed some; I'm a believer...