Sensors Magazine articles from November 2006

Sensors Magazine archives from November 2006

Sensorsand privacy.(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
November 1, 2006... A survey of more than 700 IEEE Fellows, done by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in conjunction with the Institute for the Future, sought to learn what science and technology developments are most likely to take hold within...

SOA adoption at 90%.(service oriented architecture software )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... In his monthly Extreme Data column (which takes a break this issue), Tom Kevan has described how service oriented architecture (SOA) software enhances the value of sensor data by making them easily available to large numbers of users. Now...

Picturing petroleum.(Input/Output Inc.'s seismic imaging system)(Weatherford International Ltd.'s )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... In its quest to exploit ever-more difficult-to-access reserves, the petroleum industry is finding high-end sensors increasingly appealing. Traditionally costly high-quality seabed seismic data acquisition "is emerging as a valuable solution,"...

Revolution running.(MEDIA WATCH)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... "The sensor revolution is off and running," says a recent BusinessWeek Online article, "Tech Wave 2: The Sensor Revolution," noting that, "While the last 50 years have been dominated by a march to ever more complex computers, the next few...

Sensors tag assets.(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... In the article, "IBM Software Tracks Computers, Trucks," c|netnews.com describes how IBM is planning to offer "unified management tools" capable of tracking IT gear and physical assets--such as trucks and shipping containers--with electronic...

Vision sensor technology has undergone dramatic changes recently. How has your company responded to recent price decreases and expanded capabilities?(QUICK POLL)(Survey)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Vision sensor technology has undergone dramatic changes recently. How has your company responded to recent price decreases and expanded capabilities? 50% We're using slightly more vision sensors now than 2 years ago 0% Our use of...

Humidity sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... Innovative Sensor Technology IST AG, Wattwil, Switzerland, offers the FemtoCap 2 X 4 mm, SMT-compatible humidity sensor. The capacitive humidity sensor has a linear transfer function, a base capacitance of 180 pF, and a basic slope of 0.3...

Fingertip pressure sensors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... Pressure Profile Systems (PPS) Inc., Los Angeles, CA, offers FingerTPS tactile pressure sensors that are designed to be worn on your fingertips and palm to measure the pressures exerted while you use a tool or perform some action. The...

Ultrasonic sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The Schneider Electric Sensor Competency Center, Dayton, OH, offers the Hyde Park Virtu 30 ultrasonic sensor in a 30 mm barrel-style body. Sensors have a 1 m sensing distance, protection ratings of NEMA 4X and IP67, and are available with the...

Triaxial accelerometers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... SCA3000 Series 3-axis accelerometers from VTI Technologies Oy, Vantaa, Finland, are designed for OEMs. Sensing range is [+ or -]2 g or [+ or -]3 g, depending on model. The SCA3000-D01 and D02 devices have been developed for high-performance...

8-bit microcontrollers with ethernet.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, AZ, offers the PIC18F97J60 family of 8-bit microcontrollers with an integrated IEEE 802.3-compliant Ethernet communications peripheral. Designed for embedded applications, the microcontrollers integrate a...

Magnetic measurement system.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... ASM Sensors Inc., Elmhurst, IL, offers its POSIMAG Model PMIS4 position sensor and corresponding Model PMIR4 magnetic wheel as an alternative to optical encoders for rotating applications. The combination is a contact-free measuring system that...

One-Chip Hall IC.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The BU52000 Series from ROHM Electronics, San Diego, CA, are tiny Hall ICs that integrate magnetic detection and connection circuits onto a single chip. Monopole detection ICs (BU52002GUL and BU52003GUL) offer 1 output pin and S- or N-pole...

Mini Presence/Absence Sensors.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... MINI-EYE miniature waterproof photoelectric sensors from Tri-Tronics Co. Inc., Tampa, FL, are available in throughbeam, retrore-flective, and proximity models. Enclosed in high-impact plastic housings for use in hostile environments, the...

Data Loggers.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... Computer Aided Solutions LLC, Chesterland, OH, is now distributing FrontDAQ portable data logger/DA systems from NIMTECH Intl. SAS, Vert Le Petit, France. FrontDAQ loggers provide 20 input channels with a 24-bit ADC/channel, sampling speeds up...

Inclinometers with readout.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The DIS-7001 and DIS-7012 inclinometer systems from Columbia Research Labs Inc., Wood-lyn, PA, combine a temperature-compensated force balance inclinometer with a power module and digital display. The readout module supplies linearization,...

Steel mill pressure sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... American Sensor Technologies Inc., Mount Olive, NJ, offers the AST47SM Series of MEMS-based pressure sensors designed to perform in the rugged environments of the steel and aluminum industry. The sensors are available in pressure ranges up to...

Metrology-grade angle encoder.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The Series 9480H from Gurley Precision Instruments, Troy, NY, is a robust, metrology-grade optical encoder with SS construction and multiple read heads. The encoder is designed for precise positioning of rotary tables on machine tools,...

Trace chemical agent detector.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The SAW MiniCAD mk II detector from MSA, Pittsburgh, PA, is a personal, lightweight, solid-state chemical warfare agent detector for simultaneous detection of trace levels of nerve (G) and blister (H) agents. The device uses two SAW sensors and...

High resonance frequency accelerometer.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The 7264D from Endevco Corp., San Juan Capistrano, CA, is a crash accelerometer that provides an extended flat frequency range and resonant frequency of >40,000 Hz. The accelerometer's wide frequency range produces a true picture of the input...

Optical inspection software.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The Value Engineering Alliance, Cambridge, MA, offers the PIATI HueView inspection technology that delivers comprehensive color analysis of multicolored, patterned, and textured items. The Win-Tel-compatible software supports image acquisition...

Displacement sensor.(HANDY NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2006... The Temposonics D Series sensor from MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Div., Cary, NC, is a low-cost magnetostrictive displacement sensor with a measuring range of 50-1500 mm and a direct 0-10 V output. The sensors offer linearity of better than...

Reducing the "OW" factor.(Luminetx Technologies Corp.'s VeinViewer Imaging System)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... When it comes to having blood drawn or an IV inserted, some patients might as well be turnips or stones. The veins of the very young, the elderly, and users of "needle drugs" are notoriously hard to find, and repeated attempts don't sit well...

Self-assembling fluids.(SHORT TAKES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... NIST researchers have devised a novel platform for self-assembling hierarchical surfaces in a fluid. Rather than mixing the components on a substrate and letting them dry, the investigators allowed them to mix and assemble freely in a fluid and...

... And structures.(SHORT TAKES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... MIT molecular biologist Shuguang Zhang and colleagues at the University of Hong Kong have designed several materials that self-assemble into nanostructures. One is a molecular scaffold that could contribute to the regrowth of severed nerves....

Getting more from the Sun.(materials science and plasma chemistry )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Iowa State researchers led by Vikram Dalal are hoping their work with materials science and plasma chemistry will bump up the performance of solar panels by 40%-50%. The key lies in improving hydrogen bonding to the silicon in thin-film panels....

Buster gives it up.(SHORT TAKES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... A nanoscale sensor system developed by researchers at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering has demonstrated that the chitosan constituting part of a blue crab's carapace can be made to function as the detector in a...

Catching an early break.(SHORT TAKES)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Ozan Akkus, a biomedical engineer at Purdue, has built a wearable device that detects seismic activity capable of detecting stress fractures in bones. Athletes, dancers, runners, and racehorses could benefit from these early warning signs of an...

Sensors top 50 products of 2006.(SPECIAL FEATURE)(Buyers guide)
November 1, 2006... We see a lot of new products over the course of a year, in a variety of venues. From all the new products we heard about in 2006, here's our selection of those that we found the most interesting. You'll find a brief description of the product...

The manufacturing mother lode.(signals)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Wireless technology will soon see widespread adoption where it will have, perhaps, its most profound impact, says a new ARC Advisory Group study. Its use in manufacturing is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 26% over the...

Standards advance.(signals)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Two wireless sensor networking standards, ISA SP100 and ZigBee, report recent progress. The highly active ISA SP100 committee, whose burgeoning membership is working to produce a wireless industrial automation standard, says its September...

Act now!(signals)
November 1, 2006... Savi Technology is offering a RAND (reasonable and nondiscriminatory) licensing program on its intellectual property for active RFID products, which are based on the ISO 18000-7 standard. Savi has launched the program with a Quick Start plan...

Irrigation smarts tee up savings: wireless technology moves sensors to the greens and fairways of leading golf courses, and enables substantial cost savings.(WIRELESS)
November 1, 2006... The growing demand for developed property is paralleled by the increasing need for irrigation. In reaction to these trends, local jurisdictions place tighter restrictions on water usage, and the cost of irrigation becomes significant. To reduce...

Compassion in action: safeguarding backyard swimming pools.(SPECIAL REPORT)
November 1, 2006... Your backyard swimming pool can be a source of relaxation and delight--as long as you keep a lifeguard on duty 24/7. For the higher your fence and the more secure your gate latch, the greater the challenge to all the children who know that...

Understanding integrated hall effect rotary encoders: how hall-based rotary encoders work.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2006... Linear Hall sensors generate a DC output voltage proportional to the strength of an applied magnetic field and can be used for high-resolution angle sensors when placed near a diametrically magnetized magnet (Figure 1). The rotating magnet...

A Twelve-Step sensor selection checklist: buying a sensor for the first time? Follow these steps to greatly reduce your chances of overlooking something important.(SENSOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2006... Selecting a device to measure a physical property, such as temperature, can be a confusing process. But shortcuts and inattention to detail can get you into a real jam. Here, in chronological order, are the steps I try to use most of the time,...

Pampering penguins in the pittsburgh zoo: keeping three species of penguin contented in the zoo exhibit they now call home requires wireless monitoring and correction of the temperature and humidity inside their quarters.(SENSORS AT WORK)
November 1, 2006... The world's 17 species of penguin are indigenous only to the Southern Hemisphere, including the Antarctic. Gentoo, Macaroni, and King penguins are anything but native to Pittsburgh, PA, but nonetheless are very much in their element at the...

The ultimate sensor.(HANDS-ON SENSOR ENGINEERING)(Nuclear magnetic resonance)
November 1, 2006... In the original Star Trek series, DeForest Kelley played ship's surgeon Dr. Leonard McCoy. This character was especially memorable for his frequent medical pronouncement, "He's dead, Jim," and for his handheld medical scanner, a device that...

Dascor's got your back.(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)(Disc Dynamics, Devicix, and MTS Sensors Div.'s Dascor Disc Arthroplasty System)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Having a bad back is no fun, and the corrective measures can be just as unpleasant. So Disc Dynamics, Devicix, and MTS Sensors Div. got together to devise a minimally invasive way to treat degenerative disc disease. The result is the Dascor...

No chips!(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)(Sensor Wireless Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Who wants to buy a beverage in a chipped bottle or cereal in a box with crushed corners? Sensor Wireless Inc. (www.sensorwireless.com) set about developing a specialized technology to prevent such uglies. Their wireless sensors transmit data on...

Don't swipe the shrimp.(SNAPSHOTS FOR APPLICATION INSPIRATION)
November 1, 2006... It's okay to poach eggs but definitely not okay not to poach shrimp--they're the livelihood of honest shrimpers. Poachers, operating after dark, have had the advantage over law enforcement officials trying to nab them. The EMX MidWatch thermal...

IR thermography primer.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(Infrared Training Center)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... The Infrared Training Center maintains this online primer for those interested in IR thermography. Here you'll find information from the very basic (e.g., "What is the electromagnetic spectrum?") to the more advanced, and the list of uses is...

Job seeker web site.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(ISA Jobs )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Here's another site to add to your job search bag of tricks. The ISA Jobs Web site provides a forum where job seekers can post their resumes and search for available jobs: employees can post job openings (and scan the available resumes). Recent...

Size visualization tool.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)(Size Easy)(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... There are times when you're looking at something online, you just can't picture how big the thing is, but you don't have a ruler handy. The Size Easy Web site lets you enter the dimensions of your mystery object and then compare it to everyday...

Emest Benn.(RECOMMENDED RESOURCES AND ODDMENTS)
November 1, 2006... Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.

Control systems safety evaluation & reliability, 2nd ed.(NEW TO BOOKSHELVES)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... Control Systems Safety Evaluation & Reliability, 2nd ed. Author: William M. Goble Publisher: ISA ISBN: 1-55617-996-0 Page count: 515 Part of the ISA Resources for Measurement and Control Series, this book deals with...