It depends on what you want to “see” and how much you want to pay. To locate a stud, the old school technique of tapping a tool on the wall for acoustic differences used hearing rather than sight and it was free. Initially, battery-operated stud finders used magnets to find screws and nails and provided […]
How can smart sensors help solve the supply chain problem?
According to a recent article/analysis from Deloitte, (Smart sensors and supply chain innovation), “Companies should consider investing in smart sensors to increase value capture through their supply chains after carefully prioritizing their business objectives and defining their use cases.” Several recent developments lead them to this recommendation. The capabilities of today’s smart sensors are a […]
What are the varieties of electromechanical on/off switches?
Despite wide use of “soft” on/off switching, the traditional electromechanical switch is still often required or preferred and is available in countless versions. Let’s look at some available switch styles. 1) The knife switch It doesn’t get simpler than the knife switch. The first and simplest switch is the knife switch (Figure 1). This style […]
What are the parameters of electromechanical of/off switches?
Despite wide use of “soft” on/off switching, the traditional electromechanical switch is still often required or preferred and is available in countless versions. As with all components, there are some top-tier parameters as well as many secondary ones, and some of those secondary ones may be very important in a specific application. As expected, the […]
What are the symbols for electromechanical on/off switches?
Despite wide use of “soft” on/off switching, the traditional electromechanical switch is still often required or preferred and is available in countless versions. Switches are represented by their schematic diagram symbols, which correspond to the number and arrangement of their contacts. Schematic symbols tell part of the story In an electromechanical hardwired on/off switch, the […]
Special architecture lets CMOS image sensors double saturation signal level, widen dynamic range, reduce noise
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (“Sony”) has succeeded in developing the world’s first*1 stacked CMOS image sensor technology with 2-Layer Transistor Pixel. Whereas conventional CMOS image sensors’ photodiodes and pixel transistors occupy the same substrate, Sony’s new technology separates photodiodes and pixel transistors on different substrate layers. This new architecture approximately doubles*2 saturation signal level*3 relative to conventional […]
Can a dog’s sense of smell be duplicated? Part 2
Part 1 of this blog discussed the progress that has been made by researchers to create a sensor and add artificial intelligence for detecting cancer in test subjects. While their research was very focused, it could lead to other applications where dogs’ sense of smell helps solve difficult but common problems. Perhaps other researchers will […]
What is the role of electromechanical on/off switches?
Despite wide use of “soft” on/off switching, the traditional electromechanical switch is still often required or preferred and is available in countless versions. Switches are an integral, very necessary part of most electronic products. They have two broad roles: As power switches which, as their name indicates, cut the flow of power from the source, […]
Holo Industries to demonstrate germ-free Holographic Touch at innovation summit
Holo Industries will be showcasing its Holographic Touch contactless, germ-free user interface during the Self-Service Innovation Summit at Florida’s Diplomat Resort on December 14. Holographic Touch is a proprietary solution consisting of holographic plates, sensors and Holo Industries’ software and hardware components. With this technology, users can safely touch, pinch, scroll and spin any image […]
HMI touch sense devices now ultra low-power
Infineon Technologies AG launched the company’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE capacitive and inductive touch sensing human-machine interface (HMI) technology. The next-generation CAPSENSE solution embedded in PSoC microcontrollers delivers higher performance and lower power consumption for demanding user interfaces in-home appliances, industrial, consumer, and IoT products. The enhanced HMI enables advanced solutions like proximity sensing with the improved […]
Can a dog’s sense of smell be duplicated?
Dogs’ sensitive noses and their ability to be trained to detect a variety of medical issues/diseases is well known. Using their sense of smell, trained dogs can detect lung, breast, ovarian, bladder and prostate cancers. For prostate cancer, dogs had a 99 percent success rate in detecting the disease in patients simply by sniffing urine […]
Three-axis gyroscope/accelerometer combo is automotive qualified
TDK Corporation announces the availability of InvenSense IAM-20680HT high temperature automotive monolithic 6-Axis MotionTracking sensor platform solution for non-safety automotive applications, which includes the IAM-20680HT IMU MEMS sensor and the DK-20680HT developer kit. The IAM-20680HT embeds a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer in a thin 3 x 3 x 0.75mm (16-pin LGA) package and […]
What is sensor fusion?
by Charles Pao, senior marketing specialist, CEVA Motion sensing devices are all around us and in several of the electronics that we use daily. Motion sensors are in earbuds – noticing taps to change songs or pausing music when we take them out of our ears. They’re used for head tracking in virtual reality (VR) […]
Interactive product configurator simplifies component selection
Pressure sensor manufacturer Superior Sensor Technology has released a 3D CAD configurator to enhance the digital customer experience for design engineers. Built by CADENAS PARTsolutions, the configurator’s 3D previews and native formats simplify critical-component design-in for engineers. Superior Sensor specializes in programmable, application-specific pressure sensors that marry pressure sensor technology with Silicon Valley ingenuity. Typically […]
Creating unique devices with haptic touch technology
By Nedko Ivanov Consumer technology products are becoming increasingly difficult for designers and manufacturers to differentiate. Laptops, in particular, are all of a similar size and shape and offer the same functionality. Clamshell laptops typically combine the same three features – a display, a keyboard, and a touchpad – with few aspects that distinguish models […]
RTD probes come in 3-wire and transmitter models
Tel-Tru Manufacturing has introduced an advanced line of 3-wire industrial RTD assemblies and temperature transmitters. These probes are designed for the applications common to food and pharmaceutical processing, refineries, chemical plants, water and wastewater facilities, breweries, dairies, HVAC, and the OEMs serving them. The temperature transmitters provide 4-20 mA or HART outputs. Standard RTD assemblies […]
MEMS DC accelerometer chips optimized for low-g work
Silicon Designs, Inc. announced the global market launch of its Model 1525 Low-G Series of MEMS DC accelerometer chips, with stock quantities now available for immediate customer shipment. The Silicon Designs Model 1525 Low-G Series is designed to offer reliable, accurate, and repeatable low-frequency (including seismic) vibration and acceleration measurements within a variety of inertial- […]
How can sensors improve a worker’s posture and reduce discomfort?
Activities part of the BIONIC project were on full display at the recent MEDICA 2021, held Nov 15-18, 2021, in Dusseldorf Germany. The BIONIC (for Body Information ON an Intelligent Chip) project is funded by the European Union. The project’s goal involves “Personalized Body Sensor Networks with Built-In Intelligence for Real-Time Risk Assessment and Coaching […]
H.G. Schaevitz Alliance Sensors offer contactless inductive transducer series
The first spring loaded LVIT (Linear Variable Inductive Transducer) series from H.G. Schaevitz Alliance Sensors are contactless devices designed for dimension or position-measuring applications in factory automation and in various industrial and commercial applications, such as: automotive testing, mil/aero test stands, robotic arms and packaging equipment, where the sensing element cannot be attached to the […]
What is the newest addition to the PillCam?
For more than 20 years, Medtronic’s PillCam capsule endoscopy has been used as a minimally invasive, patient-friendly option for the detection of gastrointestinal diseases. Most recently, the company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted 510(k) clearance for its PillCam Small Bowel 3 system for remote endoscopy procedures. Working with Amazon logistics […]
How can you detect hidden cameras invading your privacy?
Using the time-of-flight (ToF) sensor on commodity smartphones, researchers at the National University of Singapore and Yonsei University have developed a technique to detect tiny hidden spy cameras concealed in privacy-invading locations, such as hotels and bathrooms. With small form factors and lens diameters as small as 1 to 2 millimeters, hidden cameras are difficult […]
Radiation dosimeters weigh in at just 17 gm
Teledyne e2v HiRel announced the availability of 3 new radiation dosimeter models that further broaden its popular range of radiation measurement devices. Aimed at high altitude aerospace applications and all space applications from GEO satellites and LEO constellations to scientific exploration, each new model occupies minimal volume and adds only 17g weight to any mission. […]
Hall sensor features ratiometric analog output, digital SENT interface for auto apps
TDK Corporation announces the portfolio expansion of its Micronas direct-angle Hall-effect sensor family with the HAR 3927**. This product uses proprietary 3D HAL pixel-cell technology and addresses the need for ISO 26262-compliant development. The new sensor comes with both a ratiometric analog output as well as a digital SENT interface according to SAE J2716 rev. […]
Infrared detectors boast high thermal sensitivity
Lynred announces enhanced capabilities across the whole range of its 12 µm infrared detectors, to enable optronics systems to more accurately identify objects in low-contrast scenes. These 12 µm pixel pitch infrared detectors, based on a microbolometer technology, come with enhanced thermal sensitivity, permitting use in limitless applications. Applications include integration into outdoor leisure equipment […]
Did the GPS Daemon bug affect you?
Those using Global Positioning System (GPS) appliances and the open source daemon, GPSD, to obtain time information from these GPS appliances could have experienced problems on Oct. 24, 2021. However, they were warned. On October 21, 2021, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a warning to Critical Infrastructure (CI) owners and operators, and […]