*This Editor’s Note will appear in the November/December Edition of WDD. It’s an all-too-familiar scenario. We’re at the grocery store, a party, the beach (wishful thinking, of course, since winter is nearly upon us). We glance down at our phones, having regrettably been separated from a wall outlet for a few hours, when we see the…
Wearables: Dressed for Success!
With the recent attention given to wearable devices, one might think that wearables is a new market. However, the truth is people have always been experimenting with wearing small objects that serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. A bracelet, for example, can be transformed into a wristwatch; in addition to telling you the time of…
US Digital introduces new high resolution E4T optical encoders at SPS IPC Drives 2016
US Digital, a US manufacturer of quality motion control since 1980, today announced the addition of 400 and 500 cycles per revolution (CPR) resolutions to its existing E4T line of miniature optical encoders. Specifically designed for robotics, medical and other industrial automation applications, the new E4Ts deliver position and velocity feedback, while fitting National Electrical […]
Go-live for the online shop of Dunkermotoren
As of the beginning of 2016, Dunkermotoren is providing its customers the possibility to order Dunkermotoren products online. With the Dunkershop it is now easier for both businesses and private customers to order products from Dunkermotoren. The products offered in the Dunkershop include brushless and brushed DC motors, AC motors, venetian blind motors as well…
Innovative linear axes from Dunkermotoren for public transport applications
The product portfolio of Dunkermotoren provides for almost every requirement the right drive solution. Since decades the company from Bonndorf in the Black Forest supplies the public transport with a wide range of rotative drive solutions. The brushtype and brushless DC motors of Dunkermotoren can be combined with different types of gearboxes and accessories of…
GE Expands Predix Platform to Advance Industrial Internet Opportunities for Customers
Predix adoption demonstrated through deals with BP, Exelon, NEC Corporation, Port of Los Angeles, Teledyne Controls, UCSF • GE releases new suite of Predix applications and services; introduces the Predix System • Acquisition of Bit Stew Systems enables efficient data ingestion for industrial applications • Acquisition of Wise.io strengthens machine learning and data science capabilities…
What’s Cooking? How Bit Stew, GE’s Latest Digital Acquisition, Spices Up The Industrial Internet Of Things
Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Kevin Collins can relate. By fanning the embers of a promising idea for years, he built his powerful machine learning company called Bit Stew. Now GE, the company Edison founded, just acquired it for an undisclosed sum. GE made…
The solid and impressive benefits of wind power for farmers
Landowners were paid $222 million in lease payments from wind plant owners in 2015 alone.
Communicate Using Nasal Pressure
Blink once for yes, twice for no. This technique is frequently used in movies, TV and real life to communicate with a person who is severely injured. It is also used to communicate with “spirits” and even as a secret code for perfectly healthy individuals. In either case, the communications are always limited to yes […]
Online Training in Using Autodesk (and other) Engineering Software
At Autodesk University last week, online learning and training company SolidProfessor told attendees it offers extensive Autodesk content in its learning platform, including Fusion 360, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Meshmixer, 3DS Max, Civil 3D, and Navisworks. The company will continue to expand its Autodesk course offerings through its partnership with Autodesk and its commitment to help […]
FactoryTalk TeamONE App from Rockwell Automation speeds plant diagnostics, collaboration with zero friction
When production experiences a glitch, there is not time for a lengthy process of discovery and finding colleagues. In many industrial operations today, plant-floor workers must deal with downtime events by connecting to the server, hopscotching between devices and data sources, running back and forth between information portals, and hunting down colleagues who have expertise […]
Application story: Smart motors from maxon make high-tech e-bikes
Use of electronic bikes or e-bikes — those with power-assist and full drive capabilities — is exploding in Europe and now the Americas as more people than ever look for green modes of transportation in increasingly dense urban centers. Recently introduced to the world market, maxon motor makes an integrated drive (sometimes called a hub […]
Opto 22 Digital I/O Carrier Board connects real-world industrial devices to millions of Raspberry Pi single-board computers with release of Digital I/O Carrier Board for Raspberry Pi
Industrial automation manufacturer and Internet of Things platform developer Opto 22 now sells a Digital I/O Carrier Board for the versatile Raspberry Pi single-board computer, enabling the Pi to sense or switch up to 16 individually selectable electrical loads ranging from 2.5 to 280 VAC/VDC, with solid-state power and reliability. This new carrier board adds the […]
IoT analytics extract actionable insights
Nutonian, a machine intelligence company, announced an OEM relationship with Autodesk, a global leader in design software and services. Autodesk’s Fusion Connect, an IoT cloud platform, will embed Nutonian’s artificial intelligence (A.I.) modeling engine, Eureqa, to interpret IoT data. Eureqa automatically discovers the simplest possible predictive models from raw data, enabling users to solve data-driven…
Sprint On Board with Globalstar’s Amended 2.4 GHz Proposal
U.S. wireless carrier Sprint last week indicated it is on board with an amended proposal from Globalstar to launch low-power terrestrial services in its licensed mobile satellite spectrum. In a filing with the FCC, Sprint, the Wireless Communications Association International (WCA), and Globalstar urged the Commission to adopt a revised proposal that would allow the…
Destruction Junction—What’s Your Function?
Traveling at 4.26 miles per second, a tiny aluminum sphere representing a piece of orbital debris, or “space junk,” can be seen crashing into a spacecraft protective shield. This test and others like it were conducted to verify that this protective micrometeoroid and orbital debris shield is able to stop sufficiently large impacts. The impact…
Updated EPLAN educational software comes with expanded network license
EPLAN launched a new version of its EPLAN Education software based on the latest release of its EPLAN Platform 2.6 suite of engineering software products. EPLAN Education Campus provides a network license for up to 300 users and three instructors, a 12-fold increase in user access over previous versions. Developed for schools and colleges, this […]
No Wrong Side Of Earth For Meteor Camera Network
It has just become harder for surprise meteor showers to escape our attention. On October 1, the third station of a new 48-camera, video-surveillance network in the United Arab Emirates has come online to help map meteor showers. The network complements the existing 80-camera Cameras for Allsky Meteor Surveillance (CAMS) network twelve time zones later in California.…
Watch The Cormorant UAV Complete Its First Autonomous Pattern Flight
Before the Cormorant completed its first successful autonomous flight, it started as the humble AirMule. This flying vehicle is designed to retrieve individuals from dangerous locations, creating a method of extraction without endangering the lives of a pilot and crew members. Earlier this month Urban Aeronautics, the creators of the AirMule, had two major announcements. First, the AirMule…
Watch: How to Use Your Drone to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner
Cooking with your hands is so passé. Autel Robotics, which specializes in drone and aerial photography solutions, has created a delectably entertaining video, in which an X-Star Premium Drone is used to prepare an entire Thanksgiving meal. Need to peel the potatoes or chop up the carrots? Use the aircraft’s four rotating propellers. Remove the…
EU’s Vestager Touts Importance of Fair Patents for 5G, IoT
Patent holders are going to have to play nice for the 5G world to succeed. That was the message delivered by European Union competition commission Margrethe Vestager in Brussels Monday at the second annual Chillin’ Competition conference. According to Vestager, the European Commission has a duty to intercede to defend competition and the rights of…
FCC Reminds Spammers “Robotexts” Fall Under Same Enforcement Rules as Robocalls
Just ahead of the holiday rush, when advertising campaigns – both real and fake – kick into high gear, the FCC on Friday sent out a reminder to would-be spammers reminding them so called “robotexts” are subject to the same restrictions and enforcement actions as robocalls. According to a public notice distributed by the Commission,…
New Ceres Views As Dawn Moves Higher
The brightest area on Ceres stands out amid shadowy, cratered terrain in a dramatic new view from NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, taken as it looked off to the side of the dwarf planet. Dawn snapped this image on Oct. 16, from its fifth science orbit, in which the angle of the sun was different from that…
Hyperloop One Settles Co-Founder Lawsuit
Hyperloop One on Friday said it settled a lawsuit filed by a co-founder who accused former colleagues of nepotism, threats and mismanagement at the startup devoted to revolutionizing transport with super-speedy travel. “Hyperloop One is pleased to announce that it has reached a confidential resolution of litigation with its former employees and looks forward to…