In early April, nine qualified teams will attempt to remotely navigate the dark and dirty corridors of Edgar Experimental Mine in Idaho Springs, Colorado, in preparation for the Circuits Stage of the DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge later this year. The SubT Integration Exercise, known as STIX, offers teams an opportunity to try out their technologies,…
Testing the Haliade Prototype, an Offshore Wind Turbine
GE Renewable Energy and Future Wind have signed an agreement to install the first Haliade-X 12-MW wind turbine prototype in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam during the summer of 2019. The offshore wind turbine will feature a 220-meter rotor, a 107-meter blade designed by LM Wind Power, and digital capabilities. The agreement includes five years of testing and a…
I/O hubs With M8 connectivity
Balluff’s newest I/O hubs deliver M8 quick connect to enable resilient distributed modular architecture for compact footprint machines and end effectors. Balluff’s new M8 I/O hub portfolio enables Balluff IO-Link masters to host up to 248 discrete sensors on a single network node. This replaces the need for up to 16 network blocks and eliminates…
Watlow introduces batch processing for its F4T Integrated Controller and D4T Data Logger
Watlow, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of complete thermal systems, recently introduced a batch processing feature for its powerful F4T temperature and process controller and D4T data logger. The batch processing feature is ideal for OEMs and end users with thermal processes who seek to collect manufacturing part processing thermal data. The…
Test Flights Open Skies for Commercial Use of Drones
The University of North Dakota, along with research partners from Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) and the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site, achieved a major industry milestone on Dec. 21 with the first-ever test flights over a specially developed UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) network of technologies that opens the skies for broad commercial use of…
Precision measurement I/O technology enhances efficient machines and test benches
Beckhoff Automation has added the new ELM314x economy line to the EtherCAT measurement module family, supplementing the established ELM3x0x line with a lower cost 1 ksps class. This I/O system expansion simplifies the use of system-integrated precision measurement technology, which taps significant optimization and efficiency potentials both in production machines and for inline test benches.…
From Parcel Delivery to Security, Singapore Bets Big on Drones
Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence. Companies have already started testing the devices for commercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with…
GE Opens Wind Turbine Blade Test Center at NASA Rocket Factory
There are few places in the world like NASA’s rocket factory in New Orleans, where the U.S. space agency and its contractors are building the Space Launch System. It’s the most powerful rocket ever designed — and may one day take astronauts as far as Mars. Known as the Michoud Assembly Facility, the plant covers an…
Eckel Noise Control Technologies Helps Create Ultra-Quiet Environment For Product Testing
Many of us have been in this situation: after a late Friday night out, you want to sleep in on a lazy Saturday morning only to have your industrious neighbor power up his ancient, noisy, powered lawnmower at the crack of dawn. So much for that plan. However, the folks at Briggs & Stratton are…
DA10D and DA30D protocol conversion and Data Acquisition Devices
Red Lion Controls, the global experts in communication, monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking, announced the release of the DA10D and DA30D Protocol Conversion and Data Acquisition devices today. Unlike other gateways or protocol converters that rely on complicated scripting or additional server hardware to connect to enterprise systems, the DA10D and DA30D…
The Impact of 3D Printing on Indoor Air Quality
Today, UL Chemical Safety and the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) announced a body of research that explored the impact of 3D printing on indoor air quality. Following an in-depth, two-year research period with Georgia Tech, UL’s Chemical Safety found that many desktop 3D printers generate ultrafine particles (UFPs) while in operation. UFPs may…
Musk Tweets Video of Futuristic Transportation Test Tunnel
Elon Musk recently tweeted a video of his company’s rapid-transit tunnel. The tunnel is constructed under a Los Angeles suburb where he will test the new transportation system. Musk tweeted that the length of the tunnel is “disturbingly long” after walking it, according to Tech Xplore. The tunnel runs approximately two miles under the streets…
Team Improves Structural Health Monitoring with Magnetostrictive Transducer
A new, more powerful generation of a patented Southwest Research Institute magnetostrictive sensor withstands extreme temperatures, automatically adjusts frequencies and incorporates a stronger magnet. The compact magnetostrictive transducer (MsT™) more accurately detects potential problems in oil, gas and chemical industry metal and nonmetal structures such as pipelines, storage tanks and anchor rods. “The MsT system…
HOT SHOT to Validate Missile Technologies More Quickly
A new rocket program could help cut research and development time for new weapons systems from as many as 15 years to less than five. Sandia National Laboratories developed the new program, called the High Operational Tempo Sounding Rocket Program, or HOT SHOT, and integrated it for its first launch earlier this year under the…
Driverless Hover-Taxis to Take Off in Singapore
Test flights of a driverless hover-taxi will take place in Singapore next year, a German aviation firm said, the latest innovation to offer an escape from Asia’s monster traffic jams. Millions of commuters in the region’s cities have to contend with chronic gridlock every day, sparking a race to develop new ways to avoid the…
Surveyor: Using AR Technology to Unleash the Curb
These days, curbs are for more than just parallel parking. With the rise of e-commerce and ride hailing, and with all of the new shared vehicles cropping up, they’re becoming the key to understanding city streets. Curbs are used for picking up and dropping off passengers, delivering packages, docking bikes, and getting on scooters. Particularly…
Origami Cushions Protect Drones from Collisions
To protect flying robots without hindering their flight, Imperial experts found answers in the ancient art of origami. Taking inspiration from the ancient art of paper folding, scientists at Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Lab have equipped drones with lightweight, impact-absorbent cushioning to protect them from bumps and scrapes. Their research, published in Science Robotics, shows…
Sweden Unveils Advanced Testing Facility for Self-Driving Vehicles
The safety of testing self-driving technology has garnered global attention recently following fatal incidents on public roads. As a result, the demand for better and much more complex test facilities is increasing rapidly as the automotive industry questions whether the technology is ready to test on public roads. To address this need, Swedish state-owned Research…
Researchers Show What Can Happen When Drone Collides with Airplane
A team at the University of Dayton Research Institute has created a video showing what can happen to an airplane when it collides with a drone. They have presented their findings along with the video at this year’s Unmanned Systems Academic Summit. Because of the vast difference in size between small civilian drones and commercial…
ApusDuo Prototype Successfully Soars During Flight Tests
UAVOS has announced the prototype of the High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) ApusDuo aircraft that has completed the first stage of flight tests, according to New Atlas. The HAPS aircraft is designed to take up the space between drones and satellites, going up in the air as high as 65,000 ft. From this vantage point,…
Four-port serial communication module available for new groov EPIC system
The groov serial I/O module, GRV-CSERI-4, plugs into a groov EPIC chassis alongside Opto 22’s new groov Edge Programmable Industrial Controller (EPIC) and discrete and analog I/O modules, to provide the mix of analog, discrete, and serial signals you need at any location. Many industrial automation applications require communication between the controller and multiple serial…
Parcelcopter Delivery Drone Performs 180 Successful Take-Offs and Landings for Pilot Project
DHL’s Parcelcopter delivery drone has just completed its first pilot project in Tanzania, according to New Atlas. The Parcelcopter 4.0 is a tilt-rotor drone that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter. Built by German manufacturer Wingcopter, the company had the idea of having a more energy-efficient fixed-wing flight. The drone can carry…
Honeywell Testing Virtual Window Technology for US Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle
Honeywell and the U.S. Army are testing a prototype of an advanced helmet-mounted vision system in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, one of the U.S. Army’s most notable ground vehicles. The vision system, originally developed and tested by Honeywell and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the Ground X-Vehicle Technologies program, applies augmented and…
Researchers Create Smartphone System to Test for Lead in Water
The discovery of lead in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water drew renewed attention to the health risks posed by the metal. Now researchers at the University of Houston have created an inexpensive system using a smartphone and a lens made with an inkjet printer that can detect lead in tap water at levels commonly accepted as…
More Productivity1000 PLC I/O capabilities
AutomationDirect has added more AC, DC and analog I/O modules to increase the capabilities and versatility of the Productivity1000 micro-modular PLC. The micro stackable P1000 PLC system provides communications, user-friendly programming, integrated data storage, and a full lineup of discrete, analog and specialty I/O modules in a super-compact size. The P1000 PLC system can be…