An attack via a burst of electromagnetic energy could cripple vital electronic systems, threatening national security and critical infrastructure, such as power grids and data centers. Nebraska engineers Christopher Tuan and Lim Nguyen have developed a cost-effective concrete that shields against intense pulses of electromagnetic energy, or EMP. Electronics inside structures built or coated with…
Photos of the Day: Supermoon Puts on a Show Around the World
The moon is putting on a show for sky gazers worldwide. The phenomenon known as the supermoon occurs because the moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth. This week, the moon is coming closer to the Earth than at any time since January 1948. The supermoon appears about 14 percent larger in diameter and…
First GRACE Follow-On Satellite Completes Construction
Construction is now complete on the first of the two satellites for NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, planned for launch in the December 2017/January 2018 timeframe. The satellite, built by Airbus Defence and Space at its manufacturing facility in Friedrichshafen, Germany, will spend the next several months undergoing testing at the…
Webinar: How Mechatronics is Taking Additive Manufacturing to the Next Level
This webinar was originally broadcast on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 Watch On Demand: Additive manufacturing has achieved mission-critical levels. Mechatronics is responding to market demands that must be addressed for widespread adoption of industrial 3D printing. During this webinar, you will learn: What market demands are driving the 3D printing growth? How to…
Check Out These Beautiful Supermoon Shots
When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s a supermoon. The moon on Nov. 14 looked especially large because it was the closest a full moon has been to Earth since 1948. The distance between the moon and the Earth varies due to the moon’s elliptical orbit, and close encounters with…
Mentor Graphics acquisition positions Siemens to become mechatronics engineering powerhouse
By Bruce Jenkins, Ora Research Siemens’ just-announced agreement to acquire EDA software leader Mentor Graphics in a $4.5 billion cash transaction positions the German industrial giant to make itself the unchallenged powerhouse provider of an integrated, end-to-end digital toolset chain for mechatronics product engineering. Mentor Graphics, one of the pioneering Big Three developers of electronics […]
DARPA ‘Scavenger Hunt’ Tests 1,000 Radiation Sensors at National Mall
DARPA recently organized a city-wide scavenger hunt to test its SIGMA program, which aims to develop networked sensors that can detect radiation in large, urban areas—thus preventing possible terrorist attacks involving the use of radiological or nuclear materials. During the test, several hundred volunteers, each one carrying a smartphone-sized radiation detector in a backpack, walked…
Arcam’s CoCr process benefits the orthopedic industry
Arcam announced its CoCr process for Arcam Q10plus at the Formnext show in Frankfurt this week. CoCr, together with titanium, is the prime material for the orthopedic industry and it is a commonly used material in the aerospace industry. The CoCr process provides parts with high resolution, production level productivity and impeccable material properties. The […]
Hawkeye: Eyes, Ears Of The RQ-4
An aircraft accelerating down the runway with 8,500 pounds of thrust and a wingspan greater than a Boeing 737 is inherently dangerous. The danger is amplified when the pilot isn’t even located on board the aircraft. Trailing behind pursuing the aircraft is “Hawkeye” ensuring the remotely piloted aircraft ascends from the surly bonds of Earth.…
Gemini XII Crew Masters The Challenges Of Spacewalks
In the 20 months following the first piloted Gemini mission, NASA astronauts demonstrated the ability to change orbits, perform rendezvous and docking, along with spending up to two weeks in space. Spacewalking, on the other hand, remained an enigma. With only one more Gemini flight on the schedule, solving the problems of working outside a…
FCC Asks AT&T to Respond to “Serious Concerns” About Its New Mobile Video Service
The FCC has asked AT&T to respond to what it called “serious concerns” around the anti-competitive nature of its new DirecTV Now mobile video service. According to a report from Reuters, the Commission last week said AT&T’s ultra-low-priced service may “obstruct competition and harm consumers” by undercutting potential competitors to the point they can’t offer…
A Closer Look at Trump on Tech and Wireless
Despite previous tangles with U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump on Twitter, T-Mobile CEO John Legere on Friday issued a statement encouraging the American people to come together and carry on in the wake of shocking election upset that has spurred protests across the country. “During times of change we can either stand up, unite and support…
The Supposed Physician Shortage — By The Numbers
The U.S. could be heading toward a critical shortage in practicing physicians — at least, that’s one way to interpret data on the issue. But as a New York Times report points out, some experts say that numbers revealing a gap between the number of physicians and our aging population don’t account for other factors…
Photo of the Day: Supermoon and Expedition 50 Soyuz
The moon, or supermoon, is seen rising behind the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station at 3:20 p.m. EST Nov. 17.
‘Back to the Future’ Inspires Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing
Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nikes in Back to the Future Part II inspired a UCF scientist who has developed filaments that harvest and store the sun’s energy — and can be woven into textiles. The breakthrough would essentially turn jackets and other clothing into wearable, solar-powered batteries that never need to be plugged in. It could…
‘Back to the Future’ Inspires Solar Nanotech-Powered Clothing
Marty McFly’s self-lacing Nikes in Back to the Future Part II inspired a UCF scientist who has developed filaments that harvest and store the sun’s energy — and can be woven into textiles. The breakthrough would essentially turn jackets and other clothing into wearable, solar-powered batteries that never need to be plugged in. It could one day…
NASA’s 747 Telescope Eyes Cost Savings
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is looking to save both time and money by exchanging “lessons learned” with its sister plane, Pratt and Whitney Canada (PWC)’s 747SP flying testbed, a nearly identical plane used to test new aircraft engines. The limited number of Boeing’s 747SP and how each aircraft is used poses its…
Improving The Management Of ‘Systems Of Systems’
The three-year DYMASOS project has tackled the management of systems of systems – how independent technologies can be harnessed to work together to optimise overall outcomes. With the development of the ‘Internet of Things’, the ability to do this is becoming even more important. Our future is likely to rely on many ‘systems of systems’…
High-res Commercial Satellite Launches from California Coast
A commercial satellite capable of taking high-resolution images from space was launched Friday from a military base along the California coast. The satellite known as WorldView-4 was lifted into orbit atop an Atlas 5 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base. WorldView-4 is the latest in a series of imaging satellites built by Lockheed Martin. It…
Electric Power
Delivering electric power across the United States was an incredible accomplishment that spanned decades. From the early electric ‘grids’ in urban areas dedicated to bringing electric light to millions of customers to the giant electric GRID that we have today has changed modern society forever. there are many issues with the current grid. The fact […]
Netbiter is rebranded
The Netbiter Remote Management solution will be under the newly acquired brand name eWON. Alongside eWON Cosy and Flexy, Netbiter will be one of the three main product lines within the eWON Remote Solutions offering. All the elements of Netbiter (gateways, Argos cloud service etc) get an updated eWON look, but are technically unchanged. As…
High resolution EtherCAT encoder
The Hengstler® AI25 absolute encoder product line has an EtherCAT interface. This feature enables the encoder to integrate into nearly any system that uses EtherCAT protocol. The encoder offers fast cycle times of 62.5 μs and single turn resolution of 22 bit with absolute accuracy of ±35 in. The encoder suits applications in robotics, packaging…
Marrying gearboxes and IoT
Rexnord, a Milwaukee-based manufacturer of bearings, couplings, gear drives and related engineered products, recently previewed its vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) at the MINExpo show in Las Vegas. According to company officials, the goal is to add IoT capabilities to power-transmission systems and give operations professionals real-time data, analysis and feedback—resulting in better…
Select the right battery holder for IoT designs
The Internet of Things has sparked a revolution where electronic systems add intelligence to applications ranging from smart cities to smart hotel locks and medical devices and more. This development is affecting coin-cell battery holders, where new versions include features such as easy-to-use snap-in designs. The fundamentals of holder design include ensuring the holder meets…
The benefits of embedding HMI in near edge devices
Compact HMI software can be integrated into near-edge devices to add IIoT connectivity and other functions. Scott Kortier, InduSoft Web Studio Senior Technical Engineer at Wonderware by Schneider Electric Machine builders and OEMs often provide human machine interface (HMI) functions with a separate component, either a PC-based HMI or an embedded HMI. In either case,…