Here at ECN, we love hot topics. So in our first issue of 2014, we’re talking about three important issues in the industry and the news: defense spending, transportation and healthcare.
In the United States, defense is a serious business with a serious budget. In fact, the Defense and International Security Budget racked up a bill of around $729 billion dollars in 2012. Though it is set to decline to a staggering $716 billion in 2013, and to fall further as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan become less of a financial investment, the military is looking for ways to reduce spending. More specifically, in the case of the F-16, they’re looking for ways to reuse and recycle expensive equipment. Check out our cover story, “From fighter jets to target practice” (page 12) by our very own technical editor, Jason Lomberg. It’s the story of how the Air Force took an old technology and repurposed it to serve as a real-life training tool.
When it comes to more civilian modes of transportation, there is nothing more romanticized than railroads. But with the recent deadly train crash on everyone’s minds, officials are looking for ways to make railroads safer for passengers. Considering America has the largest rail network in the world, monitoring the systems is of the utmost importance. “Wireless SCADA systems keep trains rolling” (page 16) is an exploration into how a high-end monitoring and control system could save energy and money for rail companies.
In the world of healthcare, there is a rapid and growing shift towards personalized and wireless telehealth options. This means a quick need for designers to create low power, low cost, high stability devices that allow for a more personal health experience. Check out “Wearable health monitors” by Texas Instruments’ Rafael A. Mena (page 22) about the lower power design considerations involved in Bio-Patch solutions and “Mobility in medicine: Designing the personal healthcare experience” (page 20) where author Rajeev D. Rajan,of Qualcomm discusses the benefits of mobile options in healthcare.
If those aren’t enough for you, head over to Design Talk: the CES Edition (page 28) for the coolest, most innovative technology and announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show.
As always, check out our Everything E page (page 10) to see what’s new online and keep an eye out for some exciting sidebars featuring our editor’s blogs.
Check it out here.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense