News

Mini magnetic sensor may have biomedical, security applications

Metal preparation process saves money, water, reduces CO₂ emissions

Early MEMS accelerometer adopters rock 'n' roll all the way to the bank

International Truck and Engine is first company to enter hybrid commercial truck production

World's biggest animatronic unleashed in London
The NFL unveiled a towering 26-ft replica of Miami Dolphins star player Jason Taylor in London to mark the historic game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants at Wembley Stadium on October 28th. The formidable animatronic is a "world first" and was designed and built by special-effects company Artem, Ltd. using Baldor MicroFlex AC drives and BSM servo motors. The NFL approached Artem with the ambitious project only 10 weeks before the big game.
Read the full article

Maple makes for cleaner two-stroke tools
Italian power-tool maker EMAK has employed Maple, mathematics software for engineering applications from Maplesoft, to develop new "clean" engines. EMAK produces garden machine tools such as chainsaws, brush cutters, lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, and water pumps. The garden machine tools have a single-cylinder engine, which is generally two-stroke. EMAK chose Maple as a simulation tool for engines in order to optimize performance, increase efficiency, and improve design.
Read the full article

The performance of a lifetime The 35000 series (size 14) double stack hybrid linear actuators provide higher force, longer life and improved performance. The various patent pending designs deliver exceptional performance and new linear motion design opportunities. Three designs are available: captive, non-captive and external linear versions. The 35000 Series is available in a wide variety of resolutions - from 0.00012" (.003048 mm) per step to 0.00192" (.048768 mm) per step. The motors can also be microstepped for even finer resolutions. The Size 14 actuator delivers thrust of up to 50 lbs. (23 Kg). For more information visit Haydon Switch & Instrument online.

Shrunken 100 billion times: Single nanotube makes world's smallest radio
Physicists at the University of California, Berkeley, have built the smallest radio yet — a single carbon nanotube one ten-thousandth the diameter of a human hair that requires only a battery and earphones to tune in to your favorite station. The nanoradio, which is currently configured as a receiver but could also work as a transmitter, is 100 billion times smaller than the first commercial radios, and could be used in any number of applications — from cell phones to microscopic devices that sense the environment and relay information via radio signals.
Read the full article

Wheels: Robotic vehicles battle it out in DARPA Urban Challenge
A self-driving SUV called Boss made history on Nov. 3, 2007 by driving swiftly and safely while sharing the road with human drivers and other robots. The feat earned Carnegie Mellon University's Tartan Racing first place in the DARPA Urban Challenge. The contest is an autonomous vehicle research and development program with the goal of developing technology that will keep war fighters off the battlefield and out of harm's way.
Read the full article