The Leading Source for Design Engineering News & Insight
Using Earthquake Sensors to Track Endangered Whales
May 17, 2013 1:33 pm | by Hannah Hickey, University of Washington | News | CommentsThe fin whale is the second-largest animal ever to live on Earth. It is also, paradoxically, one of the least understood. The animal's huge size and global range make its movements and behavior hard to study. A carcass that washed up on a Seattle-area beach this spring provided a reminder that sleek fin whales, nicknamed "greyhounds of the sea," are vulnerable to collision when they strike fast-moving ships.
NASA: New Pump Resolves Big Space Station Leak
May 17, 2013 1:21 pm | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsAn impromptu spacewalk over the weekend seems to have fixed a big ammonia leak at the International Space Station, NASA said Thursday. The "gusher" erupted a week ago, prompting the hastiest repair job ever by residents of the orbiting lab. Spacewalking astronauts replaced a suspect ammonia pump on Saturday, just two days after the trouble arose.
The Future of Google Glass
May 17, 2013 1:18 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor ECN | Blogs | CommentsThere has been a lot of talk about Google Glass lately, mostly due to the prototype debut, but one interesting aspect of that public viewing is that developers –outside of GoogleLand—can take a crack at coming up with interesting uses for the technology. By allowing new voices into the conversation, the world is seeing even more possibilities for Google Glass.
UL-Certified SafeTI Software Packages
May 17, 2013 1:10 pm | by PD&D Staff | Texas Instruments, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsNew UL-certified SafeTI software packages from Texas Instruments Incorporated (Houston, TX) help make designing functional safety consumer applications using TI C2000 real-time control microcontrollers easier and faster.
Connectors Conform to M8 Form Factor Standards
May 17, 2013 1:06 pm | by PD&D Staff | Molex Incorporated | Product Releases | CommentsMolex Incorporated (Lisle, IL) supports industrial automation, aerospace, and defense network connectivity with its compact Brad Nano-Change (M8) connectors.
Customizable Non-Contact Temperature Measurement
May 17, 2013 1:01 pm | by PD&D Staff | Product Releases | CommentsExcelitas Technologies (Waltham, MA) has launched the latest in its line of digital thermopile detectors, the DigiPile Module TPiM 1T 1256 L5.5. The new module allows for greater customization and easy connectivity for non-contact temperature measurement and for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.
ERA President: EDS 2013 ‘Very Productive’
May 17, 2013 11:07 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | CommentsAfter the dust had settled, and most of the industry had returned to their native lands, ERA President Paul C. Nielsen of Brainard-Nelsen Marketing was able to put EDS 2013 in perspective. “I thought EDS was great,” Nielsen said. “It had a very high energy level with a lot of productive professional and personal meetings.”
After EDS: Q&A with John Knight
May 17, 2013 10:53 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | Orion Fans | News | CommentsAccording to John Knight, Vice President of Knight Electronics/Orion Fans, EDS 2013 proved to provide an excellent venue for networking within the electronics industry, and it continues the highlight the trends in the ever-evolving electronics distribution industry. After the event, Knight had a chance to reflect on the event.
Honeywell Tackles Wireless Applications
May 17, 2013 10:27 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor, ECN | News | CommentsHoneywell, a global company constantly supplying solutions for macroproblems of the world, says its customers are clamoring for wireless solutions and the company is ready to deliver. Designers are looking for systems that are reliable, low-maintenance, financially viable, easy-to-use, rugged, and, perhaps most importantly, secure.
Photos of the Day: The Flying Car
May 17, 2013 10:11 am | by The Canadian Press | News | CommentsThe Maverick LSA “Flying Car” recently crashed, raising issues with the Transportation Safety Board. The TSB has no jurisdiction in the investigation because the Maverick isn't a registered aircraft, and it will be up to the builders to report back on the cause of the crash during a test flight.
Flying Car Prototypes Grounded After Crash
May 17, 2013 10:05 am | by The Canadian Press | News | CommentsThe Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. manufacturer of flying cars has grounded all five of its prototypes until it can determine a cause for a recent crash in B.C. One of the Maverick flying cars crashed near a Vernon elementary school last week, leaving a pilot and a passenger with minor injuries.
EDS President: You Can’t Miss EDS If You’re In the Electronics Industry
May 17, 2013 9:59 am | by David Mantey, Executive Editor, PD&D | News | CommentsJim Bruorton wore two hats at EDS 2013 this year, the first as a manufacturer and his role as vice president of global distribution sales and business development with KEMET Corporation; and the second as a board member and president of EDS 2013.
Stacking 2D Materials
May 17, 2013 9:52 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsGraphene has dazzled scientists, ever since its discovery more than a decade ago, with its unequalled electronic properties, its strength and its light weight. But one long-sought goal has proved elusive: how to engineer into graphene a property called a band gap, which would be necessary to use the material to make transistors and other electronic devices.
Can Math Models of Gaming Strategies be Used to Detect Terrorism Networks?
May 17, 2013 9:48 am | by The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics | News | CommentsThe answer is yes, according to a paper in the SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics. In a paper published in the journal last month, authors Anthony Bonato, Dieter Mitsche, and Pawel Pralat describe a mathematical model to disrupt flow of information in a complex real-world network, such as a terrorist organization, using minimal resources.
Young Computer Hackers Jailed
May 17, 2013 9:39 am | by Sylvia Hui, Associated Press | News | CommentsFour young computer hackers who masterminded cyberattacks on targets from the CIA to Sony Pictures and Rupert Murdoch's News International were sentenced to up to 32 months in prison on Thursday. The hackers, who were affiliated with the group Lulz Security, had all pleaded guilty to hacking charges.
