Here's the hilarious "Retroencabulator" video making the rounds on Youtube courtesy of ebaumsworld parodying a fictitious Rockwell Automation product. It's copyrighted 1997 by Rockwell so I have to assume the company has (or had) a sense of humor. However, searching "retroencabulator" on Rockwell's site comes up dry. Allen-Bradley (now part of Rockwell), Reliance Electric and Dodge Gears (both part of Baldor now) parttake in the fun.
The encabulator - a precursor to Star Wars devices, indeed - was the fictitious invention of New York attorney Bernard Salwen who in 1946 wrote about the "Turbo-Encabulator" as a spoof on technical jargon. Many technoology companies - from GE to DaimlerChrysler - have evolved the encabulator over the decades, culminating in Rockwell's video in 1997.
Safety networks have become more complex, and have actually become simpler and easier to deploy for plant operators. This slideshow highlights developments in plant safety with an emphasis on integrated safety networks.
As the MEMS industry spans a myriad of industries and markets, the future of MEMS in consumer electronics will enable a myriad of functionality, applications, and personalization.
The Nest is a sleek-looking digital thermostat which can actually "learn" its owners' schedule and then continue to regulate temperature to suit the user's preferences and patterns.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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