Worldwide truck sales exceeded 16 millions units in 1997 and are forecast to make up half of all vehicle sales in North America in the next five years. The implications of these numbers are not lost on Ken Sohocki. Chief engineer of General Motors' all-new, full-size trucks, Sohocki and his team oversee the development and execution of the largest and most important program in the company's history. It kicks off this fall with the introduction of the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups, followed by a fleet of next-generation SUVs and heavy-duty pickups. Once fully rolled out, the program will consist of some 30 different models. To set a benchmark for the full-size pickup segment, Sohocki and his team aggressively pursued new technologies on all new designs, including novel use of hydroforming, reinforced reaction injection molding, and bused electrical center architecture. Thanks to the creativity of Sohocki's team, the Silverado and Sierra require 25% fewer parts per model and 15% less base engineering content.
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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