Students racing over curving roads in a video-game simulation hope to help scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center (LRC) answer a serious question: Do current lighting standards mislead us about the efficiency of roadway, parking lot, and security lighting? Lighting efficiency is widely calculated as lumens per watt of energy, explains Mark Rea, LRC director. The lumen, a measurement defined in the 1920s, is based on the response in bright light of the fovea, the part of the retina that contains cone photoreceptors. It's responsible for central, high-acuity vision. However, parts of the retina containing rod-shaped photoreceptors also are important in low-light conditions and for peripheral vision. As a result, lumens per watt delivers an accurate efficiency measure for tasks done in bright light, but is less accurate for such tasks as night driving, which requires good peripheral vision in low light. In research sponsored jointly by General Electric, OSRAM Sylvania, Philips, and the Department of Energy, the LRC is conducting experiments with the driving simulator to measure the reaction of the participants under varying lighting conditions. The information gained could help industry produce new lighting systems that are more efficient, Rea believes, since they would take into account the complex responses of the human eye. Phone Rea at (518) 276-8701 (E)
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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