Personal UAVs are the next big toy and physical app. At the University of Warwick, a prototype UAV flew inside structurally unsound, hazardous, or radioactive buildings to identify hazards. Flying in these environments requires superior situational awareness, with the operator relying on onboard cameras operating in low-light conditions. Collisions are always a risk.
The Warwick researchers have come up with a UAV that requires only destination coordinates. The prototype uses an Xsens MTi sensor. Xsens combined its sensor-fusion algorithms and wireless protocols with STMicroelectronics’ iNEMO-M1, 9-axis MEMS to demonstrate a wireless 3-D body motion tracking system based on consumer-grade MEMS combo sensors.
Charles, Very good point about the electronics exploding. Seems like a simple experiment to perform. Do you have a microwave to donate for the purpose of scientific elightenment?
Nancy Golden, To get involve with UAV development is a matter of ordering a quadcopter kit and building it. UAV applications are endless as well as the research in non-operator flight controls and teleoperations with smartphones is just the tip of the iceberg in this scientific arena. A group of Capstone Students here at the Madison, AL ITT Tech campus are building a quadcopter from scratch using an Arduino as the brains for their UAV. Pretty impressive stuff they've built. Also, here's a link to Parallax Elev-8 Quadcopter kit for an additional reference.http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/Quadcopter/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/799/Default.aspx
I agree there were several left off of the list but I'm sure each technology thinks it's the "next big thing". We live in fascinating times as far as technology goes. I would love to get in a time machine and flash forward 50 years. (I will say a well designed time machine) I'll bet we would not recognize the technology thought to be commonplace. I know there are truly fascinating things happening in the biomedical engineering fields that will not only save lives but extend lives. Exciting times.
I'm with you on the UAV's mrdon - they have great potential for lots of useful applications - thanks for sharing the website. In my opinion, many of these are niche technologies, so for me some are hard to get excited about, but I would imagine if you are in that particular field you would be very excited. Interesting to read about CERN and the laws of physics supposedly being proven with their discovery - it brings back memories of the Super Collider in Waxahachie and the great hopes that were placed there. Not surprising to read about the evolving semiconductor technologies - it is the nature of the beast. As the demands of technology change, semiconductor manufacturers will need to respond with R&D or be left in the dust.
I'm with you on the UAV's mrdon - they have great potential for lots of useful applications - thanks for sharing the website. In my opinion, many of these are niche technologies, so for me some are hard to get excited about, but I would imagine if you are in that particular field you would be very excited. Interesting to read about CERN and the laws of physics supposedly being proven with their discovery - it brings back memories of the Super Collider in Waxahachie and the great hopes that were placed there. Not surprising to read about the evolving semiconductor technologies - it is the nature of the beast. As the demands of technology change, semiconductor manufacturers will need to respond with R&D or be left in the dust.
There's some fascinating stuff here, and I think your predictions are fairly accurate given the activity in various inustries. I personally am excited about developments in solar cells, as I am hoping the use and adoption of alternative energy trends significantly upward this year. It really is the way forward and the way out of fossil-fuel dependence.
I can see wireless lighting controlling technologies being a significant contributor for 2013 because of the potential to reduce energy cost. The Philips' Hue Lighting System is a cool interactive control that allows you to select light receipes for various activities and events. In viewing the video, not quite sure how it falls within The Internet of Things concept because of the no data storage capability to the Cloud. Although, the slide says it works with both iOS and Android devices, the Hue Lighting System website says it can be purchased at any Apple Store. Check out the video with this link. www.meethue.com
This idea of cloud computing is a significant technology for the inventor who's interested in developing a product without the overhead of equipment. Cloud computing manufacturing makes for an intriguing business model for the service sector. I'm very interested to see how this manufacturing trend turns out for 3D printing industry with companies like MakerBot and Solidoodle who build reasonable machines for small manufacturers, trade schools, and makers. Here's a link to Solidoodle for additional information about their 3D printer. http://www.solidoodle.com/
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
The push to achieving more intelligent, integrated manufacturing is putting a strong focus on networking and connectivity as key enabling technologies.
Now that solar and wind harvesting technologies are a thriving market, researchers are seeking other environmentally related energy sources for which they can create harvesting devices.
Surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue in military and first responder situations are popular applications for aerial robots. Yet not all the robots are considered unmanned aerial vehicles.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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 ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
7 
