Top Stories

Challenges Loom on Tesla's Model S Project

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, June 24, 2009
Battery experts say the Tesla Model S, with a 300-mile driving range and $49,900 price tag, will present big challenges for engineers.
Surveillance Relies on Unmanned Flying Vehicles

Randy Frank, Contributing Editor, June 15, 2009
The U.S. Dept. of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pursuing the next generation of smaller craft dubbed Nano Air Vehicles (NAVs).
Air France Crash Underscores Challenge of Designing Complex Automated Systems

John Loughmiller, Contributing Editor, June 4, 2009
An engineer/pilot discusses the circumstances surrounding the Air France Flight 447 crash and the possible consequences of aeronautical system design choices.
Drag Racing Goes Electric

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, May 25, 2009
Electric vehicles with such names as White Zombie, Crazyhorse, Maniac Mazda and KillaCycle are beating Corvettes and Dodge Vipers in drag races.
Breaking Down the Sensor Signal Path

Aaron GL Podbelski, Cypress Semiconductor, May 18, 2009
By understanding the stages of an analog signal path, digital developers can more accurately capture sensor data for a wide variety of applications.
Semiconductors: The Heart of Next-Generation Medical Devices

Patrick O'Doherty, Analog Devices Inc., May 18, 2009
Cutting-edge technology developed by semiconductor companies is enabling the design of medical devices that improve the care of millions of people around the world.
Growing the Medical Device Industry by Shrinking It

Luke Volpe, Metrigraphics Div., Dynamics Research Corp., May 18, 2009
Extreme Resolution Micro Flex Circuits address the growing field of medical application devices with unique material and dimensional requirements.
Designed to Handle High Risk Situations

Randy Frank, Contributing Editor, May 18, 2009
Robots are depending on myriad sensor technologies to investigate potentially dangerous scenes.
Smart Football Automates Ref Calls

Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, May 15, 2009
A CMU research team is developing a smart football that delivers real-time tracking and motion analysis to automate ref calls and serve as a coaching device.
Sensors Help Amputees Restore Lost Muscle Function

Jennifer Roy, Contributing Editor, May 4, 2009
Ossur America's POWER KNEE^TM uses sensor and actuator technology to help amputees walk with a more natural gait and more confidence.
NAB Convention Features Emerging Technology

John Loughmiller, Contributing Editor, April 27, 2009
The week-long National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas closed on April 23 after showing three new approaches to content distribution using the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital television standard.
Freescale, Microchip, TI Roll out Microcontrollers

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, April 15, 2009
Freescale, Microchip and TI are rolling out microcontrollers with faster hardware and more memory.
A Boost for Medical Device Developers

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, April 6, 2009
National Instruments' Medical Device Grant Program awards $25,000 to selected ideas for medical innovation.
Analog Devices' New Converter Boosts Slice Count in CT Scanners

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, April 3, 2009
A new data acquisition chip may lay the groundwork for faster, higher-quality computed tomography (CT) scanners.
Continuous Time Performance Comes to Converters

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, March 17, 2009
Continuous time sigma-delta converters are serving in applications where high dynamic range and wide bandwidth are needed.
Let's Learn More about Statistics

Jon Titus, Contributing Writer, March 16, 2009
Engineers who have never taken a statistics class may struggle through standard distributions, variances, correlations and other aspects of data analysis. Two new books from O'Reilly Media can offer help.
Energy Scavengers

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, March 16, 2009
Big electronics suppliers such as Texas Instruments and Analog Devices are teaming with start-up companies such as AdaptivEnergy, EnOcean and Cymbet to create energy harvesting systems.
From Hamsters to Vocal Chords: Material Draws Energy from Any Mechanical Motion

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, February 23, 2009
A materials' science professor at Georgia Institute of Technology has created single-wire "nanogenerators" that could provide autonomous power for applications ranging from PDAs to gas sensors to blood pressure monitors.
Sensors Bring Vision to Vehicles

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, February 16, 2009
The key to the future of vision system technologies in production vehicles is for the costs to keep dropping. Here are three profiles of automotive vision technologies.
The Eye of the Stethoscope

Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, February 16, 2009
Using HD Medical's electronic stethoscope and Texas Instruments digital processing technology, physicians can watch the changing waveforms of a beating heart.

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