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Analysis Blog Slideshow: Robots Creeping & Crawling Into New Territory Ann R. Thryft, Senior Technical Editor, Materials & Assembly 5/25/2012 8 A major area of robot research and development comes under the category of biomimetics, or biomimicry, which looks to nature for inspiration. Some robots resemble different kinds of ... Most recent post: Scott Orlosky... Beth, I must say that you get to write about the coolest things. Whether... Blog EVs Second to Natural Gas for Fiat Sylvie Barak, West Coast Online Reporter, EETimes 5/25/2012 5 Though not the flashiest Italian car manufacturer, the automotive firm Fiat has long been a staple of the country's industrial sector, providing vehicles to a wider mass market than ... Most recent post: Sylvie Barak... Well, Fiat is in a partnership with Chrysler now, which is probably why it's becoming... Mechatronics Zone Engineering, Science & Math in a Water Bottle Jon Titus, Contributing Technical Editor 5/25/2012 8 When I talk with young people about science and engineering I try to use everyday examples, but often come up with something too complicated, which leads to a lengthy, confusing ... Most recent post: Scott Orlosky... William, glad to see your comments. I think your "three things" are... News Sensors Determine Effects of Explosions on Military Personnel Elizabeth Montalbano, Contributing Writer 5/25/2012 4 The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) is testing a gauge that can determine the effects of explosions on soldiers in the field, even if their apparent injuries do not ... Most recent post: JimT@Future-Product-Innovations... Hmmmm – not sure I endorse this, as I question what value it provides. ... News Indy Aerodynamics the Difference Between Victory & Defeat Charles Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics & Test 5/24/2012 27 When packs of drivers jockey for position on the speedway at Sunday's Indianapolis 500, a select group of engineers will be thinking, not about engines and tires, but about the ... Most recent post: William K.... Steamlining, or reducing the airflow drag, is certainly the best way to get "free... Sherlock Ohms Batteries' Chargers Require a Little Muscle Ken Moffett 5/24/2012 29 I worked in a biomedical equipment service department for a large university hospital, where a new building had just been finished, and all nursing units were moved in. Shortly ... Most recent post: William K.... This case includes two examples of the "it seemed like a good idea at the time"... Wolfe's Den Engineers Are Happy in Role as Non-Managers Alexander Wolfe, Content Director 5/24/2012 11 If you've remained a technical contributor, eschewing the climb up the corporate ladder, are you happy with your decision? That's the question we posed this month to members of our ... Most recent post: Scott Orlosky... Most responses have been written by engineers that are happy doing product development.... News Sensor Monitors Patients' Health in the Cloud Elizabeth Montalbano, Contributing Writer 5/24/2012 8 A UK-based startup has designed a new device that connects to a cloud-based system to allow a patient's condition to be monitored wirelessly by clinicians even when they are not in ... Most recent post: Rob Spiegel... Yes, it sounds like that's plenty secure, Ann. Might not be the same story here... Blog Video: Engineering Ferrari Sylvie Barak, West Coast Online Reporter, EETimes 5/23/2012 23 Nothing but pasta could possibly be more representative of Italian sumptuousness than Ferrari, the sexy luxury race car brand that made its debut in 1947 with the 125S produced in ... Most recent post: Allezw... Indeed! Or express a wide variety of experience. It all depends on what topic comes... Most Commented Blogs 32 Monitor Goes Dark Over Cheap Components 31 Metal Trumps Plastic in Lawnmower 29 Batteries' Chargers Require a Little Muscle 26 Indy Aerodynamics the Difference Between Victory & Defeat 23 Video: Engineering Ferrari MORE NEWS MORE BLOGS		Features Slideshow: Top Cars From 2012 New York International Auto Show 4/9/2012 17 The 2012 New York International Auto Show showcased hybrids, electric vehicles, performance cars, and classic automobiles. Most recent post: jsmith14... The New York are able to International Auto Show proven that car manufacturers and... DESIGN West News Feed 3/19/2012 9 Tech news from UBM's DESIGN West conference, March 26 through 29 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif. Most recent post: Rob Spiegel... That's interesting about the explosion in the focus on automotive at Design West.... Time for Obama to End Timidity on US Tech Manufacturing Jobs 1/27/2012 81 President Obama laid out a "blueprint for an American economy that’s built to last" during his election-year State of the Union address this week. Good. When do we start? Most recent post: Larry S.... The manufacturing move to Asia did not happen overnight and as the dynamics of the... Slideshow: 11 Top iPad Engineering Apps 11/28/2011 39 Here are 11 iPad apps in automation, CAD, and technical reference for mechanical, industrial, and design engineers. Most recent post: rhl... I would really like to know if someone knows or can recommend any schematic drawing... Case Study: Building Your Own 20kW Hydroelectric Power Plant 11/16/2011 51 Using automation components from AutomationDirect, this small-scale hydroelectric system generates 20kW of power from a nearby lake. Most recent post: Rob Spiegel... I think you're absolutely right, NYeng. This would not be an easy hurdle. I would... Slideshow: 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Preview 11/10/2011 14 The 2012 International Consumer Electronics show has innovative designs of interest to mechanical engineers. Check out our CES slideshow. Most recent post: Alexander Wolfe... For on-the-ground coverage from CES 2012, go to EETimes' CES landing page. Slideshow: Messiest Engineering Desks 10/26/2011 38 Here's a slideshow of the messiest engineer's desks submitted by readers of our sister site EETimes. Most recent post: kf2qd... Perhaps the reason that those in the Electircal branch of engineering tend to have... Top 5 Roadblocks to Digital Factory of the Future 10/24/2011 29 The digital factory of the future faces challenges of cost, compatibility and programmability as PLCs and PACs lurch towards a fulling integrated production cycle. Most recent post: Rob Spiegel... I'm, not surprised to hear this Apresher. It's my understanding that simulation... MORE FEATURES
DNTV Automation & Control Videos \| Electronics & Test Videos \| Materials & Assembly Videos \| Gadget Freak Videos Gadget Freak Case #214: Radio Touch ... Matt Oppenheim has devised a radio that speaks to an ... Watch 0 3:12 Gadget Freak Case #213: Android Brings ... Interactive mirror can display pictures, simple games, and ... Watch 1 3:17 Football Helmet Airbags Concussion Mitigation Technologies employs dozens of ... Watch 5 0:26 Gadget Freak Case #212: Solar ... William Grill's gadget can take energy from an alternate ... Watch 0 2:24 Gadget Freak Case #211: High Speed ... To capture quick events, like the pop of a balloon, James ... Watch 0 4:27 Gadget Freak Case #210: Digital Timer ... When Doug Conner couldn't track his time while night ... Watch 2 1:04 Gadget Freak Case #209: Gradually ... Auxiliary incandescent lamp that fades out as CFL ... Watch 0 1:12 GM Robo-Glove Automaker hopes the glove will reduce the risk of ... Watch 3 2:08 Ford Hands-Free Liftgate The technology uses capacitive sensors to recognize the ... Watch 7 3:14 Gadget Freak Case #208: Glove-Operated ... The Glove-Operated Digital Hand is a mechanical device that ... Watch 1 02:37 Gadget Freak Case #207: Android ... Al Linke's tiny breathalyzer is stored in an Altoids box, ... Watch 1 1:41 Gadget Freak Case #206: ... By connecting electroluminescent wire to his Android ... Watch 0 02:24 Clippard Demonstrates Pneumatic Guitar Guitar uses 62 pneumatic valves and 62 pneumatic cylinders, ... Watch 0 1:44 Gadget Freak Case #205: Colorado Smart ... A group of Colorado State University engineering students ... Watch 1 05:04 GMC Acadia Center Air Bag GMC Acadia chief engineer Susan Eckel explains how ... Watch 2 1:54 Gadget Freak Case # 204: Self-Starting, ... Doug Conner's self-starting, solar-powered Stirling engine ... Watch 1 1:47 LEDs Light Up Dodge Dart Jeff Gale talks about the use of LEDs on the back end of ... Watch 3 2:00 Cadillac Cutting Mass 1 Gram at a Time How engineers reduced mass of the body structure on the new ... Watch 0 2:33 Ford Showcases Its First Plug-in Hybrid The technical choices that Ford made on its new C-Max ... Watch 6 2:23 Tesla's Model S Nears Production Khobi Brooklyn of Tesla Motors talks about the advantages ... Watch 4 2:27 MORE VIDEOS
Message Boards eChat Videos not playing: I have indeed found that using eplorer will allow me to play some of those videos, but after the last explorer upgrade it does not work any more. I have not looked into just why because mostly Chrome is OK for what I do. William K. on Gadget Freak Case #214: Radio Touch Sensors Talk to the Smartphone aerodynamics and Indy cars, and other things.: Steamlining, or reducing the airflow drag, is certainly the best way to get "free horsepower" for racecars. IT^ does get complex when there are multiple cars close together, though. Drafting is a bit different, it works for most cars on the... William K. on Indy Aerodynamics the Difference Between Victory & Defeat Requires more muscle: This case includes two examples of the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" syndrome. The first being to put the outlets at a non-ergonomic height. Above head height is certainly a very poor choice for anything except plug in permanent... William K. on Batteries' Chargers Require a Little Muscle Re: Reliability engineering anybody??: Sadly, I think in this day and age, consumers have gotten used to buying cheap stuff that they complain about which they have to replace later. It's more "fun" to relate a story on your facebook page of how your $10 toaster nearly... Scott Orlosky on Monitor Goes Dark Over Cheap Components Re: Getting smarter: William, glad to see your comments. I think your "three things" are worth posting for all incoming freshman - not just the engineers. I've been fortunate to teach science in elementary schools for a number of years and was... Scott Orlosky on Engineering, Science & Math in a Water Bottle Re: A different type of car: I think it's great when consortiums come together to focus on a specific issue like this. It means that something will actually get done. Often it also means that eventually there will be cheaper carbon fiber "shapes" like angle,... Scott Orlosky on Auto Composite Production on Fast Track Materials Science in Space: Ann, always enjoy information on the materials science side of things. If I could magically turn back the clock to my 20's I probably would have focused on that area for my degree. It would be interesting to see more articles about... Scott Orlosky on All Systems Go for Composites' Trip to Jupiter Engineers Can be Managers - sometimes: Most responses have been written by engineers that are happy doing product development. I did detect a slight note of disdain for managers in some of the comments however having made the transition to manager (and gotten high marks from my... Scott Orlosky on Engineers Are Happy in Role as Non-Managers Re: Nature's inspiration has a middle-man: Beth, I must say that you get to write about the coolest things. Whether these designs are ultimately practical or not, I think it's good for the collective knowledge base of mankind to understand how biological systems work,... Scott Orlosky on Slideshow: Robots Creeping & Crawling Into New Territory Is it value added-?: Hmmmm – not sure I endorse this, as I question what value it provides. It seems to be a shock sensor, very likely using a MEMS accelerometer and a small pill battery, to measure and log forces and impacts. While it will pass... JimT@Future-Product-Innovations on Sensors Determine Effects of Explosions on Military Personnel Its SO easy to be tempted by the DARK side: 24 years in a major US corporation – Starting out doing what I loved—designing new products -- right out of college; but quickly saw that promotion opportunities meant more money, more recognition, and better cubicles, eventually... JimT@Future-Product-Innovations on Engineers Are Happy in Role as Non-Managers Re: Scary fuel choice: Well, Fiat is in a partnership with Chrysler now, which is probably why it's becoming a more well known brand in the US.... expect to see them make a concerted effort! Sylvie Barak on EVs Second to Natural Gas for Fiat Re: Engineering, Science & Math in a Water Bottle: Reading your terrific summary of how so many inter-related technical disciplines are required for "everyday things" was very satisfying. Your water bottle example takes the mundane and exemplifies it into a blossoming bouquet of an entire... JimT@Future-Product-Innovations on Engineering, Science & Math in a Water Bottle Re: Time for a Google-driver, race car: Well Jerry, Bill was a very highly respected engineer in the automotive industry working for Hudson, Packard and Ford. He held over 80 patents which I suspect is more than you ever will. Bill grew up as a farm boy in Western New York... Architect on Indy Aerodynamics the Difference Between Victory & Defeat Re: Time for a Google-driver, race car: Yes Bil was either lying or just plain wrong. I design, build windgenerators among other things, presently doing 2 2kw designs for production. And mine will hit 35-40% eff, not 20% Facts are the best wind power... Jerry dycus on Indy Aerodynamics the Difference Between Victory & Defeat Re: Bottle from shows: Ford's resolve forpersistance to tidy & sustainable materials is to be commended. As an example, it now mandates that its vehicles with eco-friendly powertrains, such as Focus, contain fabrics which can be sustainable. & possesses given... ckit1477 on Ford Recycles CES Plastic for Car Seats The most problem I got: The most problem I got on my saturn is ignition module or an ignition coil may fail causing an engine misfire, the Check Engine Light may or may not illuminate. Diagnoses will be required to determine the cause and needed repair. And... ckit1477 on My 2002 Saturn L100 Fuel Pump Was Made by Monkeys The Bottom Line: I think the statement "There is also a distinct lack of filling stations for natural gas and low incentive for gas-rich markets like the US to use it" says it all. Regardless of which fuel choice an automobile maker wants to... Greg M. Jung on EVs Second to Natural Gas for Fiat Re: I'm Curious: The designer was proud of teh fact teh LED taillaights were distinctive. They are, but. I would like to see a more practical and imaginative use of LEDs. Replace all light bulbs with LEDs. No more burnt out bulbs and Ford TSB. This would be... jsmith14 on Ford Showcases Its First Plug-in Hybrid Re: AFRL and Model Flight: Dealing with communist marxist china, during their modernization phase where they enslave their people and use free trade as a weapon to destroy the free world, by stealing our manufacturing infrastructures, and shuttering small family... jackiecox on Air Force Designs Unmanned Lightweight Aircraft for NASA More Message Boards Message Boards eChat Friday May 25, 2012 11:38:18 PM @Gary - Thank you very much for your week of impartations. We have enjoyed it. @Alex - Thank you to for you hard work too. We will miss you and remember you. We wish the best to you in your new endeavor. Please... Ran Iron Friday May 25, 2012 11:28:31 PM @rhall007 – I don't know why it has to be that way, but it seems to happen too often. Where is the reward for your contribution? In so many ways, what happened to you is just so very wrong. Ran Iron Friday May 25, 2012 11:26:19 PM @jl - My condolences on your job loss... I feel strongly for you. Ran Iron Friday May 25, 2012 11:26:02 PM @Gary – Working myself out of a job: It has happened, and it does not feel good at all. Ran Iron Friday May 25, 2012 11:22:16 PM @Gary - Having "constants" in a R/W register seems like a good idea, but I can't think of a time that I ever had that much foresight. I'm not clairvoyant, but sometimes I wish I were. Ran Iron Friday May 25, 2012 11:17:03 PM @Gary - My first printer was the original inkjet. Bought it in 1988. Ran Iron More eChat

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Gadget Freak

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Gadget Freak Case #214: Radio Touch Sensors ...
Matt Oppenheim has devised a radio that speaks to an Android smartphone to help the visually ...

Gadget Freak Case #213: Android Brings the ...
Al Linke's interactive mirror can display pictures, running text, simple games, and video ...

Gadget Freak Case #212: Solar Up-Converter ...
William Grill's gadget can take energy from an alternate source (such as the sun) and increase ...

Gadget Freak Case #211: High-Speed ...
To capture quick events, like the pop of a balloon, James Hartnett created a high-speed circuit ...

Gadget Freak Case #210: Digital Timer for ...
When Doug Conner couldn't track his time while night swimming, he created a digital timer with ...

Made by Monkeys

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Metal Trumps Plastic in Lawnmower
The plastic gears in the wheels of the mower were not enough to stand up to the steel gears in ...

Shop Vac Flaws Grind Use to a Halt
Trying to fix the shop vac's motor revealed a slew of design problems.

Engine Shakeup Stumps Service Crew
When the engine isn't running right, sometimes you have to wait until it breaks before you learn ...

Cutlery Basket Damages Dishwasher's Rep
The poorly designed utensil basket on this dishwasher could have been improved for just a few ...

Pushbutton Problem Blanks Dehumidifier
The dehumidifier came with pushbuttons that couldn't take the humidity.

Sherlock Ohms

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Batteries' Chargers Require a Little Muscle
The backup batteries on the medical pumps kept failing. For some reason, the electricity from ...

Monitor Goes Dark Over Cheap Components
The monitor kept blanking out. A look inside revealed that cheap components had blown a decent ...

Failing Sensors Cause Consternation
Wire insulation can make the difference between success and failure in sensors.

Freight Train Kills Cellphone Signal
If your antenna malfunctions every day at a specific time, it could be the ghost is running on ...

Case of the Failing 'C' Batteries
Sometimes failures during the testing function say more about the test than the product.

Guest Blogs

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Petroski on Engineering: Engineering & ...
Experience, both good and bad, guides us in extending the state of the art toward new limits.

5 Common Failure Analysis Mistakes
Recognizing common failure analysis mistakes can help your team resolve issues more quickly and ...

Understanding Fatigue Failures
Designing for fatigue is not as simple as designing for overload, and by understanding basic ...

MEMS Sensors Driving Smart Automotive
Automotive panelists at MEMS Executive Congress Europe wowed conference attendees with ...

Flexible Manufacturing Critical to US Innovation
The US must continue to innovate to regain ground in sectors like manufacturing. But the formula ...

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