With bright sunshine and blooming flowers, the first days of
spring can bring a smile to the most winter-weary face. But the change of
seasons can also spell trouble for industry.
Railroad tracks across the country often sink as the frosted
ground beneath them thaws, and later the tracks can buckle under the heat of the
summer sun. This can lead to cracked bolt holes and to invisible weak spots in
the rails. And when a heavy train comes rumbling through, there's a predictable
and sometime tragic result - derailment.
Now researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (www.unl.edu/pr/science.html) and
Marshall University (www.marshall.edu) are
suggesting a solution-radar. Typically used by boats and airplanes to detect
objects in the water or the air, radar has never been used for train safety
because it hasn't been able to penetrate the sand and rock laid down in rail
beds. But the Nebraska researchers think they've found a way to peer six to ten
feet underground by loading the radar on an extra train car. Electronics on the
radar car could then call repair crews to fix any problems.
This would be an improvement over current methods, which are
sporadic and less accurate: digging bores and trenches, doing visual inspection,
or using electronic detectors.
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
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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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