Just as the proving ground for automotive technology is the
racetrack, research in GPS (global positioning system) has always happened on
the battlefield.
The U.S. government began using satellite signals for submarine
navigation in the 1960s. Today, the system has evolved so the 24 satellites
circle Earth in six orbital planes with each satellite passing over a given
point every 24 hours. Users gain a four-dimensional fix (x, y, z axes and time)
by triangulating between the time lags of signals received from any four
satellites.
The whole system is controlled from Schriever Air Force Base in
Colorado Springs, CO (www.shriever.af.mil), and works so well
that the military scrambled the signals, allowing civilians accuracy only within
100m. But after President Clinton ordered them unscrambled in May 2000, the GPS
system began working within a fraction of that error, spawning new consumer
applications in cars, boats, cell phones, and pagers. (The U.S. military can
still re-scramble them regionally at any time).
Now KVH Industries (www.kvh.com)
is returning to the system's roots for its latest advance-the TACNAV(TM)
tactical navigation system for armored vehicles. The product provides position
data for every vehicle, even navigating by dead reckoning when satellite signals
are jammed. And it creates a single interface that includes the vehicle location
and azimuth, gun turret angle, and target location. It has a contract to supply
the systems to an undisclosed Southeast Asian country.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
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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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