Just in - the results of our annual Trend Watch Sensors Survey of design engineers, who specify a wide range of sensor technologies in their applications, from basic proximity and photoelectric sensors to more advanced vision systems and energy-harvesting sensor networks. In general, respondents see sensors as growing in importance, with 56 percent saying they expect to see the use of sensors in their designs increase in the next three years. Half of the survey respondents design products for the industrial market. The balance of respondents works in industries as diverse as automotive and aerospace to packaging and healthcare. A full two thirds noted that in particular vision sensors and systems and wireless sensors will become increasingly more important in their design work. Some 15 percent of respondents noted that more traditional proximity, linear displacement and photoelectric sensors also will play a more prominent role in their design work. Hands down, the hottest trend noted in the survey results is wireless sensor networks, with 60 percent of the respondents saying that they see this technology heating up in the next 12-18 months, thanks to greater reliability and easy-to-use, plug-and-play connections. There is also the potential with wireless for significant savings when it comes to installation costs. When selecting a sensor, respondents said that reliability, accuracy and durability/ruggedness are the top three charactertistics, while product support and availability are critical when selecting a particular supplier. On design engineers' sensor wish list is more comprehensive data sheets and technical documentation, especially with regard to new products, as well as the availability of cost-effective sensors that meet the rigors of their applications. "We're looking for the right functionality with good pricing," one respondent noted.
Smith Electric Vehicles teamed with Trans Tech Bus to roll out a 42-passenger, 26,000-lb electric bus called the Newton eTrans, which it hopes will change the way children get to school every morning.
Doug Conner's self-starting, solar-powered Stirling engine runs all year when the sun is visible from the sculpture’s location. The engine can shut down when the sun isn’t visible, and it can restart by itself when the sun comes back up.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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