Wow. This is really great news. I've seen lots of plans for "smart" or "intelligent" lighting networks in the lab. It is great to see this developed into a product. The potential for energy conservation, illumination customization and mesh networks is really quite inspiring.
I like the idea of smart LEDs, especially being able to get some warning about when it is time to change the bulb. I will have to check this got a couple of design ideas that would benefit from this product.
This is another great example of what can be done with all of the low-cost, wireless protocols that are available. This is an excellent replacement for power line carrier, and I'm sure there are many more designs where a small wireless network can be a solution.
LEDs do make great solid state indicators for visual warning devices. Their low thermal properties and long life expectancy (roughly 50,000hrs) provide an excellent cost/benefit for these type of applications. The price point for these solid state lighting components are continuing to drop making them excellent replacements for some of the old incandescent light bulb indicators used in visual warning systems.
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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