I don't know if they're overdesigned, but safety and infotainment features for production cars have gone beyond anything we dreamed of 20 years ago. Driver assistance systems now include blind spot detection, rear obstacle detection, drowsy driver detection, park assist, adaptive cruise control, lanekeeping and collision avoidance, in addition to the ten or so airbags, even in entry-level cars. Infotainment includes GPS, CD players, DVD players, and USBs for cell phones and iPods. Given the fact that none of us could have imagined these features 20 years ago, then what's it mean for the next 20 years?
I think plenty of people would argue that repairing software and electronics gitches is probably far more complex than any kind of mechanical fix. Obviously embedded software brings a lot to the table in terms of safety and functionality, but it's not for the faint of heart or for anyone that doesn't have the right diagnostic machinery and software expertise.
There is something to be said for simplicity. I had a 1970s Dodge Dart. I could fix anything on that car, and I could practically stand inside the engine compartment. I couldn't fix anything on the last two cars I've owned.
Nah! The more electroincs the better. Actually, leaving entertainment and other such aside, there are many safety and engine management tasks that are handled by electronics today. Replacing and repairing these systems is easier as well. I started out with 1960s British sports cars. They were simplicity itself. On the other hand they were not particularly effecient or safe.
The increasing amount of electronics within all cars, not just those found on the racing circuit is scary. The complexity continues to grow day by day, even in a low-end car. In most cases, it's a good thing, but could these cars be over-desgined?
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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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