As global interest in driverless vehicle services grows, the University of Michigan has released a case study documenting its experience launching an on-campus driverless shuttle research project. It is believed to be the first study of its kind, and expands the body of knowledge about automated driving services. The goal of the Mcity Driverless Shuttle…
Blast Tube Test at Sandia Simulates Shock Wave Conditions
You can learn a lot from a blast tube. You can learn more when you couple blast experiments with computer modeling. Sandia National Laboratories researchers are using a blast tube configurable to 120 feet to demonstrate how well nuclear weapons could survive the shock wave of a blast from an enemy weapon and to help…
Video: Fujipoly Compression Testing
Fujipoly recently published a video that demonstrates and explains compression testing for thermal interface materials. The video was produced at the company’s Customer Engineering Resource Center (CERC) in San Jose, California. The resource center allows customers in the Silicon Valley area to quickly evaluate and test Fujipoly products to see how they will perform for their specific…
Breaking The Guinness World Record For Fuel Efficiency
Duke Engineering is now the official home of the most fuel-efficient vehicle in history, a hydrogen fuel cell car that gets the equivalent of 14,573 miles per gallon. Duke Electric Vehicles (DEV’s) record-breaking run took place on Saturday, July 21 at Galot Motorsports in Benson, North Carolina. Guinness World Records has confirmed that the attempt to set a new…
Schools Eye Facial Recognition Technology To Boost Security
The surveillance system that has kept watch on students entering Lockport schools for over a decade is getting a novel upgrade. Facial recognition technology soon will check each face against a database of expelled students, sex offenders and other possible troublemakers. It could be the start of a trend as more schools fearful of shootings…
Faster, Lighter, Smarter: DARPA Gives Small Autonomous Systems A Tech Boost
DARPA’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program recently completed Phase 2 flight tests, demonstrating advanced algorithms designed to turn small air and ground systems into team members that could autonomously perform tasks dangerous for humans – such as pre-mission reconnaissance in a hostile urban setting or searching damaged structures for survivors following an earthquake. Building on Phase 1 flight…
Generation III Bevel Box Tested Against Claims
Coventry-based steering system manufacturer Pailton Engineering, has announced the results of the 56-week-long test programme on its new generation three bevel Box. The findings showed that after a sustained period of submersion, salt and grit exposure at temperatures as low as -40°C, no trace of water had entered the vital component and the part maintained…
Musk And SpaceX Build Kid-Sized Submarine For Thai Cave Rescue
In northern Thailand, a group of boys remain trapped in a deep underground cave system while floodwaters rise. Although they have rescued four of the boys, the rest idly wait as expert divers regroup and restock their supplies. Fortunately, the rescue team now has a new option thanks to Elon Musk and a team of…
Google Prepping Its Duplex Bot For Summer Rollout
When Google first introduced its phone-calling digital concierge Duplex in May, some thought it sounded too human. Others worried that it would secretly record calls with people. The search giant says it has been working to address these concerns. For starters, Google says that the bot will identify itself as an automated assistant upfront and will disclose…
Water-Dropping Helicopter Technology Is Tested
Southern California agencies are field-testing equipment intended to enable helicopters to more quickly fill with water while battling wildfires. Anaheim Fire & Rescue, the Orange County Fire Authority and OC Parks demonstrated the Remotely Activated Snorkel Site technology on Monday. Snorkels are hoses that allow hovering helicopters to suck loads of water out of natural…
RIGOL announces new 7000 Series Digital Oscilloscope
RIGOL Technologies announces a significant addition to its oscilloscope portfolio with the introduction of the New 7000 Series Digital Oscilloscope. The 7000 Series delivers unmatched price/performance capability in a mid-range oscilloscope. With 10GSa/sec Sample rate and up to 500M Record Length the 7000 Series can deliver 20X Oversampling on a 500MHz signal providing unmatched signal resolution…
Free programs with the look of LabVIEW
Free programs that seem to behave like LabVIEW engineering software have become available. Here’s what’s behind the user interface. Leland Teschler, Executive Editor Since 1986, engineers working in test instrumentation have been able to use a program called LabVIEW developed by National Instruments Inc. LabVIEW is well-known for its graphical user interface which lets users…
A Capacitive Sensing-Based Proximity Sensitivity Analyzer
Capacitive sensing has become an important capability for implementing advanced user interfaces in almost all the areas of electronics, including consumer and automotive applications. Efficient and smooth capacitive performance depends on how the design is tested and analyzed, especially when capacitive sensing is used to perform proximity sensing. For many OEMs, testing proximity sensing is…
Megger raises $20,300 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation
Megger, a manufacturer of portable electrical testing equipment, recently held its 17th annual Megger Distributor Golf Event, raising $20,300 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation. The event, held every year at Ahwatukee Country Club in Phoenix, Arizona, is organized in honor of 21-year old cancer graduate Tyler Danner, who is a senior at Northern Arizona University. He…
Teracom TCW210-TH Temperature and Humidity Data Loggers
Each device can monitor up to eight 1-Wire and/or MODBUS connected sensors at one time. Applications include datacenter and SOHO environment monitoring, cold chain (delivery trucks, distribution, storage centers, retail stores), medical products storage and transport, industrial processes data logging, and many others. Teracom LTD today announced the availability of highly reliable (3-year warranty), affordable…
Quantumdata 280 HDTV A/V Test Set from Saelig
Teledyne LeCroy’s Quantumdata 280 HDMI/HDBaseT Video Generator (Tx) and Analyzer (Rx) is a small compact, battery powered test set suited for professional A/V integrators and home theatre installers. This convenient test set assists with fundamental verification and diagnostic tests on HDMI/HDBaseT cables, video distribution networks, and individual A/V components. The HDMI input and output ports…
RIGOL announces new RSA5000 Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer
RIGOL Technologies announces a significant addition to its portfolio of RF Test Instrumentation with the introduction of the New RSA5000 Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer. The RSA5000 combines the power of a high performance swept spectrum analyzer with superior Real-time performance unmatched in this product category. Available in 3.2GHz and 6.5GHz models all RSA5000 Series Analyzers provide Resolution…
Rigol RSA5000 3.2/6.5GHz Real-Time Spectrum Analyzers
The Rigol Technologies RSA5000 Series of RF spectrum analyzers scan a complete frequency spectrum of 9kHz to 3.2 or 6.5 GHz with a maximum sample rate of 51.2MS/s. They offer significant performance improvements over traditional swept spectrum analyzers with a 1ms full span sweep, an expanded vertical range to +30dBm, reduced phase noise to -108dBc/Hz,…
CableEye HV-Rated QuickMount Housing for CAMI Connector Boards, CBH2
CAMI Research Inc. (Acton, MA) has released a High-Voltage (HV)-rated QuickMount housing (CBH2) for its CableEye automation-ready, cable and wire harness testing systems. As a free-standing, quick-release board fixture, it allows users to connect CAMI’s test interface boards to the 64-pin headers of any expansion module – even at some distance. The housing may be…
New year, new services added to solar atmospheres of Western PA
In a continuing quest to enhance customer service, Solar Atmospheres of Western PA has expanded its wings by adding another type of mechanical testing to its repertoire: tensile testing. Tensile tests are essential in determining and understanding the ultimate strengths of materials. Currently, many aerospace specifications demand at least one tensile test to be performed…
MSR 147WD Bluetooth Mini Datalogger For Ambient and Clothing Research
The miniature MSR 147WD Data Logger has been designed to receive pre-calibrated humidity and temperature sensors. It is small (35 x 17 x 57mm) and lightweight (27g), making this unobtrusive logger ideal for tests on human subjects. Among other applications it can be used for measuring the properties of textiles and clothing during manufacture and…
Siglent’s SDG6000X Dual-Channel 500MHz Pulse/Arbitrary Waveform Generators
Siglent’s SDG6000X series of Dual-Channel Pulse/Arbitrary Waveform Generators can create test signals up to 500MHz using a sample rate of 2.4GSa/s and 16-bit vertical resolution for an 80dB dynamic range. This series features Siglent’s proprietary TrueArb and EasyPulse technologies that solve the weaknesses inherent in traditional DDS waveform creation. TrueArb technology generates arbitrary waveforms “point-by-point”…
RNCS Kits For Prototyping Precision Anti-Moisture Applications
Stackpole Electronics, Inc. offers engineering sample kits for their popular RNCS Series of anti-moisture thin film chip resistors. The RNCS0603BKE kit offers 20 pieces each of the 45 most popular 0603 values ranging from 49.9 ohms up to 249K in 0.1% tolerance and 25 ppm TCR. The RNCS0805BKE kit offers 20 pieces each of the…
Advanced New Instrument Enclosures Now With Bail Arms
METCASE’s advanced new TECHNOMET instrument enclosures can now be ordered with bail arms for portable electronics applications. The bail arm is comfortable to hold and also doubles as a desk stand which can be indexed in 30o increments. The 5.90” high desktop models also feature recessed side handles as standard. Applications for TECHNOMET include medical…
SLICE IP68 Data Acquisition System
The new SLICE IP68 data acquisition system is designed to capture physical signals in challenging environments. Targeted at applications with size or mass constraints, SLICE IP68’s 60 x 60 mm footprint makes it easy to embed in most test articles. The rugged housing is impervious to shock, water and dust, making SLICE ideal for testing…