Future of Engineering

Military Developing Brainwave Binoculars

Military binoculars may soon get information directly from the brains of the soldiers using them.

The brain is constantly processing images but most get filtered out. All the things identified by the brain doesn't make it to the conscious level.

The Pentagon wants to use the full potential of the brain, so it has awarded contracts to two defense firms to develop brainwave-aided binoculars. It hopes that soldiers can detect threats from miles farther away with the intelligent binoculors.

"Electrodes on the scalp inside a helmet will record the user's brain activity as it processes information about high-resolution images produced by wide-angle military binoculars. Those responses will train the binoculars over time to recognize threats."

Sensics, Inc., a Baltimore-based maker of panoramic head-mounted displays won $6.7 million and HRL Laboratories received $4.3 million for their research.

Source - Lasvegassun

Labels: Instrumentation-Engineering, Robotics

Traditional methods to monitor the blood sugar level are usually painful. Patients have to prick their skin to squeeze out a blood sample on to a test strip. When this strip is inserted into a blood meter it reveals the level of blood sugar in their body. Most patients do this twice a day, but some have to do it several times per day. It is sure to test anybody's patience and endurance level.

This will be a thing of the past if one starts using the B-FIT a tiny prototype chip (Bio-Flips Integrable Transdermal MicroSystem) invented by the researchers at Georgetown University. B-FIT is a small biosenser device that can be worn anywhere in the body.

It painlessly removes a patient's outer-dermis, by using a 'micro-hotplate' (or micro-heater), which measures about 50 microns square. For 30 milliseconds, the hotplate is turned on to a temperature of 130oC. Then it makes a tiny pore in the skin, through which interstitial fluid can rise. The biosensor then reads the glucose levels in the sample fluid through tiny electrodes coated with a substance that reacts specifically to the glucose.

Sounds hot and painful. In reality the patient doesn't feel a thing. Being funded by the DARPA this was initially designed for military purposes and now it is being designed for normal use too.

Hope to see you soon little chip. For you are sure to win the hearts of diabetics all around the world.

Source - Georgetown University

Labels: Bio-engineering, Instrumentation-Engineering

'The pores are 15nm and the smallest virus is 25nm. There's nothing smaller than a virus — it pretty much stops everything,'

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink", lamented the ancient mariner who was stuck in the middle of the sea. People stuck in disaster prone areas or warzones echo the words of the mariner even today. The arrival of the lifesaver is sure to break this universal chant.

The 2004 Tsunami inspired UK entrepreneur Michael Pritchard to create the Lifesaver bottle that uses the innovative nanoscale filtration membrane to remove bacteria, viruses, and all other water-borne pathogens from water instantly.

The operation is quite simple. One just has to fill the bottle with water, unlock the pump handle at the base and build up pressure inside the filter with a few quick pumps. Contaminated water flows through a membrane to become sterile.

The ultrafiltration technology isn't entirely new. It has been used by the water processing industry already. The genius of Pritchard's invention lies in incorporating this technology in a 12in plastic bottle.

Pritchard has also invented a FAILSAFE technology that shuts off the bottle’s cartridge upon expiry, preventing contaminated water from being drunk. Proper handling and maintenance makes it last for five years.

Though it would be extremely useful in warzones and disaster prone areas, it would also be a innovative accessory for hikers and campers.

Source - Lifesaver systems

Labels: innovation, Instrumentation-Engineering, Safety

The major difference between a living and an inanimate object is its ability to reproduce itself. This theory is shattered with the arrival of RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper). It's a machine that can replicate itself. 100 researchers have worked on this project since 2004 and have now showcased their product at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK.

Image - RepRap
Adrian Bowyer (left) and Vik Olliver (right) with a parent RepRap machine, made on a conventional rapid prototyper, and the first complete working child RepRap machine, made by the RepRap on the left. The child machine made its first successful grandchild part at 14:00 hours UTC on 29 May 2008 at Bath University in the UK, a few minutes after it was assembled.

RepRap is the first 3D printer that can reproduce its own components. Instead of printing on bits of paper this 3D printer makes real, mechanical parts. The existing technology costs $30,000. The RepRap team has cut down the cost by designing a cheaper machine. Their version which is available for free under the GNU General Public Licence can be built within $400.

People already "run their own CD burners, printing presses and photographic laboratories", said Adrian Bowyer, the University of Bath mechanical engineer who launched the RepRap project. "There's no reason they shouldn't run their own factories as well."

Find more information, including instructions for building your own replicating RepRap printer at RepRap.org

Labels: Instrumentation-Engineering, Manufacturing-Production-Engineering

Demand for valves and actuators have increased as a result of huge investments and expansions in various process industries. The Asian and rest of the world markets are expected to see good growth compared to their European and North American counterparts. Among the various end-user criteria, aftermarket service assumes the highest importance.

A report from Frost & Sullivan report provides an insight into the dynamics guiding this market, and includes market challenges, drivers, restraints and avenues of opportunity for growth. Highlights of the briefing include analysis on different kinds of valves and actuators across regions worldwide, challenges and future trends of the market. The briefing will give an insight on the global perspective and trends in different regions which will benefit the various valves and actuator manufacturers, distributors & OEM’s.

Full details on the report here

Labels: Industrial-Engineering, Instrumentation-Engineering

Test and Measurement Industry Trends Toward Software-Defined Instrumentation and Use of Multicore-Enabled Test Systems

Engineers Harness New Technologies to Reduce Cost and Keep Up With Design Complexity

Engineers in industries ranging from aerospace and defense to consumer electronics are facing the challenge of testing increasingly complicated designs with shrinking timelines and budgets. To address these issues, engineers and scientists are incorporating new test and measurement technologies that are capable of meeting complex design requirements without raising costs. National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI), a worldwide leader in automated test solutions, has identified five trends it anticipates will significantly influence the test and measurement industry over the next three years.

Full news release here

Labels: Instrumentation-Engineering