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Electromagnetic Brakes Let Hospital Rooms Go Ergonomic
An electromagnetic brake and specialized power supply give medical professionals better access to their patients.
Scanning for Ideas: Low-Cost Vibration Monitoring
Factory equipment rarely fails without giving some signs, often for months before the actual breakdown, that something is amiss.
Scanning for Ideas: High-Tech Sprinkler for Lawn Care
The goal of the 5000 Plus Series of rotors or sprinkler
heads from Rain Bird, San Diego (rainbird.com), is
to keep customers’ lawns “greener using less water.”
Bearings for a Martian Scooper
The robotic arm used by the Phoenix Mars Lander to scoop up samples of Martian soil employs thin-section bearings in its key positioning joints to keep down weight whi le managing appreciable loads.
NASCAR Racers Get Toolholding Help
The Joe Gibbs Racing Team, one of NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup racing teams, will be relying on high-tech pallets and other workholding technology from Schunk Inc.
50-Ton Grinder Expands Linear-Guide Production
Bishop-Wisecarver Corp., Pittsburg, Calif., recently added a 50‑ton, 5.5-m, X-axis travel grinder that can machine parts up to 4.5-m long (14.8 ft).
Scanning for Ideas: Single-Point High-Volume Lubricators
The Lage 125 and 250
lubricators from SKF,
Kulpsville, Pa. (skf.com),
have double the capacity
of most other single-point
lubricators.
2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI
The second-generation Cadillac sport sedan is Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for a number of reasons, one of them being its exceptional looks.
2008 AWD Yukon XL Denali
GMC redesigned the Yukon Denali for 2007, so this year’s changes are minimal.
The West Has No Monopoly on Medical Invention
Not all medical innovation comes from the West.
Scanning for ideas: Gear Reducer can Take the Abuse
Dodge MagnaGear XTR gear reducers from Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, Ark. (baldor.com), provide torque up to 920,000 lb-in. in parallel-shaft or right-angle configurations.
Scanning for ideas: Switches Sealed for Outdoor Use
The WT Series of sealed toggle switches from NKK Switches, Scottsdale, Ariz.(nkkswitches.com), have front panels with
an IP67 rating and sealed back panels with an IP60 rating.
High-Tech Jobs Slowing But Still Growing
The U.S. gained 91,400 high-tech jobs last year, bringing the total to 5.9 million, according to a report by AeA, a high-tech trade association.
“Dad, Can I Take the Car for a Swim?”
If you love fresh seafood and own a wet suit, the
sQuba could be the perfect car for you.
Assault and Batteries
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories must hate batteries: They heat them to extreme temperatures, overcharge them, drive nails into them, and generally do whatever they can to destroy them.
Will Hybrids Heat Up the Grid?
The growing number of plug-in hybrid electric cars and trucks may or may not require new electrical plants in the U.S., depending on when they’re charged.
Looking Back
10 YEARS AGO —
MAY 7, 1998
Virtual development for
aircraft: Lockheed Martin
will perfect the Joint Strike
Fighter and other advanced aircraft
with the help of visualization
software from Engineering
Automation Inc.
World Spends Over $100 Billion on Materialhandling Equipment
The global market for materialhandling
equipment will reach
$104 billion by 2010, according to a
report by market researcher Global Industry Analysts Inc.
“Just One Word, Son . . . Bicycles.”
With projected annual growth of
about 5.3% for the 2001-2010 period,
the world bicycles market could
surpass $61 billion by 2010, according
to a report by Global Industry
Analysts Inc.
What’s Hot, What’s Not
Recruiters say many parts of the engineering job market remain steady. But “green” skills are in high demand.
Machine Tools On-the-Fly? Yes, Thanks to Digital Prototypes
Who could have guessed that building machine tools on-the-fly would make for a good business model?
Finally . . . a Chair That Falls Down and Picks Itself Up Again
Thanks to machine vision, a sophisticated control algorithm, and 14 high-torque servomotors from MicroMo Electronics Inc., Clearwater, Fla., the wait for a self-collapsing, self-assembling chair is over.
“Hare’s Looking at You, Kid.”
Rabbits wearing electronic contact lenses are helping researchers develop devices that could one day let vision-impaired people see or let those with normal vision surf the Web on the go.
New Job for Robots: Tube Bending
An innovative new automatic cell for manufacturing tubular automotive parts exploits an articulated robotic arm to manage intervening movements and transfers.
2008 Saturn Vue
I didn’t know the Saturn Vue had been redesigned this year.