Armed robots assist soldiers in Iraq
Military robots are widely used for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), reconnaissance, communications, hazmat, security, defense and rescue. TALON SWORDS robots can be configured with M240 or M249 machine guns or Barrett .50 caliber rifles for armed reconnaissance missions. The system was evaluated by the 5th Special Forces in Iraq and three systems have completed evaluation with the 3rd Infantry Division and were deployed to Iraq in 2007. Alternative weapons, including 40 mm grenade launchers and anti-tank rocket launchers, continue to be evaluated by the U.S. Army.

Watch the video illustrating how the robots work and tell us what you think!

Quieter Ride for Long-Haul Truckers
Manufacturers of long-haul and heavy-duty tractor trailer trucks have made better truck interiors a priority. To this end, Durable Products, Crossville, Tenn., and Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) LLC, Pittsburgh, developed sound-attenuating polyurethane floor mats that are more economical than those traditionally made from rubber. The roughly 5-ft2 mats are reaction-injection-molded (RIM) Bayflex XGT-2 polyurethane. They weigh in at 35 and 40 lb and are molded into entire floor coverings for inside cabs of trucks and heavy construction vehicles. A sound-absorbing foam called Bayfit SA 511 can be added to the underside of the mat to further dampen sound and vibrations.
Full Article

FREE WEBCAST: Stay Competitive in the Fierce Global Market with PTC Pro/TOOLMAKER Today's top tool and die shops keep winning amid unprecedented global competition. How do they do it? With PTC's Pro/TOOLMAKER High Speed Machining Software! What is High Speed Machining (HSM) and what can it do for you? Find out now with PTC's complimentary Pro/TOOLMAKER High Speed Machining Recorded Webcast, where you can learn the components of HSM and how other companies just like yours have held the competitive advantage with PTC's Pro/TOOLMAKER. View Now!

Leland Teschler's Editorial: The wrong message for Engineering Week
Last month's Engineering Week was supposed to be a grand attempt at encouraging students to pursue careers in technical fields. No surprise that there were a lot of E Week booster speeches about the engineering profession. The director of IBM's worldwide research laboratories, writing in Business Week, summed up the tone of most remarks when he said, "We need greater cooperation between academia, private industry, and government to …. foster enthusiasm and skills for the sciences." Unfortunately there were other events taking place in February that weren't likely to engender much enthusiasm for technical work. Perhaps the most newsworthy was when GM handed out a list of job categories in its factories which will receive 50% pay cuts under a new national labor contract.
Full Article

FPGAs - Under the Hood High-level design tools offer FPGA technology to engineers and scientists who have little or no digital hardware design expertise. Whether you use graphical programming, C, or VHDL, the synthesis process is quite complex and can leave you wondering how FPGAs really work. This white paper is intended for the nondigital designer who wants to understand the fundamental parts of an FPGA and how it all works "under the hood." zone.ni.com

Here Comes the $2,500 Car
How do you halve the price of a passenger car? It takes more than savvy negotiations at the dealership. In 2004, Tata Motors took on the challenge of bringing a 100,000-rupee ($2,500) car to the Indian market. Tata's closest competitor, the Maruti 800 retails for about $5,000. The result of Tata’s efforts, the Nano, was unveiled in January 2008 and will reach consumers in October. Tata has squeezed low prices out of its suppliers with high-volume, single-source contracts. About 100 suppliers will build 90% of the Nano’s parts, three-quarters of which are single-sourced.
Full Article

Recycling carbon dioxide into fuel
Researchers at Sandia National Labs found a way to convert carbon dioxide into fuel using sunlight. A prototype device called the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5), breaks down carbon-oxygen bonds in carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide and oxygen in two steps. In the "Sunshine to Petrol" approach, water and carbon monoxide will then make methanol, gas, or other liquid fuels using solar energy. After the synthesized fuel is made from the carbon monoxide, it could be transported through a pipeline or put into a truck and hauled to a gas station.
Full Article

Easy-Pull Plugs For Tight Spaces
The CPT-NF Series center pull-tab plugs have no flange. The parts are suitable for plugging two or more openings where there is no room for a flange. The plugs can be pushed deep into ports that need the plug to sink below the surface of the opening. Designed with a durable pull-tab, the plugs can be pushed deep into ports where the plug must be below the surface opening. The plugs come in seven different sizes and are low-density polyethylene that is heat resistant to 175°F.
More Information:
Caplugs

RFID DEMO Configuration Software TURCK introduces BL ident, the world’s first modular RFID system with built-in I/O capability. With BL ident, users may add additional I/O modules to the RFID system: up to 8 channels of RFID, plus up to 32 additional I/O modules within a single node on the network. BL ident is IP67-rated and can be integrated into existing platforms. Learn more today! www.turck-usa.com

Metal-Pipe Fittings
The NPFB metal-pipe fittings connect fittings and pipes in pneumatic systems and assemblies. The nickel-plated brass fittings come in 124 variants featuring parallel metric and G threads as well as tapered R threads. Features include corrosion and mechanical-stress protection, 580-psi/40-bar pressure-range rating, and 302°F temperature-handling capability.
More Information:
Festo Corp.

Diode-Type Thermistor
The Diode Type (DT) Thermistor Series is a reliable thermal sensor suitable for use in high-temperature and household-appliance applications. Operating range of the thermistors is −58 to 482°F. The devices have a glasssealed body, reside in a D035 industry-standard package for convenient PCB mounting, and have 0.20-in. tinplated leads. Performance qualities include ±1, ±3, and ±5% tolerance ranges, 2.4-mW/C dissipation in still air with a typical thermal time constant of 15 sec, resistance values of 25°C from 1 to 47 kΩ, and a 250-mW power rating.
More Information:
Selco/ECC

High-Performance Machined Springs
Machined springs combine the elastic properties of materials such as high-strength steels, aluminum, and titanium with a curved beam helix for precise deflection rates for compression, extension, torsion, lateral bending, and lateral translation. Applications range from deep space instrumentation to medical apparatus.
More Information:
Helical Products Co.

Experience National Instruments Technologies From the Comfort of Your Own Computer!
With more than 200 on-demand webcasts, videos, interactive tutorials and demos available for users of any experience level, it is easier than ever to learn about the newest products and features available from National Instruments.
Begin your search here with a collection of webcasts specifically chosen for design and automation engineers.

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New office provides customers with expanded support
Performance Motion Devices, Lincoln, Mass., announcd the opening of their U.S. west coast office in Milpitas, Calif. The office will enable PMD to provide expanded sales and application support services to its growing customer base.
Performance Motion Devices

Omron STI 2007 Machine Safeguarding Design Guide
This 2-volume set includes over 200 pages of engineering and regulation data. The balance of the 1400 pages includes product specifications and selection guides for the following safety products: Light Curtains, Laser Scanners, Mats, Interlocks, Relays, Network Controllers, Contact Strips, Edges, Two Hand Controls, and Enabling Switches. Get the catalog

Guide features incremental and absolute encoders
Stegmann has a free Encoder Selection and Application Resource Guide. It has product specifications and selection guidelines on its family of encoders and servomotor feedback systems. Information is included about the company's CoreTech encoders, with two to three-day delivery on most line counts or resolutions. Get the guide

Is that hard-guard adequately protecting your machine operators?
Based on revised anthropometric data, the 'Gotcha Stick' from STI is a three-segment safe-distance scale used to verify openings in machine hard-guards will not allow the point-of-operation to be accessed by the operator. Register to receive a free 'Gotcha Stick': Get the stick

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