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Chip fuse with 'slow-blow' characteristic

SCHURTER's compact and powerful SMT chip fuse UST 1206 has enjoyed great popularity since its intro in 2008. In response to customer requests, SCHURTER has expanded this line with even more powerful versions with rated currents up to 35 A. The SCHURTER UST 1206 is a chip fuse for surface mounting with a "slow-blow" characteristic. This means it has a high melting integral, so the fuse does not trip immediately at inrush current peaks higher than the rated current. This is of great importance in many industrial applications (e.g. motors, power converters).
Learn more.

Long-life electric actuators: Improved controllability, performance

Thomson Electrak LL Linear Actuators now offer your machine designs a higher speed option, more electronic control options (including CANopen), and a 48-V option to meet the power requirements in battery-powered applications. Thomson says the new Electrak LL choices are for those who want to gain more control over the position, load, and speed of their applications, such as smart railway pantographs and couplers, AGVs, automated farming robots, movable steps, and access lifts for trains and buses.
Learn more and get the specs.

Real-world applications: FUTEK 100 sensor examples

Get inspired. FUTEK has more than 100 real-world application examples for their load cells, force transducers, torque sensors, pressure sensors, and multi-axis sensors. From a cryogenic load cell on the Mars Curiosity rover to fly-by-wire multi-axis force and torque sensors for aircraft, learn about sensor systems, their specs, and design. Automotive, manufacturing, medical, robotics, and automation are covered too. Fascinating and highly practical.
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Ultra-compact hollow-shaft angle sensor tracks angle even if power is cut

Novotechnik's WAL 200 Series of hollow shaft angle sensors provides absolute rotary position -- even if power is removed. After power is restored, this sensor provides the correct angle. With a 7-mm profile and 22-mm diameter, it is designed to fit in applications with very limited space. The WAL 200 Series has a measurement range of 0 to 340 degrees. Mechanical range is a continuous 0 to 360 degrees. Applications include volumetric dosing systems, joysticks, and more.
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What can you do with touchless magnetic angle sensors?

Novotechnik has put together an informative video highlighting real-world applications for their RFC, RFE, and RSA Series touchless magnetic angle sensors. You may be surprised at the variety of off-highway, marine, material handling, and industrial uses. You'll learn how they work (using a Hall effect microprocessor to detect position) and their key advantages, including eliminated wear and tear on these non-mechanical components. We love when manufacturers provide such useful examples.
View the video.

EMI suppression capacitors with enhanced humidity resistance

TDK Corporation has launched the EPCOS B3292xM3/N3 series of X2 EMI suppression capacitors. These new components are 20% smaller than previous models and meet Grade III Test B standards for temperature, humidity, and bias (THB). Their compact size and enhanced durability suit space-constrained, high-humidity environments, especially for "across-the-line" applications in automotive and industrial settings. Applications include automotive on-board chargers, uninterruptible power supplies, and hybrid inverters for energy storage systems.
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Uses of thermal cameras in manufacturing expand: This time around to papermaking

What can you so with FLIR thermal cameras to improve your industrial processes? Recent developments in thermal signature analytics have expanded the applications of thermal cameras beyond routine troubleshooting. In papermaking, they now contribute to paper machine control, energy usage benchmarking, wet streak detection, and the identification and prediction of certain classes of sheet breaks. Maybe you'll get some ideas for your applications.
Read the full article.

3-axis motion made simple using CLICK PLUS PLC

Automation-Direct CLICK PLUS PLCs, when combined with stepper motors, make advanced motion control and edge integration simple for smaller systems. Learn motion control basics, motor options, motion with micro-PLCs and steppers, and more in this informative whitepaper from AutomationDirect. No registration required.
Get the AutomationDirect whitepaper.

Benchtop ionizer removes static at a distance

The award-winning EXAIR Varistat^® Benchtop Ionizer is a powerful fan-driven static eliminator engineered to neutralize static charges on surfaces in demanding industrial environments. This Ionizer delivers a consistent stream of ionized airflow, effectively eliminating static and particulates without the need for compressed air. The Varistat is now available in 230 V to meet the needs of industrial locations. Easily mounted and manually adjustable.
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All about slip rings: How they work and their uses

Rotary Systems has put together a really nice basic primer on slip rings -- electrical swivels that carry a current from a stationary wire into a rotating device. Common uses are for power, proximity switches, strain gauges, video, and Ethernet signal transmission. This introduction also covers how to specify, assembly types, and interface requirements. Rotary Systems also manufactures rotary unions for fluid applications.
Read the Rotary Systems article.

Digital microscope with 2,040x mag: Under $200

Inspect work products or help your little engineer at home win that science fair with the AD246S-M HDMI Digital Microscope from Andonstar Technology Co. This tri-lens unit boasts a wide magnification range (60 to 240x, 18 to 720x, 1,560 to 2,040x), very good image performance, built-in rotatable monitor, and a slew of multifunctional accessories including a remote, dimmer cable to adjust illumination, and more. A solid choice for a small investment.
Learn more.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single 3D component. It gives engineers the power and freedom to shrink components, optimize space, and provide higher overall functional density -- while offering the same or more capabilities as in larger devices. HARTING's tagline for the tech is, "Like a PCB, but 3D."
Read the full article.

World-first bendable 5K2K gaming monitor

The LG UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor (model 45GX990A) is the world's first 5K2K-resolution bendable OLED display. The 45-in. monitor can smoothly transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature within seconds for more flexibility and control over your gaming experience. Its upgraded Dual-Mode feature allows users to switch effortlessly between resolution and refresh rate presets, and customize aspect ratio and picture size.
Learn more about this monitor and other LG releases at CES.

Rugged photoelectric sensors see up to 4 meters

Automation-Direct has added AchieVe FDM series 12-mm tubular photoelectric sensors that offer a rugged metal construction, high IP67 protection ratings, and sensing distances up to 4 m. These sensors feature selectable light-on/dark-on operation, a 10- to 30-VDC operating voltage range, potentiometer or teach-in button sensitivity adjustment, and a fast 1-kHz switching frequency. Highly visible red LED models are offered with the polarized reflective sensing style, while infrared models are available in diffuse and through-beam styles. Lots of applications. Three-year warranty.
Learn more.

Engineer's Toolbox: Critical inspection of airplane parts with a SVS-Vistek 10GigE camera

Manufacturers of aviation engine components are being impacted by Industry 4.0's emphasis on quality control, which is challenging them to rethink outdated processes and to embrace new technologies. A new system developed by researchers in Italy uses a Kuka robot, a SVS-Vistek 61-megapixel 10GigE camera, and AI to detect defects in honeycomb aerospace parts faster and with more accuracy.
Read the full article.

New camera can identify objects at the speed of light using meta-lenses

UW ECE and Physics Professor Arka Majumdar and his students have collaborated with Princeton University to build a new type of compact camera engineered for computer vision. Their prototype (shown above) uses optics for computing, significantly reducing power consumption and enabling the camera to identify objects at the speed of light. [Credit: Photo by Ilya Chugunov, courtesy of Princeton University]

 

 

 

 

By Wayne Gillam, University of Washington Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (UW ECE)

Collaboration can be a beautiful thing, especially when people work together to create something new. Take, for example, a longstanding collaboration between Arka Majumdar, a University of Washington (UW) professor in electrical and computer engineering and physics, and Felix Heide, an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University. Together, they and their students have produced some eye-popping and groundbreaking research, including shrinking a camera down to the size of a grain of salt while still capturing crisp, clear images.

Now, the pair is building on this work, recently publishing a paper in Science Advances that describes a new kind of compact camera engineered for computer vision -- a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to recognize objects in images and video. Majumdar and Heide's research prototype uses optics for computing, significantly reducing power consumption and enabling the camera to identify objects at the speed of light. Their device also represents a new approach to the field of computer vision.

"This is a completely new way of thinking about optics, which is very different from traditional optics. It's end-to-end design, where the optics are designed in conjunction with the computational block," Majumdar said. "Here, we replaced the camera lens with engineered optics, which allows us to put a lot of the computation into the optics."

"There are really broad applications for this research, from self-driving cars, self-driving trucks, and other robotics to medical devices and smartphones. Nowadays, every iPhone has AI or vision technology in it," added Heide, who was the principal investigator and senior author of the Science Advances paper. "This work is still at a very early stage, but all of these applications could someday benefit from what we are developing."

Heide and his students at Princeton provided the design for the camera prototype, which is a compact, optical computing chip. Majumdar contributed his expertise in optics to help engineer the camera, and he and his students fabricated the chip in the Washington Nanofabrication Laboratory. The UW side of this multi-institutional research team included Johannes Froech, a UW ECE postdoctoral scholar, and James Whitehead (Ph.D. '22), who was a UW ECE doctoral student in Majumdar's lab when this research took place.

Replacing a camera lens with engineered optics
Instead of using a traditional camera lens made out of glass or plastic, the optics in this camera relies on layers of 50 meta-lenses -- flat, lightweight optical components that use microscopic nanostructures to manipulate light. The meta-lenses also function as an optical neural network, which is a computer system that is a form of artificial intelligence modeled on the human brain.

Instead of using a traditional camera lens made of glass or plastic, this camera's optics rely on layers of 50 meta-lenses -- flat, lightweight optical components that use microscopic nanostructures to manipulate light. These meta-lenses fit into a compact, optical computing chip (shown above) fabricated in the Washington Nanofabrication Lab. [Credit: Photo by Ilya Chugunov, courtesy of Princeton University]

 

 

 

 

This unique approach has a couple of key advantages. First, it's fast. Because much of the computation takes place at the speed of light, the system can identify and classify images more than 200 times faster than neural networks that use conventional computer hardware, and with comparable accuracy. Second, because the optics in the camera rely on incoming light to operate, rather than electricity, the power consumption is greatly reduced.

"Our idea was to use some of the work that Arka pioneered on metasurfaces to bring some of those computations that are traditionally done electronically into the optics at the speed of light," Heide said. "By doing so, we produced a new computer vision system that performs a lot of the computation optically."

VIDEO: Spatially varying nanophotonic neural networks. [Credit: Princeton Computational Imaging Lab]

Majumdar and Heide said that they intend to continue their collaboration. Next steps for this research include further iterations, evolving the prototype so it is more relevant for autonomous navigation in self-driving vehicles. This is an application area they both have identified as promising. They also plan to work with more complex data sets and problems that take greater computing power to solve, such as object detection (locating specific objects within an image), which is an important feature for computer vision.

"Right now, this optical computing system is a research prototype, and it works for one particular application," Majumdar said. "However, we see it eventually becoming broadly applicable to many technologies. That, of course, remains to be seen, but here, we demonstrated the first step. And it is a big step forward compared to all other existing optical implementations of neural networks."

"Spatially varying nanophotonic neural networks" was published Nov. 8 in Science Advances.

Published February 2025

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