Each week, the editor of Planet Analog finds technical items of interest and highlights them in this “Also of Interest” feature. In addition, we also provide an archive of recent weekly Planet Analog Newsletters, viewable as pdf files; see the list at the very bottom.

The “Also of Interest” listing is the embodiment of our belief that engineers are interested in exploring topics which are not directly related to their jobs, but which will broaden their knowledge and sometimes spur further innovative and creative approaches.

Among the publications we check are IEEE Spectrum , Machine Design , Design News , Laser Focus World , Photonics Spectra , NASA Tech Briefs (in its various manifestations), Microwave Journal , RF & Microwaves , and Physics Today —and there are others, as well.

Consider these items as online “extras”, and worth a look and a few minutes of your time. (Please note: there are also links to the past weeks' editions of this feature, in the “Navigate” box to the right.)

Also of Interest:

• In-depth look at some of the fundamental enabling features of the physical layer that allow the specification to support higher throughput:
  “Underneath the Hood of 802.11ac “
  Microwave Journal , November 2011
• Using an approximation model is often the best way to address a challenging problem or to accelerate a lengthy process:
  “Surrogates Promise Better, Faster Designs,”
  Desktop Engineering , January 2012
• Ultrasonic additive manufacturing makes parts no other technique can:
  “Hot reception for low-temperature bonding,”
  Machine Design , November 3, 2011
• The Active Contact Flange gives robots a humanlike tactile sense, helping automate surface finishing and sensitive assembly operations:
  “Robots with force and touch sensitivity,”
  Machine Design , November 3, 2011
• A team of self-financed amateur rocket scientists from south Florida, working under the name Qu8K (pronounced quake), launched a 14-ft-tall, 320-lb rocket from Black Rock Dessert, Nev., this past September:
  “Prize-winning “amateur” rocket zooms to 120,000 ft,”
  Machine Design , November 17, 2011
• Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a widely used modality to improve healing of acute and chronic wounds though the application of topical reduced pressure:
  “Ultra-Portable Device Makes Negative Pressure Wound Therapy More Affordable, Accessible,”
  Medical Design Briefs , January 2012
• Input filter caps need to be able to supply a quick burst of energy and to suppress noise generated in the switch circuit; output filter caps must allow charging and discharging in concert with the rise and fall of the ripple current at the output:
  “Choosing a Capacitor for Use as a Switch-Mode Power Supply Filter,”
  Defense Tech Briefs , December 2011
• A proven method to provide circuit protection includes the use of an electronic current limiter (ECL), which reacts when either the voltage or current is out of the safe range of operation.:
  “An Advanced Circuit Protection Approach for RF Interfaces,”
  Defense Tech Briefs , December 2011

used PMDL

• This apparatus distributes dust (typical of the Martian surface) in a uniform fashion on the surface of multiple samples simultaneously:
  “Uniform Dust Distributor for Testing Radiative Emittance of Dust-Coated Surfaces,”
  NASA Tech Briefs , January 2012
• SAW devices and retroreflective antenna arrays are combined to reflect significantly more signal power back toward a radio transceiver, than does a comparable passive RFID tag of prior design:
  “Extended-Range Passive RFID and Sensor Tags,”
  NASA Tech Briefs , January 2012

Recent Planet Analog Newsletters (click to see as a pdf):

• February 29, 2012
• February 22, 2012
• February 15, 2012
• February 8, 2012