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.
[Sharp-eyed regular readers or those with good memories will notice that we no longer have our “Elementals” sub-section; it was just getting to be a lot of extra work for little return, since most of the items there could be found by basic keyword search. This is unlike “Also of Interest”, which has the special serendipity factor.]
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:
- This article provides an introduction of how today’s machine vision technology guides basic robotic functions:
“Machine Vision Fundamentals: How to Make Robots ‘See’,”
NASA Tech Briefs , June 2011 - This invention was demonstrated to successfully track a human heartbeat, and may be used to make magnetocardiograms, as supplement to electrocardiograms:
“Miniature Atom-Based Magnetic Sensor,”
NASA Medical Design Briefs , June 2011 - A variable-pitch wind-turbine blade adjusts its angle with changing windspeed for higher efficiencies over a greater range of wind speeds and helps prevent turbine blade runaways and other dangerous conditions:
“Wind turbine blades that change pitch boost wind power efficiency,”
Machine Design , August 11, 2011 - As in any energy conversion from original source to a usable form, the various stages of adaptation introduce efficiency losses.:
“Improving Microinverter Performance in Photovoltaic Systems,”
PhotonicTech Briefs , September 2011 - The future of space exploration will include swarms of tiny spacecraft:
“Exploring Space with Chip-sized Satellites,”
IEEE Spectrum , August 2011 - Low-frequency sound waves improve ocean sensing:
” New Sonar Technology Reveals City-size Schools of Fish,”
IEEE Spectrum , August 2011 - Can you imagine a robot designed to travel on the surface of a human heart?:
“HeartLander Surgical Robot Inches Closer to Reality,”
Design News , October 2011 - Electromagnetic interference is highly problematic for designers of all types of products and systems:
“Get a GRIP on EMI,”
Desktop Engineering , October 2011
Recent Planet Analog Newsletters (click to see as a pdf):
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