A Window on Warehouse Operations

Human/machine interfaces, from the smallest text display to the most sophisticated industrial computer, provide windows on the full range of warehousing and manufacturing operations. A white paper describes how these interfaces are evolving and how to differentiate products by their ease of installation and operation and their visibility. [Access to this article may require a short registration.]

http://www.us.telemecanique.com/HMI_Ad_Landing_Page/index.htm

Fast Step with Orthotics Software



How did this start-up orthotics manufacturer become so successful in its first year of operation? Reliance on Delcam's OrthoModel for modeling and machining custom foot orthotics improves product quality and shrinks delivery time. All this fancy footwork handles the up-front leg work and has given the company a sharp competitive edge.

http://www.onlinetmd.com/article.cfm?id=1304

Analyze, Optimize, Simulate



The benefits of time compression, risk and cost mitigation, physical scaling, and regulatory compliance can be rolled into software simulation packages. Learn how to optimize production throughout the device life cycle in this Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry piece, which covers simulation at part, tool, cell, and floor levels.

http://www.devicelink.com/mddi/archive/08/07/005.html

Guidance for Surgical Robots

Where does a surgical robot turn for help? To an artificial intelligence program for brain power, and 3D ultrasound technology for vision and guide actions. Using 3D moving images in real-time from an ultrasound transducer, a tabletop robot directed a needle on its arm to touch the tip of another needle within a blood vessel graft.

http://www.diagnosticimaging.com/ultrasound/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=T0ZX5ZF4L1DE4QSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN?cid=DI-home-ultrasound&articleID=209600650

Is Resistance Really Futile?

Computers have become a major part of our daily productivity. And in some cases, they also are responsible for a lack thereof. The operating system is the heart of the beast which occasionally needs fine tuning in the form of upgrades or services packs, but nothing is more shocking than an upgrade gone horribly wrong. Find out whether or not you should succumb to the latest bleeding edge upgrade or wait for the smoke to clear.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207600950

Wireless Sensors Harvest Power

Wireless sensor deployment relies on the development of energy harvesting and power management techniques. Energy harvesting uses power from ambient energy sources (light and vibration) to power batteries. Sensors covers a wireless sensor research report that analyzes power management and discusses key wireless sensor applications in energy management.

http://process.sensorsmag.com/sensorsprocess/Process+News/Wireless-Sensor-Networks-Evolve-with-Power-Managem/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/533602?contextCategoryId=25970

MEMS Printers to Revolutionize Industry

Soon MEMS-based inkjet nozzles promise to revolutionize printing. PC Magazine reports that Memjet nozzles are made using conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques. 20 mm chips hold 6,400 nozzles with five color channels. Memjet printers will run at 60-pages-per-minute initially and 360-pages-per-minute soon.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2326938,00.asp

SCADA Keeps Tabs on Remote Equipment

As cell phone and Internet connectivity mature, using Supervisory-Control-and-Data-Acquisition (SCADA) equipment to monitor equipment health in remote locations makes sense (and cents). A natural gas utility cut compressor supervisory staff from 85 to 35, while the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewage Authority cut maintenance and response times from days to hours.

http://www.automationworld.com/feature-4437