Electrical, Electronics, and Avionics

Electronic control systems

Stories

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Articles: Motion Control
Actuators have always been on the frontline of automation, providing the “push and pull” that extends human capabilities to operate everything from delicate pick-and-place applications to...
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Briefs: Materials
To comply with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, pure tin is replacing lead-tin alloys in commercial electronic devices. Unfortunately, tin can grow whiskers...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The huge demand for switching components exceeding silicon's (Si) current density limitation of 200 A/cm2 has pushed the enhancement of alternative semiconductor materials such as...
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Technology Leaders: Photonics/Optics
Laser range-finding, or LIDAR, is a way of measuring distance, directly analogous to radar except using radiation in the near infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum rather than...
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Articles: Automotive
With every passing year, it's getting more difficult to recognize the current crop of passenger vehicles as the descendants of Henry Ford's Model T. Those first mass-produced vehicles didn't even...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
NASA Langley Research Center has developed a wireless, connection-free, open-circuit technology that can be used for developing electrical devices such as...
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Articles: Defense
FLASH® BAINITE — HIGH PERFORMANCE ARMOR Gary Cola, Flash Bainite, Washington, MI The Flash® Bainite Process is a rapid heat treating process for creating steel that is...
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Articles: Electronics & Computers
1,000X BETTER DATA COMPRESSION AND REAL-TIME DECODING OF HIGH-RESOLUTION MAPS Shaun McWherter, Mark Skoog, and Jamie Willhite, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards,...
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Residual Mode Filters
NASA has developed a unique control algorithm and synthesis method that uses a system’s output to modify control inputs to cause the system to track a reference model or a fixed value in the presence of unmodeled system dynamics, varying operating environments, and unpredictable disturbances. The unique feature of this...
Briefs: Imaging
NASA’s Langley Research Center has developed 3D imaging technologies (Flash LIDAR) for real-time terrain mapping and synthetic...
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INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
The consumer marketplace is flooded with a lively assortment of smart wearable electronics that do everything from monitor vital signs, fitness or sun exposure to play music,...
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Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Two decades have passed since automotive manufacturers began using the first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometer to measure strong acceleration and trigger the deployment of airbags...
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Articles: Test & Measurement
The seconds to minutes of advance warning of an earthquake can allow people and systems to take actions to protect life and property from destructive shaking. Earthquake early warning...
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Briefs: Aerospace
Adaptive Augmenting Control
Adaptive augmenting control (AAC) is a forward gain, multiplicative adaptive algorithm for launch vehicle flight control that meets three summary-level design objectives: Do no harm — return to baseline control design when not needed; respond to errors in the ability of the vehicle to track commands to increase...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
One of the most common causes of electronics failure is moisture. Because water and electronics do not mix well, several strategies exist to protect mission-critical components from...
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization
The microgravity conditions of space travel create unique physiological demands on the astronauts’ skeletal structures, resulting in a reduction in bone strength from restructuring of the micro-architecture and loss of key minerals. An ultrasound system was developed that is capable of...
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A new imaging sensor created by a team at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Toronto allows depth cameras to operate effectively in bright sunlight. The researchers, including Srinivasa...
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Application Briefs: Unmanned Systems
In an effort to improve traffic flow, driver safety, and asset management, the Michigan Department of Transportation (DOT) has installed 17 sensors on a 50-mile stretch of...
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INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Light, sound, and now, heat. Just as optical invisibility cloaks can bend and diffract light to shield an object from sight, and specially fabricated acoustic metamaterials can hide an object...
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Briefs: Test & Measurement
Decomposition Technique for Remaining Useful Life Prediction
Technology has been developed that provides a way to compute the remaining useful life (RUL) of a component or system. The estimation of the RUL of a degraded or faulty component is at the center of condition-based maintenance, and prognostics and health management. It gives operators a...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Fujitsu has developed a new smartphone with iris recognition, and a Clarkson University professor says she expects the technology to be available in the United States in the near future....
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Articles: Aerospace
The civil aviation market comprises commercial passenger planes, cargo planes, private planes, private jets, and helicopters. Design engineers strive to reduce aircraft weight and costs,...
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Controlling Execution Sequence Using Tactile-Classification During Manipulation by a Humanoid Robot
It is necessary to track system state during robotic manipulation. System state is defined to be manipulator and environment configuration. Without tracking, the robot is ignorant of the outcomes of its actions. State tracking enables the robot to...
Briefs: Aerospace
Method for Improving Control Systems with Normalized Adaptation by Optimal Control Modification
A new technology has been developed for improving performance and stability of control systems. This method represents a significant advancement in the state-of-the-art of adaptive control technology. The present invention is a new type of adaptive...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Resistance thermometers, also called resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), are very common sensors used for temperature measurement. Their reliability, ruggedness, wide range,...
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Articles: Electronics & Computers
In Formula 1 and other autosports, weight reduction is critical to competitive advantage. A few grams saved here and a few more saved there can add up to significant savings. There is also a move...
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Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Audi completed a long-distance test drive of its Audi A7 Sportback semi-autonomous concept vehicle, finishing the journey at the International CES 2015 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. The...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Designing automotive electronics presents numerous technical challenges, including the need to protect against electrical hazards. The three major sources of electrical hazards in...
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Articles: Imaging
Let’s say you’re a prospective buyer touring an older home that you suspect has some weatherization issues. What if you could verify your hunch by literally seeing cold air seeping under doors or...
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