My Opinion: Use the IIoT — Thoughtfully

The connected factory has a lot to offer, but getting it from the minds of the designers to a working system on the shop floor is not a simple process.

Whatever Happened to Analog in this Digital Age?

These days all electronics seems to be digital, except for a few exceptions here and there. However, it’s a mistake to write analog off altogether.

Sensors — the Heart of the IoT

Sensors are getting smarter and smarter. Without them there would be no IoT, or IIoT, or Industry 4.0.

How Much Do You Know About PLCs for Industrial Control?

Industrial PLCs were first used in 1969 and are still in wide use today. Test your PLC knowledge with this quiz.

How Much Do You Know About Ethernet?

Everyone uses Ethernet all the time. It's that cable you plug in to connect stuff. How much do you know about it? Take this quiz to find out.

Top 5 Tech Briefs Quizzes of 2022

See Tech Briefs’ top-performing quizzes of 2022.

What Do You Know About 5G Technology?

There is a huge amount of hype around 5G technology. So, how much do you really know about it?

Powerful Micro-PLCs Enhance Equipment and Testing Systems

For many types of machinery and test equipment, there is a great need to perform basic automatic control functions, or even just sensor monitoring. Developing hardwired automation is...

New Products

Battery Management Solution

InnovationLab (Heidelberg, Germany) has launched BaMoS, its battery monitoring solution for automotive applications. BaMoS uses ultra-thin printed pressure and temperature sensors to capture...

Rethinking Industrial Ethernet

IE may not be the best solution in every situation, says an industry expert.

Secure to the Core

One major concern for manufacturers is how safe and secure it is to open the OT network’s doors to the internet.

Connections for Control: Communications Interfaces for Position and Motion Sensors

Learn about widely used communications technologies for motion control.

RF Wireless Power Unleashes the Ubiquity of Sensor Networks

AI will only reach its full potential when it can be fed with a constant stream of data from a plentitude of diverse sources.

Innovative IoT Sensor Applications Pave the Way to the Future

Sensors play a pivotal role in solving critical business challenges.

Product of the Month

A new power supply from Bicker Elektronik has a backup battery that bridges power failures, brownouts, and flicker.

System Standardization Streamlines Industrial Designs

Equipment designers can simplify design efforts and adjust controller platforms as needed when they standardize on electronic input/output products.

USB and GigE Connectivity for Modern Machine Vision

Learn the USB3 and GigE vision standards, how they keep pace with imaging technologies, and how augmenting the cabling is critical for optimal performance.

New Products

Perovskites

Goodfellow (Coraopolis, PA) recently announced a new range of perovskites, a group of materials that demonstrate great potential for optoelectronic applications. Perovskites have a unique and versatile...

Understanding the Implications of 5G Cellular

To clear up some of the confusion about what the industry means when it says 5G, here’s a guide to what it’s all about.

What’s Next in Mobility: WCX 2020 SAE World Congress Experience

Your preview of one of the largest technical mobility events of the year.

5G in Manufacturing: What’s Here and What’s to Come

5G has the potential to provide connectivity for a range of different uses in manufacturing.

Smart Manufacturing Control

Today's advanced smart CNC controls allow manufacturers to optimize the manufacturing process right on the factory floor

CES 2020: A High-Tech Wine Dispenser and More Arrivals to the Smart Home

Here are five technologies that aim to add intelligence to the most surprising household objects.

Implanted Wireless Nerve Stimulator

In 2016, UC Berkeley engineers demonstrated the first implanted, ultrasonic, neural dust sensors. Now, taking the next step, the smallest-volume wireless nerve stimulator was developed, called StimDust...