Congatec – a company that specialises in embedded computer modules, single board computers and embedded design and manufacturing services – offers a design solution for the simplified orchestration of wireless sensor networks. The solution is based on the new, application-ready Congatec Cloud Application Programming Interface (API) for IoT Gateways, which is capable of integrating any … Continue reading Simplifying the orchestration of wireless sensor networks →

Slow wi-fi is a source of irritation that nearly everyone experiences. Wireless devices in the home consume ever more data, and it’s only growing, and congesting the wi-fi network. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology have come up with a surprising solution: a wireless network based on harmless infrared rays. The capacity is not only … Continue reading Cheap set-up, super-fast wifi →

Reaction torque sensors are often used to monitor the torque output in order to ensure that the robot arms maintain a smooth and steady motion. Versatile and adaptive robotic armatures can increase manufacturing productivity by automating and performing complex, repetitive tasks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These arms are often designed to … Continue reading Torque sensors for robotic joints →

Melbourne schoolgirl Brooklyn McDonald got a nasty surprise when her Samsung Galaxy S4 exploded on her lap on her way to school. Left with first- and second-degree burns, McDonald was on her way to Mooroolbark school in Melbourne when the phone burst into flames, according to a report in the Daily Mail. McDonald was being … Continue reading Counterfeit battery to blame for exploding Samsung S4 →

Researchers at ETH Zurich and IBM Research Zurich have built a tiny redox flow battery. This means that future computer chip stacks—in which individual chips are stacked like pancakes to save space and energy—could be supplied with electrical power and cooled at the same time by such integrated flow batteries. In a flow battery, an … Continue reading Liquid fuel for future computers →

The TALQ Consortium, developers of the global standard interface for smart outdoor lighting networks, have released the formal beta version of the TALQ Test Suite for its members. Companies can start testing their smart lighting solutions for multi-vendor interoperability. The Test Suite will allow first products to be TALQ certified later this year – ensuring … Continue reading Global standard for street light products →

Panasonic Automotive and Industrial Systems has extended its product line of OS-CON polymer-aluminium-solid capacitors with three new series for environments requiring high temperatures of up to 125°C, such as heavy industrial and stressful environments. The products have a small footprint, great ESR values, low power consumption, and are able to withstand high humidity (95°C/95 per … Continue reading Panasonic capacitors handle high temperatures →

The brain is soft and electronics are stiff, which can make combining the two challenging, such as when neuroscientists implant electrodes to measure brain activity and perhaps deliver tiny jolts of electricity for pain relief or other purposes. Chemical engineer Zhenan Bao is trying to change that. For more than a decade, her lab has … Continue reading Plastic electrode stretches like rubber but carries electricity like wires →

Backplane Systems Technology has released Winmate’s M101B 10.1-inch high-brightness rugged Windows tablet. The tablet uses the latest Intel Celeron N2930 1.83GHz quad-core Bay Trail processor that allows high performance and low power consumption, equipped with a 10.1-inch high resolution 1920 x 1200 IPS LED display that is 700 nits sunlight readable, making it suitable for … Continue reading Rugged Windows tablet with low power consumption →

GaN Systems will conduct live demonstrations of commercial systems that use GaN transistors at the 2017 Electronica Shanghai Exposition. The company will showcase customer-built, commercial systems that use GaN transistors to power a diverse range applications, including DC/DC converters, energy storage systems, EV traction inverters and more. Among the new systems enabled by GaN transistors … Continue reading Live demos of GaN transistors at China Expo →

Toshiba has added 19 products to its line-up of new-generation transistor arrays equipped with DMOS FET outputs. The new devices have application in areas including motors, relays, LEDs, and level shifters for control communication lines. Products currently in mass production are mainly high-active (H-active) type products in which output is turned on if H level is … Continue reading Toshiba expands transistor array offering →

Research and Markets’s Global and China Lithium Battery Electrolyte Industry Report, 2017-2021 gives an insight into the current state of the lithium battery market. Global output of lithium battery electrolyte was about 150,000 tons in 2016, up 35.5 per cent from a year ago, largely concentrated in the countries such as China, South Korea and … Continue reading Lithium battery materials output increases by 35 per cent →

Researchers from Kwangwoon University in Seoul are improving the fabrication of transistor-based biosensors by using silicon nanowires on their surface. The team, led by Won-Ju Cho, based their device on the ‘dual-gate field-effect transistor’ (DG FET). When molecules bind on a field-effect transistor, a change happens in the surface’s electric charge. This makes FETs good … Continue reading Silicon nanowires improve fabrication of transistor-based biosensors →

Apple suppliers TSMC and Foxconn may be disqualified from being able to buy stakes in Toshiba’s memory chip business due to security concerns by the Japanese government. The government says it might control the auction and isn’t looking favourably towards Taiwan’s Foxconn due to its close relations with China. Toshiba is looking to sell its … Continue reading Security concerns for Japanese govt over sale of Toshiba chip business →

The leading IoT conference series is returning to Berlin on the 1-2nd June, with keynote speakers from the likes of Nestlé, BMW, Coca-Cola, GSK, Microsoft, Johnson Controls, Sigfox, Hamburg Sud, Piaggio, Turkish Airlines, Volvo, Reliance, Engie and more. The 2-day event will cover a range of industries from manufacturing to healthcare, transportation to government, logistics … Continue reading Keynote speakers announced for IoT Tech Expo 2017 →

Tesla chief executive and OpenAI founder Elon Musk suggested last week that humanity might stave off irrelevance from the rise of the machines by merging with the machines and becoming cyborgs. However, current trends in software-only artificial intelligence and deep learning technology raise serious doubts about the plausibility of this claim, especially in the long … Continue reading Merging our brains with machines won’t stop the rise of the robots →

Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications and semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics have achieved a new milestone with a new-generation chip that will power Eutelsat’s SmartLNB interactive terminal. ST’s low-power System-on-Chip is said to represent a big step down in the overall cost of interactive satellite terminals. The STiD337’s first adoption is in Eutelsat’s SmartLNB, lowering cost, upgrading service, … Continue reading Low-power system-on-chip for interactive satellite terminals →

RS Components has announced that store.Arduino.cc has been appointed as official global reseller of the Simatic IoT2020 IoT industrial gateway, which is manufactured by Siemens. RS has signed a contract with Arduino.cc, enabling the company to market the industrial gateway product to its primary target audience of students, makers, geeks and young engineers, via the Arduino.cc … Continue reading RS Components signs deal with Arduino →

Toshiba has announced the launch of a new line-up of high voltage intelligent power devices (IPDs) in small-size packages for use in various fan motors including air conditioners, air cleaners and pumps. The new line-up consists of 2 products, the 600V/2.5A “TPD4204F” and the 500V/2.5A “TPD4206F,” and starts shipments from today. Utilising the latest Toshiba … Continue reading IPDs for fan motors →