3D CAD uses 2D concepts for ease of use

PTC will be shipping Cocreate 17.0, next major release of its explicit modelling 3D CAD software package, in the second quarter of 2010. The company says that Cocreate 17.0 leverages concepts and techniques familiar in 2D to make 3D CAD easy to understand and use.

Performance benchmarks by users around the world have experienced productivity gains with Cocreate 17.0 compared with Cocreate 16.0: design productivity is up to twice as fast; time spent creating 2D profiles is reduced by up to 40 per cent; models can be modified up to twice as fast; models can be modified with the new push and pull design paradigm three times faster; and the time spent creating and modifying advanced 3D patterns can be reduced by 60 per cent.

Cocreate 17.0 introduces over 560 enhancements, including interactive, intuitive ways of working with 2D profiles and 3D models. These features include real-time explicit modelling and rendering, context-sensitive mini-toolbars, new interaction paradigms and tools to minimise the need for a traditional user interface, and intelligent 3D dimensioning drives change for complex modifications.

With this launch, PTC says Cocreate and Pro/Engineer now work together so companies using both tools, either themselves or through suppliers, can collaborate on product development.

Stefan Kolb, a design engineer, comments: “When working with Cocreate 17.0, up to 90 per cent of the time I am using the new context-sensitive mini-toolbars, and directly working on the model. That means I am much faster, with a lot less mouse clicks and mouse travel. I very rarely use the traditional main task bars and menus anymore.”

Brian Shepherd, the executive vice president of product development at PTC, states: “Cocreate Modeling 17.0 increases everyday design productivity by delivering key new capabilities for faster design. Many new capabilities were developed in co-operation with global machinery and high-tech electronics customers that rely upon the industry’s leading explicit 3D CAD system for 3D product design. The majority of the concepts in Cocreate 17.0 parallel those found in the 2D CAD world, making adoption easier than ever before.”

For more information, visit www.ptc.com

3D CAD uses 2D concepts for ease of use is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Bearings last longer in harsh environments

Baldor Electric is introducing a new Dodge-brand mounted ball bearing incorporating sealing and lubrication innovations that can substantially extend equipment lifetimes in harsh, washdown-duty operating environments such as food and beverage processing. Dodge Ultra Kleen ball bearings employ a 100 per cent stainless steel bearing insert and feature a patented new sealing system and a ball retainer that together retain lubrication and prevent washout in wet operating environments.

The new sealing system, known as Quadguard, consists of two patented features: a triple-lip seal and a rubberised flinger. The triple-lip seal offers three points of contact, keeping the lubricant in and contaminants out. This design – which is claimed to be unique – maximises sealing with minimal drag. The rubberised flinger, which is said to be the industry’s first and only patented design, is a moulded nitrile rubber component that is bonded to the flinger surface and provides an additional barrier to contaminants. The rubber-baffled design on the external surface of the flinger enhances the removal of liquid as it rotates, while grease chambers on the internal surface of the flinger prevent lubricant from exiting the bearing.

A new two-piece ball retaining cage, called Maxlife, creates a grease compartment around each of the rolling elements. The compartments provide constant contact between ball and grease so an oil film always exists to prevent wear and minimise friction and heat. The compartmental construction holds in the grease and prevents it from being washed out. This exclusive design extends the life of the bearing and requires less frequent relubrication than standard designs.

A 65-degree spacing of the setscrews provides excellent locking force without compromising the strength of the inner ring, while a stainless anti-rotation pin prevents the insert from rotating in the housing. The stainless housing is made with 300 grade steel. Polymer-housed versions have an added antimicrobial agent that retards the growth of bacteria and fungi. Both housing styles contain all-stainless hardware and fittings, as well as stainless steel inserts. All versions additionally feature a solid, flat base that has no cavities or areas that could provide a site for bacterial growth.

For additional protection, the housings are machined with a groove to accept a snap-on polymer end cover to cover exposed, rotating shafts and create safer working conditions. These covers incorporate a drain hole to prevent a build-up of moisture.

Dodge Ultra Kleen bearings are offered in a wide variety of stainless steel and polymer housings, in both metric and imperial size.

For more information, visit www.dodge-pt.com

Bearings last longer in harsh environments is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Printable sensors to detect fingers without touching

Researchers form the Fraunhofer Institute are working as part of the EU 3Plast research consortium to develop sensors that can be printed onto plastic film and attached to objects so that, for example, electronic devices can be controlled just by pointing a finger. Rather than responding to a directly applied force or acceleration, the sensors react to tiny fluctuations in temperature and differences in pressure, thereby recognising a finger as it approaches.

3Plast, which stands for Printable pyroelectrical and piezoelectrical large area sensor technology, is a consortium that comprises companies and institutes from industry and research with the goal of mass-producing pressure and temperature sensors that can be cheaply printed onto plastic film and flexibly affixed to a wide range of everyday objects. The 2.2million euro project is co-ordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC) in Würzburg, Germany. Gerhard Domann, who leads the project, says: “The sensor consists of pyroelectrical and piezoelectrical polymers which can now be processed in high volumes by screen printing, for example. The sensor is combined with an organic transistor, which strengthens the sensor signal. It is strongest where the finger is. The special thing about our sensor is that the transistor can also be printed.”

The production of polymer sensors still poses a number of challenges. To produce printable transistors, the insulation materials have to be very thin. The experts at the ISC have, however, succeeded in producing an insulator that is only 100nm thick; the first sensors have already been printed onto film. Currently the researchers are working on optimised transistors that can amplify rapid changes in temperature and pressure.

Domann continues: “By providing everyday objects with information about their environment – for example whether a person is approaching – by means of pressure and temperature sensors, we can create and market new devices that can be controlled just by pointing a finger.” The research scientist envisions further applications for the technology in the automotive and construction industries as well as in robotics: “The project comes to an end in January 2011, but we think it will take a few more years before sensors can be printed on large surfaces.”

For more information, visit www.fraunhofer.de

Printable sensors to detect fingers without touching is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Hybrid-electric race car

SKF has been chosen by Zytek Engineering to supply customised and standard deep groove ball bearings to the electric motor generator unit and the intermediate shaft of the new Ginetta-Zytek GZ09HS racing car.
 
The car, manufactured by Zytek Engineering and managed by Corsa Motorsport, is the first racing car to feature an advanced alternative-fuelled hybrid propulsion system. It has the ability to run on either one or both of two propulsion systems – a normally aspirated V8 (petrol) engine and a 35kw electric motor, powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged using a kinetic energy recovery system. This hybrid propulsion system is unique in racing today.

GZ09HS has received a final homologation from FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), and has been closely inspected by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) who describes it as a very sophisticated car.
 
A remarkable achievement for the new GZ09HS took place earlier this year in Lakeville, Connecticut, USA, when it conquered the first ever podium position for such a hybrid car at an American Le Mans Series race.
 
For more information, www.skf.com
 

Hybrid-electric race car is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Digital pressure sensor with programmable microcontroller

Sensonor Technologies is launching the SP300-series multipurpose digital absolute pressure sensor that comes fully calibrated and compensated, with a programmable, embedded RISC microcontroller and optional accelerometer. Versatile and customer-specified communication is via five general-purpose I/O pins and a two-channel low-frequency receiver supporting wireless command and data reception that can be used for configuration and device wake up. Sophisticated features such as electronic identification, temperature measurement, supply voltage measurement, diagnostics and an optional 125 ‘g’ on-chip accelerometer are available. A set of ROM library functions simplifies code development.

A fully autonomous pressure, acceleration and temperature measurement system is created by adding a battery, a radio transmitter chip and an antenna. Due to the innovative ultra-low-power architecture, the sensor is suitable for use in battery-powered devices. Standby current is just 0.3uA and low-noise 11-bit measurement requires 4uA. The SP300-series is offered in 0.5-16bar full scale ranges and in a 14-pin plastic SOIC package with optional pressure tube connection.

Carsten Fongen, sales manager at Sensonor Technologies, states: “Launch of SP300 is a milestone in history of MEMS pressure sensors; capable of operating in the most demanding environments, using a patented bulk micro-machined triple-stack design with backside media access, and functional over the full -40 to +125 degrees C temperature range with survival even up to +175 degrees C for shorter periods. The exceptional multifunction makes SP300 ideal for applications with distributed points of measurement; system architecture can be realised with a minimum of components and without wiring each unit to a central control; this provides system designers full flexibility and secures the lowest system cost. Due to the extreme low power a tiny coin-type battery provides enough energy for years and years of operation.”

The SP300 is available in volumes and pricing, without accelerometer and pressure tube, starts at EUR18.00 in quantities of 1000.

For more information, visit www.sensonor.com

Digital pressure sensor with programmable microcontroller is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Thermocouple is suitable for measuring very high temperatures

Okazaki Manufacturing Company (OMC) is introducing the Aeropak Great thermocouple that offers high performance and long life in harsh process environments thanks to superior resistance to temperature, vibration, impact, corrosion and abrasion. It features a thick wall mineral insulated (MI) thermocouple cable for use in process environments such as incinerators, heat treatment furnaces and industrial ovens, as well as for measuring the temperature of molten metals. Units can also be supplied with a hard coating such as cement or Stellite for improved resistance in other harsh high-temperature applications, including heavy oil, pulverised coal-firing furnaces, cement kilns and dispersion kneaders used in the mixing of plastics or rubber.
 
With Aeropak Great, the void between the element and the thick wall sheath is densely filled with high-purity magnesium oxide (MgO) to prevent any residual air from penetrating the sheath. This enables faster response times compared with conventional standard thermocouples. Cable lengths of up to 10m can be specified.
 
Chris Chant, business development manager at Okazaki Manufacturing Company, states: “Aeropak Great is manufactured using OMC’s special cold drawn technology, which enables such long lengths of high-quality cable to be produced. The thermocouple element is protected by the thick wall sheath and high-purity magnesium oxide, which enables the product to withstand severe conditions, providing excellent corrosion and heat resistance.”
 
Aeropak Great thermocouples are supplied in large diameters with a very thick-walled sheath (up to 22mm outside diameter), providing high resistance to vibration and impact shocks. These thermocouples are said to perform very well in bright annealing furnaces and carburisation ovens, where tantalum wires are added to Hoskins 2300 material; the selective oxidation rate of type K thermocouple wire when exposed to hydrogen gas can be reduced significantly. When combined with a silicon nitride protection tube, the Aeropak Great is able to withstand the very high temperatures associated with molten metal applications.
 
Supplied with an easy-to-use terminal head, the Aeropak Great is suitable for a wide range of temperature sensors and RTDs.
 
For more information, visit www.okazaki-mfg.co.uk

Thermocouple is suitable for measuring very high temperatures is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Free version of computational fluid dynamics package

CEI is releasing Ensight CFD 2.0, a computational fluid dynamics package that features volume rendering and session files. In addition there is now a Cocoa Mac version and CEI has created a new dedicated website for Ensight CFD. However, another interesting addition to Ensight CFD 2.0 is a free version. This has some limits in file size (relating to the number of elements), does not read all of the same data formats, and has a small watermark on the screen; other than that and a lack of access to personal support, the free version is comparable to the paid version.

CEI did not have to make a free version to appeal to its current Ensight user base since it is possible to run Ensight CFD using a current installation and license of Ensight, for no additional cost. In fact Ensight CFD is not targeted at current Ensight customers.

Ensight CFD lags behind classic Ensight versions such as the Lite, Standard and Gold versions, as well as DR in terms of high-end features such as batch mode, client-server, python scripting, command window, variable field calculator, keyframe animation and more. But Ensight CFD is said to be comparable with or better than other applications that have been at the lower level of capability to classic Ensight.

By introducing the free Ensight CFD 2.0 package, CEI is aiming to serve the complete market for CFD post-processing, from students and inexperienced users to experts with supercomputing facilities.

For more information, visit www.ensightcfd.com

Free version of computational fluid dynamics package is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Bidirectional explosion diverter

Fike has introduced a bidirectional explosion diverter to enhance its range of passive explosion protection equipment.

The diverter – also commonly referred to as a back flash interrupter or an explosion decoupler – will enable the protection of new and existing vessels to be validated using a passive device.

Although in certain circumstances there is still a limited risk of flame propagation, it can still be used as a risk-reduction measure even where there is no vessel protection in place.

The company recommends that further advice should be sought if this is the intended duty so that a full risk assessment can be carried out. There are nine nominal sizes available for the diverter, ranging from DN100 to DN600. Fike offers a third-party-tested and -approved non-fragmenting explosion vent certified for use on this type of device. This application requires specific testing and approval due to the demanding requirements and therefore standard explosion vents are not suitable. The company has carried out extensive testing on the diverter at its large-scale test facilities so that application guidance is available and limitations of use are well defined.

The bulged vent ensures a smooth flow diversion; coupled with low burst pressure and inertia, the diverter will provide a low risk of flame propagation beyond the diverter. If deflagrations are allowed to propagate through pipes, they have a high probability of being able to transition from a deflagration to a detonation. A deflagration propagating through a conveying line may cause pressure piling, rapid flame acceleration and transition to detonation if not disengaged in a timely manner.

The resulting explosion will not only damage the pipeline and accessories, but also make the adequate protection of downstream process equipment (such as dust collectors, dryers and silos) virtually impossible due to the effects of flame jet ignition and pressure piling in the receiving vessel or apparatus. An explosion diverter limits the effects of explosions propagating through pipes to an acceptable and safe level.

While full isolation (flame and pressure) cannot be achieved, the diverter will control the explosion as it propagates through the pipe down to a level that allows the use of other protective techniques and enables the design engineer to use standard industry codes (such as NFPA, EN and VDI) to size the protection systems on the secondary receiving vessel (and the primary vessel). Fike mechanical explosion isolation valves, chemical barriers or pneumatic explosion isolation protection valves will prevent the explosion transfer entirely.
 
For more information, www.fike.be

Bidirectional explosion diverter is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Reducing indexer set-up from hours, to minutes

ORMEC Systems Corporation (ORMEC) has announced the global launch of MotionSet, a proprietary commissioning software, designed expressly for use with new ORMEC XD-Series Indexer Servo Drives. This industry software tool can reduce conventional indexer setup efforts from hours, to minutes, with supplied pre-defined ‘load and go’ application templates.

Designed to run on a Windows-based development PC, with XD-Series Indexer communications via USB or Ethernet connection, MotionSet uses a ‘drag and drop’ interface to easily assign input and output functions to the drive’s physical I/O points. 

The software allows programming of 32 individual motion profiles from a single screen via a user-friendly tree configuration, which can be mapped to I/O points, initiated via Modbus/TCP, and chained or looped together. The adaptable I/O, with 14 digital inputs and eight digital outputs, can be mapped to dozens of input and output functions. 

In addition to Modbus/TCP, Ethernet/IP, CANopen and Profibus-DP options will be available soon.  MotionSet input functions can be used to trigger motions, change operating mode, clear fault conditions and synchronise motions, while output functions include ability to indicate drive status, motion status, motor position and timed pulses. Each motion entry has a data-entry screen for easy configuration.

MotionSet includes a four-channel digital oscilloscope, enabling real-time viewing of all significant system values, event logging, extensive diagnostic capabilities, and graphic decoding of each input or output state for each capture sample.

The scope’s time base can be set as low as 0.1msec, to facilitate viewing of the fastest events. There are over 40 triggers from which to choose, including motion conditions, fault conditions, encoder reference signals, digital inputs and outputs.

For each of the four traces, the user can select from velocity, current, position, position error, bus voltage, digital inputs and outputs, encoder reference signals, and auxiliary encoder velocity and position. A built-in frequency analysis tool allows the user to isolate any system resonances, which can be eliminated using the built-in notch filter. 

In addition, MotionSet features a Motor Wizard, which allows users to simply non-standard motor integration and quickly commission unproven, third party motors. When a motor is connected, MotionSet’s tuning screen and digital oscilloscope are used to fine-tune motor performance. Two available views include a Simple Mode, which allows for automatic measurements and adjustments, or an Advanced Mode, which provides access to current, velocity and position loop gains, as well as notch filters, command low-pass filters, feed forward filters and acceleration gains. A built-in drive exerciser allows the user override or control any or all digital I/O on the drive, while exhibiting key real-time drive data, allowing the user to clear faults or errors, or initiate motions in the motion table.
 
MotionSet includes the ability to check the web for updates, which can be automatically downloaded and installed at any time. MotionSet displays complete version information for a connected drive and contains a utility for upgrading drive firmware.

A Cam/Profile Designer utility can be used to generate simple tabular based cam’s or profiles for use as a motion table entry, or the user can import data from a .csv file. Once program and motor data are loaded into the drive, configuration data is stored both in the drive and on a removable memory card, greatly simplifying software transfer, duplication requirements and hardware replacement needs.  

For more information, visit www.ormec.com

Reducing indexer set-up from hours, to minutes is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Washer faced wing nut

Wing faced nuts need no tools thanks to the wings which allow manual tightening. The integral washer removes the need for a separate washer and reduces assembly time (even load distribution and surface protection).
 
BÜLTE washer faced wing nuts are available in M6. The thickness of the washer is 2 mm and the diameter 21 mm.
 
Polyamide 6.6 natural is the standard material, which offers many advantages in comparison with steel: it does not rust, is clean and insulating, and also extremely light. These polyamide products have excellent resistance to traction and heat, plus the elasticity and excellent electrical and chemical resisting characteristics.

The nuts have a working temperature range from -30 to 100°C. They are suitable for all sectors of industry, such as electronics, electrical, automotive, food processing, plastics, metalworking, furniture, sports, medical, printing, shipbuilding…
 
Alternative materials are available on request, such as Polyethylene and Polypropylene (these materials are recommended for their good food and medical qualities). Other colours (blue, black) are available on request.
 
For more information, visit  www.bulte.com

Washer faced wing nut is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Hermetically sealed windows suit optical, laser and infrared applications

PA&E is now using its patented ceramic-to-metal sealing technology to manufacture hermetically sealed windows for optical, laser and infrared applications. The innovative bonding properties and polycrystalline structure of PA&E's Kryoflex material enables the company to produce sight or wave-guide windows that maintain high levels of hermetic integrity under extreme environmental conditions. This new product is particularly well suited for space or defence-related Ladar (laser detection and ranging), laser designation/acquisition systems and medical endoscopes.
 
The ceramic-sealed hermetic windows offer engineers additional advantages beyond high hermetic performance. Because Kryoflex seals at relatively low temperatures, engineers can now choose from a variety of optical glasses such as sapphire, quartz and BK10. These new windows are also designed to be laser-welded to a range of metals including aluminium, titanium and iron/nickel alloys.
 
Windows produced with this new process are said to be extremely robust and reliable because a key point of failure – solder joint fatigue – is eliminated. They provide a leak rate equal to or less than 1X10-9cc/s helium at 1 atmospheric differential pressure, even when subjected to extreme thermal and mechanical shock and, in medical applications, will maintain integrity after repeated autoclave sterilisation cycles.
 
Unlike solder- or braze-sealed windows, PA&E's ceramic-sealed hermetic windows do not require metallisation. Eliminating this step can reduce costs and processing time and also enables anti-reflective coatings to be applied after the sealing process, thereby ensuring that the anti-reflective coating is not damaged by subsequent processing.
 
For more information, visit www.pacaero.com

Hermetically sealed windows suit optical, laser and infrared applications is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Optical strain gauges test composites over millions of cycles

HBM has enhanced its K-OP optical strain gauges (SGs), which are now suitable for more applications when compared to electrical SGs. They are, for example, suitable for material tests of new fibre composites with tests of up to 10million load cycles now possible with an alternating strain of +/-5.000um/m.
 
K-OP optical SGs are based on fibre Bragg gratings, which measure strain using pure optical techniques without the need for any electrical signals. This makes optical SGs suitable for use in explosive atmospheres, environments where electromagnetic interference is present, and in high-voltage applications. In addition, several optical SGs can be attached to a fibre, enabling parallel measurements to be implemented. Glass fibre lengths of several hundred metres are possible.
 
Using optical SGs for data acquisition and evaluation is said to be very simple with the complete range of components available for all applications from HBM. These range from optical SGs with the appropriate accessories via interrogators to HBM’s data acquisition software Catmanap, which includes a special Easyoptics module for optical SGs.
 
Users receive a data sheet with optical strain gauges that includes the gauge factor for each individual SG as tested by HBM to meet the latest VDI/VDE 2660 requirements.
 
For more information, visit www.hbm.com

Optical strain gauges test composites over millions of cycles is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Drives save £100,000 per year energy costs

Severn Trent Water (STW) is saving around £100,000 per year on energy costs thanks to the installation of ABB variable speed drives at its Wanlip Sewage Treatment Works in the UK.

STW was suffering low flow rates on its dry well flow pumps, with typical rates being less than 400 litres per second against a design of 550 litres per second. This meant that under storm conditions the works was unable to achieve the rates specified under the Environment Agency’s consents, without the need for supplementary temporary pumping, further adding to the company’s operating costs.

Sentridge Control, a member of the ABB Drives Alliance, had cured a similar problem at another of STW’s treatment works and was asked to get involved in providing a solution at Wanlip. Sentridge’s Glen Hickman says: “We suspected the problem was due to ragging of the pumps and reversed the flow of selected pumps to prove this. Ragging is where rags foul the pump inlet and prevent the pump from operating normally.”

The original installation had four direct-on-line pumps and two pumps controlled by variable speed drives (VSDs). One of the VSD driven pumps was a duty pump while the other was used to assist as pumping requirements demanded.

Historically, reversing the pumps had allowed them to achieve higher flow rates for short periods of time. One of the direct-on-line pumps achieved 550 litres per second compared to 325 litres a second previously, while one of the VSD powered pumps achieved 575 litres a second, compared to 390 litres a second.

To solve the problem permanently, Sentridge suggested installing 75kW ABB industrial drives on all the pumps, each equipped with ABB Anti-Jam software, part of its Intelligent Pump Control (IPC) software. An add-on to ABB industrial drives, IPC contains all the common functions needed by water and waste utilities, industrial plants and other pump users.

The Anti-Jam software module performs a number of cleaning cycles every time the pump starts. Each cycle consists of a series of rapid ramp ups in both forward and reverse directions. Taking one to two minutes to complete, the cleaning cycle removes the debris from around the pump volute, preventing it from entering the pump and blocking it when the pump ramps up from zero to its normal operating speed.

The cleaning cycle is also started when the VSD detects a drop in pump efficiency.

Graham Drabble STW’s Capital Liaison Technician for Wanlip says: “As well as curing the flow problem, the new installation allows us to achieve our pumping requirement using only two or three pumps instead of all six, achieving an energy saving of approximately £100,000 per year.”
 
For more infomation, visit www.abb.com)

Drives save £100,000 per year energy costs is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

High-performance, ultra-low-power DSP

SiTel Semiconductor today announced how its collaboration with Target Compiler Technologies led to the creation of customised audio DSPs for its SC14452 Green VoIP processor.

The DSPs combine extreme energy efficiency with high processing performance, enabling industry-leading audio quality and power consumption. Key components of the SC14452 that won a 2009 Frost and Sullivan Green Excellence Award, the DSPs were developed using Target’s IP Designer retargetable tool suite.
 
Target’s tools allowed SiTel to develop application-specific Gen2DSPs including a C-compiler, which means customers can program the DSPs themselves.

The DSPs operate at low frequency to minimise energy consumption, yet provide high processing power. The SC14552 features two of these DSPs, which together deliver 160 MIPS. At the same time, they help minimise power consumption, enabling in-call power figures below 600mW.
 
With these powerful DSPs on-board, the SC14452 delivers outstanding sound quality for crystal clear communications. It can support four concurrent IP connections, independent of the codec chosen. Currently supported codecs include G.711, G.729, G.722, G.726, iLBC and MP3.

Highly integrated, this VoIP solution reduces the overall system bill of materials (BoM) for enterprise VoIP desktop phones and IP-DECT base stations. It features integrated DECT, CAT-iq, DECT 6.0 and KDECT support and a dedicated cryptography engine for complete call confidentially.
 
For more information, visit www.sitelsemi.com.
 

High-performance, ultra-low-power DSP is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Reducing indexer set-up from hours to minutes

ORMEC Systems Corporation (ORMEC) has announced the global launch of MotionSet, a proprietary commissioning software, designed expressly for use with new ORMEC XD-Series Indexer Servo Drives. This industry software tool can reduce conventional indexer setup efforts from hours, to minutes, with supplied pre-defined ‘load and go’ application templates.

Designed to run on a Windows-based development PC, with XD-Series Indexer communications via USB or Ethernet connection, MotionSet uses a ‘drag and drop’ interface to easily assign input and output functions to the drive’s physical I/O points. 

The software allows programming of 32 individual motion profiles from a single screen via a user-friendly tree configuration, which can be mapped to I/O points, initiated via Modbus/TCP, and chained or looped together. The adaptable I/O, with 14 digital inputs and eight digital outputs, can be mapped to dozens of input and output functions. 

In addition to Modbus/TCP, Ethernet/IP, CANopen and Profibus-DP options will be available soon.  MotionSet input functions can be used to trigger motions, change operating mode, clear fault conditions and synchronise motions, while output functions include ability to indicate drive status, motion status, motor position and timed pulses. Each motion entry has a data-entry screen for easy configuration.

MotionSet includes a four-channel digital oscilloscope, enabling real-time viewing of all significant system values, event logging, extensive diagnostic capabilities, and graphic decoding of each input or output state for each capture sample.

The scope’s time base can be set as low as 0.1msec, to facilitate viewing of the fastest events. There are over 40 triggers from which to choose, including motion conditions, fault conditions, encoder reference signals, digital inputs and outputs.

For each of the four traces, the user can select from velocity, current, position, position error, bus voltage, digital inputs and outputs, encoder reference signals, and auxiliary encoder velocity and position. A built-in frequency analysis tool allows the user to isolate any system resonances, which can be eliminated using the built-in notch filter. 

In addition, MotionSet features a Motor Wizard, which allows users to simply non-standard motor integration and quickly commission unproven, third party motors. When a motor is connected, MotionSet’s tuning screen and digital oscilloscope are used to fine-tune motor performance. Two available views include a Simple Mode, which allows for automatic measurements and adjustments, or an Advanced Mode, which provides access to current, velocity and position loop gains, as well as notch filters, command low-pass filters, feed forward filters and acceleration gains. A built-in drive exerciser allows the user override or control any or all digital I/O on the drive, while exhibiting key real-time drive data, allowing the user to clear faults or errors, or initiate motions in the motion table.
 
MotionSet includes the ability to check the web for updates, which can be automatically downloaded and installed at any time. MotionSet displays complete version information for a connected drive and contains a utility for upgrading drive firmware.

A Cam/Profile Designer utility can be used to generate simple tabular based cam’s or profiles for use as a motion table entry, or the user can import data from a .csv file. Once program and motor data are loaded into the drive, configuration data is stored both in the drive and on a removable memory card, greatly simplifying software transfer, duplication requirements and hardware replacement needs.  

For more information, visit www.ormec.com

Reducing indexer set-up from hours to minutes is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Mini Canbus datalogger has USB port for communicating with a PC

Sensor-Technik is launching the C2U-Mini datalogger. This compact unit records data from Canbus systems for later analysis on a standard PC or notebook computer. Designed for easy integration, particularly with automotive systems, the data recorder features both Canbus and USB interfaces to bridge the gap between the automotive and desktop worlds and enable Canbus system analysis in a familiar desktop environment.
 
Housed in a rugged die-cast enclosure, the C2U-Mini is a solid-state device with 128Mbyte of NAND Flash memory for data recording, a powerful 16bit microcontroller and 512kbyte of RAM. There are two Can 2.0B interfaces, each capable of communicating at up to 1Mbit/s with Canbus controllers.
 
On the PC side, the DAQ device has a full USB 2.0 interface and comes with easy-to-use, Windows-compatible software for downloading and analysis of the logged data. Alternatively, the C2U-Mini can be used ‘in reverse’ for loading programs and data from a PC to a Canbus system.
 
The unit is designed for easy installation and operation in automotive and off-road environments. A special mounting bracket holds the logger securely in place, and all connections are via a single eight-pin M9 plug. Alternatively, Sensor-Technik can supply customised cable sets to suit individual applications.
 
During normal operation the logger accepts a wide 9-32V DC power supply, thereby ensuring compatibility with all common automotive systems, yet it switches to 5V USB power when that interface is connected. All connections are short-circuit and reverse-polarity protected.
 
The C2U-Mini datalogger is available now from Sensor-Technik UK, both on its own and as an integral part of the company’s Canbus systems offering.
 
For more information, visit www.sensor-technik.co.uk

Mini Canbus datalogger has USB port for communicating with a PC is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Vlingo is an app that’s been around awhile in the mobile space, but a new version for iPhone is causing some uproar. With Vlingo for iPhone 2.0, the company commits the sin of opacity by updating its rather good voice search and dialing application to version 2.0 without making it clear that you can only unlock the intriguing new features with your wallet.

Those familiar with Vlingo’s BlackBerry app won’t be surprised. There was an equal outcry when Vlingo introduced premium features for the first time, including switching a feature that had once been free to the paid category.

To recap, Vlingo’s free voice app can search the Web, dial contacts, map a location, and update Twitter and Facebook with your voice–for free. You’ll have a chance to edit before posting. Since computer-aided voice transcription is far from flawless–whether you’re using Vlingo or Google Voice (see flubs here)–you may befriend that edit screen, especially when you’re in noisy environments, when you’re mumbling, and when you speak too quickly for Vlingo’s rather sensitive electronic ears.

Vlingo’s SMS feature needs some work.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

It doesn’t help Vlingo’s case that one of the two new premium features, which you can get by way of an in-app purchase, doesn’t work very well. There’s e-mail dictation and SMS copy that copies the transcription of your voice recording to the iPhone’s clipboard, but you then have to paste the text yourself into the SMS field before sending it. For $6.99 as a standalone feature, e-mail dictation might be worthwhile; however, its SMS copy feature is not. For $9.99, you get both features, which would be a good deal if the SMS feature didn’t require the hack.

Those who don’t mind separating e-mail dictation from Vlingo’s other voice-triggered features, there’s always the free Dragon Dictation app by Nuance Communications (the folks who mainstreamed T9 text input method for cell phones.)

Sorry, Vlingo. We like you, we really do, but either the pricing has to go or the SMS tool does. However, there’s no need to delete or avoid Vlingo 2.0 if you’re not interested in buying into the new features. Voice search, dialing, and status updates work as they did before the update (hilarious and editable mistranslations included), and these are still free.

Vlingo 2.0 for iPhone: E-mail, SMS dictation now cost is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Slacker’s new Internet radio station curated by hip-hop magazine The Source.

(Credit:
Screenshot)

I usually think of online radio service Slacker as a direct competitor to Pandora: both offer user-customizable radio stations based around individual tastes, both are available for the iPhone and other mobile platforms, and most important, both are available for free, with optional subscription versions–Slacker Radio Plus and Pandora One–offering additional benefits.

But unlike Pandora, Slacker also has a big investment in more traditional one-to-many Internet radio, with actual humans programming stations or playlists based on particular genres. This is nice if you really don’t know what you want, or simply want to be surprised. This week, the company took this programmed radio model another step and introduced stations curated by alternative rock band AFI and hip-hop magazine The Source. In each case, the curators not only pick songs, but record introductory spots or between-song banter. Slacker automatically inserts this material between songs the first time you play a particular track on that radio station, then makes sure you don’t hear that same banter again. It’s sort of like a podcast, but constantly changing, and with no fixed length.

If neither of these stations appeal to you, stay tuned: Slacker expects to add more stations curated by artists and music publications in the next few months.

Slacker adds stations curated by artists, experts is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

MIT Media Lab complex designed by Fumihiko Maki and his firm, Maki and Associates.

(Credit:
Andy Ryan/MIT)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–The Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday officially opened the doors to its MIT Media Lab Complex, the school’s most famous interdisciplinary program.

The new building, designed by architect Fumihiko Maki and his Maki and Associates firm, broke ground in 2007. But the Media Lab’s quest for expansion has actually been 12 years in the making, according to Adele Naude Santos, dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning.

Fumihiko Maki, a winner of the Pritzker Prize for architecture, was present at the opening event but did not speak publicly. Instead, he left Dean Santos, MIT Media Lab Director Frank Moss, and his architectural associates to explain the vision he, MIT, and his team had in designing the building.

“They picked Mr. Maki because their thinking was that, being from Tokyo, he could design a very interesting building on a very tight site,” said Santos.

“The model is literally open collaboration between industry and academia. Research here at the Media Lab is highly creative but finds its way into the world via industry. The idea of designing serendipity, this building was designed to promote this type of thinking and capturing in an uncanny way this magic,” said Moss.

Moss went on to point out that many innovations, including the Kindle and Guitar Hero, grew from technology that was developed at the MIT Media Lab.

Seven cube-shaped labs with glass walls surround a common atrium filled with natural light.

(Credit:
Candace Lombardi/CNET)

Influences on the building’s design included the artists Piet Mondrian and George Seurat, as well as the art of Japanese paper lanterns. The white, glass, and aluminum building includes touches of the primary colors red, blue, and yellow, which are often found in Mondrian’s paintings.

The MIT Media Lab Complex design, which MIT had originally requested consist entirely of glass walls, had to be tempered to fit Cambridge energy requirements that restrict the use of glass construction in buildings. To accommodate the codes, Maki and his team integrated translucent aluminum screens over the building’s many glass and solid walls.

The screens over glass create a slightly pixelated view of the Charles River and Boston skyline when looking outside from within the building. It’s a nod to both the Media Lab’s digital world, as well as a pointillist adaption of landscape as seen in the paintings of Impressionist George Seurat.

Looking in at the Media Lab Complex at night, those same screens are lit from behind by the building’s interior lights and create semi-translucent views into some labs. The effect hints that a giant Japanese paper lantern has been plopped down on the corner of Ames and Amherst Streets in Cambridge.

It’s a distinct contrast to the dim and cozy den atmosphere of “the Cube,” the MIT Media Lab’s old space in the I.M. Pei-designed Wiesner Building. That space consisted of a series of rooms overlooking a multistory common area with minimal outside light. Keeping “the Cube” as inspiration, the new six-story building is connected to the Wiesner Building and consists of seven cubes awash in white walls, glass, and natural light. The staggered double-height units with glass walls allow various groups to look across, down, or up at one another. The cubes then form another cube around a common atrium.

Maki and his team have created a series of literal think tanks filled with professors, students, computers, and robots all working in tandem on future technology.

The cubes themselves, now referred to as labs, have retained the same creative and colorful preschool feel of the original Wiesner cube, with many of the usual players and odd projects-in-progress that the Media Lab has come to be known for.

For example, the City Car, a two-seater stackable electric vehicle made to integrate with kiosks around a city for public transport, has progressed from concept to half-scale working model. MIT Professor Bill Mitchell’s Smart Cities group, which is responsible for the City Car, now shares a cube with MIT Professor Tod Machover’s Hyperinstruments/Opera of the Future group. While the technology involves a groundbreaking three-dimensional sound system and robotic instruments, the libretto is by former poet laureate Robert Pinsky and is scheduled to run in Monaco in late 2010 and throughout the U.S. in 2011.

In addition to housing new labs and offices for the MIT Media Lab organization, the building will also be home to several programs belonging to MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning, the Jerome Lemelson Center for Inventive Thinking and the Okawa Center for Future Children. It also has a digital fabrication and machine shop, a lecture hall, a winter garden, a cafe, and conference rooms.

MIT Media Lab Complex ready to illuminate is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Apple finally gave us the date the first iPads will hit store shelves: April 3. We’ve been closely following the touch-screen tablet since Apple first announced it in late January, but here’s a quick guide for your most essential questions about the device.

First things first: How big is it?

The iPad’s screen offers a maximum resolution of 1,024×768 pixels and measures 9.7 inches diagonally, 5.75 inches wide, and 7.75 inches tall. An 0.86-inch bezel frames the screen (with a hair extra room on the bottom to account for the home button), making the front of the iPad a total of 7.47 inches wide and 9.56 inches tall. The total thickness of the iPad is half an inch at its thickest point, which tapers down to a quarter of an inch near the edges. Total weight is 1.5 pounds for the model with Wi-Fi only, or 1.6 pounds for the version with 3G.

What hardware features does the iPad offer?

Many of the iPad’s hardware capabilities are identical to the Apple iPod Touch, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, a stereo audio output (headphone jack), built-in speaker, an integrated lithium ion rechargeable battery, and NAND flash memory. A built-in accelerometer and ambient light sensor are also included on the iPad.

Hardware features that distinguish the iPad from the iPod Touch include a 1GHz A4 processor, an oleophobic screen coating, integrated digital compass, built-in microphone, mute switch, and support for 802.11n Wi-Fi (in addition to 802.11b/g). The 3G version of the iPad includes a SIM card tray, as well as assisted GPS capabilities.

What’s the deal with the wireless plan?

Apple and AT&T are offering a pretty good deal on 3G service for the iPad. There are two options: $15 a month for 250MB of data, or unlimited data for $29.99 a month. The bonus is that you don't have to sign any contracts that bind you to the device for two years. Each option can be prepaid for a month in advance. Again, you need the iPad 3G model, which bumps up the baseline price of the device to $629 (16GB), $729 (32GB), and $829 (64GB).

If I already have apps for my iPhone or iPod Touch, can I use them on the iPad?

In most cases, the answer should be yes. Older or existing apps can run on the iPad at their native iPod/iPhone resolution (taking up a small portion of the iPad screen) or used in a full-screen mode that artificially doubles the resolution. So long as the apps are in your iTunes library when you connect the iPad to your computer, most should transfer with no problem.
There are exceptions, of course. Apps designed to take advantage of unique hardware characteristics of the iPhone (such as the photo camera or video recording) may not transfer, and would be useless on the iPad anyway.

That said, many popular apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch will likely be offered in a new iPad-specific version that makes better use of the device’s larger screen. These apps, designed specifically for the iPad, will not be backward-compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

I’ve heard the iPad is basically just an oversize iPod Touch. Is that true?

In some ways, it is a supersized version of Apple’s touch-screen iPod: same basic look and functionality with its multitouch screen and reliance on iTunes and the App Store to install applications and download media. But there are plenty of differences.

The operating system is a version of the iPhone OS, but with a slightly different look and feel. Many of the same apps are there–e-mail, photos, notes, an iPod, calendar, contacts, maps, YouTube, and Safari–but have been tweaked to take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen size.

The 9.7-inch screen offers far more screen real estate and also makes the iPad much more realistic to use an e-reader. That brings us to iBooks, the e-bookstore Apple created specifically for the iPad. It's an app that features a virtual bookshelf with content from five major publishers: HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin, Macmillan, and Simon & Shuster. The iBooks store will feature both popular books as well as textbooks. Readers can choose to read in portrait or landscape mode and change the size of the text.

But that’s not the only iPad-only software Apple has cooked up. The company had its engineers completely rework iWorks for the device, including Pages (word processing), Numbers (spreadsheets), and Keynote (presentations). Each iWorks app will be sold separately for $9.99.

There are accessories that will cause some major iPhone/iPod envy as well, like the keyboard dock accessory. There’s also a camera connection kit that lets users import images from their SD cards, and a charging/docking accessory, that when used in conjunction with the photo app’s montage mode turns the iPad into an electronic picture frame.

What else might I need to use the iPad?

While the iPad can be used without a computer for the majority of its features, you will need to connect to a computer running Apple’s iTunes 9.0 or later to initially set up the device. Computer specification requirements for iTunes 9.0 can be found on Apple’s Web site.

If you plan on using the iPad at home for surfing the Web, and you do not have a 3G-capable model, you will need to make sure your home is set up for wireless Internet.
A power adapter is included with all iPads, but users should consider investing in a charging dock if they wish to take advantage of the iPad as a photo frame.
Users who anticipate using the iPad heavily as a word processor may want to consider buying Apple’s keyboard dock or a compatible Bluetooth wireless keyboard.

What’s missing from the iPad that I might find in a competing product?

The iPad is in many ways one of the first products of its kind–making it hard to draw easy comparisons. When weighed against high-end smartphones, users should know that the iPad is not designed for voice calls or text messages (though there are apps that can work around this limitation). More importantly, the iPad does not include a built-in camera for taking photos or videos.

When compared to low-end laptops and Netbooks, the iPad can’t run common full-fledged applications (such as Microsoft Word), or use multiple apps simultaneously. Conventional input and output ports, such as USB, SD, VGA, and LAN are also missing, though some adapters exist to address this. Critics routinely point out that the iPad does not support Adobe’s Flash media format, which is required to view content on many popular Web sites. Lack of an integrated hardware keyboard or high-resolution video output are also common complaints from the laptop perspective.

Finally, compared against dedicated e-readers (such as the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook), the iPad's reflective glass front and backlit color LCD screen arguably strain the eyes more than a passively illuminated non-glare e-ink display.

When and where can I buy it, and how much is this going to set me back?

There are two versions of the iPad. Apple announced Friday that the Wi-Fi version will launch in the U.S. on April 3, followed by the Wi-Fi and 3G-capable edition later in the month. Both versions will hit Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. in late April.

The price depends on your 3G needs and how much storage you require. The iPad’s Wi-Fi-only version will start at $499 for 16GB of memory, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G edition will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

You can preorder both versions starting March 12, and you can order it for delivery from Apple.com or reserve a Wi-Fi version to pick up on April 3 at any Apple retail store. Apple has also said it will make the iPad available at Best Buy, but hasn’t disclosed details on when that will be.

All about the Apple iPad (FAQ) is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Canadian Tourism Commission proud to bring international torchbearers to the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay

VANCOUVER, March 7 /CNW/ – A wheelchair basketball star from Japan and a US Paralympic skiing hopeful will join with Canadians to help the Paralympic Flame along its journey to Vancouver as we count down to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Naoki Yasu and Caitlin Sarubbi are international torchbearers with the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay, presented by Coca-Cola and RBC, and supported by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.

“More than 600 torchbearers will proudly carry the flame through 11 communities over 10 days,” says Michele McKenzie, president and CEO of the CTC. “We are delighted that these two amazing athletes will be integral in spreading the excitement and inspiration of the Paralympic Torch Relay to global audiences.”

Yasu will take up the flame in Whistler on Monday, March 8. He competed in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens and was the first Japanese player to play professional wheelchair basketball in Europe.

Sarubbi will complete her relay run in Vancouver on Thursday, March 11. Sarubbi is a visually-impaired adaptive alpine skier who will be going for gold in Whistler starting on March 13. As part of the Canadian Tourism Commission’s Connecting with Canadians program (http://mediacentre.canada.travel/system/files/connecting_canadians_jan_10_en.pdf), Sarubbi and her family travelled to Newfoundland and Labrador last fall to enjoy some famous Atlantic Canadian hospitality and amazing tourism experiences. See them here (http://ctc.pathfireondemand.com/viewpackage.action?packageid=256).

“The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay is designed to illuminate the extraordinary achievements of Paralympians and to celebrate the endless possibilities of the human spirit,” said John Furlong, CEO for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). “We are delighted to include torchbearers from around the world to help broaden our reach in sharing the spirit of courage, determination, inspiration and equality that are at the core of the Paralympic Winter Games.”

The international torchbearers were invited by VANOC in collaboration with the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC). They are carrying the flame to share the Paralympic spirit internationally while inspiring a global audience with images of Canada.

Their journeys will be documented and shared with their home countries for airing during the Paralympic Torch Relay and the 2010 Paralympic Games, captivating new international audiences to see a trip to Canada in their future plans.

The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be held in Vancouver and Whistler from Mar. 12-21, 2010. More than 1,000 athletes and teams officials from 40 countries will be vying for medals in five sports.

About the CTC

The CTC is Canada’s national tourism marketing organization. Our vision is inspiring the world to explore Canada. With our partners in the tourism industry and the governments of Canada, the provinces and the territories, we advertise and market Canada in 12 countries around the world, conduct industry research and studies, and promote product and industry development. For daily updates on CTC initiatives, subscribe to CTC News, available through RSS feeds and by e-mail.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

For further information: Jitka Licenik, Corporate Communications Advisor, Canadian Tourism Commission, Tel: (604) 638-2482, Fax: (604) 638-8438, licenik.jitka@ctc-cct.ca, www.mediacentre.canada.travel

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Tentative agreement between CEP and AbitibiBowater

MONTRÉAL, March 7 /CNW Telbec/ – After arduous negotiations, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) has agreed to a tentative agreement with AbitibiBowater to renew the collective agreement. This deal fulfills an essential condition towards the emergence of the company from the current restructuring process.

“We have the best possible agreement, given the precarious financial condition of the company”, says CEP President Dave Coles. “We are proud to have been able to protect retirees and to have created a new stable pension plan for the active workers. Our members will no longer have to fear the shadow of an insolvency of their plan”.

The company took off the table its proposal to terminate the pension plans, which would have reduced pension benefits by an average of 25%. Provincial government will now bear the responsibility to adopt the appropriate regulatory changes to allow the company to financially fix the pension plans.

However, the union is furious at the total lack of help shown by the Conservative government to the forestry workers. “It is our members who had to make sacrifices to save the company from bankruptcy”, says Dave Coles. “The last federal budget fully demonstrated the contempt of this government for forestry workers. It is now clear for our workers, our retirees and our communities that the Conservatives have abandoned them”.

This agreement covers 8,000 workers from 23 AbitibiBowater locals at 12 pulp and paper mills in Eastern Canada.

For further information: Dave Coles, CEP President, (613) 299-5628

Tentative agreement between CEP and AbitibiBowater is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

In the future, all business meetings will be conducted by telepresence robots–on-site avatar machines that will take care of the boring business of earning a living while we sit back at home sipping lattes and generally enjoying our 300-year lifespans.

(Credit:
Sigurdur Orn)

Even if you don’t believe telepresence robots are going to eliminate the need to get out of bed in the morning, it’s hard to dismiss them as a powerful new communication tool, especially if one is waving at you while perched on someone’s shoulder.

MIT doctoral student Sigurdur Orn’s MeBot is a mobile telepresence bot with richly expressive gestural abilities. It’s part of what he terms “socially embodied communication,” which is more immediate than an e-mail or phone call.

The robot–which was displayed this week at the Human-Robot Interaction conference in Osaka, Japan–has a small screen atop a three-axis neck that displays the remote user’s face, as well as two moving arms. These moving parts help convey user expressions to the other party as the bot moves around on its wheeled base.

The arms seem to be controlled manually, but the moving screen automatically tracks user head movements like nodding or shaking.

MeBot researchers in the MIT Personal Robots Group say that a telepresence robot that is “physically embodied and expressive” is more effective than one that doesn’t, citing the findings of an experiment.

“Results showed that people felt more psychologically involved and more engaged in the interaction with their remote partners when they were embodied in a socially expressive way,” the PRG YouTube channel says.

“People also reported much higher levels of cooperation both on their own part and their partners as well as a higher score for enjoyment in the interaction.”

It’s hard to ignore a colleague when he or she is wriggling around in a robot body on your desk. I find MeBot slightly insectile and silly, like the characters in the great video for Donald Fagen’s “Snowbound,” my fave tune for winter.

I’ll bet we’re going to see more small-scale, mobile telepresence robot projects, with some bipedal and humanoid, like Japan’s Robo-One fighting machines. Maybe when they’re not out interacting for us, they can hoof it to the kitchen and fetch the Grey Poupon.

(Via Singularity Hub)

Robot avatar MeBot gives you wriggling bug body is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

A new report by ITDatabase that examines tech coverage over the last six months from eight top business news publications raises some questions, in particular: Does the business press factor companies’ revenue and profits into their tech editorial agenda?

The report shows that Apple and Google dominate, while Twitter and Facebook are far more discussed in the business press than Intel, Dell, IBM, or even HP (the largest tech company in the world).

The eight publications surveyed are: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, BusinessWeek, The Economist, Financial Times, and USA Today. Over a period of six months, ITDatabase measured coverage by the number of times a tech company was mentioned in print and online in these publications, including blogs such as All Things Digital, which is affiliated with the Journal. (Disclosure: I am an adviser to ITDatabase.)

Enterprise IT is woefully underrepresented, despite being the cash-cow in the industry. “In the overall editorial agenda,” the report says, “enterprise IT is treated like consumer tech’s snaggletoothed twin. It barely even makes the family photo.”

Press vs. Revenue

(Credit:

IT Database)

Oracle ($22 billion in revenue, $5 billion in profits) only cracks the top 10 companies by coverage for one of the eight publications examined: Fortune. Cisco ($40 billion in revenue, $8 billion in profits) didn’t make it on anyone’s top 10 list. IBM ($100 billion in revenue, $12 billion in profits) wasn’t even in The New York Times’ top 20, and was No. 19 for The Wall Street Journal.

These are tech vendors with billions in profits that are largely ignored by business press, and there are tech categories with enormous worldwide revenue (enterprise categories in particular like storage, virtualization, network infrastructure) that are barely even acknowledged.

The collective coverage of the tech industry also appears to overlook the relative importance of major manufacturers in Japan, South Korea, and China.

As the report points out, there are of course some outstanding individual tech authors in the business press. And in fact, Twitter and Facebook play heavily into the way they communicate with their readers. But collectively, has the business press lost touch with the tech industry?

And is it reasonable to expect that tech categories (no matter how dry they might be) receive attention proportionate to the revenue they are driving? Or is biz press tech coverage about entertainment?

Readers are always interested in the latest and greatest and tend to flock to articles about the brands that they like best (Apple and Google), or dislike most. Similarly, people just love to read about things that go wrong, or when big companies screw up.

What to write about is a daily struggle not just for the business press, but for tech writers and bloggers too. And some large companies choose to communicate to the media mostly via press releases, which tend to make for not too interesting news.

Has business press lost touch with the tech industry? is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

I want to believe this story–if only because customer service is such a lamentable part of commercial life these days.

Admittedly, this is a tough story to confirm or refute. But the Apple chasers at 9to5Mac, who seem more like 24-7Mac to me, write that no less a customer satisfaction expert than Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been answering iPad customer queries.

Oh, alright, apparently he did it once.

The story goes that a Swedish man called Jezper wrote to Apple and asked a very important question: “I’ll keep it short. I’m Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I’m also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question: Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?”

Steve Jobs introduces the iPad on January 27.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Warming to his theme, and keeping it less short than he might have, Jezper continued: “Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant. From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible. All the best, Jezper S?derlund[a famous DJ in his own right]“

(Yes, it was that Jezper. Surely you had guessed.)

In response to his query, he reportedly received a reply from Steve Jobs. 9to5Mac says it confirmed that the answer came from Jobs himself. And given its clear and unambiguous content, I feel confident that it was, indeed, typed by the very fingers that walked a rapt audience through the iPad’s joys not a few weeks ago.

For, from his 3.1.2 iPhone, Jobs reportedly wrote: “No.”

Prompt, direct customer service. If only all companies could do it this way.

Steve Jobs, iPad customer service representative? is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Two IT employees at Pennsylvania’s Lower Merion School District have been put on administrative leave, and pictures taken from Webcams on school-issued computers have been turned over to the local police department, according to the attorney of one of the employees now on leave.

Charles Mandracchia, attorney for school staff member put on leave, speaks to Fox 29

(Credit:

Philadelphia TV station Fox 29)

Attorney Charles Mandracchia, who represents school district information coordinator Carol Cafiero, told Philadelphia TV station Fox 29 that that “they had a private Web site for some of these pictures for the Lower Marion Police Department to view and they were the only ones who could view it.”

In February, the family of Blake Robbins, a 15-year-old student at Harriton High School filed a civil complaint in federal court against the district for allegedly using the Webcam on his school-issued laptop to take a photo of the student while he was at home. The district contends that cameras were only activated if a laptop had been reported lost or stolen. The district has since stopped using the tracking software to activate Webcams.

Speaking about his client and Michael Perbix, the other suspended IT staff member, Mandracchia said, “It was their duty to turn on the camera, but they would only do that if they received a request from the two high schools.” He also said the pictures were “taken by the computer itself…every 15 minutes once the computer was open, but it was only supposed to be done if the computer was lost or stolen.”

Marc Neff, the attorney for Perbix, told the TV station, “Every time a tracking device was activated, it was activated at the request of an administrator or another IT person. The district has admitted activating the Webcam tracking system 42 times.

The software used at the time, called LANRev, has since been acquired by Absolute Software, which has changed its name and removed the ability to remotely turn on Webcams. Absolute publishes LoJack for Laptops and Computrace, which can be used to locate stolen laptops but only after a police report has been filed and only by Absolute’s own technicians–not its customers, according to a company spokesperson.

Main Line Media News quoted a district statement that said, “Placing [Cafiero and Perbix] on administrative leave with pay is not a reflection of any wrongdoing on their part. It is a standard, prudent step in an investigation such as this one and it occurred in conjunction with the start of the review process nearly two weeks ago.”

Watch TV Station Fox29’s reports on latest developments in school Webcam spy case

Police get Webcam pictures in school spy case is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

Whoa. During the keynote presentation at TechEd Middle East in Dubai, Microsoft’s Eric Rudder played the same Indiana Jones-ish game on a Windows computer, a Windows Phone 7 phone, and an Xbox 360. Gaming is about to get really ubiquitous.

Not only is the game itself playable on all three platforms, but the session is maintained when you move from device to device: if you’re playing on your Xbox and have to run out the door, you’ll be on the same level when you fire it up on your Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Basically, you’ll never have an excuse not to be gaming.

I’m sure this is very exciting to some of you and a little scary to others. Regardless of its potential for crippling your productivity and taking out your social life at the knees, it’s pretty amazing stuff. Presumably we will be seeing more cool tidbits like this in the next few weeks when MIX and CTIA roll around.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Microsoft demos game across PC, mobile, and console platforms is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

 

Photo: MARK WESSELS

Production of electricity in January 2010 increased by 8,9%) compared with January last year.

Electricity consumption increased by 8.3% is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

 

Auditor General Terence Nombembe. Photo: Business Day

Municipalities not complying with requirements – Nombembe is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.

 

Photo: Getty Images

In its investigation the Commission found that the respondents engaged in collusive conduct from around 2000 until at least December 2009 -the respondents collectively determined and agreed on pricing principles, including a starting reference price and monthly price adjustment mechanism.

Commission finds massive price fixing in supply of bitumen is a post Press Release - Buzz Issue. - Business Issues, Industry News, Manufacturers Press Release, Product Review.