The Engineer
July 2001 Online
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Discrete relief for glaucoma
31 Jul 2001
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) have developed a glaucoma measuring system that continuously monitors and records pressure in the inner-eye.
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Doctors in the US begin bionic ear implants
31 Jul 2001
Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Centre have begun surgically implanting a 'bionic ear', which has reportedly restored hearing to once-deaf adults throughout the Delaware Valley.
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Motorola enter into $300 million acquisition
31 Jul 2001
Motorola has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire RiverDelta Networks in a deal valued at $300 million.
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New material may yield quantum computers
31 Jul 2001
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have created a semiconductor material that may propel research closer to realising the potential of quantum computing.
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Cisco Systems announce acquisition
30 Jul 2001
Cisco Systems has recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Allegro Systems in a deal valued at around $181 million.
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Helicopter set to go solo
30 Jul 2001
Unmanned helicopters are about to become easy to operate and affordable thanks to a stabilisation system developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
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Meeting may determine standards
30 Jul 2001
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Trace Research and Development Centre will host a meeting this week to help develop all-purpose 'remote controls' for people with disabilities.
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New material could lead to miniature electronics
30 Jul 2001
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are studying a material that may lead to significant advances in the miniaturisation of electronics.
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Robot set to invade countryside
30 Jul 2001
Robotics researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have developed the Demeter, a robotic hay harvester that may make some farm labourers redundant.
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3kW fuel cell for scooters
27 Jul 2001
Manhattan Scientific's German-based NovArs unit has successfully developed and tested a small, ultra-light 3kW fuel cell system.
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Is US aerospace competitive?
27 Jul 2001
A US Presidential Commission on the Future of the US Aerospace Industry will focus on obstacles to US competitiveness.
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Rolls-Royce wins UK Navy sub propulsor contract
27 Jul 2001
Rolls-Royce has won a key submarine propulsor contract for the Royal Navy's Astute class of submarines.
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Dutch to test a bus that arrives on time
26 Jul 2001
The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is testing an experimental 24-metre-long bus with independent control and drive to all its axles.
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Nokia enter into $421 million acquisition
26 Jul 2001
Nokia has announced that it is to acquire Amber Networks in a stock-for-stock merger valued at a net price of $421 million.
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Parker to measure fuel in Airbus
26 Jul 2001
Airbus has selected the Electronic Systems Division of Parker Hannifin Corporation to provide the fuel measurement and management systems for the Airbus A380.
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Raytheon wins $79.7 million contract
26 Jul 2001
Raytheon has won a multiyear, full-rate production contract valued at $79.7 million for Commander's Independent Viewer (CIV) subsystems.
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Contract could land Titan Systems Corporation $60.7 million
25 Jul 2001
The US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre have awarded Titan Systems Corporation an $11,666,476 contract, which could grow to $60.7 million over five years.
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New magnet has greater pulling power
25 Jul 2001
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the US have created a niobium-tin dipole electromagnet that is more than 300,000 times more powerful than the strength of Earth's magnetic field.
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Presenting a better image
25 Jul 2001
LG Elite of Korea has introduced a flexible, stable, video-on-demand software system that it claims will enable both content providers and viewers to interact with text, images, audio, and video smoothly and seamlessly via the Internet or an Intranet.
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StorageApps sold to Hewlett-Packard for $350 million
25 Jul 2001
Hewlett-Packard has announced that it will acquire StorageApps in a stock-for-stock deal worth $350 million.
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Celestica enter $10 billion manufacturing agreement with Lucent
24 Jul 2001
Celestica has entered into a strategic manufacturing agreement with Lucent Technologies that could be worth up to US$10 billion over the next five years.
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New weapon for weather forecasters
24 Jul 2001
A real-time, three-dimensional weather visualisation system developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology may help weather researchers improve the timeliness and accuracy of forecasting severe storms.
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Raytheon awarded $203 million contract
24 Jul 2001
Raytheon has been awarded a contract valued at $203 million to develop an Information Dissemination Services-Direct Delivery (IDS-D) program for the US National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA).
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Fuel cells for all
23 Jul 2001
A joint research project that could help make fuel cells a practical means of powering electric cars has been announced in the US by H2fuel, LLC, and Argonne National Laboratory.
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New focus on eye glasses
23 Jul 2001
Optical scientists at the University of Arizona are developing a proprietary technology that could provide glasses with lenses that focus automatically.
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Penn State discovery is out of sight
23 Jul 2001
Penn State University engineers have shown that broadband, wireless, indoor, local area communication networks that rely on non-line-of-sight infrared (IR) signal transmission can offer low error rates as well as safe, low power levels.
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Submarines find their own way home
23 Jul 2001
A Danish company has recently completed test trials of Eurodocker, a technology that will allow autonomous underwater vehicles (UAV's) to automatically latch onto an underwater docking station.
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Aerospace mod squads get DREAM package
20 Jul 2001
Researchers from Cranfield University and Marshall Aerospace have developed a computer-based cost-estimating system that is designed to improve the management of aircraft modification projects.
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Out of the frying pan
20 Jul 2001
Research from Canada suggests that products containing Teflon and other fluorinated polymers can release a cocktail of harmful chemicals into the environment.
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Woody solution to environmental headache
20 Jul 2001
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island have found that shredded aspen wood could be used as a filter to prevent environmental damage to waterways.
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Good news for potatoes
19 Jul 2001
Scientists at the University of Wales are testing an automated system that can identify and count airborne potato blight spores.
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Lockheed Martin agrees to sell IMS Corporation for $825 Million
19 Jul 2001
Affiliated Computer Services Inc (ACS) has announced today that it is to purchase the IMS corporation from Lockheed Martin for $825 million cash.
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Sandia software acts as a rampart
19 Jul 2001
Software developed by Sandia National Laboratories may soon help the US General Services Administration (GSA) assess risks such as terrorism to the federal buildings it manages.
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Access your money via PDA
18 Jul 2001
The NCR Corporation has introduced a concept automated teller machine (ATM) that can be operated by a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA).
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One stop quantum dot testing
18 Jul 2001
Researchers at Indiana University have shown how to instantaneously identify tens of thousands of genes by using tiny semiconductor crystals that glow in ultraviolet light.
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Patent award could herald new era in computing
18 Jul 2001
Hewlett-Packard has announced it has been awarded a patent that could remove a major obstacle to making molecular-scale computing a reality.
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A very arbitrary piece of kit
17 Jul 2001
The Tektronix AWG400 series of arbitrary waveform generators perform a wide range of modulated inphase and quadrature (I&Q) and mixed signal simulations.
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Formation flying on a budget
17 Jul 2001
Engineers at the University of California, Los Angeles, are turning to nature to help reduce the consumption of aviation fuel in aircraft by up to 20 per cent.
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Hewlett-Packard announce $610 million acquisition
17 Jul 2001
Hewlett-Packard has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with Comdisco to acquire all of Comdisco's Availability Solutions business for $610 million in cash.
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High-res video camera targets medics
17 Jul 2001
Sony Electronics has introduced the DXC-190, a 1-CCD colour video camera for the medical microscopy industry.
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Magic mirrors make 3D real
17 Jul 2001
Ten years of research by a team at the University of Strathclyde has brought the dream of life-size, floating 3D images to life.
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Take a shine to robotic machine
17 Jul 2001
The world of specialised lens equipment is said to have taken a leap forward thanks to the introduction of a family of new robotic polishing machines.
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Argonne X-rays on the cutting edge
16 Jul 2001
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are using X-rays from the Advanced Photon Source (APS) to cut tiny patterns in semiconductor material.
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Brookhaven Lab gets down to the minutiae
16 Jul 2001
The US Department of Energy has approved funding for two major nanoscience research initiatives at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
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GE Fanuc to acquire VMIC
16 Jul 2001
GE Fanuc Automation North America has signed definitive agreements to acquire Huntsville, AL-based VMIC.
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Researchers study the case of the disappearing glass
16 Jul 2001
Scientists know how iron rusts and why copper turns green but now researchers at Penn State University are investigating how glass corrodes.
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Sandia Labs offer clearer view
16 Jul 2001
The US Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories has unveiled a 10-foot-high, 13-foot-wide screen that makes images from high-definition television look like grainy 1950s archive footage.
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Volkswagen taps eBreviate to create global auction model
16 Jul 2001
Volkswagen has awarded eBreviate a multi-year contract to install its e-auction software within Volkswagen's information technology infrastructure.
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What happened to New Voice infrastructure?
16 Jul 2001
A report released by telecom market research firm RHK shows that the North American market for New Voice Infrastructure (NVI) will only grow 12% annually.
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Five of these on one DVD
13 Jul 2001
Code named 'MC-10,' a new digital compression engine from Santa Monica, CA-based Zeros & Ones is claimed to achieve a three to ten times compression ratio with the same or superior levels of image quality to MPEG2.
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The $17 million fuel cell
13 Jul 2001
The US Department of Energy has awarded Nuvera Fuel Cells approximately $17 million to help fund three programmes of research into fuel cells.
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NIST uncovers potential lithography problem
12 Jul 2001
NIST researchers have uncovered a potentially serious optical problem affecting designs for future generations of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
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Protherics sell CAMD operations for $9.4 million
12 Jul 2001
Protherics plc has announced the sale of its Computer-Aided Molecular Design (CAMD) operations to Tularik Inc in a deal worth approximately US$9.4 million.
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A Linux platform for .NET
11 Jul 2001
Ximian has formed 'the Mono Project', a community initiative to develop an open source, Linux-based version of the Microsoft .NET development platform. Incorporating key .NET compliant components, including a C# (pronounced C-sharp) compiler, a Common Language Runtime just-in-time compiler, and a full suite of class libraries, the Mono Project will enable developers to create .NET applications and run them on Windows or any Mono-supported platform, including Linux and Unix.
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Astronauts take a safer spacewalk
11 Jul 2001
Scientists at the US the National Space Biomedical Research Institute are developing virtual reality training tools help future astronauts adapt to disorientation in space.
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Flow sensor applies measurement algorithms
11 Jul 2001
Endress + Hauser's t-switch and t-trend have been designed for use in monitoring the flow of liquids and gases.
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France and USA to fund research into advanced reactors
11 Jul 2001
France and the United States have signed a bilateral agreement to jointly fund US-French research in advanced reactors and fuel cycle development.
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Information delivered directly to browser
11 Jul 2001
Emerson Process Management (EPM) has launched e-fficiency, an Internet-based service that delivers information about performance of process plant equipment directly to a web browser.
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Sensor measures temperatures non-intrusively in hostile environments
11 Jul 2001
Argonne National Laboratory scientists have collaborated with Superior Graphite to develop a non-intrusive, real-time sensor that measures temperatures up to 3000°C with 2-3% accuracy.
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Bombardier signs with Northwest Airlines in $1.68 billion deal
10 Jul 2001
Bombardier Aerospace has signed a purchase agreement with Northwest Airlines for the sale of 75 firm Bombardier CRJ440 aircraft in a deal worth US$1.68 billion.
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Motorola sign $150 million deal with BT Cellnet
10 Jul 2001
Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector has signed a $150 million network infrastructure expansion deal with BT Cellnet.
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Motorola signs $700 million 3G deal
10 Jul 2001
Hutchison Whampoa Group and Motorola have announced the signing of a contract for the delivery of Third Generation (3G) wireless devices in a deal worth more than US$700 million.
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Paperless recorder has circular display
10 Jul 2001
A new version of Yokogawa's paperless recorder has a circular display, which emulates the appearance of a traditional circular chart recorder.
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PCs are configured with manufacturing software
10 Jul 2001
A scheme for the lease and purchase of pre-configured PCs for the manufacturing industry and other sectors has been introduced by Rockwell Automation.
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Sharp focus aids cancer treatment
10 Jul 2001
University of Florida scientists have developed new technology to precisely target radiation beams at cancerous tumours found on the body's internal organs.
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Touch screen data converters
10 Jul 2001
The AD7843 and AD7873 are resistive touchscreen digitizers that are suitable for touch screen devices such as personal digital assistants and point-of-sale terminals.
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ADC sell off selected cable assets for $32 million
9 Jul 2001
ADC has announced the sale of certain cable assets to C-COR.net in a deal worth approximately US$32 million.
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Autoliv aim to protect pedestrians
9 Jul 2001
Autoliv has recently presented a new system to protect pedestrians when struck by cars. The new system could significantly reduce the risk for serious and fatal head injuries.
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Step inside the virtual classroom
9 Jul 2001
The Centre for Image Processing and Integrated Computing (CIPIC) at the University of California, Davis is applying virtual reality to help scientists to see and handle their data.
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Cool device could save lives
6 Jul 2001
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago are working on a way to provide rapid, internal cooling of the heart and brain in order to save victims of heart attacks.
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Metallic particles shine a light on biomedical procedures
6 Jul 2001
Researchers have found that metal particles can be used in biomedical and biotechnology procedures by boosting weak or non-fluorescent molecules up to 2000 thousands times better.
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SQUID impersonates gyroscope
6 Jul 2001
In quantum physics waves and particles can act similarly, interfering like ripples in a pond and physicists at the University of California have shown that this interference occurs between two samples of superfluid helium-3. Helium-3 is so cold - a thousandth of a degree above absolute zero - that it is said to flow without resistance.
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Transistors get a single atom switch
6 Jul 2001
Dutch researchers have found that a single electron makes the difference between 'on' and 'off' for a new transistor made from a single carbon nanotube. The single electron transistor is the first to operate efficiently at room temperature and could be an ideal device for molecular computers.
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EMPower's Airbus development
5 Jul 2001
The UK division of Airbus has used Tecnomatix eMPower software to demonstrate the optimization of manufacturing techniques used in its 'Wing Box Assembly' project.
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A new use for global positioning systems
4 Jul 2001
Engineers at Purdue University and NASA have developed a new technique for monitoring the environment by using routine signals that are beamed to Earth by global positioning systems.
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DOE studies sequestration
4 Jul 2001
The Department of Energy (DOE) will spend almost $25 million to co-fund eight new exploratory projects that will study methods to capture and store carbon gases.
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Eaton acquires truck clutch business in Mexico
4 Jul 2001
Eaton Corporation has acquired the heavy-duty and medium-duty truck clutch manufacturing assets of Transmisiones TSP, SA de CV, for an undisclosed amount.
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Philips to make $1.1 billion acquisition
4 Jul 2001
Royal Philips Electronics has announced that it will purchase Marconi's Medical Systems (MS) business for $1.1 billion, making Philips the world's second largest manufacturer of medical diagnostic imaging equipment.
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Biomaterials use lithography to send out signals
3 Jul 2001
A scientist has produced patterned surfaces on glass substrates that integrate biocompatible materials and live nerve cells using a lithographic technique called microstamping.
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Expanded measurement options from NI
3 Jul 2001
With LabView Real-Time 6i software, engineers can create custom applications in LabView 6i and download them on to an embedded hardware device.
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Multi-loop controller for modular system
3 Jul 2001
Eurotherm has introduced a high performance multi-loop PID control unit which has the capability to run up to eight multiple, single or compound loops.
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Pilots keep a closer eye on ice
3 Jul 2001
Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing an ice-management system to detect the effect of ice on the performance and handling of an aircraft.
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Pressure switch for harsh environments
3 Jul 2001
Bourdon Sedeme has introduced a rugged, programmable digital pressure switch, designed for industrial processes.
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Sandia robot strengthens long arm of the law
3 Jul 2001
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have unveiled a wheeled police robot that makes many decisions on its own.
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Steel band motor saves money
3 Jul 2001
Baldor has launched a range of AC vector-duty motors constructed using steel band techniques. The motors have been designed for automation applications requiring precise control of speed and torque.
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Switch brings improved safety levels
3 Jul 2001
The Trojan T115 is a dual channel safety interlock switch, claimed to help designers achieve improved safety integrity levels, as mandated in IEC61508 and IEC62061.
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Transducer stays focussed on prostate treatment
3 Jul 2001
Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing transducers to improve the performance of ultrasound surgical beams used to treat prostate cancer and enlargement of the prostate.
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Cell detection system could speed up drug development
2 Jul 2001
MelTec GmbH has published a study describing its Neuronal Cell Detection System (NCDS) for the monitoring of fluorescent lymphocytes in human tissue using robotic imaging technology.
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Classroom gets clever
2 Jul 2001
Researchers at Northwestern University are currently building a prototype of an AI-based 'Classroom' that tries to serve as its own A/V assistant.
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Controller launched in 24V DC version
2 Jul 2001
Yokogawa has introduced a new 24V DC version of its UT100 Series of digital indicating controller.
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New technologies may create clearer diagnostic pictures
2 Jul 2001
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have patented technologies that will make MRI quick enough to catch fleeting images during medical procedures and create vivid, three-dimensional pictures.
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Valves in control at Transco
2 Jul 2001
Control valves from Severn Glocon have been used in an upgrade project on Transco's UK gas pipeline distribution network. The project involves the construction of new compressor stations by Costain Oil, Gas and Process, at sites across the country.
