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Robotics, Automation & Control

Compact Active Vibration Control System

This innovation consists of an analog controller, diamond-shaped patch actuator, and point sensors (such as accelerometers). The actuator is designed to couple to the flexural response of the structure in the same manner as a group of point sensors. This results in a co-located transducer pair. The signals...

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Defense

Hybrid-Electric Distributed Propulsion Explored

Recent advancements in electronics, computers, and power distribution have made distributed propulsion feasible, but major challenges remain.

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Defense

3-D Printing in Aerospace: Not Just Winging It

The demand for innovative manufacturing technology that produces lighter parts with stronger material grows each day in the competitive aerospace industry. 3-D printing, also known as “additive manufacturing,” is at the center of this innovation.

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Defense

Embry-Riddle to Offer Master’s in Unmanned Systems

Unmanned systems coursework will examine the application, development, management, and policies of unmanned systems and address issues including regulation; systems design; policy and ethics; education and training; and human performance and machine interaction.

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Defense

Sikorsky, NREC Partner for Matrix Application to Demonstrate U.S. Army Autonomous UGV Delivery

The project is an 18-month program sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) through the Robotics Technology Consortium.

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Aerospace

Designing Quieter Aircraft via Acoustic Simulation

Greater fuel efficiency and low emission requirements have grown into such an urgent imperative in aircraft design that it often overshadows an equally significant factor in air travel—noise. Airbus shows that it’s possible to infuse acoustic simulation into design processes from beginning...

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Defense

Dual-Purpose Engine Stand

Champion GSE has developed a dual-purpose stand for both the -1B and -2B GEnx engine platforms from GE. Features of the Stronghold stand were designed to increase personnel safety, usability, and function. These...

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Defense

Inline Caster

Hamilton Standard custom engineered an all-stainless inline caster for a major aerospace supplier. The aerospace company ordered two of these special casters designed for a clean-room environment, each with a carrying capacity of 15,500 lb. The caster stands 10-1/8-in tall and 21-in long, and is equipped with two 8-in-diameter by...

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Defense

Low-Loss RF Coax Cable Assemblies

Crystek’s 50-GHz low-loss RF cable assemblies feature corrosion-resistant 2.4-mm 303 stainless steel connectors and three levels of shielding for low attenuation (loss) over distance (1.44 dB/ft at 50 GHz). They are in stock in standard lengths of 24, 39.4, and 48 in, with custom lengths available. The...

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Defense

Temperature Indicator With Fixed Probes

Palmer Wahl Instrumentation Group’s Wahl DST500-FM temperature indicator with fixed probes is a high-accuracy, wide-range thermometer designed for hazardous locations where accurate and reliable temperature monitoring is critical. Fixed-stem probes are available in straight or 90° back-, left-, or...

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Defense

Pressure Switches

Honeywell’s HP Series, HE Series, and LE Series of pressure switches provide high burst pressure ranges, a long lifecycle rating, and IP67 sealing, enhancing durability and reliability. High burst pressure and up to 2 million lifecycle ratings allow the switch to operate and survive in demanding applications and ensure long...

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Defense

Switches

VadaTech (Henderson, NV) offers 40G/10G Layer 3 managed switches for AdvancedTCA (ATCA). Designers can choose throughput levels: 320G, 480G, or 640G. Each slot runs either 40G or 10G. The ATCA switch provides two ports of...

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Articles
Defense

Alleviating Memory and Cache Contention in Safety-Critical Applications

In safety-critical systems, the ability to guarantee that safety-critical tasks have sufficient time to execute is key for system integrity and safe operation. A big...

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Defense

DAQ and I/O Control Platforms

United Electronic Industries (Walpole, MA) has announced two military-grade DAQ (Data Acquisition) and I/O Control platforms. Using a modular architecture, the DNR-MIL and DNA-MIL are supported by over 50...

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Articles
Aerospace

Next-Generation Mobile Tactical Communications

After many years of development and well-publicized budget overruns, the DoD’s Joint Tactical Radio System program (since reorganized and renamed) has recently given birth to a set of handheld...

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Articles
Defense

Commercial Programs Are Flying High

Boeing and Airbus can hardly keep up with demand for 150-seat jets, and both have increased their own monthly production rates to well over 40 aircraft, stretching the capacity of the supply chain to the...

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Articles
Defense

3-D Manufacturing of Titanium Components Takes Off

With such challenges as base closings, shrinking defense budgets, and sequestration, the worldwide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector is projected to experience a significant...

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Articles
Defense

Optimizing DSP Techniques for Antenna Site Software Radio

Many applications can benefit from pushing software radio functions up the mast to the antenna as a viable alternative to traditional rack-mounted receiver systems. New technology...

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Technology Update
Imaging

Unmanned Aircraft Must Rise Above Barriers for Commercial Applications

Historically, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) market has been dominated by military applications from surveillance to active engagement. In the near term, the...

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Aerospace

Custom cPCI Backplane

Verotec (Derry, New Hampshire) offers a custom 6U, 2 x 4 slot CompactPCI backplane for flight simulation applications. In addition to integrating two independent 4-slot systems on a single backplane, additional I/O...

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Aerospace

RF Inductors

Gowanda Electronics (Gowanda, NY) has announced military approval for four thru-hole RF inductor series: MLRF10M, MLRF15M, MLRF18M, and MLRF17S. The wire-wound, molded, thru-hole RF inductors meet the military’s Qualified...

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Aerospace

Power Supply Boards

ADL Embedded Solutions (San Diego, CA) has announced a 150W ADLPS104ISO-150 power supply board. The technology, designed for -40°C to +85°C operation, provides ATX voltages in a stackable PCI/104-Express form factor....

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Products
Defense

Accelerometers

Meggitt Sensing Systems (Irvine, CA), a Meggitt group division, has extended its set of Endevco-brand Isotron accelerometers. Features include multiple sensitivity options; wide-band frequency response; signal ground isolation...

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Defense

Air Data Computer

Curtiss-Wright Corporation (Ashburn, VA) has introduced the Air Data Computer Module (ADCM). Designed and manufactured by Defense Solutions’ Avionics & Electronics business unit, the ADCM provides aircraft avionics...

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Unmanned Autonomous Helicopter

Northrop Grumman Corp.
West Falls Church, VA
703-280-2900
www.northropgrumman.com

All Navy aircraft must go through electromagnetic interference testing to ensure that they can operate...

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Articles
Defense

New Technique Could Make Sub-Wavelength Images at Radio Frequencies

Imaging and mapping of electric fields at radio frequencies (RF) currently requires the use of metallic structures such as dipoles, probes, and reference antennas. To make...

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Ethernet Switch and Router Technology

Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Ashburn, VA
973-541-3700
www.curtisswright.com

Curtiss-Wright Corporation’s Defense Solutions division recently received a contract from Sierra Nevada...

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Briefs
Physical Sciences

Automatic-Alignment Fiber Optic Coupling System for Optimal Signal Transmission

Using the current method of characterizing waveguides manufactured for research in optical communications, it can take up to 8 hours to characterize the...

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Briefs
Physical Sciences

Detecting Maritime Radiological/Nuclear Threats with Hybrid Imaging

The SuperMISTI detection system is a hybrid detection, identification, and imaging system for sources of gamma-ray radiation at stand-off distances. The system is based on...

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Briefs
Physical Sciences

Testing Particle Counters for Detection of Fuel Contamination

Fuel quality assurance is accomplished by conducting periodic fuel sampling for the condition monitoring of aviation fuel by detecting, measuring, and reporting the levels of...

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INSIDER
Sensors/Data Acquisition

Army to Get New IED Detector Technology

Detecting improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan requires constant, intensive monitoring using rugged equipment. When Sandia researchers first demonstrated a modified miniature synthetic aperture...

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INSIDER
Defense

Tiny Laser Sensor Heightens Bomb Detection Sensitivity

A team of researchers led by Xiang Zhang, UC Berkeley professor of mechanical engineering, has found a way to dramatically increase the sensitivity of a light-based plasmon sensor to...

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INSIDER
Weapons Systems

Army Develops First-of-Its Kind Phase-Coherent Fiber Laser Array System

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory's Computational and Information Science Directorate's Intelligent Optics Team, and partners, recently developed, engineered,...

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INSIDER Product
Defense

Tension/compression Load Cell

The Model XLUS88 subminiature, bidirectional tension/compression load cell from tecsis LP operates from 150 g to 1000 lb. It features a compact size of 0.5" to 0.75" in diameter for limited-space applications....

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News
Defense

MEMS Wafer Inspection

Sonoscan’s AW322 200 automated system for ultrasonic inspection of MEMS wafers images and identifies internal gap-type defects down to 5 µm in size. It is especially useful for finding non-bonds, voids, and other...

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INSIDER Product
Test & Measurement

Vector Signal Generator

The R&S SMW200A high-end vector signal generator from Rohde & Schwarz supports frequencies up to 20 GHz. The system makes it possible to generate two wideband signals with any type of modulation up to 20 GHz...

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

Simple Connection for Shielded Cables

The SAB 32 shield connection clip from Conta-Clip provides a quick, simple connection when cables require shielding from interference. With low-interference systems, the point where the cable shielding...

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Airbus, British Airways, Heathrow, and NATS Partner for Quieter Flights

Airbus, British Airways (BA), Heathrow Airport (LHR), and NATS (the main air navigation service provider in the U.K.) have established a partnership to study and...

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News
Defense

GE Aviation Breaks Ground on Jet Engine Assembly Factory in Indiana

GE Aviation recently hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new $100 million jet engine assembly facility in Lafayette, IN. The 225,000-ft² facility will assemble the...

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News
Manufacturing & Prototyping

GKN Aerospace to Lead Research Collaboration into Additive Manufacturing

GKN Aerospace is leading a consortium of U.K. companies in a 3½ year, £13.4 million research and development program called Horizon (AM) that builds on GKN...

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News
Defense

Tata Technologies Researchers Use CFD to Predict Cavitation in Liquid Ring Pumps

Liquid ring pumps are used in aircraft fuel systems in conjunction with main impeller pumps. These pumps are used for priming the pump system as well as to...

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News
Defense

Stable Photodiode

Opto Diode’s SXUV Ø2.5 mm photodiode features a circular active area and provides stability after extreme ultraviolet (EUV) conditions. It is housed in a TO-39, 3-pin, windowless package that delivers responsivity down to 1 nm. The active area is typically Ø2.5 mm, and the minimum shunt resistance is 20 MOhms @ ±10 mV...

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Electronics & Computers

Camera to SWIR Imaging

A clip-on system from UTC Aerospace Systems converts a camera to a day/night short wave IR (SWIR) imaging system. The Sensors Unlimited Warrior C2S lightweight, field-ready module and covert laser illuminator locks into the front of a Canon EOS 5D camera (Mark II and Mark III models) to provide operators with SWIR imaging...

INSIDER Product
RF & Microwave Electronics

Germanium Meniscus Lenses

Edmund Optics’ TECHSPEC meniscus lenses feature a durable design that is ideal for use in a variety of demanding IR applications, including IR imaging or surveillance, remote sensing, and IR spectroscopy. The...

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News
Electronics & Computers

Extended Temperature Crystals

Fox Electronics offers two popular crystal lines as standard stock in the extended temperature range of -40 to +85°C, with a total of five packages and 14 different frequencies. Lead times for prototyping,...

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Products

Safety Laser Scanners

Omron Automation and Safety's (Schaumburg, IL) new OS32C-4M Type 3 safety laser scanners provide a 4 meter safety range, 15 meter warning zones and a 270 degree detection angle for safeguarding large robotic cells and...

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Products

High-Speed Imaging System

Photron, Inc. (San Diego, CA) has introduced the FASTCAM Mini UX50 rugged, lightweight high-speed camera. The new, 1.3 megapixel (1,280 x 1,024 pixels) high-speed sensor operates at 2,000 frames per second (fps) at...

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Products

Tunable Blue Diode Laser

New Focus (Santa Clara, CA), a Newport Corporation brand, has extended its range of Littrow tunable lasers with the TLB-7102-02 Vantage(TM). The direct blue diode laser is tunable from 421 to 423 nm and ideally...

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Products

Custom Optical Mounts

Optical Surfaces Ltd. (Kenley, UK) specializes in providing custom modified versions of its high-precision optical mounts for challenging applications. Typical custom modifications include mounts for non-circular...

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INSIDER Product
Test & Measurement

USB Load Cells

LC411-USBH low-profile compression load cells from Omega enable 1000 readings per second and feature a USB output to connect directly to a computer. Free PC software simplifies data logging and charting. Also included are...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

DARPA Teams With Industry to Create Spaceplane

DARPA has created an Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) to create a new paradigm for more routine, responsive, and affordable space operations. In an important step toward that goal, DARPA has...

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INSIDER
Imaging

Custom Surface Inspection System for Safety-Critical Processes

Researchers have engineered a high-precision modular inspection system that can be adapted on a customer-specific basis and integrated into the production process. Before a...

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INSIDER
Materials

NASA 3D Printing Technique Creates Metal Spacecraft Parts

Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are implementing a printing process that transitions from one metal or alloy to another in a single object. JPL scientists have been...

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INSIDER Product
Aerospace

Northrop Grumman to Modernize Black Hawk Cockpit for U.S. Army

Redstone Defense Systems selected Northrop Grumman Corp. to supply and integrate mission avionics equipment for a digital cockpit upgrade of the U.S. Army's UH-60L Black Hawk...

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News
Defense

KUKA Aerospace Announces Everett, WA, Facility

KUKA Aerospace, a developer of automated manufacturing systems for aircraft manufacturing and assembly, is locating its first U.S. facility outside of Michigan in Everett, WA. The...

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News
Defense

Boeing, South African Airways to Turn New Tobacco Plant into Jet Fuel

Boeing, South African Airways (SAA), and SkyNRG are collaborating to make sustainable aviation biofuel from a new type of tobacco plant. This initiative broadens...

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News
Manufacturing & Prototyping

New SAE Standard Focuses on Manufacturing Management

A soon-to-be-published SAE International standard, AS6500, is designed to encourage suppliers and OEMs to put more focus on manufacturability during the early phases of a product’s...

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News
Software

Composites Design Optimization for Automated Fiber Placement

Complex composites structures are becoming more common, especially in aeronautics. Composites preforms can now be manufactured by automated processes, such as automated fiber...

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News
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Autodesk Moves Full STEAM Ahead with Its Commitment to Education

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education has been a hot topic in education for many years. But recently, others are joining the movement to...

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