The previous article covered a basic introduction to IP enabled Smart Objects. These are devices that combine processing power with communications capabilities to exchange information using the Internet Protocol. IP Smart Objects are being deployed in a variety of machine to machine (M2M) systems....More>>

By now most of us have become wholly reliant on our virtual connections and the devices—the cell phones, PDAs, and laptops—that drive them. As important as these communications tools have become, a new revolution in connectivity is taking place that is certain to be even more...More>>

Mars is on my mind today. Mostly because I just finished reading Mary Roach's <i>Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void</i>, which is excellent. But also because it looks like Spirit is no longer able to phone home and while the next rover, Curiosity, looks like it'll be a great...More>>

This month's collection of recent R&amp;D news stories includes an implantable glucose sensor, sensors for lightning research, and an advanced system to monitor a ship's lubrication.More>>

A lot of money is being thrown at implementing intelligence in the national utilities grid with the aim to stimulate job growth. This need to create jobs is accelerating the pace of Smart Grid deployments and, in turn, standards are being overlooked and—in some instances—not implemented at all....More>>

A recent Pike Research report on the future of smart water metering in the U.S. highlights both the need for, and opportunities in, an advanced metering infrastructure for water utilities. With changes in weather patterns affecting the amount of rain that's falling on the U.S., getting a jump on...More>>

Or at least, that's the impression I got from reading the news when Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and the U.K.'s ministry of defense all showed off new and impressive unmanned aerial vehicles. Love them or hate them, UAVs are here to stay; and considering their utility for both military and civilian...More>>

This month we've got a clever system that partners drugs containing ingestible sensor chips to a wireless monitor to ensure patient compliance, a new gas sensor chip that can detect many different chemicals simultaneously, and a rather clever system for applying pesticides just where they're needed.More>>

Sharply falling prices are creating a fast-growing market for commercial infrared sensors, for everything from night vision systems for automobiles and boats, to locating leaks in roofing and scanning airline passengers for fevers.More>>

If you examine how temperature sensors have changed over time, what you'll mostly see is that the underlying principles of operation of the sensors haven't changed, but that the size, supporting electronics, packaging, and integration of the devices have all become more sophisticated. And this...More>>