If hearing this question from a teenaged grocery clerk holding up a cucumber leaves you staring in disbelief and worrying about the future of the free world, you're going to love IBM's Intelligent Scale with the company's Veggie Vision software. Unlike a youngster raised on pizza and toaster pastries, this scale not only recognizes most produce—in or out of a plastic bag—but also weighs it and prints a bar-coded price tag, all in a split second, with no time wasted ogling the hot prospect at the next cash register.

Strain gauges are fairly straightforward devices that output a voltage signal based on a change in resistance when the object to which they are attached to undergoes tension or compression. They are available in three basic types: full-, half-, and quarter-bridge, each with its own requirements.

The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is distinguished by its brilliant coloration–and its mighty punching ability. This shrimp, about 9 cm long, can deliver a 51 mph jab delivering more than 200 lb. of force with its forelegs. And why? To crack the shell of a snail it intends to eat.

After a few false starts, weigh-in-motion technology is on the move again—to the certain delight of long-distance haulers who don't like idling in line at conventional weigh stations.

Did you know that there are entire realms of high-tech ironing equipment out there? There are, and the Swiss company LauraStar manufactures them. Recently, the company teamed up with Cambridge Consultants, a Boston, MA–based design and technology consulting firm to create a new "smart" ironing system, one that incorporates intelligent sensing and electronics.

Most of us have heard from our knees after a tennis game, but how about a knee that can deliver real-time data during various activities? Jerry Ward, a retired aerospace engineer, is walking around on one today.

A few years back, Measurement Specialties, a pioneer in pressure sensing, gained recognition for an aggressive schedule of acquisitions. More recently, the company established MSI Sensors (www.msisensors.com) as a separate division and echoed history as MSI made four significant acquisitions in 2004. In all cases, the acquired companies note the benefits of being a part of MSI's global operation.

When Caterpillar Inc. wanted to improve its scale-model testing of its earth moving machines, its engineers selected a combination of software and real-time hardware from National Instruments.

Tunable lasers, highly manufacturable and cost-effective, are opening new opportunities for multichannel fiber Bragg grating sensors using single-fiber and single-laser technology in multiple-point interrogation systems.

A single-crystal silicon strain gauge with a flexible polyimide backing combines the best properties of silicon and metal foil strain gauges. Its features include a gauge factor as high as 110, nickel or gold solder pads, and a 60 mil bend radius.