Some people say WiFi and ZigBee can work side by side; others say they cannot.

Integration fuses all data into a single information source, providing a comprehensive view into your operations.

List of Manufacturers and Vendors of Plug-and-Play Sensing Devices

Robotic machines are becoming a popular solution to a variety of problems. Examples include unmanned vehicles of various types that carry out military operations, surgical robots that assist in the operating room, robotic mining equipment that performs work too dangerous for human beings, and intelligent machine tools that save money while increasing quality. This new generation of robotic machinery differs radically from older industrial robots developed in the second half of the twentieth century. While the stereotypical industrial robot is a machine operating in a highly managed environment using open-loop control techniques, these newer robotic machines depend heavily on closed-loop control and often operate in unmanaged environments.

The linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) has been around for many years, and remains a popular sensing technology for absolute position measurement. It is relatively simple, operates over a wide temperature range, has extremely fine resolution, never wears out, and has high reliability. It is well suited for linear measurements over ranges from microns to several inches, but becomes less cost-effective at stroke lengths greater than ±3 in.

If you're dealing with challenging environments, consider using ultrasonic sensors, with their longer and wider sensing ranges and immunity to color, ambient noise, and dust.

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.

Accelerometers are sensing transducers that provide an output proportional to acceleration, vibration, and shock. The piezoelectric accelerometer is the most popular class of these devices; other types are based on piezoresistive, capacitive, and servo technologies.

Pervasive computing is the holy grail of computer and network technology. It promises a world where communications and computation are everywhere, instantly available, virtually free, and capable of almost anything. Why doesn't pervasive computing exist today?

Getting data from a nonlinear sensor has always been a design challenge, but the combination of a microcontroller and a programmable gain amplifier overcomes thermistor nonlinearity across an extended temperature range.