Use of electronic machines

1.Military gov rolls out ‘electronic’ voting machine for constitution poll

Ratchathewi will be the first district in Thailand to use an electronic voting machine created by the government to prepare for a possible public referendum on Thailand’s latest draft constitution.
The Election Commission of Thailand said it is ready to install the prototype machines at two polling stations in Ratchathewi where they will serve about 1,600 voters, according to Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn.
The voting on the draft constitution could happen in January, and the organization will take the opportunity to test the machines for future elections. The plan is to roll them out nationwide for future, hypothetical elections.
With space for names to be handwritten and big analog buttons all in an army green package, these machines look like state of the art tech, were it 1972.

Somchai added the Election Commission is also looking to develop an election application for smartphones to facilitate citizens in finding their polling stations, state media reported.

2.Does too much technology make a car artificial?

Two trends are interacting in the car world right now, and I'm fascinated by the questions being raised as a result. First, people are keeping their cars longer. At the same time, new cars are more like mobile computers than the purely mechanical machines most people are familiar with—Ars boss Ken Fisher told me once that cars would be the first properly successful wearable device, and I think he's being proved right. This often results in a degree of culture shock when people used to the old way of doing things get exposed to a new car, particularly if they didn't see anything wrong with the status quo.

Computers are in control of everything, modulating our control inputs and interpreting our intent. For example, between your foot and the pedals of a hybrid are complex software routines that decide how to juggle internal combustion engines and conventional brakes with electric motor-generator units when it comes to stopping and going. Cheap, rugged, and powerful electronics can let an engineer solve a suspension or engine problem with some code instead of mechanical fix. Is that a good thing, or is the solution an artificial one?

Americans are spending more time away from car showrooms than in the past. I'm one of them; my newest car is a 2005 Saab 9-2x Aero (one of the finest examples of badge engineering out there), which shares a garage—or would if I had one—with a 19-year old Mazda Miata. I doubt there's a single defining reason for this trend, more like an interplay between better reliability, less cheap credit, some degree of economic uncertainty, and probably a few other factors I haven't thought of.

Meanwhile, cars have been starting to change quite dramatically as a result of the technology boom. The transformation from analog to digital actually started quite a while ago. We made computers responsible for looking after the engine, the brakes, and the gearbox, then we leveraged those computers to assist drivers. Traction control. Stability control. Cruise control. All of these will be familiar to you even if you last drove a new car in the mid-2000s.

Then electronics took over the throttle and the steering, and now you can reprogram a car's mood with the scroll of a jog-wheel. Set a car to "Sport" mode and suddenly the gas pedal remaps; now you get 100 percent throttle when the pedal is only 50 percent through its travel. Tweak a control and now the steering firms up. It means that GM can build aggressive 650 horsepower Corvettes that are friendly enough not to kill the car's traditional audience of older people who like a gentle cruise. It's not just the feel of the ride, either; we can even augment a car's engine note with speakers that cancel out unpleasant harmonics.

The biggest change, at least from where I sit, is that cars can now see—and communicate with—the world around them. Cameras and ultrasonic and radar sensors will now relieve some of the driver's strain when it's time to park or cruise along a highway for hours at a time. These functions were first marketed as a convenience, options on flagship models. In the past, technology would trickle down from range-topping luxury cars into the vehicles we mortals bought. Now it's being mandated by governments that can't ignore the benefits of fewer traffic accidents or lower carbon emissions.


And if you're going to replace a car's mechanical systems with electronic ones, it stands to reason that you'd want to consolidate their control in a central location. And having one single brain controlling it all is preferable to filling a car with black boxes and pounds (or kilograms) of wires, each with just a single job to do. Cheap and rugged wireless modems have been the final touch.

3.Brain-Controlled Gadgets

Despite trying to convince ourselves that telekinesis is possible, any possible cases of the ability are strictly relegated to the realms of pseudo-science for now, with a serious lack of conclusive evidence in their favour. However, neuroscience is already enabling the use of the human mind for controlling objects in the physical world, using equipment often referred to as a brain-machine interface (BMI) or a brain-computer interface (BCI).
Direct interface between our brains and machines is now possible. However, emergent devices in this sphere often require “brain training” in order to function, and their successful use is dependent on our ability to summon quite specific brainwaves and frequencies at will. This technology is based mostly based on machine interpretation of signals naturally produced by our brains.
For example, a machine could interpret a brain signal as corresponding to our imagining a specific shape or image, through familiarity with reading our brain function over time. The machine may then duplicate an approximation of the image on a screen; theoretically it could also interpret qualities such as colour, movement and texture in order to represent them.
With this technology, video games will become far more immersive, creating the illusion of magic within the game as players tune, move, lift or manifest virtual objects and change the landscape, colours and lights of virtual surroundings while playing. This might occur according to specific intentions, or even matching general features of the moods of players.
The interpretation of our thoughts can of course be applied in more practical terms in our daily lives. We should not be surprised if before long we are living in “smart homes” where we can control our household devices and turn on and off screens, computers, heating, lights and doors simply by mentally willing it.
There are already some examples of cars that can be controlled via BMI. Scientists have applied similar technologies to control wheelchairs designed for the physically impaired, and the control of prosthetic limbs with our brain signals is also possible.
These technologies are still posing many challenges for their developers and users since they require a lot of training and patience in order to be able to send the right signals to the machines. However, scientists are very optimistic in relation to the effective control of robotic systems using BMI systems.
Some gadgets based on similar developments of neuroscience are indeed already on the market.
Some examples are Emotiv-Epoc, MUSE and Neurosky. All three claim to able to measure and track brain signals including emotions and levels of stress, concentration and relaxation in order to help us learn how to optimize the activity of our brains and produce specific brain signals which can be recognised by computers and other electronic devices.

Soon the strength of our brains, creativity and the bounds of our imaginations might be interpreted and reproduced by computer systems, and we may find ourselves recreating our thoughts via the direct medium of an interfaced electronic device. The implications for art, amongst many other areas, are extraordinary. In a literal sense this time, our imagination will be the only limit.

4.New machines to upgrade the way your vote is counted in Gaston

A nearly $300,000 investment will change the way ballots are counted in Gaston County, though not the way you vote.
The 55 vote scanners and tabulators recently purchased by the Gaston County Board of Elections will be used at each precinct when elections are held. The new machines are modern versions of their older counterparts and will operate faster and more efficiently thanks to more up-to-date software, said Elections Director Adam Ragan.
“The best example I can give is they’re kind of like Windows XP computers,” he said. “You get to the point where you can’t service those machines anymore. So the new machine is just an updated version — a ‘next-generation’ tabulator.”
In 2012, the county acquired four of the newer models, which it has used at early voting sites. When Ragan was hired several years ago, one of his priorities was to find money to upgrade the other 55 voting machines.
The county traded in the old models for a roughly $30,000 credit, leaving its total tab for the new purchases at $298,377.
The only interaction voters have with the tabulators comes from sliding their completed ballots into it. The machine counts the ovals that have been filled in on each sheet of paper and keeps a record of everything.
That technology, known as optical scan, has been in use in Gaston County since 2005.
“I’m a big fan of optical scan and paper ballots for the simple reason that we have a physical, paper ballot in front of us,” said Ragan. “If there’s an issue with the counts or something, I can run the ballots through the machine again. I have the paper ballots and know how many people voted.”
Some people view optical scan as an archaic technology, particularly if they’ve used electronic, touch-screen voting machines. Those have been employed recently in Guilford and Mecklenburg counties, among others in North Carolina.
Gaston County used such machines in 2003 and 2004, prior to Ragan’s arrival, he said. But issues arose with their calibration. Someone would occasionally press a button to vote for candidate A, only to get an on-screen confirmation that they’d just voted for candidate B.

A couple of years ago, the General Assembly passed a law banning touch-screen voting machines, Ragan said. Counties that still have them will be allowed to use them until 2020, before they must have optical scan or some other accepted technology in place.

5.Schubert Presents Packaging Machine without Electrical Cabinet

An obvious sign of the elimination of traditional electronics for the packaging machine is the smaller head of the TLM machine frame. Since the servo modules of the machine without an electrical cabinet belong within a decentralised control architecture for TLM robots, they no longer require an electrical cabinet. The number of electronic parts has been greatly reduced, leaving only a few components. At the same time, the operation and maintenance of the machine are easier than ever. Customers can therefore take on their packaging tasks based on more user-friendly automation implemented through virtually uninterrupted operation with minimum personnel input.

The machine’s remaining components are equipped with a water cooling feature, which increases the life of the electrical equipment. Moreover, it reduces the system’s waste heat. With a heat exchanger, the customer can make use of the energy from the water cooling. Yet another plus in terms of energy is that Schubert uses drive systems with energy recovery – as with all TLM systems.

At the show, the machine’s functionality will be demonstrated through a pick & place process, whereby four-axle TLM F44 robots will take white and black bears from a white product belt and then place them on Transmoduls in a specific formation.

White bears on a white background – the vision system can detect the products in spite of the very low-contrast environment, thanks to Schubert’s new scanner. The Schubert 3D scanner brings spatial vision to life. The vision system uses the data from the scanner to calculate a height profile and therefore the three-dimensional shape of the products to be packaged. This eliminates the generation of ghosting images through dirt or product residues on the belt. In addition, the 3D-scanner can detect defects – for instance, if a brown sandwich biscuit with brown cream is missing its cover section. Defective products such as these will be removed from the packaging process. Thanks to the 3D scanner, image recognition is effective and more accurate. Customers from all business sectors will benefit from less waste, higher productivity and improved quality.

With uniform product density, the TLM vision system can even detect the weight of each product. This enables individual product formations to be made up within a defined weight range during a grouping process. Depending on the application, the manufacturer can therefore save up to three per cent in raw materials, since less over-production is required to meet the legal standard. Target vs actual comparisons are also possible for stacking height and stacking length in the case of upright box filling.

On screens at the stand, Schubert will also be providing in-depth information on other TLM systems, its thermoforming technology and its filling systems for liquid cosmetic products. Customer examples will clearly illustrate the use of these technologies.


At the FachPack show, Schubert will be exhibiting with its new trade fair concept for the first time. The stand architecture and exhibition graphics accentuate the brand’s innovative power with a striking diagonal line design. Whereas the new TLM machine without an electrical cabinet is being presented in a bright environment, the stand is otherwise decorated in muted grays, offering visitors a pleasant and high quality of stay.

6.Scientists use particle accelerator to visualize properties of nanoscale electronic materials

A technique devised by UCLA researchers could help scientists better understand a tiny—but potentially important—component of next-generation electronic devices.Scientists trying to improve the semiconductors that power our electronic devices have focused on a technology called spintronics as one especially promising area of research. Unlike conventional devices that use electrons' charge to create power, spintronic devices use electrons' spin. The technology is already used in computer hard drives and many other applications—and scientists believe it could eventually be used for quantum computers, a new generation of machines that use quantum mechanics to solve complex problems with extraordinary speed.
Emerging research has shown that one key to greatly improving performance in spintronics could be a class of materials called topological insulators. Unlike ordinary materials that are either insulators or conductors, topological insulators function as both simultaneously—on the inside, they are insulators but on their exteriors, they conduct electricity.But topological insulators have certain defects that have so far limited their use in practical applications, and because they are so tiny, scientists have so far been unable to fully understand how the defects impact their functionality.
The UCLA researchers have overcome that challenge with a new method to visualize topological insulators at the nanoscale. An article highlighting the research, which was which led by Louis Bouchard, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Dimitrios Koumoulis, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar, was published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The new method is the first use of beta‑detected nuclear magnetic resonance to study the effects of these defects on the properties of topological insulators.
The technique involves aiming a highly focused stream of ions at the topological insulator. To generate that beam of ions, the researchers used a large particle accelerator called a cyclotron, which accelerates protons through a spiral path inside the machine and forces them to collide with a target made of the chemical element tantalum. This collision produces lithium-8 atoms, which are ionized and slowed down to a desired energy level before they are implanted in the topological insulators.
In beta‑detected nuclear magnetic resonance, ions (in this case, the ionized lithium-8 atoms) of various energies are implanted in the material of interest (the topological insulator) to generate signals from the material's layers of interest.
Bouchard said the method is particularly well suited for probing regions near the surfaces and interfaces of different materials.
In the UCLA research, the high sensitivity of the beta‑detected nuclear magnetic resonance technique and its ability to probe materials allowed the scientists to "see" the impacts of the defects in the topological insulators by viewing the electronic and magnetic properties beneath the surface of the material.

7.Banner Engineering Introduces Heavy-Duty Vantage Line Fiber Optics

Heavy-Duty Vantage Line Fiber Optics

Minneapolis, MN – Banner Engineering introduces new heavy-duty Vantage Line fiber optics to complement its industry-recognized fiber amplifier product family. Featuring a flexible 304 stainless steel tube, the polyethylene jacketed plastic fiber is protected from crushing or abrasion in harsh industrial environments.

To accommodate diverse applications, the heavy-duty Vantage Line plastic fibers are available in eight different models, four with opposed sensing mode and four with diffuse sensing mode, in one- and two-meter options. All heavy-duty fibers are compatible with Banner’s existing plastic fiber amplifiers, including the DF-G family.

“Our new heavy-duty vantage line of plastic fibers offer enhanced durability and stable performance at a cost effective price,” said Dennis Smith, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, Banner Engineering. “With these heavy-duty models, our customers can use plastic fibers in rugged environments where they previously used more expensive glass fibers.”

Banner’s DF-G fiber amplifiers deliver stable sensing performance with fast response rates. With a thermally stable and high performance electronic design, DF-G fiber amplifiers feature dual display, digital readouts and an improved fiber clamp. DF-G fiber amplifiers also offer complete user control, providing manipulation of all operating parameters, including switch point threshold, light operate or dark operate, various output timing functions, electronic gain level and sensor response speed.

With a wide range of fiber amplifiers, Banner can effectively serve a diverse range of industries and applications, including small part or wire break detection on electronics assembly machines, pill and caplet counting and high-speed detection for registration mark or product leading edge detection.