Category: Electrical Engineering Helps Humanity

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Researchers Create Lab-on-a-Chip for Quick Infection Testing

Infectious-Disease-Testing

All About Circuits – As the pandemic resurges in many parts of the world, researchers have found a way to bring the speed and accuracy of infection testing to mobile devices with a lab-on-a-chip.

A new lab-on-a-chip has been developed by researchers at Imperial College London who hope it can pave the way for low-cost portable diagnostic testing. The lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technology, known as TriSilix, is a “micro laboratory” that can reportedly perform a scaled-down version of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on the spot, presenting its results in just a few minutes. PCR, which detects viruses and bacteria in biological samples, is usually performed in a laboratory, meaning that test results don’t become immediately available. 

Each LoC device contains a DNA sensor, temperature detector, and heater so that the testing process can be automated. According to the researchers’ published findings in Nature Communications, a standard smartphone battery is capable of powering up to 35 tests on a single charge.

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The EV Market Is Accelerating

EV-Market-Increasing

T&D World – Will utilities lead, follow, or get out of the way?

The electric vehicle (EV) wave has come ashore. EV penetration is transitioning from its embryonic stage to the market growth stage across many transportation industry segments: cars, light trucks, buses, light commercial vehicles (LCVs), even Class-8 trucks (those more than 33,000 pounds). Although some segments are electrifying faster than others in terms of market penetration, overall this change will be the single most transformative event in the transportation sector since Henry Ford invented automobile assembly-line manufacturing. This change impacts everything — how far vehicles travel before requiring refueling (recharging in this case), the time recharging takes, where and when vehicles recharge — the very nature of replenishing the vehicle’s energy reserves. With this change comes opportunities for a new set of players to enter the marketplace, with the most impacted entity, the electric utility. These new market entrants will also bring new business models into a marketplace that is still evolving and will take some time to mature.

Over the past decade, following significant advances by the European Union (EU), upwards of two dozen investor-owned and municipal utilities in the United States have launched significant EV charging network infrastructure pilots. Initially, state governments drove these initiatives to achieve aggressive carbon reduction targets, but now EV charging capability is rapidly expanding into a national priority.

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FREE Online Electrical Engineering Calculator Tools

Basic-EE-Calculator-Tools

3 Phase Associates – Try out our FREE and basic electrical engineering calculator tools that aid you in performing some basic electrical engineering calculations, like: transformer fault currents, short circuits, substation physical electrical clearances, voltage drop, power factor correction, motor full load, conductor ampacities, grounding, lighting design, grid-tied solar power systems, etc.

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IEEE Smart Grid Webinar – The Business Case for Utilities Supporting Public EV Charging

IEEE-Smart-Grid

IEEE Smart Grid Webinar – In this presentation, we will offer some fact-based thoughts to fuel utilities’ push toward developing sound EV strategies. Our suggestions are inspired by the actions of some of North America’s leading utilities, which we have had the privilege of assisting with data and strategic advice over the last few years. Done right, EVs prove to be good for utilities and their ratepayers.

Essentially, three value streams exist to support the case for utilities to support public EV charging. First, research has shown that light-duty EVs put downward pressure on electricity rates through increased demand requiring little incremental investment. Second, EV drivers are prime targets for other utility programs, because they are the most digitally engaged of all customers. Finally, leading utilities see new business opportunities from home, public, and workplace charging.

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Designers Can Synchronize Clocks Without External Oscillators Thanks to IEEE 1588

IEEE-1588

All About Circuits – The Updates to the IEEE 1588 standard protocol map out a low-cost method for synchronizing distributed clocks. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has approved a standard protocol to synchronize independent clocks running on a shared network. This will, in hopes, allow designers to perform accurate and precise measurements on control systems across a broad range of applications.

Designers that are involved in test and measurement for industrial automation or mobile communications can face challenges around maintaining synchronized data collection from multiple devices. Modern electronics that are separated by distance or have frequency rates varying over time and temperature will cause propagation delays that lead to unsynchronized timing clocks.

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Welcome to the Solar Car Challenge Competition

Solar-Car-Challenge

SCC – The Solar Car Challenge is the top project-based STEM Initiative helping motivate students in Science, Engineering, and Alternative Energy. In 1993, the Solar Car Team launched an education program to teach high school students how to build and safely race roadworthy solar cars. The Solar Education Program met this objective, and worked to provide curriculum materials, on-site visits, and workshop opportunities for high schools across the country. This program was designed to motivate students in the sciences, engineering, and technology. The end product of each two-year education cycle is the Solar Car Challenge: a closed-track event at the world famous Texas Motor Speedway, or a cross country race designed to give students an opportunity to display and drive their solar cars.

National sponsors for the Solar Car Challenge: Hunt Oil Company, Dell Computers, Green Mountain Energy, The Acclivus Corporation, Austin Energy, Earth Day Texas, Lockheed-Martin, and Texas Instruments. The Solar Car Challenge is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit education foundation.

Please Click HERE if your organization would like to sponsor the Solar Car Challenge. Individuals can also contribute to the Solar Car Challenge! Every donation allows us to expand the reach of the program to more high school students, building their interest in science, engineering, and renewable energy. Thanks for your support!

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