1949 Engineering developments: Reviewed by AIEE technical committees

DURING the year 1949, important engineering developments have taken place in each of five broad fields of Institute activity: communication, science and electronics, power, general applications, and industry. In the field of communication, the television network has been extended and more than 100 television stations soon will be in operation. Development of color television has continued and two basically different systems have been demonstrated before the Federal Communications Commission with a third system scheduled for demonstration early in 1950. In the field of science and electronics, the application of computing devices of all sizes to business procedures has received increased attention. The emergence of the concept of “information theory” as a means of extending and rationalizing the limiting boundaries of measurement and communication by the use of statistical theory marks a milestone of progress. In the field of power, an all-time peak of installed generating capacity totalling 6,929,201 kw during the year has been achieved. The General Electric Company opened a new high-voltage laboratory at Pittsfield with many refinements for the controlled testing of high-voltage apparatus under various conditions. Research and investigation of power transmission at higher voltages continues at the Tidd experimental station which is a co-operative effort of the American Gas and Electric Service Corporation, and eight other electrical manufacturers. In the field of industry, new arc and resistance welding techniques have found wide-scale adoption. More precise and compact controls have been developed and applied to a variety of specialized machines. In the field of general applications, definite trends in domestic appliances have been recorded and many significant developments in the production and application of light have taken place, as well as noteworthy experiments in railway motive power. Some of these 1949 engineering developments and a few others are reviewed by the AIEE technical committees.