IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine

Securing the future of human society as we know it requires us to solve some grand challenges for which we must find long term solutions, such as reducing environmental pollution, providing better healthcare for an aging population, and finding new and sustainable energy and food resources. We now live in an age where there are enormous potentials to help solve some of these grand challenges-the f... View full abstract»

The evolving fifth generation (5G) cellular wireless networks are envisioned to provide higher data rates, enhance end-user quality-of-experience (QoE), reduce end-to-end latency, and lower energy consumption. This article presents several emerging technologies which could enable and define future 5G mobile communication standards and cellular networks. We highlight the key ideas for each technolo... View full abstract»

Today, at the low end of the communication protocols we find the inter-integrated circuit (I2C) and the serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocols. Both protocols are well suited for communications between integrated circuits for slow communication with on-board peripherals. The two protocols coexist in modern digital electronics systems, and they probably will continue to compete in t... View full abstract»

Nowadays, the Internet of Things (IoT) can be considered an important technological revolution related to smart cities, smart homes, smart factories and smart ports implementations. As the presence of smart sensing systems in ports becomes a reality, different operation areas are working today in automatic mode. Examples of challenging projects related to smart ports in the IoT era can be found fr... View full abstract»

We have developed a Maglev train under the guidance of the Japanese Ministry of Transport. The Maglev train is an advanced train that can run more than 500 km/h with a linear synchronous motor (LSM) that has both a superconducting magnet on board and an armature coil in the ground. The Maglev train was tested on the Yamanashi Maglev test line. Tests began in 1997, which exercised various functions... View full abstract»

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) concerns the continuous monitoring of civil and industrial buildings to increase human safety and to reduce maintenance costs. The SHM system furnishes information about the alterations in a single part or in the whole structure caused by materials aging, action of the environment, or accidental events. Typically, SHM systems are devoted to monitoring: humidity, ... View full abstract»

In this article we gave an overview of vision-based measurement (VBM), its various components, and uncertainty in the correct IM (instrumentation and measurement) metrological perspective. VBM is a fast rising technology due to the increasing affordability and capability of camera and computing hardware/software. While originally a specialized application, VBM is expected to become more ubiquitous... View full abstract»

Next generation networks such as Software Defined Networks (SDN) must support the integration of new paradigms of service offerings such as virtual cloud computing, big data applications, data centers services, and rich multimedia content. Operators of next generation SDNs are responsible for configuring policies that employ traffic monitoring tools and measurement mechanisms to detect and react t... View full abstract»

Three-phase induction motors are the workhorses of industry because of their widespread use. They are used extensively for heating, cooling, refrigeration, pumping, conveyors, and similar applications. They offer users simple, rugged construction, easy maintenance, and cost-effective pricing. These factors have promoted standardization and development of a manufacturing infrastructure that has led... View full abstract»

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) use microminiature sensors and actuators. MEMS technology provides the benefits of small size, low weight, high performance, easy mass-production and low cost. This article is the first part of a three-part series on MEMS sensors. In the present article, we provide a general introduction to MEMS sensing and the primary sensing techniques. Next, MEMS-based bio... View full abstract»

A couple of years ago I&M Magazine published an article entitled Pure and Applied Metrology [1]. It described work done making a measurement of some parameters in the electric power system, parameters that were the coefficients of terms in a not very complicated equation that described the way the signals in the power system varied. That equation was a model of the way the signals in the real ... View full abstract»

This is the second of a three-part series on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor technology. In the first part, a general introduction to MEMS sensing was given, including its underlying principles [1]. Biomedical MEMS sensors were also described by reviewing the principles of bio-sensing and describing a typical set of biologically inspired sensors. In this part, mechanical sensors for ... View full abstract»

Today, most of the signal processing performed in electronic systems is digital, and the performance of the analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) present at the borders of the digital domain become very important. The most recent applications in telecommunication, measurement, and consumer electronics call for ever-increasing ADC resolution and speed. The uncertainty of ADC performance strongly affe... View full abstract»

Recognition of human movements is very useful for several applications, such as smart rooms, interactive virtual reality systems, human detection and environment modeling. The objective of this work focuses on the detection and classification of falls based on variations in human silhouette shape, a key challenge in computer vision. Falls are a major health concern, specifically for the elderly. I... View full abstract»

This article focuses on three recent applications of microwave and millimeter wave NDT&E techniques that involve novel instrumentation development and measurements, including: 1) disbond detection in strengthened concrete bridge members retrofitted with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates; 2) corrosion and precursor pitting detection in painted aluminum and steel sub... View full abstract»

Eating disorder may involve the consumption of excessive amounts of food, more than the human body needs. Numerous related efforts have been devoted to dietary assessment programs that require a daily self-logging and manual identification of food type and volume, which are analyzed later by a computer or a mobile device. This is known to be a challenging task especially when it involves accurate ... View full abstract»

Digital signal processing (DSP) is the process of taking a signal and performing an algorithm on it to analyze, modify, or better identify that signal. To take advantage of DSP advances, one must have at least a basic understanding of DSP theory along with an understanding of the hardware architecture designed to support these new advances. There are several programming techniques that maximize th... View full abstract»

Reliable information about food state and freshness throughout production processes and until consumption is very important for product quality, consumer safety and export of goods. Regulations worldwide protect consumers and encourage the production of safe, nutritious and affordable aliments. Several measurement methods for food quality assessment can be used in the laboratory e.g., chemical ana... View full abstract»

As presented in [1], the fourth industrial revolution is coming: one which promises to marry the worlds of production and network connectivity in an Internet of Things (IOT). "Smart production" becomes the norm in a world where intelligent information and communication technology or ICT-based machines, systems and networks are capable of independently exchanging and responding to information to ma... View full abstract»

Load cells have long been used to sense and measure force and torque. When properly designed and used, they are very accurate and reliable sensors. Load cells are applied in several different fields, usually for weighing measurements. Among many other things, food, vehicles, and animals are weighed daily with load cells. The gripper of a robotic arm that picks up an object can be equipped with loa... View full abstract»

The distribution grid is the infrastructure that transports electrical energy generated by large plants that are long distances away to the final user. A typical distribution grid consists of High-to-Medium Voltage (HV/MV) transformation centers; the MV grid; Medium-to-Low Voltage (MV/LV) transformation centers; and the LV grid, both three-phase and single-phase. Residential and commercial custome... View full abstract»

Modern smart grids require the improvement of measurement and communication infrastructures of distribution networks, at both medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) levels. Distributed sensing and measurement systems are needed to provide all necessary data for grid monitoring, control and management, as well as for the implementation of a number of smart functionalities, such as remote control ... View full abstract»

Aging and degradation of transportation infrastructure pose significant safety concerns, especially in light of increased use of these structures. The economic downturn further exacerbates such concerns, especially for critical structures such as bridges, where replacement is infeasible and maintenance and repair are expensive. The US Federal Highway Administration has classified over 25% of the b... View full abstract»

Signal identification, which initially found applications in electronic warfare and spectrum monitoring and surveillance, has been recently considered for commercial communications in the context of software defined and cognitive radios. In this article, I present a snapshot of the status of signal identification algorithms, starting from a general description of maximum likelihood (ML) and featur... View full abstract»