By Kim Hartman (TenAsys)

The title is correct, but isn't referring to the basic Windows-based PC that we all know. Instead, a virtualized environment with real-time deterministic capability can turn a PC into a motion control platform.

By Reinhard Kuhn (DR. JOHANNES HEIDENHAIN GmbH)

Technology in optical scan linear encoders is changing to support more demanding applications in which motion control performance largely depends on the type of encoder used.

By Stefano Zammattio (Altera Corporation)

Using FPGAs, designers can implement a flexible communications interface in a plant network via a WirelessHART or SP100.11a gateway.

By Patrick H. Dwyer (Aim Controls)

Advances in FPGA technology with both integrated processing cores and better real-time performance have compelled designers to revisit tasks for motion control. Functions once completed in software can now be placed in an FPGA for enhanced performance and increased features.

By Andy Gryc, Product Marketing Manager (QNX Software Systems Ltd.)

Smart screens are becoming the preferred HMI for industrial control applications. These applications must meet stringent requirements for usability, reliability and longevity. We evaluated strategies and tools for building smart screens on systems running the QNX® Neutrino® RTOS. Adobe Flash Lite meets all the requirements essential to our industrial smart screen development strategy.

By Don Dingee

With 15 billion devices in play and a range of wireless choices for different jobs, getting connected isn’t as simple as choosing one network.

By Herve Branquart (ON Semiconductor)

With so many networks to choose from, could a mature, tested, familiar industrial network be the answer for building intelligence? Here's the case for CAN in long-distance applications.

By Bernard Aboussouan (GainSpan) and Janet Peterson (Our Home Spaces)

Industrial wireless networking and the smart grid go hand in hand, or more accurately, machine-to-machine. Wi-Fi, already deployed in many homes and on smart phones, can make the connection quickly and effectively in a new U-SNAP format.

By Michael Day, PhD (ADC)

It's easy to overlook, but it's not news that cellular wireless networks carry data traffic nicely, and that is exactly what many industrial applications need when operating over a wide geographic range.

By Don Dingee

The idea behind vision systems isn't just to capture more video, but to provide intelligent functions and services.

By Eric Carey (DALSA)

Using standard Ethernet equipment paves the way for new possibilities in interconnecting multicamera systems.

A shopping cart-mounted system is transforming the ways that retailers sell and consumers buy their products.

By Michael Long (Analog Devices, Inc.)

Smart cameras offer an alternative for cost- and space-constrained application areas where requirements are not likely to change.

A NASA software application uses NI LabVIEW and vision software to conduct advanced visualization, processing, and analysis.

By Albert Kay (IntelliVision)

An intelligent camera combines "eyes" with the "brain."

By Tom Fredricks (Emerson Climate Technologies)

Tom discusses the trends and challenges involved in using ZigBee to enable the smart grid.

By Intel (Intel)

To simplify system development and get to market faster, the Intel® industrial control reference design facilitates the migration to a flexible modular architecture. It's based on an easy-to use platform, comprising hardware and software components from industrial market leaders.

By Intel (Intel)

Industrial Control Solutions Guide: To meet the demands for energy efficiency for cost savings and to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming, Intel stands ready with the technologies, the product roadmaps and the vision for a greener future.

By Tom Schulte (Altera)

A look inside the latest FPGA technology reveals how design separation is resulting in safer, lower-power motor control implementations.

By Leor Hardy (Virtual Extension) and Marius Gafen (Virtual Extension)

While most network approaches use routing as the basic architecture, new flooding-based technology offers distinct advantages, especially when i... (continues)

By Amit Gattani (Akros Silicon)

Employing on-chip electrical isolation between primary and secondary power in PoE devices provides real-time power management, parts count reduction, and substantial energy savings for large enterprises and Industrial Ethernet users.

By Don Dingee

The much-hyped "smart grid" is neither smart nor a grid.

By Matt Ream (Blue Spark Technologies)

A new class of auto-ID technology offers a breakthrough in the price/performance curve for high-volume RFID applications.

By Vivek Khandelwal (Verayo)

Innovative silicon biometric technology provides a simple and robust anticounterfeiting mechanism.

By Cees Links (GreenPeak Technologies)

Energy harvesting devices enable autonomous, battery-free sensor networks by tapping into the power available in the environment.

By Don Dingee

When it comes to something monitoring us, we are quick to question its accuracy.

By Nikhil Ayer (National Instruments)

RFID will continue to evolve and solve new challenges as technological advancements help reduce the cost of tags and readers.

By N. Venkatesh (Redpine Signals)

RTLS tags based on 802.11n improve location system performance and increase battery life.

By Bob Hamlin (Tego)

Storing archival records directly on tags enables users to retrieve valuable information at the point of activity.

By Baldev Nair (GlobeRanger)

Software supporting RFID and non-RFID hardware can help companies harness information from the edge.

An RFID system developed by Argonne National Laboratory keeps tabs on nuclear material containers for the U.S. Department of Energy.

By Geoff Mulligan (IPSO Alliance)

Using IP as the communications protocol simplifies the design and testing of a wireless sensor network.

Windows CE 6.0 R2 passed a series of real-time performance capability tests with flying colors.

By Roy Kok (Kepware Technologies)

Specifications developed by various standards bodies are helping make machine to machine communications a snap.

By Don Dingee

It's about time economics cause something more meaningful to be built.