Engineers have long pursued the idea that the energy of chaotic motion - everything from walking to ocean tides - could be harnessed for electrical generation. But few devices have proven up to the task; that is, sufficiently practical and scalable to provide enough useful, usable power. Now, a UK-company has invented what it believes is a simple, portable device that can realistically convert many of the almost limitless sources of continuous motion energy into electricity. They claim their device can translate various kinds of bi-directional motion around an axis into a rotational motion that can drive a generator, producing anywhere from a few watts to hundreds of kilowatts of power.

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Industrial HMIs are changing. Text and semi-graphical panels are disappearing, being displaced by wider screens with touch and multi-touch displays. The latter is among today's hottest trends, borrowing technology from consumer devices and helping ensure that change will remain fast-paced in industrial systems for the next several years. That's what ARC Advisory Group projects in a recent study, which also forecasts that the focus on data collection and connectivity will intensify. That means that HMI panels will link the plant floor with the central office, but also act as the means to control modular systems without requiring input from a central control room.

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The dualistic world of analog and digital feedback is fading fast. Digital signals are beginning to take precedence for communication between servo drives and servo motors, according to IHS senior analyst Michelle Figgs. Analog is losing its traditional role because it is susceptible to electromagnetic interference, requiring feedback devices to use two separate cables, one for feedback one for power, increasing installation costs. Single-cable encoder technology, hard to find until recently, is suddenly available from several suppliers. Heidenhain, Beckhoff, and igus have all made product announcements in just the past few months, and these follow recent unveilings from Kollmorgen and Helukabel.

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First, Bank of America. Then Verizon. Both corporations repealed plans to levy new fees on customers because of backlash on social media sites. What company will be next to bow to the strength of social media? Or, to turn positive this new power of the people? Did we see social media hit its peak at the end of 2011, or will Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace continue to grow in their power to force corporations to deal — proactively rather than reactively — with the consuming public and customer bases?

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The near-miss encounter with an asteroid the size of an airship in November kindled debate about whether we should explore technologies and avoidance strategies to protect planet earth from a potential collision. While odds are low for a collision in the near future, they are high one will eventually occur similar to one 65 million years ago that caused mass extinction of many plants and animals, including dinosaurs. The last time a similarly size space rock came as close to earth was in 1976, and another potential encounter is projected for 2028. Is asteroid avoidance a wise and vital investment?

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