Kim Fowler

Patient‐Interactive, Microprocessor‐Controlled Neurological Stimulation System

Objectives. Recent technical improvements in implanted stimulation devices, in particular the development of programmable, multicontact devices, have facilitated their clinical application in the management of pain. If the capabilities of these devices are to be used to full advantage, adjustment after implantation demands a major investment of time and effort. Ideally, adjustment should be based upon psychophysical data of high quality; this imposes additional demands.

Part 7: analog-to-digital conversion in real-time systems

This article, as part of a series on real-time systems, covers analog-to-digital converters (ADC). It begins with some basic definitions for converters, then covers some nonideal behaviors of ADCs and how to test them. Finally, it concludes with a brief description of the architecture of ADCs and how they might be used.

Sensors: the first stage in the measurement chain

In the first (Fowler and Schmalzel,vol.7,no.1,pp.38-46,Mar. 2004), the context for the tutorial articles was set up by addressing the question of why we measure. Hence many of the common sensor strategies that constitute the first stage in the measurement chain are introduced. While every element of that chain is important, the choice of an appropriate, robust sensor is one of the critical decisions that must be made. This article, the second within the tutorial series, will continue to use examples from test stands for testing rocket engines. Measurements of the weight of liquids, their temperatures, and their flow rates in these rocket engine test stands require sensors and the understanding of how to use them.

Sensor survey: Part 2 sensors and sensor networks in five years [Sensor Survey Results]

This article shows where the survey respondents think sensors and sensor networks are going within the next 5 years.

Why do we care about measurement

The IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement (I&M) Society surveyed its membership during the summer of 2003 to clarify IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Magazines role and purpose. One prominent result was the need for tutorials on I&M. The response to our survey heavily favoured a regular feature in the magazine. Each article focuses on a different concern. Its purpose is to help folks at all levels. Some might be just getting into the discipline and wanting to learn the basics of I&M, general definitions, and common concerns. Moreover, these general areas of knowledge need to be made useful by tying together various I&M elements. Others already working in the field may want introductions to, and possibly more depth in, new and emerging areas. All of the articles are written at a level of a basic undergraduate textbook. To make them as useful as possible, we need your input. That is, we need to know how well the articles meet your needs. These tutorials aim to overcome this myopic view of development and to provide you with a bigger picture - or the systems perspective. Our hope is that understanding the system will thereby help you build more useful instruments. This first tutorial is introductory and provides a basic systems overview.

Sensor survey results

During the summer of 2008, I created a sensor survey and sent it to the IEEE I&M Society, the Sensors and Transducers Journal, and Sensorsmag.com. Conservatively, the appeal to respond to the survey went out to more than 50,000 people. My goal was to better understand how sensors are used and how they might be used within 5 years time. 468 people took the survey; of those 21 had not had any meaningful involvement with sensors within the past 5 years and this group did not answer any questions regarding sensors. The remaining 447 people, who were involved in developing or using sensors, took the survey; of that group, 168 responded to more questions about the sensors that they currently use.

Design Tradeoffs: Part 2 [triedandtrue]

In this article, the author continues to share some of the design tradeoffs that he has encountered. These tradeoffs are specific to the market in which the product sells. The author chose three very different markets to begin this series, and the author covers another set of markets in this installment. The author discusses laboratory equipment, automobile engine control modules and implanted medical devices

Project Development: A Case Study

have a story with a happy ending. It is a true story about a project and a company that pulled a disaster out of the fire and made significant improvements in their operations. It was a surprise to me that this could happen, but it did. Now I am going to tell you about it. In telling this story, I have changed the names and obscured the design to protect the innocent— and the guilty.

Practical issues for installing instrumentation outdoors Part 2: Part 37 in a series of tutorials on instrumentation and measurement

This tutorial is the second of a two-part series on the challenges of installing instrumentation outside in the wild. The variety of physical, chemical, and biological assaults that can occur is quite amazing. The first part introduced problems with physical extremes and attacks by insects, animals, and human beings. In this part, we follow up with solutions for: environment-appropriate packaging; cables and connectors; electromagnetic compatibility (EMC); conditions that may apply to mechanical movement of the system; some aspects of power and cooling which include batteries, other energy sources and energy storage, types of power distribution and a few case studies; installation of the system; operation of the system; maintenance; disposal; and cost considerations.

Practical issues for installing instrumentation outdoors part 1

This tutorial is the first article in a two-part series on the challenges of installing instrumentation in the wild. Because of the large variety of physical, chemical, and biological assaults to which the instrumentation may be subjected, we divided the material between two issues of the magazine. In this issue, we introduce problems with physical extremes and attacks by insects, critters, and human beings.