Industry

Engineering students recently competed in a unique competition where they saw their designs in action. Solar Splash is a solar electric boating competition that is sponsored by the IEEE’s Power Electronics Society. This year’s event was held June 15-19 in Dayton, Ohio, hosted by reigning champion Cedarville University.

A new patented MIMO antenna system that fits inside a laptop’s hinge cavity and can replace as many as 5 separate antennas found in a standard laptop. It was developed by Smart Antenna Technology (SAT), a spin-off company that was started by scientists at the University of Birmingham.

Volkswagen is expected to reach a $10 billion settlement for using illegal software to cheat emissions tests for its diesel vehicles.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released IEC TR 60601-4-2:2016. This technical report covers "Medical electrical equipment - Part 4-2: Guidance and interpretation - Electromagnetic immunity: performance of medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems."

HP has announced it is recalling lithium-ion batteries that are used with certain HP and Compaq computers. The battery packs can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards. HP has received seven reports of the battery packs overheating, melting or charring, including four reports of property damage of about $4,000 total.

Thor Motor Coach is recalling certain 2017 Tuscany, Tuscany ZTE, and Venetian motorhomes. The isolator relay cable for the chassis battery was improperly installed and could cause a sudden, unexpected loss of power to the vehicle.

3M Company is recalling 7,500 vented hard hats. The hard hats were marketed to protect against electric shock, but they do not provide this protection.

Lakota Corporation is recalling 2014 Luxe trailers. The affected trailers are equipped with defective Frigidaire KG series convection microwaves, that can start on their own, posing a fire hazard.

Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp. is recalling Predator Severe Service fire trucks because they are equipped with Pelican 9410L flashlights that have lithium ion battery packs which may overheat, posing a fire hazard.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has denied two petitions from James E. Whedbee, an amateur radio operator from Missouri. In a June 2016 letter, Scot Stone, Deputy Chief of the Mobility Division explained that the Commission concluded that Whedbee’s petitions did not present enough evidence to merit a rule change.