Contributed by Frances Richards It’s no secret that copper and aluminum are both effective conductors of electricity. Further, most engineers and system designers know that copper is a better conductor and easier to work with, while aluminum is lighter weight and less expensive. Beyond these widely known characteristics, let’s take a closer look at the […]
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Securing devices for the IoT – firmware, software, and OTA
Over-the-air (OTA) updating of firmware and software on Internet of Things (IoT) devices is a requirement, not an option. The large number of IoT devices makes manual updates impractical and even dangerous. This FAQ reviews two key tools for managing and implementing OTA for IoT devices: open-source standards for managing resource-constrained devices and industry standards […]
How is sensing used to detect glaucoma?
The term glaucoma is used to describe a group of eye diseases. In addition to damaging the eye’s optic nerve, glaucoma can result in vision loss and even blindness. About 3 million Americans have glaucoma, but the disease affects more than 67 million people worldwide and is the second leading cause of blindness. Glaucoma occurs […]
Vehicle-to-grid is technically feasible, but what’s the reality?
A concept may be elegant and even possible to implement, but the actual benefits are dubious — especially with the stress it gives to users. You’re probably somewhat familiar with the idea of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) automobile energy transfer. It’s been a “hot” topic for the last few years, largely due to the increase in the […]
Securing devices for the IoT — minimize the attack surface
An attack surface is the sum of all the attack vectors or ways that an attacker can gain malicious access to a network or system. The growth in remote work and the adoption of cloud services have increased the number of attack vectors and the size of the attack surface for most organizations and applications. […]
How does a quantum radar sensor work?
It generates quantum entanglement between a microwave resonator and a signal that is emitted toward a target and can theoretically make radar detection up to four times faster in scenarios with comparable signal power and target noise. It also reduces susceptibility to jamming. A microwave quantum radar begins with a stream of entangled visible-frequency photons […]
Securing devices for the IoT – FIPS 140-3 and common criteria
For developers of IoT devices and networks, the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-3 and the Common Criteria (CC) serve different but complementary functions. FIPS 140-3 is designed for validating software and hardware in cryptographic modules, while CC is designed to evaluate security functions in IT software and hardware. In both cases, there are related […]
How can quantum sensors and quantum batteries improve electric vehicle operation?
In the near term, quantum sensors are being developed that can more accurately measure EV battery capacity, assess battery safety, and reduce vehicle weight. In the longer term, quantum batteries have been proposed that could dramatically improve the speed and efficiency of battery charging. The energy remaining in an EV battery has been estimated using…
How do you test an Open RAN installation?
Open RAN telecom networks need testing for each disaggregated component, but that’s not enough. End-to-end testing is also necessary. In How do Open RAN interfaces work?, we covered how Open RAN redefines traditional RAN architecture by disaggregating it into three primary components: the radio unit (RU), distributed unit (DU), and centralized unit (CU). This paradigm…
What technologies are used to make quantum sensors?
Quantum sensors rely on quantum mechanical principles like entanglement, interference (also called superposition), discrete quantum states, and coherence. They are unlike quantum computers, which need highly stable environments for operation. Some quantum sensors can operate at room temperature. As a result, quantum computers are still a work in progress, while quantum sensors are used today. […]