IEEE Spectrum October, 2016 - 58

Earn PDHs by attending
a Webinar!
The brightest minds
discussing the
biggest topics.

New Webinars in October
4 Oct

Simulation of Planar Magnetic Components -
Possible or Impossible?
In this webinar, ANSYS will describe breakthrough techniques
enabling the simulation of complicated planar magnetic
components. http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/simulationof-planar-magnetic-components-possible-or-impossible

5 Oct

Xilinx Webinar Series -
Vision with Precision: Video Surveillance

In this Webinar, Xilinx will present critical challenges facing
developers of advanced surveillance systems with emphasis
on when to localize real time image processing at the edge
or in the cloud. http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/xilinxwebinar-series-vision-with-precision-video-surveillance

13 Oct

Simulation of RF Interference in Electronics

20 Oct

Signal Integrity and Radiated Emission
of Flexible Printed Circuits

In the first part of this webinar, we will demonstrate how
a full wave 3D simulation can be used to analyze the coupling
between different RF systems, antennas and digital signal lines.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar

In this webinar we demonstrate a workflow that can generate
3-dimensional PCB models from planar layouts that can be used
in simulations to study the effect of the bending on the PCB
performance. http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar

On-Demand Webinar
Maximum Load: the Wrong Specification for Pulsed Power

Attend this webinar to find out how Vicor power components allow developers
to use power averaging to significantly reduce the cost and size of power systems
for pulsed loads. http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/maximum-load-thewrong-specification-for-pulsed-power
Sponsors

Similarly, Cambridge, Mass., has
installed a wireless control system to
dim its new LED streetlights after most
traffic stops. In addition to reducing
lighting during the wee hours, the controls let city workers dim lights when
residents complain.
Adaptive headlights, used on some
European cars but not legal in the United
States, could further reduce the need
for street lighting by letting drivers use
high beams more often to see farther at
night. These systems detect oncoming
cars and dim the part of the high beam
aimed in their direction while leaving
the rest of the road fully illuminated. "It
could change how we determine what
we need in road lighting," says Rensselaer's Bullough.
Another promising approach is developing optical systems that reduce the
intensity of light from the LED device
before directing it toward the street. A
Cree offering called WaveMax uses transparent waveguides to collect light from
LEDs and deliver it to ports that diffuse
the emitted light. The effect is similar
to that of a frosted incandescent bulb,
which spreads light from the bright filament across the bulb's surface.
The challenge with LEDs, as with so
much other energy-saving technology, is
to improve energy efficiency without creating more problems for humans and the
nonhuman environment. Fortunately,
LED technology is extraordinarily flexible. Its wide range of colors, and the ease
of using adaptive techniques, will let us
develop street lighting that illuminates
a neighborhood with minimal impact
on wildlife and residents.
In retrospect, government agencies
such as the U.S. Department of Energy
and many municipalities pushed a
wholesale shift to the first generation
of outdoor LEDs more aggressively than
they should have. But they were hardly
alone. Most of us who grew up with
streetlights tended to think of them as
uninteresting utilitarian objects, when
we thought of them at all. The turbulent
early years of LED lighting have forced
us to take another look at what nighttime
lighting could-and should-be. Because
of that, the future looks brighter, and it
will also be much easier on the eye. n

http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/simulation http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/xilinx http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar http://spectrum.ieee.org/webinar/maximum-load-the http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/webinar

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum October, 2016