HP introduced inertial sensing technology that enables the development of digital micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers that it says are as much as 1,000 times more sensitive than high-volume products currently available. A MEMS accelerometer is a sensor that can be used to measure vibration, shock or change in velocity. By deploying many of these detectors as part of a complete sensor network, HP will enable real-time data collection, management, evaluation, and analysis. This information allows users to make better, faster decisions, and take subsequent action to improve safety, security, and sustainability for a range of applications, such as bridge and infrastructure health monitoring, geophysical mapping, mine exploration, and earthquake monitoring. |
From a 32-foot bamboo bridge in China that can support at least 8 tons, to the rolling pedestrian bridge in London which we featured a few years ago in Bridges magazine, it's clear that engineers and architects around the world are continuing to push beyond, and even perfect, utilitarian bridge-building.
