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VR Camera Creates Immersive Experience

Have you ever thought about what it might be like to relive the best moments of your life, and be able to share them with others? Maybe it’s the dance floor at your wedding. Or the birth of your child or his or her first birthday. Maybe it’s that touchdown that led your team to victory in the last seconds of a game. With today’s mobile virtual reality technology, it’s possible to create virtual memories and it has never been easier to get started. Humaneyes Technologies, an innovator in camera technology, has developed a user-friendly, dual camera that combines 360-degree photography with immersive 3-D Virtual Reality (VR), all in one simple-to-use solution that costs about the same as a decent DSLR camera. “360-degree pictures and video continue to change how we use cameras to capture the world around us,” says media expert Jim Malcolm of Humaneyes Technologies. “And the global adoption of VR headsets, combined with 3-D cameras, is providing even more ways to create virtual content an...
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Observations From the Field: Changes in Mechanical Engineering

Have you ever thought about what it might be like to relive the best moments of your life, and be able to share them with others? Maybe it’s the dance floor at your wedding. Or the birth of your child or his or her first birthday. Maybe it’s that touchdown that led your team to victory in the last seconds of a game. With today’s mobile virtual reality technology, it’s possible to create virtual memories and it has never been easier to get started. Humaneyes Technologies, an innovator in camera technology, has developed a user-friendly, dual camera that combines 360-degree photography with immersive 3-D Virtual Reality (VR), all in one simple-to-use solution that costs about the same as a decent DSLR camera. “360-degree pictures and video continue to change how we use cameras to capture the world around us,” says media expert Jim Malcolm of Humaneyes Technologies. “And the global adoption of VR headsets, combined with 3-D cameras, is providing even more ways to create virtual content an...

Engineering Field Sees Low Unemployment, Higher Pay

Tradesmen replace your initial panic with confidence that your largest personal investment will retain its value. Yet, why do we not openly recognize these humble and often underappreciated men and women who make it their life’s work to save and restore our homes? Fortunately, there are individuals and companies who want to celebrate what tradesmen do to help us get back into a repaired home, and on with our comfortable lives. One such company is IRWIN Tools, who initiated National Tradesmen Day as a way to give tradesmen the public recognition they deserve. IRWIN suggests a few ways to show contractors, carpenters, roofers, mechanics and thousands of other professional tradesmen appreciation on National Tradesmen Day. 1. Usually, we only see our mechanic when something is wrong with our vehicle. Drop by for a quick visit with coffee and a bagel and thank him/her for being there when you need help. 2. If your office or home is undergoing maintenance work, set up a surprise “thank you” ...

New Engineering Formula: Diversity Equals Innovation

The face of mechanical engineering is changing — dramatically. Engineers aged 55 to 60 are retiring, taking vital knowledge with them. The young engineers who will replace them are focused on specialization, branching off into sub-disciplines and job-hopping. These and other insights were revealed by ASME, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a 130,000-member-strong worldwide professional society. “In the next 5 to 10 years, the challenge will be: how do you transition knowledge at companies like Boeing? People are coming out of school with a different perspective, and the information is changing so quickly,” said Karen Ohland, Senior Vice President, Knowledge and Community Sector, ASME. Additionally, there’s a rising trend among companies to try out “20-somethings” in work-study positions. Companies test these younger engineers part-time to see how well they perform — re-establishing de facto apprenticeship programs as an important avenue into the profession. MEs also note th...

Students Use Engineering to Work Toward Sustainable Future

Although the change is gradual, the U.S. is gaining ground on a more sustainable future. Energy experts and environmentalists can argue it’s not occurring fast enough, but from transportation to engineering, improvements are being made. The Prius is Toyota’s third most popular car. Each year brings a new round of hybrid vehicles, making over 30 different hybrid cars at the start of 2012. Eco-friendly building options are becoming more affordable, and alternative fuels are being put to use. For instance, Green Mountain College in Vermont operates off a biomass plant that heats the entire campus using green woodchips, a local, renewable and sustainable fuel source. More city engineers are adding bike lanes and wider streets as commuter biking grows in popularity. In fact, each year the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) holds a Human Powered Vehicle Challenge where top engineering students design sleek pedal-powered vehicles capable of road use. By creating new prototypes fo...

Positive Trends in the Engineering Workforce

Recent surveys on the U.S. labor market point to favorable employment opportunities for engineers and scientists, even in today’s struggling economy. According to statistics compiled at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the nation’s engineering workforce of more than 1.7 million professionals is expected to increase by 11 percent through 2016. In addition, studies of the science and engineering labor force conducted by the National Science Foundation note that the strong growth in technology jobs over the past two decades will continue, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the total labor market. Engineers and scientists are earning good starting salaries as well. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 12 of the 15 highest-earning college degrees are in engineering. Starting salaries in petroleum engineering average $83,121, while mechanical, aeronautical, and industrial engineers can expect offers in the mid to high-50,000...

Engineering Technology Fields See Continued Job Growth

Technology has become a seamless part of our everyday lives, from the time we wake up until we go to bed. Both at work and at home, we use technology to some extent in completing the majority of personal and professional tasks – from downloading music and playing games to communicating with clients and personal banking. In this fast-paced world, relevance is fleeting, and new product launches make existing technologies obsolete seemingly overnight. The constant evolution of the industry means new job opportunities will continue to rise for professionals with relevant skills. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of computer software engineers is expected to increase by 32 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, particularly for those with bachelor’s degrees. Graduates with bachelor’s degrees in engineering technology will be positioned for career success, as these programs provide the educational framework for designing and...