Modbus is a widely used communication protocol and an open-source industrial networking standard. Developed in 1979 by Modicon (now Schneider Electric), Modbus has become a standard in the automation and industrial control systems (ICS) industries. The communication protocol is known for its simplicity and easy-to-follow troubleshooting feature. It uses a master-slave or client-server communication model,…

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones play a significant role across various industries and sectors. They’re proving adaptable, reliable, and effective. For example, drones provide transportation in logistics and delivery, search and rescue, infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, disaster response, mining, urban planning, security, surveillance, and space exploration.  There are many different types of drones, classified…

Toys have come a long way from basic dolls and wooden blocks. In today’s tech-savvy world, electronic toys have become integral to childhood play. This includes interactive tablets, electronic games, and robotic devices. Several toys incorporate sophisticated technologies to engage, educate, and entertain kids. One of the features of many modern toys is audio. From…

An electronic speed controller (ESC) is a device that controls the speed of an electric motor. ESCs are typically used in remote-controlled vehicles or aircraft, electric scooters, robotics, and drones.  In a drone, the flight controller sends signals to the ESC, telling it which direction and speed the motor must rotate. The ESC uses these signals…

Bluetooth, which offers short-range wireless technology, is now standard on most smart devices, including wireless headphones, smart watches, remote controls, game controllers, and many more. Most of these devices are designed to operate with smartphones or computers.  Audio streaming, file sharing, peripheral devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart home devices are some common…

As of March 2023, there are 92 countries with active 5G, the 5th generation mobile network. Here’s a breakdown per country. The 5G network is accessible to about:  25.2% of the population in India 40% of the population in the U.S. 55% of the 40% of the population in the UK 60% of the population in…

Recently, the Indian space agency ISRO successfully soft-landed a spacecraft on the lunar south pole. This makes India the first country to land a spacecraft on the challenging southern region of the moon, where there is a high probability of finding ice and resources for future human spaceflight missions to deep space. India aspires to…

The advent of robots has carried forward a legacy that originated with the Industrial Revolution. Since the introduction of the first industrial robot in the 1950s, robotics has undergone several decades of evolution. These conventional machines have since permeated nearly every industry, with the innovation of soft robots now changing the game. Soft robots are…

On August 23, 2023, India’s space agency Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully soft-landed its moon mission Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the moon. This makes India the first nation to land a spacecraft on rough terrains near the lunar south pole in human history and the fourth to successfully land a spacecraft on…

After a 40-day journey starting from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully made a soft landing on the moon at 6:03 PM IST on August 23. This makes India the first nation to achieve a lunar landing near the moon’s south pole. With the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, India is now 4th…

Cyber security is a growing concern. As homes and offices are more connected than ever, the risk of cyber attacks, identity theft, and hacking has increased significantly.  A network has several smart devices connected to one another and the internet. In the case of a cyber-attack, each connected device is at risk. One effective way…

ChatGPT, a language model-based chatbot, has been popular since its launch in November 2022 by OpenAI. Currently, it has more than 100 million users. The platform generated 1.6 billion visits in June 2023 alone. The AI chatbot offers several applications, such as language translation, summarization, and content generation. However, it’s not a perfect substitute for…

Arduino boards have a built-in analog comparator used for different applications. This is noteworthy because digital input/output and pulse width modulation (PWM) are typically used while analog comparators are not.  A built-in analog comparator is useful in microcontrollers, providing voltage comparisons, digital-to-analog conversions, threshold detection, and PWM.  Depending on the Arduino board (there are several…

A majority of middle-aged people suffer from health issues like asthma and breathing problems, particularly in cities. Air pollution is the major cause of it. In this project, we have designed a portable device that detects different air pollution metrics and displays them on a small OLED screen. People with respiratory issues can use the…

Proximity sensors are used to detect something approaching near. These sensors are useful in many applications like collision avoidance, obstacle detection, path following, touchless sensing, motion detection, and object detection. There are different types of proximity sensors like optical, ultrasonic, capacitive, inductive, and magnetic. The capacitive, inductive, and magnetic proximity sensors are used in specific…

A very common feature in Android and iOS fitness apps is calculating the number of steps the user walks and the distance he covers. These apps calculate the number of steps walked by the user either using GPS location and manipulating the geospatial data or by monitoring the acceleration vector of the device using an…

Metal detectors offer several useful applications. A few examples include: Security checks Positioning detection for production equipment Elevator floor control Mineral prospecting Unearthing relics and artifacts Collecting traffic statistics  Metallic waste detection  Game entertainment Each detection circuit employs different electronic components and designs. A simple metal detector can be constructed using an RLC circuit. In…

BMP180 is a digital pressure sensor designed for low-power, low-voltage operation in mobile phones, navigation devices, and personal digital assistants. The sensor has an I2C interface to communicate sensor data. It can operate on 2.5~3.6V and consumes only 12 uA even in the ultra-high-resolution mode. The sensor can be used for several applications, including measuring…

Environment sensors are of great importance in embedded applications. Many temperature sensors measure the ambient temperature or temperature of a surface. For measuring water temperature and other fluids, waterproof temperature sensors are required. One of such temperature sensors is DS18B20. This sensor can measure the temperature of the air, liquids like water, and ground. The…

It’s been suggested for decades that Sanskrit might be the ideal language for knowledge representation in artificial intelligence (AI). This is because of Skaskrit’s rule-heavy and formula-based syntax, which makes it a logical and excellent choice for writing algorithms. But is this true? Let’s investigate. Origin The claims that Sanskrit is one of the best…