| Smart Speed Bumps - Science Insider
Reported November 2009
WHAT CAN THE DIAGNOSTIC CLEAT DO? A diagnostic cleat outfitted with sensors can be used to check for car maintenance issues like misalignment, wheel imbalance, tire pressure, as well as other anomalies or maintenance needs. Though currently designed for use by military vehicles, it could be adapted to be used in driveways or at car dealerships for troubleshooting passenger cars.
WHAT'S AN ACCELEROMETER? A small device that measures the acceleration relative to freefall is called an accelerometer. Typically, they are very small devices that help everything from smartphones to gyroscopes orient themselves in space. The simplest ones are a beam with a weight on one end, enclosed inside a capsule of gas. Moving an object with an accelerometer attached causes the beam to bend. This deflection can be converted into a measure of acceleration. These devices are used in bridges, pedometers, medical applications, amateur rocketry and consumer electronics.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.-USA contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Douglas Adams, PhD
Purdue University
Lafayette, IN 47905
(765) 449-4249
deadams@purdue.edu
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(800) 843-2763 or (973) 882-1170
http://www.asme.org
infocentral@asme.org
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
IEEE
Pender McCarter
IEEE http://www.ieee.org
IEEE-USA http://www.ieeeusa.org
p.mccarter@ieee.org
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