Taking the Mechanical Pulse

This article provides details of various applications of data acquisition systems. As data acquisition hardware is coupled with the software, which users can adapt for their own unique applications, data acquisition systems can be configured to fulfil a range of purposes. They are used for test and measurement and for industrial automation, and can serve as the eyes of a production line or the nose of a sensor. At Innoventor Inc., St. Louis, engineers have created vision inspection systems and pick-and-pack equipment for customers; they’ve designed machine control systems and robotics. According to an engineer in the company, data acquisition systems are a check on the confidence that today’s computer-aided design and analysis software engender. Data acquisition systems can be customized for a testing situation or environment. In addition to acquiring data from prototypes, a system can be configured to measure products on a manufacturing line or measure the line itself. Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois used data acquisition software and hardware to develop their Smart Sensor Developer Kit, a chemical microsensor that can identify almost any air bound gaseous chemical.