The Next Generation of Baby Monitors

Remember the days of a walkie-talkie next to the crib to make sure the baby wasn’t awake and hungry? One of the latest monitors to hit U.S. shores is quite a far cry from that. The Smart Baby Monitor has the classic audio capability – and adds to that a 3 megapixel camera with night vision, a motion and sound detector, and (what grabbed our interest here at Devar) temperature and humidity monitors. We know that monitors are used in all types of industrial applications, but this is perhaps the closest use to home that we’ve seen yet.

The monitor doesn’t come cheaply, but can you really put a price tag on the peace of mind in knowing that your loved one is safe and soundly asleep? For the ultimate in convenience, everything can be linked to your iPhone – fully integrated monitoring in the palm of your hand. Feeds can also be checked over the internet, but we like idea of being able to simply reach over to the nightstand and look at your phone, to provide all you need to know for a good night’s rest for your baby – and you.

Humidity and Temperature Monitoring at the 2012 Olympics

Inside the London Velodrome

What’s not to love about the Olympics? Athletes performing at peak level, people and countries united in the spirit of competition, and, of course, lots of good television to watch around the clock for two weeks. Countries and cities interested in hosting the summer or winter games typically invest incredible amounts of money into infrastructure, planning, and new, state-of-the-art venues. As this BBC article discusses, London was no exception to this for 2012, and temperature and humidity monitoring play a big part in arenas like the bicycle Velodrome.

Amazingly, as the article mentions, outdoor weather factors play a huge role in the indoor environment of the Velodrome. Moreso than standard temperature and humidity, air pressure and air density of the outside air can make huge differences in the indoor air characteristics – and so can affect cyclist performances and outcomes. Things like weather systems and outside temperature affect those readings, as well as the temperature and humidity inside the dome, which is where monitoring systems come into play. Keeping an eye on those two readings will give trainers and competitors a good idea of what kind of air density they’re dealing with. What’s more, detailed recording of different training and competition environments can help with future training as well.

Here at Devar, we offer just that type of world-class quality monitoring equipment as well. Be sure to visit our site to learn more.

Medical Monitoring Continues to Save Lives

One of the most critical times in the treatment of cardiac arrest victims is the several minutes between calling 911 and the arrival of first responders, and then the transport of the patient to a hospital. As this Wall Street Journalarticle discusses, advances in medical technology are helping to make those minutes productive ones, rather than tense ones that can often feel like a waiting game. From automatic chest compressors to patient body temperature reducers – which can help preserve brain function when oxygen is cut off – these devices and the skilled paramedics who use them are a key part of exponentially improving chances of survival and recovery.

To us at Devar, though, the technology that most stood out to us was the digital transmission system used to communicate with the destination hospital, sending electrocardiogram (ECG) results ahead of the ambulance, so that upon arrival, the victim is ready to be treated. These few extra minutes of assessment and treatment can make a huge difference. Remote telemetry and monitoring are hugely important parts of the continuing evolution of health care, and these advances are among the most exciting in recent memory. For more information on medical monitoring, contact Devar today.

“Hear” and Now: Acoustic Telemetry Under the Sea

Pipelines are such a natural part of our daily life that you may not think much about what goes into their successful operation. Carrying everything from water to oil to natural gas, so many of our daily activities are directly or indirectly made possible thanks to well-constructed and reliable pipelines. The stresses on these systems are many: friction and pressure from the flow of liquid, pressure buildup from valve operation, vibration, and, perhaps most crucial, temperature. As this article from Offshore magazine illustrates, underwater natural gas pipelines are especially susceptible to the dangers of cold ambient temperatures: if they fall too much, crystals can form, slowing the flow of gas. If it goes unnoticed or unaddressed, that inconvenience turns into a burst pipe. In other words, a disaster.

Telemetry innovation plays a major role in preventing such situations. Through acoustic telemetry, the water temperature can be monitored, and maintenance personnel can be alerted when dangerous levels occur. Although we at Devar deal mostly in wired, electronic monitoring, we applaud the ingenuity of the acoustic model: it’s especially well-suited to deep-sea applications thanks to the lack of cables and wiring. As monitoring and alarm specialists, we’re here to answer any questions you might have about your own telemetry needs: be sure to visit our website for more information.

Plight at the Museum: Preserving Precious Artifacts through Humidity Control

Books, pictures, old letters – whether sitting on a shelf, hanging on our wall, or in a box in the attic, it’s likely that you’ve seen the effects of time and age on any or all of these items. Breaking down that idea of the effect of time, though, what does it really mean? Typically, it refers to the ravages of handling, temperature, and humidity on paper, an organic substance especially vulnerable to these environmental factors. Most people aren’t overly concerned about maintaining these items for all posterity, though – usually, a few decades will suffice. But what about objects that are hundreds of years old? How are they still around, and in as good of shape as they are? The answer lies in humidity and temperature control.

Of course, digital monitors like the ones that Devar supplies weren’t around when, say, Van Gogh painted his Starry Night, let alone when da Vinci gave us the Mona Lisa. But make no mistake about it – there was some type of environmental monitoring and control at work to ensure that these masterpieces stood the test of time. Products like ours just make that task easier for today’s museum curators. Humidity and temperature transmitters can be outfitted for entire buildings – after all, most museums keep paintings bare of any sort of glass covering – or for more intricately controlled environments, like the small housing in the Louvre that contains the Mona Lisa. And back to those dusty letters and old books? Humidity monitors aren’t just for institutions. Plenty of amateur archivists keep those objects precious to them in climate-controlled environments, giving them the same care and protection afforded to the great works. Here at Devar, we’re happy to serve both types of customer, helping those who care enough to save a piece of today for tomorrow.

A Clean Sweep: Cleanroom Moisture Monitoring

Have you ever seen some of the amazing images produced by the Hubble Telescope? Browsing through them, it’s hard to believe that it actually went into orbit with a defect, and for a time, did not perform as intended. But it’s true  – and that defect was caused by a particle less than 1/200 the width of a human hair. How is that possible? The circuitry used to produce such an advanced piece of equipment as the Hubble is, as you might expect, very delicate and precise. PCBs and wiring of that nature – finely-tuned, yet able to withstand the harsh demands of space – need to be developed in an environment that allows them to work exactly as intended, free of any variables like dust, moisture, or other tiny particles. Cleanrooms provide just that type of environment.

There are many factors that go into creating and maintaining a cleanroom environment (and there are many different levels of cleanroom environments, which you can learn more about here): filtration and design are among the most important, and so is monitoring. Without moisture monitoring, any potential breach of the cleanroom environment would not be discovered until later inspection or testing – or potentially not at all. As mentioned in our previous blog on pharmaceutical production, such contaminants can lead to dangerous products. In the case of things like the Hubble and other technical products, contamination can lead to downtime and deficiency costs in the billions or trillions of dollars.

For more information on Devar’s line of moisture monitors and other monitoring products, be sure to visit our website at http://www.devarinc.com!

Watch the Monitor: Pharmaceutical Humidity Transmitters

Have you ever spent hours writing a long email or report, only to lose some or all of your work thanks to a mistake on your part – forgetting to hit “Save” – or something beyond your control, like a power outage or computer malfunction? Unfortunately, most of us can share a tale or two like this. On the plus side, it’s mostly a time investment that we’re losing, as opposed to a financial one. For pharmaceutical manufacturers of highly refined compounds and medicines, though, it’s an issue of both money and time – lots of each – to lose a batch of product. One of the most common causes of such an occurrence? Believe it or not, it’s a change in humidity.

That’s right, a humidity shift as small as 0.5% – that’s one-half of a percentage point – can make all the difference in whether a run of, say, aspirin can be shipped out, or tossed out. The chemical compounds involved in manufacturing products like these react differently in different environments, and can become ineffective – or downright dangerous. Obviously, the utmost care must be taken with medicine products like this, which is why the standards are so rigorous, and why humidity monitors are so important to the industry. When miniscule shifts are noticed, corrective measures can be started to ensure that safe ranges are maintained. Also, it lets the operator know if the unfortunate event of a mishandled batch does occur, allowing the manufacturer itself to take the proper disposal measures.

For more information on our precision monitoring products, visit Devar’s full site today!