In brief

• Data acquisition specialist Opto 22 has teamed up with Nokia to offer a wireless technology for remote monitoring of equipment, including machinery. The technology links Opto 22`s Snap-It data capture products to Nokia`s M2M gateway and delivers data using GSM/GPRS networks to databases and applications via standard Internet-based architectures.

• Thirty 100kW modular power converter and control assemblies will be installed on a British research vessel, the RV Triton, for at-sea testing as part of the US Navy`s programme to develop all-electric ships. The project is part of a $5m contract awarded by programme leader General Atomics to SatCon Technology Corporation to develop integrated power systems for electric ships.

• Motorola has developed a pair of power chips which, it says, will simplify the design, and increase the reliability of LIN (local interconnect network) systems for controlling items such as DC and stepper motors. The LIN technology is a low-cost serial communication system originally developed for use in vehicles which also has applications in CNC machining systems, robotics and actuators.

• Softing has updated its reference book about OPC, covering the history, fundamentals, implementation and applications of OPC, which originally stood for OLE for Process Control, but is now sometimes described as Openness, Productivity, Creativity. The 200-page book includes a CD-ROM with development tool kits and demo software.