Our Work

Real systems, and the problems behind them.

Some clients stay unnamed for confidentiality, but the engineering is real. Here is what we were asked to solve and what we built.

Industry
What we did
Technology

28 projects across every industry we serve

Scientific instruments

Making a New Imaging Instrument Work as One Machine

Control software for a new imaging instrument that slices a frozen sample block and images every slice at multiple wavelengths, guiding users from setup to runs of more than a thousand slices.

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Healthcare and tele-rehabilitation

Bringing Physical Therapy Home for Veterans

A web platform for therapists and a tablet app for patients, so veterans could do prescribed rehab exercises at home and be reviewed remotely.

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Scattered filesAutomatedimportA database per productReadyfor analysis

Precision electronics

From Scattered Test Files to a Structured Database

Thousands of test files spread across many locations became a structured database for every product, built and filled automatically.

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Product databasesWeb applicationcompany-wideBackground jobsheavy work, off-screenQuery screensexact resultsInteractive chartsrun, Cpk, trendsAdministrationproducts, tests

Precision electronics

In progress

Putting Test Statistics in Every Engineer's Hands

A company-wide web application built on the test database, giving engineers precise queries and interactive statistics. Now in early release with a first group of users.

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Optical components

Test Stations That Change Without Changing Code

Plant-wide automated test for fiber optic modulators, from wafer to finished package. Administrators change what each station does by editing a script, not the code.

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Client deliveryfrom client sitesReceivinghandling rulesBarcode labelsvia BarTenderStoragecontainers, cellsShipmentto client sitesFull history: every specimen traced to its client

Life sciences

A Biospecimen System Built Around How the Lab Really Works

Receiving, barcoding, storage, and shipping in one system, with every specimen traceable to its client.

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cDAQ chassisthermocouples, RTDscDAQ chassisthermocouples, RTDscDAQ chassisthermocouples, RTDsSQL Serverhistory and reportsOPC serverenterprise systemsSite alarmsnotificationMonitoringprimary hostfailoverStandby hosttakes over if needed

Life sciences storage

Temperature Monitoring That Doesn't Stop

Precise, around-the-clock temperature monitoring for a materials storage facility, with custom alarms, enterprise data feeds, and automatic failover to a standby machine.

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Semiconductor and biomedical devices

Automating Inspection of Biomedical Wafers

A probing station that images thousands of electrodes and measures test structures, while staying fully usable for R&D.

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Industrial manufacturing

An End-of-Line Test Stand for Industrial Chillers

Automated end-of-line testing for Drake Refrigeration's industrial chillers, with live flow control, data capture, and reports.

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Industrial refrigeration

ChillerGuard, a Chiller Monitor That Serves Its Own Web App

An embedded monitoring and control unit for Drake Refrigeration's industrial chillers, with its own built-in web application for live status, setup, email alarms, a month of logged data, and remote firmware updates.

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Motion control

The LabVIEW Driver for Arcus Motion Controllers

A LabVIEW driver suite that Arcus Technology released to its customers, so even novice developers can get its USB stepper motors running quickly.

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Process monitoring

Thermal Video and Chemical Analysis on One Timeline

Software that runs a near-infrared analyzer and records thermal video of a high-temperature mixing process, with both kept in sync.

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Rehabilitation research

Balance Exercises Steered by a Patient's Own Weight

Research exercises in which patients steer an on-screen marker by shifting their weight on a force platform, with every session recorded for analysis.

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Biomedical education

Rebuilding the "Plastic Dog"

A cardiovascular training simulator with late-1960s hardware and an old C program, rebuilt with modern hardware and LabVIEW.

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Ankle robotanalog signalsHand sensorsbutton, targetEEG amplifierevent markersParticipant screenvisual cuesOperator screenstart, pause, stopTiming enginemillisecond triggers

Medical research

Millisecond Event Markers for Movement Research

Two LabVIEW tools that mark every cue and movement in a motor-control study's EEG recording within milliseconds, built to be reused in later studies.

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Well levels4 to 20 mATank pressures4 to 20 mAEmbedded loggerup to 8 sensorsSD cardone file per dayfield visitSpreadsheettimeline rebuiltField controlssafe switch, status lights

Water utilities

A Low-Cost Data Logger for Remote Water Plants

A standalone embedded logger that records well levels and tank pressures at unattended plants, cheap enough to put at every site and simple enough for field staff.

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Vest 1ECG, respirationVest 2 … NECG, respirationVest emulatorsimulated signalsBluetoothLive displayevery vestRecordingstreamed to diskReplaypast sessionsPC data systemtest, start, stop

Medical devices

Monitoring Software for a Wireless Vest, Built Before the Vest Was Done

The PC side of a wearable ECG and respiration monitor, plus a working stand-in for the vest, so software and hardware could be developed side by side.

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Cutting blockstrain gaugebridgesLive feedbackdirection, strengthCut recordsper trainee, per cutNotesafter every cutTraining appzero, cut, review

Medical training

Showing Surgical Trainees How Hard They're Cutting

Software for an instrumented bone-cutting trainer that shows the direction and strength of every cut as it happens, and keeps a record of each trainee's cuts.

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Pumps and valvesample, purgeSensorspressure, flow, tempSpark generatorserial controlSpectrometerstwo, timed triggerSafety limitshalt on any faultSpectrastored per sampleAutomationmanual or continuous

Analytical instruments

Turning a Bench Prototype into a Self-Running Oil Analyzer

Hardware selection and full automation for a field instrument that tracks changes in engine oil, from pumping a sample to firing a spark and capturing its spectrum, with safety checks running the whole time.

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Desktop cardexistingLaptop cardexistingUSB devicenew, any laptopOne applicationany of three devicesMeasurementsunchanged

Medical manufacturing

Keeping a Proven Test Application Alive on Modern Hardware

A legacy measurement application moved to current software and USB data acquisition, while still running on the older hardware already in service.

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Motor drivespeed, accelerationAir supplyregulated pressurePart sensorspressure, flow, speedLive plotswatch for oscillationTest recordsdata and snapshotsBadge loginrole-based accessTest stationtouchscreen, 4 modes

Precision components

From a Manual Test Stand to a Touchscreen Test Station

An automated replacement for an obsolete, fully manual test stand, running break-in, steady-state, and transient tests on a speed governor before it goes into the final assembly.

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Loadraw imageInvertcells stand outThresholdto binaryClear edgesdrop cut-off cellsSeparatedrop touching cellsFillsolid shapesFind circlesevery cellCentersx, y per cellEach step can run on its own, or the whole method at once

Medical research instruments

Finding Every Red Blood Cell in an Image

An image-processing routine that locates red blood cells in captured images and reports each cell's center, built for a custom motion and vision system used in medical research.

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Thermocouplesevery heat zoneGas flow8 channelsHeaters2 furnaces, 4 tapesSafety relayover-temperatureData filesevery readingProcess controlPID, heating profiles

University research

One Screen to Run a Research Reactor's Heat and Gas

Software temperature control for two tube furnaces and four heating tapes, with programmable heating profiles, an over-temperature safety relay, gas flow control, and a complete record of every run.

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Filtration membranes

Taking the Guesswork Out of a Membrane Pressure Test

An automated bubble point test that raises air pressure on a membrane sample along a programmed profile, so every sample is tested the same way, replacing a hand-turned regulator.

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Laboratory automation

Finding Out What an Instrument's Sensors Could Really Do

Software, electronics, and a great deal of R&D for an instrument meant to measure the fluid in every well of a microplate, including the testing that showed what its sensors could and couldn't do.

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Amusement parks

A Roller Coaster Photo System That Paid for Itself Many Times Over

A complete ride photography system, designed end to end, that captures riders at the most dramatic drop, shows them their photos as they exit, and prints the ones they buy on the spot.

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Operatortabs, sync switchVideo modulestart and stop signalStimulus controlone or many, in syncSoundwaveform generatorPuff and tappulse generatorLightLED panelTemperaturescripted profiles

Neuroscience research

One Control Panel for Sound, Touch, Light, and Heat

A stimulus control application for a research institute's behavior-tracking rigs, replacing a discontinued control card and driving four kinds of custom and off-the-shelf stimulus hardware, alone or in sync.

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Sports safety devices

Proving a Wearable Impact Sensor Against a Lab Reference

Test software for a drop rig that checks a wearable impact sensor against a precision reference accelerometer, impact by impact, with the head-injury measures computed for both side by side.

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