An inspection system for mounting on a user's hand. The inspection system comprising: an imaging unit comprising two sub-units, the first sub-unit being configured to provide images from a first point of view and the second sub-unit being configured to provide images from a second point of view; and a measuring unit configured to provide data relating to a physical property measured at a measurement location on the user's hand. The imaging unit has a separation sensor configured to measure the separation between the two sub-units of the imaging unit. A method of inspecting and/or servicing a machine is also disclosed.

Mechanoluminescent devices and articles, such as wearable articles, that include mechanoluminescent devices. The mechanoluminescent devices may have a lateral type architecture or a vertical type architecture. The mechanoluminescent devices may be sensors, including pressure sensors.

A system for monitoring survey reflectors arranged at a plurality of locations on an object, having: a camera, including: one or more light sources arranged to illuminate a field in space corresponding to at least 10% of a field of view of the camera, preferably the whole field of view; an image sensor receiving light beams from reflections of the beam by the survey reflectors and providing data; a body with an optical entry system, the image sensor located on a first side and the light source on a second side of the body; and a processing unit processing the data.

The processing unit is configured to determine locations of the survey reflectors from the image sensor data and detect movement of the survey reflectors based on a comparison of the determined locations with previously determined locations.

Disclosed herein is a method for monitoring a health status of one or of a plurality of bridges (10) under normal traffic condition. The method comprises: a) providing at least one sensing device (12) per bridge configured to measure a physical quantity variation related to the integrity of said one or said plurality of bridges; b) providing a fleet of heavy vehicles (14), wherein an estimation of the weight of each heavy vehicle is known with a deviation of no more than 10% of the actual weight of each heavy vehicle; c) acquiring a set of physical data related to the integrity of said one or said plurality of bridges (10) from said at least one sensing device (12) when at least one heavy vehicle of the fleet crosses one bridge (10); d) determining the configuration of other vehicles (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15e) on the bridge, if any, when said at least one heavy vehicle (14) crosses said one bridge; e) repeating steps c) and d) in order to acquire multiple sets of physical data related to the integrity of said one or said plurality of bridges (10) so that the number of sets of integrity data associated with one bridge (10) permits to measure or observe a deviation, and c) obtaining a health status of said one or said plurality of bridges based on the deviation between said multiple sets of physical data associated with one bridge.

A method of retrieving a mobile platform from a tank at least partially filled with a non-conductive, energetic substance includes configuring the mobile platform to include at least a retrieval system including a buoyant body, an electrically conductive member, and a tether. The tether electrically isolates the buoyant body from the enclosure. The method further includes the steps of releasing the buoyant body to convey the tether toward a surface of the non-conductive, liquid energetic substance; conveying an electrically conductive cable to the electrically conductive member using the tether; electrically connecting a voltage neutralizing end of the electrically conductive cable to a voltage differential neutralizing body in a spark inhibiting ambient condition; electrically connecting a mobile platform end of the electrically conductive cable to the electrically conductive member of the mobile platform while the electrically conductive member is below the surface of the non-conductive, liquid energetic substance.

A one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) scan scheme for a tracking continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system to scan the whole surface of a rotating structure excited by a random force. A tracking CSLDV system tracks a rotating structure and sweep its laser spot on its surface. The measured response of the structure using the scan scheme of the tracking CSLDV system is considered as the response of the whole surface of the structure subject to random excitation. The measured response can be processed by operational modal analysis (OMA) methods (e.g., an improved lifting method, an improved demodulation method, an improved 2D demodulation method). Damped natural frequencies of the rotating structure are estimated from the fast Fourier transform of the measured response. Undamped full-field mode shapes are estimated by multiplying the measured response using sinusoids whose frequencies are estimated damped natural frequencies.

A fastener health monitoring system includes a structure including a first component and a second component, one or more fasteners securing the first component to the second component, and an optical fiber arranged adjacent to the one or more fasteners. The fiber is configured to detect strain on the structure from the one or more fasteners. Strain patterns are derivable from sensed data from the optical fiber, and any deviation in strain value greater than a threshold value at a particular fiber position along the optical fiber is indicative of a missing, damaged, or loosened fastener amongst the one or more of fasteners corresponding to that particular fiber position.

An apparatus, and related method, relates generally to a fiber-optic sensing system. In such a system, fiber-optic sensors are in a rosette or rosette-like pattern. An optical circulator is coupled to receive a light signal from a broadband light source, to provide the light signal to the fiber-optic sensors, and to receive a returned optical signal from the fiber-optic sensors. A spectral engine is coupled to the optical circulator to receive the returned optical signal and configured to provide an output signal.

In an optical fiber monitoring system which detects physical disturbance or other parameters such as temperature or strain of a fiber where a monitor signal is transmitted along the optical fiber and analyzed to detect changes which are indicative of an event, a method is provided for periodically checking proper operation of the optical fiber monitoring system. A fiber disturbance actuator periodically causes a pattern of disturbances of a portion of the fiber at a predetermined location thereon where the disturbance is characteristic of the event to be monitored. The monitor signal is analyzed to detect the pattern of changes and in the event that expected changes are not detected, a warning is issued that the intrusion detection system is not properly operating.

A MEMS AE transducer system is provided that takes advantage of the low power consumption and lightweight characteristics of MEMS AE transducers, while also achieving higher sensing sensitivity. To address the problem of low sensitivity typically associated with MEMS AE transducers, electrical responses of multiple MEMS AE transducers operating at different frequency ranges are combined to increase the bandwidth and sensitivity of the MEMS AE transducer system. As the frequencies are constructive, the combined response on a single channel is the actual summation of two signals with an improved signal to noise ratio. Additionally, each frequency can be decomposed because they are well separated from each other due to the super narrowband response and high Quality factor of MEMS AE transducers.