A bussed haptic actuator system includes a plurality of haptic actuators and a master control subsystem. Each haptic actuator includes a memory with an address storable therein and a slave controller subsystem configured to control the actuator in response to a received command signal. The master control subsystem is connected via a bus to the plurality of haptic actuators. The master control subsystem includes sequencer configured to determine which of the plurality of haptic actuators are to be activated and logic configured to provide, on the bus, a command signal including one or more addresses corresponding to haptic actuators to be activated as determined by the sequencer.

A method may include obtaining sensor data from sensors of a primary device, determining a sensor pattern based on the sensor data, generating a response based on the sensor pattern, and sending a signal over a network to a secondary device to trigger an action of the secondary device. The signal may be based on the sensor pattern.

A system and methodology associated with a connected farming system utilizing a novel system architecture which includes grain bin sensors that detect grain temperatures and/or moisture levels at multiple locations within a grain bin and wherein sensory data is communicated to a reader device so as to permit the reader device to detect one or more hot spots, heating conditions within the grain housed in the grain bin. The indicia of these hot spots, and/or heating conditions and/or raw sensory data are wirelessly communicated to a gateway device which may further communicate the presence or absence of these hot spots and/or heating conditions and/or raw sensory data to one or more user devices via a network connection and/or the cloud. The system and methodology also permits the detection and reporting of a possible grain theft occurrence within one or more grain bins.

A system and methodology associated with a connected farming system utilizing a novel system architecture which includes grain bin sensors that detect grain temperatures and/or moisture levels at multiple locations within a grain bin and wherein sensory data is communicated to a reader device so as to permit the reader device to detect one or more hot spots, heating conditions within the grain housed in the grain bin. The indicia of these hot spots, and/or heating conditions and/or raw sensory data are wirelessly communicated to a gateway device which may further communicate the presence or absence of these hot spots and/or heating conditions and/or raw sensory data to one or more user devices via a network connection and/or the cloud. The system and methodology also permits the detection and reporting of a possible grain theft occurrence within one or more grain bins.

A system relates to a first communication device configured to present data to and/or receive data from a health care practitioner; a second communication device configured to present data to and/or receive data from a patient; a processor configured to determine values of one or more metrics that characterize the patient's mental state based data received from the patient via the second communication device; a storage configured to store the metrics. Another system for providing tactile and/or electrical stimuli remotely, the system comprising a body-suit to be worn by a human, the body-suit comprising one or more actuators configured to convert electrical signals to tactile and/or stimuli, wherein the body-suit is configured to convey the tactile and/or electrical stimuli to a body part of the human.

Wearable devices are described herein including a housing and a mount configured to mount the housing to an external surface of a wearer. The wearable devices further include first and second electrical contacts protruding from the housing and configured such that the electrical contacts can be used to measure a Galvanic skin resistance of skin proximate to the electrical contacts when the wearable device is mounted to the external surface of the wearer. The electrical contacts are additionally configured to deliver an electro-haptic stimulus to skin proximate to the electrical contacts when the wearable device is mounted to the external surface of the wearer. Electro-haptic stimulus could be delivered to a wearer to indicate information to the wearer, including information about a health or activity state of the wearer, about communications received by the wearable device, and about alerts generated by the wearable device.

A network monitoring method executed by a plurality of relay devices within a network includes stopping, by a first relay device, transfer of a data frame received via a port at which a loop in the network is detected when the loop is detected; transmitting a first search frame configured to identify one or more relay devices included in a path in which the loop has occurred; receiving, by a second relay device, the first search frame; transmitting a second search frame obtained by storing identifying information identifying the second relay device in a data region of the first search frame; and identifying, by the first relay device, the one or more relay devices included in the loop using information included in the data region of a third search frame generated from the second frame by passing through one or more relay devices, when the third search frame is received.

A haptic actuator is disclosed. The haptic actuator comprises a magnet, a conductor set apart from the magnet by a gap, and an actuator coupled to the magnet. The actuator is configured to move the magnet between a first position in which the conductor is subjected to, from the magnet, a first net magnetic flux having a first direction, and a second position in which the conductor is subjected to, from the magnet, a second net magnetic flux having a second direction different than the first direction.

A fabric-based electronic device may include an electronic device housing coupled to fabric. Control circuitry may be mounted in the electronic device housing and may control the movement of an output device in the fabric that provides tactile output to a user. For example, the output device may include a wire enclosed within a flexible tube. The flexible tube may be intertwined with fibers in the fabric. The wire may include a kink or other irregularity that presses against the inner surface of the flexible tube. When the wire is rotated or moved into an appropriate position, the kink may press against the inner surface of the tube, which in turn forms a protrusion on the fabric. The protrusion may press against the user's body and may therefore be used to obtain the attention of a user that is wearing or holding the fabric-based electronic device.

A method and device for controlling at least one force-feedback device associated with at least a part of the body of a user. As to control the user's experience of motion and movements induced by the displacement(s) of the force feedback device(s) following operations are performed: [a] determining a speed value of a movement of the at least a part of the body according to at least a parameter representative of the displacement of the at least one force-feedback device, the movement of the at least a part of the body being induced by the displacement of the at least one force-feedback device; [b] comparing the determined speed value with a threshold speed value as to determine whether the displacement of the at least one force-feedback device is perceived by the user; and [c] controlling the at least one parameter according to the comparison result.