Advances in sensor technologies available now, and predicted over the next few years are providing engineers with the ability to implement sophisticated image processing systems featuring increased resolutions, bandwidths, functionality and data rates. Having the right combination of tools can make the difference between success and failure. This is true whether you are navigating the open seas or designing an embedded control system. A new device manufactured by Campbell Scientific will improve knowledge of local electrical fields and provide warnings of overhead lightning threats to operations vulnerable to lightning. BEI Technologies is releasing the next generation of its patented NCAPS non-contact angular position sensor. This latest version features a new application-specific integrated circuit developed exclusively for NCAPS. Grid and cluster computing comes up to be more popular for high-performance scientific computing. Following an extensive research and development programme, Barantec has obtained approvals for its piezo human machine interfaces (HMI) unit to be used in white goods. New compression technologies such as MPEG4 part 10 (also called AVC and H.264) and Microsoft's WindowsMedia9 are driving new product development for TV services using IP internet technology, and driving a new model of product development. The most significant change in video codecs is the move from WindowsMedia9 to a standardised version. While the SMTPE in the US is standardising WM9 to become VC9, there have been other developments. New technology for digital TV is shaking up the market. Nick Flaherty reports. Mass interconnect systems accommodate a wide range of analogue, digital, RF, fibre optic, power, thermocouple and pneumatic/vacuum requirements while allowing for future expansion as test requirements evolve. Glen Middleton looks at the technological progress of embedded controllers and the lowering of flat panel display costs. An innovation from Morgan Fuel Cell (MFC), which is owned by the Morgan Crucible Company, promises to boost the power available from fuel cells and bring down the manufacturing costs. The broadcast industry is getting back on its feet after the effects of the downturn and the September 11 attacks in 2001. The focus has been moving back to the hardware and infrastructure issues, and new technologies are starting to take commercial shape. Nick Flaherty reports. A US startup out of Bell Labs has developed a way of producing realistic animation of a face at low bit rates from an ordinary video stream, opening up the possibility of having talking heads on Web sites and mobile phones with today's low speed technology. The fourth generation programming languages are much easier to use than third generation languages. But, however, as a result of how the code is interpreted, execution is often slower. Here, Leslie Mehrez looks at new technology designed for accelerating the performance of the MATLAB language. next