The advent of plasma technology has meant that passenger information could be displayed in colour, using flat screens that can be more easily read in the variety of lighting conditions you might find in a railway station, airport, bus station. 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. At the mtec Exhibition on Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation, 12th to 13thFebruary 2003, NEC, Birmingham, Brunel and Southampton Universities will be demonstrating new 'singing' digital strain gauge technology and comparing it with the traditional resistance strain gauge technology. New technologies are making it possible to build all-digital audio systems with excellent performance, and many benefits that promise to change the face of the industry. Rusty Allred and Mike Tsecouras report. Brian Halla, president and chief executive of National Semiconductor, ponders the serious ups and downs the company has been through over the past few years - including billion dollar losses - and what the future holds. And that includes selling an increasing number of chips to China. Interview by Nick Flaherty. Nick Flaherty reports on the various research and development programmes to produce 'immersive' television, which turns viewers into users who can control the viewing angle and move around inside the image, even seeing things that the cameras never saw. Werner Sonnabend compares the various features and benefits of VMEbus and CompactPCI. But what factors should users use to pick a system? With many manufacturers laying off staff and cutting back on investment in new equipment they no longer have the resources or capabilities to program in house. With financial and human resources stretched, out-sourcing this vital part of the manufacturing process makes financial sense. Experiments are being carried out to demonstrate the theory of quantum entanglement. But using quantum effects is not just an esoteric theoretician's delight - it is the key to single cell flash memories used in all mobile phones and much of the rest of the industry. Nick Flaherty reports. Dipl-Phys Dr Kurt Bohringer and Dipl-Ing (FH) Jurgen Baumgartner report on how new standards are being set for in-circuit emulation to deal with the ever increasing variety and sophistication of microcontrollers. A patent from the early 1990s is forming the basis of a whole new industry for a small group of engineers from British Telecom. Nick Flaherty reports on the commercial potential of what is known as a home control centre which links consumer electronics equipment, including personal computers, televisions and videos. The starting point for Smart Electrics is making consumer equipment location dependent so that it only works in an environment where it has been registered. Werner Sonnabend looks at the increasing demand made on modern computers used in industry in terms of reliability and security. These systems must be supported by high quality installations and components. X-Tek Systems design and manufacture real time microfocus x-ray inspection systems, primarily for the electronics industry. prev