Toying with New Technology

I don’t want to panic anyone, but by the time you read this it will be around 45 shopping days until Christmas. That may seem like a lot, but time can quickly slip away during the holidays. If you have kids, they are probably already dropping hints about what new toys and electronics they hope to get (likely prompted by that catalog mailer Amazon now sends out each fall). As you may have noticed, a lot of those toys now include increasingly complex components and electronics.

That’s why I thought it might be interesting to use this issue to take a look at how toy design and manufacturing have evolved over the past several years, and what lessons engineers in other markets might learn from those developments.

In our lead feature, Jim Romeo takes a look at how toy designers are leveraging cloud-based CAD, simulation and additive manufacturing to create innovative new products.

Senior Editor Kenneth Wong has contributed a piece on how designers are using advanced rendering and visualization tools to improve their design workflows. Writer Beth Stackpole has also chimed in with a piece on how toy manufacturers are using 3D printing to create customized designs and reduce costs in some applications.

But we aren’t going to spend the entire issue just playing around (pardon the pun). We also have a lengthy feature on the use of digital twins in creating new smart cities, and how this can impact the development of better infrastructure and more sustainable environments.

We have also included two articles on engineering workstation monitors. The first is an overview of new developments in the monitor space relative to display clarity, new connectivity options, and widescreen and multi-monitor use cases. Veteran writer David Cohn has also provided a review of the new SideTrak Swivel 14 portable monitor, which engineers can use to enhance their display options when it comes to mobile computing.

We also have reports about our trips to the America Makes MMX event in Ohio, and the Intel Innovation Day event in San Jose.

When this digital issue launches, we also will have wrapped up our 2023 Design & Simulation Summit, a virtual event that includes a half-day itinerary of presentations by leading end users and consultants on key technology areas. This year, we featured a stacked keynote panel that discussed the use of artificial intelligence in design for additive manufacturing use cases.

If you missed the event, please feel free to take a look at the on-demand sessions here.

I hope you enjoy the issue.