New multisensor platforms, wearable systems and the Internet of Things are expected to lift total MEMS semiconductor sales to $8 billion in 2014, according to research firm IC Insights. [ + ]

Security consultant Context Information Security has uncovered a security weakness in an Australian inventor's Wi-Fi-enabled, energy-efficient LIFX LED light bulb that can be controlled from a smartphone. [ + ]

Lifetime, form factor, packaging and a range of colours - from the outside, it would appear as though LED lighting has everything going for it. But for design engineers, there's a lot more to the story.

It's a peculiar thing, but electronics and rule breaking seem to go hand in hand - at least as far as the average driver is concerned. It is hard to hide from electronics. The ubiquitous microchip is everywhere, from the kitchen to the lounge to the garden and especially in the motor vehicle - where there are now more electronics than ever were involved in the moon landing.

Semiconductor manufacturers closed 72 wafer fabs between 2009 and 2013, and another nine fabs are slated to close in 2014, according to data recently compiled, updated, and now available in IC Insights’ Strategic Reviews online database and the Global Wafer Capacity 2014 report. [ + ]

ODU's white paper looks at the requirements for rugged high-speed data connectors. [ + ]

As Brazil hosts the world's greatest sporting competition this month and also prepares for the 2016 Summer Olympics, what will be the impact of the World Cup on the connector market? [ + ]

The real advantages of solid-state lighting are realised when lamp designers shake off limitations imposed by traditional lamps and take advantage of the low power, low heat and low profiles of LED light sources, as LED arrays light the way.

Electromagnetic and interference (EMI) issues are key elements of almost every PCB design, and thinking about these issues in the board layout stage can help reduce many common problems.

The European Commission and 180 companies and research organisations, under the umbrella of euRobotics, have launched a civilian research and innovation program in robotics. [ + ]

Intel has announced a range of solutions and initiatives for the connected car of the future. [ + ]

Professor Andrew Holmes, a pioneer in organic electronics, has become the Australian Academy of Science's new president. [ + ]

Freescale Semiconductor has teamed up with Neusoft Corporation and Green Hills Software to create next-generation automotive vision applications. [ + ]

Apple and Google agreed last week to abandon mutual litigation over smartphone software and hardware patents. Yesterday the Korea Times reported that it appears likely Apple and Samsung will also reach a similar agreement soon. [ + ]

The recent fitting of an alcohol-detecting band to a convicted binge drinker in the UK is a reminder of how the use of wearable electronics for behaviour control is proceeding apace. In a first for the UK, the authorities fixed a SCRAM alcohol-detecting leg band to a high-risk offender. [ + ]