This month marks the 10-year anniversary of James Cameron's historic dive to the Mariana Trench with the help of Opto 22 controls.

About this time 10 years ago, I got two emails about an hour apart. The first was from my wife saying my 16-year old son had fallen off his skateboard and taken a chunk out of his elbow. The second was from my son himself, asking if he could go back and find the missing bit rather than go to hospital to get stitches.

Today, we all have a bit of a laugh about it when we recall the story. But at the time, it was pretty stressful for each of us, mostly because I was away from home half way around the world.

In fact, I was a thousand miles out at sea working with the team that was preparing the Deepsea Challenge submersible that would end up taking movie director and deep ocean explorer James Cameron to the deepest point on the planet - the Mariana Trench.

Intrinsics Imaging’s AI-powered vision system uses groov RIO to connect the cloud to the edge.

Machine vision systems can recognize superficial aberrations in manufactured goods—like lines, spots, holes, color discrepancies, and more—that would typically require time-consuming manual inspection. California-based Intrinsics Imaging solves this problem with its Heijunka Vision analytics-as-a-service software. But when Intrinsics was approached by a customer hoping to integrate Heijunka directly into process controls, it looked to Opto 22’s groov RIO edge I/O for a way to connect the cloud to the edge.

Remote I/O over MQTT helps Rust Automation deploy affordable remote monitoring in a challenging environment.

Did you watch the Fall CODESYS Tech Talk virtual event that we shared with you last October? It demonstrated how the CODESYS runtime engine works and why it's included on Opto 22's groov EPIC.

Jared Bates, from OptoPartner Rust Automation & Controls, joined us for that presentation. He discussed a current water management application that utilizes CODESYS on EPIC, groov RIO remote I/O, and MQTT for secure data communications. 

Now, we've put the story of all that cutting-edge technology into a case study, so you can dig into all the details!

ICC 2021 Discover Gallery finalist, Perceptive Controls, talks about their continued success with the Waterford, MI Department of Public Works

In February of this year, we looked at a pioneering MQTT Sparkplug project at the Department of Public Works in Waterford Township, Michigan. Thanks to the work of system integrator Perceptive Controls, Waterford’s project went on to become a finalist in the 2021 Ignition Community Conference Discover Gallery and was showcased in the latest Sparkplug Working Group virtual meetup. Recently, I followed up with Kevin Finkler, software engineer at Perceptive, to talk about using MQTT in the real world.

Opto 22's YouTube channel is growing with more videos and subscribers.

What started several years ago as a platform to host a few Opto 22 product videos has now reached a new milestone. The Opto 22 YouTube channel recently reached 2 million views and is closing in on 20,000 subscribers.

Whether you're new to the industrial automation industry, or are looking for specific developer tips on using MQTT or Node-RED, the OptoVideo channel is your one stop for all things automation and digital transformation. 

Turbine control experts execute fast, cost-effective retrofit of a failing control system

RDI Controls provides fully engineered retrofit packages for industrial and aeroderivative turbine control systems. It has carried out over 160 retrofit and design projects on a variety of turbines from brands like GE, Westinghouse, Pratt-Whitney, and Rolls Royce using control systems from Allen-Bradley, ABB/Bailey, and Westinghouse/Emerson. But Opto 22 is RDI's supplier of choice, and this new case study explains why.

Rapid prototyping for simple (and delicious) connected control

What does it take to turn a hobby into a business? For one barbecue enthusiast, Dave Counts of Automated Concepts, Inc. (ACI) proposed using Opto 22’s groov RIO. He thought the multifunction I/O and simple Node-RED programming would provide a lot of flexibility to help his customer design a prototype barbecue control system.

Oil & Gas OEM uses integrated data and control to deliver reliable automated pressure testing

Engenuity, Inc. provides control automation and data integration solutions across several industries, with a primary focus on advanced technologies for oil & gas. You've probably seen their OptoPartner profile featured here before.

In a new case study, we dig into the details of how they use groov EPIC to design an automated solution that cuts the cost of validated pressure testing at remote well sites.

Industrial automation hub brings the real-world into the classroom for students

Though I have the highest regard for the university where I received my engineering degree, I felt the curriculum was more theoretical than practical. I was steeped in differential equations and engineering mathematics and didn’t actually have a design project or build anything until my senior year.

New plant uses unique edge architecture to run at the pace of modern business

With demand for hand sanitizer more than doubling across the US, and continuing annual growth of more than 20% expected in coming years, 2020 presented the cleaning industry with a big financial opportunity. Emerald 66 Enterprises (E66) mobilized resources to meet this need, setting up shop in an empty denim processing plant in Seminole, Oklahoma, U.S.A.