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ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016 Packaging Machinery

According to ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016 - Safety Requirements for Packaging Machinery and Packaging-Related Converting Machinery, safe is “the state of being protected from recognized hazards likely to cause serious physical harm.” Unfortunately, there is no such thing as being absolutely safe (i.e. being entirely free of all conceivable risks), especially in the case of machinery, which will always possess present hazards. That being said, the operation of machinery, such as packaging machinery and packaging-related converting machinery used to produce food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products, is always a necessity.

Therefore, the goal is not to eliminate all hazards but to mitigate them as much as possible in pursuit of a status that objectively can be deemed as safe. This is fulfilled through risk assessment and risk reduction for any group or individual affiliated with packaging machinery.

Responsibility for risk management processes for packaging machinery is held by both the machinery suppliers and the users, who must define and achieve acceptable risk. While their responsibilities do differ, since the supplier is tasked with the design, construction, and information for operation and maintenance of the machinery, and the user’s duty lies solely with operation and maintenance, each party involved uses the same risk assessment process.

The following figure from ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016 illustrates the machinery lifecycle progression, beginning at concept and ending at decommissioning, all of which must be assessed for risk:

Since the risk assessment process should be identical for both the supplier and the user of the packaging machinery, there are many opportunities for collaborative efforts between the two groups. For example, the user is responsible for the installation or commissioning of the machinery, but they can acquire assistance from the manufacturer of that machinery through labels and guidance that simplify the assessment of risk that emerges during installation.

As for the risk assessment process, an initial factor to consider is scalability to fit the particular organization and its culture. Variables related to this include the size or complexity of the project, location (conducted on or off site), formal (multi-discipline) vs. informal, cultural norms, and potential hazards related to product contamination.

The process itself is a series of logical steps used to systematically examine the hazards associated with the packaging machinery. The fundamentals of risk assessment are to identify hazards, assess risk, reduce risk to an acceptable level, and validate and document the results. These ideas are reflected in the seven basic steps of the risk assessment process: (1) prepare for/set limits of the assessment, (2) identify tasks and hazards, (3) assess initial risk, (4) reduce risk, (5) assess residual risk, (6) achieve acceptable risk, and (7) validate risk reduction measures.

There are two main approaches to this process, as discussed in ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016: hazard-based and task-based. Each of these is self-explanatory and specific to the needs of the organizations involved.

Ultimately, regardless of the approach used, risk assessment comes down to the fact that risk is a function of the severity of harm and the probability of occurrence of that harm. Due to this, risk must be appropriately scored for proper evaluation.

With this understanding of severity of the risk, along with the probability of its likelihood, users and suppliers are able to take measures necessary to control the hazards. Some potential measures are preferred, such as elimination or substitution of the component or process responsible for the hazards. Others, while not ideal for thoroughly mitigating the hazards, may also be selected, such as using personal protective equipment (e.g. safety glasses, earplugs, gloves). This decision is to be determined by the user or supplier. Where practical, hazards should be eliminated by design.

Like other management processes or systems in other industries, the risk assessment process should incorporate active leadership and competent persons to assure success.

This entire process for risk assessment is covered in the ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016 standard, which was written and published by The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI), an ANSI-accredited standards-developing organization.

ANSI/PMMI B155.1-2016 - Safety Requirements for Packaging Machinery and Packaging-Related Converting Machinery is available on the ANSI Webstore.

NFPA 70-2017 - National Electrical Code NEC

Most standards are subject to periodic revision, having to undergo changes every certain number of years. For national codes, a strict revision process is unquestionably essential, since the changes adopted to retain the standards’ relevancy and reliability generally become part of the official practice used nationwide. For this reason, the National Electrical Code (NIC) is revised every three years, with the latest edition being released as NFPA 70-2017 - NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2017 edition.

NFPA 70-2017, like its predecessors, is the National Electric Code (NEC) of the United States, striving for the ultimate goal of facilitating the safe installation of electrical wiring and equipment. The NEC is purposed with the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the installation of electrical components, and it is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual on the practices that can coexist with those hazards. It should only be used by trained individuals.

The National Electric Code covers the installation and removal of electrical conductors, equipment, and raceways, signaling and communications conductors, equipment, and raceways, and optical fiber cables and raceways for public and private premises, yards, lots, parking lots, carnivals, and industrial substations, installations of conductors and equipment that connect to the supply of electricity, and installations used by the electric utility.

Since the code covers practically all conceivable electrical installation processes, it is divided into several broad chapters, which are then broken down into articles composed of different smaller parts. The chapters of the document are the following:

Chapter 1 – General
Chapter 2 – Wiring and Production
Chapter 3 – Wiring Methods and Materials
Chapter 4 – Equipment for General Use
Chapter 5 – Special Occupancies
Chapter 6 – Special Equipment
Chapter 7 – Special Conditions
Chapter 8 – Communications Systems
Chapter 9 – Tables
Informative Annex A through Informative Annex J

Chapters 1 through 4 apply generally to all electrical installations, 5 through 7 are intended to supplement other chapters, 8 is subject to requirements of the earlier chapters where specifically referenced, the tables in Chapter 9 are to be used when needed, and the ten annexes are informatory only and should not be treated as mandatory for compliance.

As for the changes to NFPA 70-2017, they are abundant, since the document almost numbers 900 pages, and there is an alteration present on almost every single one of them. Whether large, such as a major addition of guidelines, or small, such the addition of a single word, every change made to NFPA 70-2017 from the 2014 version is shaded gray on the document.

An example of a minor change is the definition for cable routing assembly from the Article 100: Definitions section of Chapter 1, which appears as:

Alternatively, a more substantial change to the NEC is the arc-flash hazard warning marking, for which the revision calls for additional information to be provided. It appears in NFPA 70-2017 as:

As shown above, the 110.16 section contains a new subclause (B), which states that a permanent label should be applied to service equipment rated 1200 amps or more with the following information: nominal system voltage, available fault current at the service overcurrent protective devices, the clearing time of service overcurrent protective devices based on the available fault current at the service equipment, and the date the label was applied. All of this information should be easily obtainable at the time of installation.

Some adjustments made to NFPA 70-2017 are reflective of rising technologies, and they are necessary to keep the document current. For example, Article 690 of the code is devoted to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, and the section is heavily encompassed by gray shading indicating additions and changes in content. For example, Part V for grounding and bonding appears as:

All changes to the code can be found in the NFPA 70-2017 document.

NFPA 70-2017 - NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2017 edition is now available on the ANSI Webstore.

Nuclear power has gone through some rough patches, especially when it comes to public perception of the energy source. While, as we have discussed before, many of these degrading periods have been closely tied to nuclear disasters and other alarming events in the past, the latest hard times for nuclear power, at least in the United States, are happening right now. Throughout this current decade (of which we are closer to the end than the beginning, as sobering as that may be for some people), we have seen the closure of several American nuclear power plants.

Specifically, there have been five nuclear power plants retired in the United States throughout the past five years, and another five have been announced for retirement in the near-future. This takes a decent chunk out of the active 62 nuclear power plants generating electricity for homes and businesses throughout the nation. Comparatively, there are some nuclear power plants in development in the country, but only four reactors, at most, will be commissioned by 2021. This brings into question the status of the industry in upcoming decades.

With this, it is worth asking: why are we losing so many nuclear power plants? A logical answer would be that nuclear plants are being eliminated due to the very same reason that they have been given little praise in the past: strong public opposition. However, if federal and state policies are any reflection of the current worldview of nuclear power, this may not be the case.

Reasons for the Minimization of the Nuclear Industry

As of 2014, as part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, U.S. power plants are required to significantly cut carbon emissions by 2020, with nuclear energy being identified as an ideal alternative to conventional energy sources in meeting this goal. Other policies and acts of legislation support this idea as well. In truth, nuclear power might have more support now than it has had in a very long time.

Instead, a major factor in nuclear plant closure is that the plants themselves are only expected to operate for a lifespan of approximately 60 years. To continue with operations, appropriate refurbishment is required. This is the option preferred over the alternative of building an entirely new power plant, which not only consumes time and money, but it is one of the only stages of nuclear power generation that actually emits carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

For example, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was closed in 2013 and is currently undergoing decommissioning. The licensing of this plant was not due to expire until 2022, but closure was determined to be the best route, since the plant has been active since the 1960s and would need costly refurbishment that would only lead to a return on investment for less than ten years.

Another factor is the recent emergence of natural gas as an energy source, as domestic shale gas deposits have made the fuel source incredibly cost effective. Because of the drastically heightened competitiveness of natural gas, another reliable source of energy for granting a base load for electricity generation, nuclear power in the United States is suffering. In fact, the Energy Information Administration has predicted that nearly 19 GWe of new gas-fired generation capacity is expected on line by 2019.

Nuclear power just can’t keep up. The Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska faced this very problem, and despite being licensed until 2033, it had to close down in October 2016. And these two factors – competitive natural gas and long-lasting nuclear power plants – work together to influence the minimization of nuclear power throughout the nation. Instead of incorporating refurbishments to extend its 43 years of operation further into the future, the Fort Calhoun’s owner has decided to spend up to $1.5 billion over the course of 60 years for decommissioning. With the abundance of natural gas in the region, this was the safest option.

Growing Wind Capacity and Reliability

The status of nuclear energy is also being harmed by increased wind energy. Traditionally, from a practical environmentalist view, nuclear power is a necessity for tapering energy loads off coal and methane, since it is clean (other than the waste problem) and reliable, since it can be used in otherwise inconvenient times, being a physical fuel. Wind and solar power, on the other hand, are generally thought of as ideal, but not as reliable, since they cannot be utilized when there is little available wind and solar radiation, respectively.

Currently, nuclear power is responsible for about twenty percent of the electricity generated in the United States, while wind and solar combined only account for less than six percent.

However, wind power is rapidly growing, and wind farm installations have accounted for an immense 318 GW global capacity. Furthermore, wind power is likely to overcome the issue of intermittence much sooner than most believe, as grid operators discover new ways to deal with the uncontrollable wind patterns. Because of this, it is possible that wind energy could account for thirteen percent of the electricity produced globally by 2020.

This reasoning in part inspired the recent announcement that the final active nuclear power plant in California, Diablo Canyon, would be retired in pursuit of cleaner energy options. This decision acts as part of a larger plan to make the state of California’s electricity fifty percent clean by the year 2030. With all of the nuclear power in California deriving from Diablo Canyon, it is completely plausible to surmise that clean energy sources, whether wind, hydroelectric, or solar, could grow to the point of displacing it.

However, nuclear may not be the problem when it comes to California’s energy load. Even though those in support of Diablo Canyon’s closure believe that the most practical method for reducing emissions in the state is to phase out nuclear along with all carbon-emitting fuels, some time may pass before the renewable energy sources grow to a point of reliable use. For a base energy load, the state will require natural gas, since the energy source currently accounts for the majority of California’s electricity, producing over 9,000,000 MWh annually. Before the state gets clean, it might pollute more than it intends to.

Outlook of Nuclear Power

Overall, while the nuclear industry is feeling the impact of the natural gas and wind industries, along with other factors, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of nuclear power. In 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) renewed five nuclear power plant operating licenses and issued one new one. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Energy issued multi-year cost share awards of up to $80 million for the design, construction, and operation of non-light water reactors, which could help to accelerate the installation nuclear plants in the United States to replace and expand upon the current capacity in the near future.

Worldwide, nuclear power is actually doing very well, as installations and uprating continue to provide more and more electricity. The nation in which its prominence is growing the greatest is China, where there are 22 reactors currently under construction. In addition, there are 40 more reactors planned and another 136 proposed for installation there in the future. These nuclear reactor installations could be highly advantageous for the populous nation, since they could allow the country to drastically reduce its ever-rising carbon dioxide emissions.

The future of nuclear power remains uncertain, but one thing is known: the industry is changing, and it will not be the same in just a few years’ time.

ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout

Hazardous energy– whether deriving from electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical, or thermal sources in machinery and equipment – is the basis of a longstanding issue in many industries. Throughout the past 50 years, in acknowledgement of the high frequency of casualties related to the unexpected release of hazardous energy and related machine start-ups, substantial measures have been taken by employers, unions, trade associations, and government to mitigate accidents. However, despite these efforts, the annual injuries and fatalities caused from hazardous energy release has remained alarmingly high.

ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 - The Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout, Tagout and Alternative Methods exists to provide a reliable standard practice that, if followed correctly, can assure safety from hazardous energy in machinery.

The ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 standard establishes guidelines for the control for hazardous energy associated with machinery, equipment, or processes that could do harm to the personnel. Specifically, it does this by establishing lockout, tagout, or alternative methods to control the hazardous energy. It is applicable to many activities, including erecting, installing, constructing, repairing, adjusting, inspecting, unjamming, set up, testing, troubleshooting, cleaning, dismantling, servicing, and maintaining machines, equipment, or processes.

At the core of these specifications is the user and the supplier of the machinery, and the interaction between these two groups determines the success of the lockout system. The supplier, who is responsible for designing, building, integrating, and installing machines, equipment, or processes, should incorporate all applicable provisions of this standard into their products, so that the user can assure compliance through the establishment of a protection program.

The third group bearing responsibility during this process is the personnel, who should comply with the hazardous energy control program. The following figure from ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 demonstrates the process for controlling hazards through this method:

A hazardous energy control program consists of the following activities: identifying (assigning responsibilities, identifying tasks), operational procedures (documented procedures, for hazardous energy control, provisions for hazardous energy control interruption), implementation (selecting protective materials, communication and training), and program maintenance (monitoring/measuring, auditing of program elements).

Of course, in the control of hazardous energy, the design phase of the machinery plays a key role, since risk assessment conducted during this stage can determine the suitability of the equipment for its intended purpose. Hazardous energy control methods selected by the supplier can include identification of energy that is necessary to perform a given task(s), elimination of hazardous energy sources whenever practicable, control of hazardous energy, or control methods.

For example, ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 discusses energy-isolating devices, which are installed as integral parts of a machine as a means of preventing the transmission or release of energy. The standard specifies that these devices be conveniently located, clearly identified, capable of being locked, and evaluated to determine their suitability for their intended purpose.

As for the control process itself, lockout is preferred. Under lockout, hazardous energy is isolated by securing a lockout device (or devices) of suitable construction placed on an energy-isolating device that prevents the inadvertent re-energization of machinery or equipment. Lockout devices should be placed by each authorized participating person.

While lockout is the preferred method, there is no stipulation in the standard indicating that it needs to be utilized for compliance with ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016. However, there are two exceptions to this. They are when no risk assessment has been completed or the tasks and/or hazards are unknown.

Otherwise, tagout (the less-preferred method) can be put into use. Under tagout, hazardous energy is isolated by using tags secured to an energy-isolating device that prevents the inadvertent re-energization of machinery or equipment. Every participating authorized person should either place an individual tag at each isolated source or be named in a group tagging method. The tags display the name of person placing the tagout, the contact information for the authorized person, a statement not to operate the equipment, and a statement not to remove the tagout device.

Other aspects of the procedures detailed in ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 serve to establish the methods of the standard as reliable in preventing accidents from hazardous energy.

ANSI/ASSE Z244.1-2016 - The Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout, Tagout and Alternative Methods is now available on the ANSI Webstore.

Identification Cards Users ISO IEC 7812 2017

Appearing in either physical or digital form, identification cards are integral to the operations of enterprises in numerous industries, serving the straightforward yet intricate purpose of identifying an individual. The shared international system for numbering identification cards and the application and registration procedures for issuer identification numbers (IINs) is established by the ISO/IEC 7812 standard.

The primary account number (PAN) of an identification card consists of three main components: the IIN (a number that identifies the card issuer, 8 digits in length), the individual account number (a number assigned by the card issuer for the purpose of identifying an individual account), and a check digit (a digit calculated on all the preceding digits of the PAN and computed according to the Luhn formula).

The first digits in an IIN (and a PAN) are generally indicative of the type of organization in which they are used. For example, IINs beginning with “80” are for use in healthcare institutions and those beginning with “89” are to be used in telecommunications.

The specifications for this numbering system and the format of IINs and PANs are addressed in ISO/IEC 7812-1:2017 - Identification cards - Identification of issuers - Part 1: Numbering system, the first part of the standard for identification cards.

Alternatively, ISO/IEC 7812-2:2017 - Identification cards - Identification of issuers - Part 2: Application and registration procedures, the second part of the overall standard, covers the procedures for application and registration of IINs. This follows a specific set of criteria to be used for the approval of an application to establish an IIN by one of the two types of authorized blockholders: administrative blockholders (who are assigned a block of IINs for re-assignment to card issuers under their jurisdiction) and card-scheme blockholders (who represent a group of card issuers and are assigned a block of IINs for assignment to the members of the card scheme).

If the application for an IIN is rejected by a designated sponsoring authority (SA), the applicant may appeal to the secretariat of the registration management group (RMG). This process is detailed in the standard document.

ISO/IEC 7812-1:2017 - Identification cards - Identification of issuers - Part 1: Numbering system and ISO/IEC 7812-2:2017 - Identification cards - Identification of issuers - Part 2: Application and registration procedures can be acquired together as the ISO/IEC 7812 - Identification Cards Package, available only on the ANSI Webstore.

NFPA 70-2017 - NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2017 edition was released in late 2016, updating the many guidelines for the installation of electrical equipment in accordance with the National Electrical Code (NEC) of the United States. The alterations made to this document are numerous, having applications in a variety of industries and activities. Among these are changes made to the specifications for solar photovoltaic (PV) system installations, which are addressed in Article 690.

The solar industry, while relatively new, has been growing at an immensely rapid rate, due to the encouragement of its advancement brought on by the establishment and extension of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), a tax credit equal to 40% the cost of a solar array installation, along with other financial incentives from the government. In 2015 alone, there was over 7,000 MW of new solar photovoltaic capacity installed, and over 200,000 people were employed in the United States solar industry. Due to its fast progression, there have been continuous advancements made to PV technology and procedures.

Article 690 of NFPA 70-2017 reflects this, as it contains many changes for the installation of photovoltaic systems. The earliest significant changes to this section are in Part II Circuit Requirements. This specifies the maximum voltage of two PV system DC circuits under the following environments: “PV system dc circuits on or in one- and two-family dwellings shall be permitted to have a maximum voltage of 600 volts or less”, and “PV system dc circuits on or in other types of buildings shall be permitted to have a maximum voltage of 1000 volts or less.” Additional changes are for the maximum voltage for photovoltaic source and output circuits, DC-to-DC converter source and output circuits, single DC-to-DC converter, two or more series connected DC-to-DC converters, bipolar source and output currents.

Part II also now addresses overcurrent protection, along with arc-fault circuit protection, as in “photovoltaic systems operating at 80 volts dc or greater between an two conductors shall be protected by a listed PV arc-fault circuit interrupter.”

In Part III Disconnecting Means, the standard states that each PV system should consist of no more than 6 switches or sets of circuit breakers, but an alteration to the document notes that single PV system disconnecting means can be permitted for the combined AC output of one or more inverters or ac modules in an interactive system. Furthermore, NFPA 70-2017 bears changes made to the ratings of the PV system disconnecting means, and states: “where the maximum circuit current is greater than 30 amperes for the output circuit of a dc combiner or the input circuit of a charge controller or inverter, an equipment disconnecting means shall be provided for isolation.”

Part III also contains adjustments to the marking of the disconnecting means. The NEC states that each PV system disconnecting means should plainly indicate whether it is in the open (off) or closed (on) position and be permanently marked “PV SYSTEM DISCONNECT”. The device should also be marked with the following:

Part IV Wiring Methods contains changes made for the identification of PV system circuit conductors, stating that the means of identification should be completed by separate color coding, marking tape, tagging, or other approved means.

The changes in Part V Grounding and Bonding are numerous, with many clauses in the section of the NFPA 70-2017 being completely different in the new edition of the National Electrical Code. For grounding configurations, two options have been added: 2-wire PV arrays with one functional grounded conductor and bipolar PV arrays according to 690.7(C) with a functional ground reference (center tap). This section also marks changes to the clauses for ground-fault detection, isolating faulting currents, point of system grounding connection, equipment grounding and bonding, photovoltaic module mounting systems and devices, and equipment secured to grounded metal supports.

Part VI Marking contains far fewer changes, with the most notable alteration made for photovoltaic systems connected to energy source systems, specifying that “the PV system output circuit conductors shall be marked to indicate the polarity where connected to energy storage systems.”

Part VII Connection to Other Sources and Part VIII Energy Storage Systems are virtually entirely different in NFPA 70-2017 than they were in the 2014 edition of the code. These changes call for the PV system to be installed in accordance with the guidelines established by other sections of the standard.

All of these changes, along with any others present to Article 690 of NFPA 70-2017, can be clearly identified by the user, since they are shaded in gray on the document.

NFPA 70-2017 - NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2017 edition is available on the ANSI Webstore.

IEEE Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems

Autonomous vehicles represent the first large-scale social manifestation of Artificial Intelligence for the general public. While media may focus on Terminator scenarios that are steeped in dystopian science fiction, the vehicles we’ll be riding in on a regular basis within the next seven to ten years represent a genuine opportunity for individuals and society to address the larger ethical issues around these intelligent technologies, today.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the classic ethical Tunnel problem regarding self-driving cars, it’s critical to examine larger issues regarding personal data access and how all the vehicles and systems we’ll be interacting with in the future align with our values on an ongoing basis.

To address these and similar issues, The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems (AI/AS) recently finalized the first draft of Ethically Aligned Design, a code of ethics for the algorithmic era created by over one hundred AI/Ethics thought leaders that are members of The IEEE Global Initiative. The document contains over eighty pragmatic Issues and Candidate Recommendations for technologists to utilize in their work today to create a positive future.

Autonomous vehicles will interact with multiple sets of stakeholders once they’re in widespread use. This includes manufacturers, technicians, and a variety of end users. This will be especially true of vehicles that are shared and need to be adaptive to various users’ values. These may be as simple as recognizing how fast a vehicle should operate to not make a sensitive rider sick, or to allow for various privacy settings based on a rider’s preference for how their data may be shared with a manufacturer or its partners. How should manufacturers creating autonomous vehicles face the ethical challenges associated with this kind of scenario?

Moral Overload as an Autonomous Issue

As an example, here’s an excerpt from Ethically Aligned Design provided by the Embedding Values Into Autonomous Intelligent Systems (AIS) Committee on how to deal with these situations:

Issue:

Moral overload – AIS are usually subject to a multiplicity of norms and values that may conflict with each other.

Background
An autonomous system is often built with many constraints and goals in mind. These include legal requirements, monetary interests, and also social and moral values. Which constraints should designers prioritize? If they decide to prioritize social and moral norms of end users (and other stakeholders), how would they do that?

Candidate Recommendation
Our recommended best practice is to prioritize the values that reflect the shared set of values  of the larger stakeholder groups. For example,  a self-driving vehicle’s prioritization of one factor over another in its decision making will need to reflect the priority order of values of its target user population, even if this order is in conflict with that of an individual designer, manufacturer, or client. For example, the Common Good Principle could be used as a guideline to resolve differences in the priority order of different stakeholder groups.

We also recommend that the priority order of values considered at the design stage of autonomous systems have a clear and explicit rationale. Having an explicitly stated rationale for value decisions, especially when these values are in conflict with one another, not only encourages the designers to reflect on the values being implemented in the system, but also provides a grounding and a point of reference for a third party to understand the thought process of the designer(s). The Common Good Principle mentioned above can help formulate such rationale.

We also acknowledge that, depending on the autonomous system in question, the priority order of values can dynamically change from one context of use to the next, or even within the same system over time. Approaches such as interactive machine learning (IML), or direct questioning and modeling of user responses can be employed to incorporate user input into the system. These techniques could be used to capture changing user values.

Excerpted from:
The IEEE Global Initiative for Ethical Considerations in Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems. Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision For Prioritizing Wellbeing With Artificial Intelligence And Autonomous Systems, Version 1. IEEE, 2016. http://standards.ieee.org/develop/indconn/ec/autonomous_systems.html.

Setting the Human Standard for AI/AS Ethics

Along with creating and evolving Ethically Aligned Design, members of The IEEE Global Initiative are tasked with making recommendations for potential Standards Projects based on their work. Currently there are three Working Groups focused on these areas that all affect aspects of autonomous vehicles.

IEEE P7000: Model Process for Addressing Ethical Concerns During System Design

Here’s a description about this work:

Engineers, technologists and other project stakeholders need a methodology for identifying, analyzing and reconciling ethical concerns of end users at the beginning of systems and software life cycles. The purpose of this standard is to enable the pragmatic application of this type of Value-Based System Design methodology which demonstrates that conceptual analysis of values and an extensive feasibility analysis can help to refine ethical system requirements in systems and software life cycles.

IEEE P7001: Transparency of Autonomous Systems

Here’s a description of this work, which has particular relevance to self-driving vehicles:

A key concern over autonomous systems (AS) is that their operation must be transparent to a wide range of stakeholders, for different reasons. (i) For users, transparency is important because it builds trust in the system, by providing a simple way for the user to understand what the system is doing and why. If we take a care robot as an example, transparency means the user can quickly understand what the robot might do in different circumstances, or if the robot should do anything unexpected, the user should be able to ask the robot 'why did you just do that?'. (ii) For validation and certification of an AS transparency is important because it exposes the system's processes for scrutiny. (iii) If accidents occur, the AS will need to be transparent to an accident investigator; the internal process that led to the accident need to be traceable. Following an accident (iv) lawyers or other expert witnesses, who may be required to give evidence, require transparency to inform their evidence. And (v) for disruptive technologies, such as driverless cars, a certain level of transparency to wider society is needed in order to build public confidence in the technology.

Finally, IEEE P7002, focused on creating a Data Privacy Process, also deeply relates to the issues of how autonomous vehicles may use rider data, especially considering how many new models can track facial or biometric data.

Our Machines Ourselves

In terms of best defining how to recognize and provably align end user values when building autonomous cars or other forms of autonomous or intelligent technologies, the critical point to focus on is incorporating these ethical considerations into these systems and devices today to answer the question:

How will machines know what we value, if we don’t know ourselves?

It’s time to identify and imbue the values that will increase human wellbeing in the algorithmic era.

Contributing Author: Dr. Ing Konstantinos Karachalios, Managing Director, IEEE Standards Association

Konstantinos Karachalios is Managing Director of IEEE Standards Association and member of IEEE's Management Council. He is also Director at Large for ANSI. He has a PhD in Nuclear Reactor Safety and a long experience and engagement in intellectual property matters and governance issues in the global knowledge economy. He considers the launch of the IEEE's Internet Initiative and of the technology ethics programs described in this article as concrete implementations of IEEE's tagline "advancing technology for humanity".

The Internet of Things (IoT) – the cloud-based coalition made up of sensors embedded in devices and everyday objects – is already a major part of today’s society. By the end of 2017, there will be close to 30 billion devices connected to the IoT, and that already-massive number is likely to swell to 50 billion by the end of the decade. Currently, the majority of these “things” are not in direct contact with the average person, instead being found in factories and other facilities inhabited for industrial purposes, but the improved efficiency derived from their use is surely felt by almost everyone.

However, the IoT is gradually spreading its reach into a different setting: the home. Smart technology is already being incorporated into home appliances, advancing the way daily activities are performed by making better choices for the product users and continuously exchanging data with the manufacturers through the cloud.

For example, “smart refrigerators” are now in emergence, and they make use of cameras, sensors, and other components common with computers to improve food management practices. Some organizations are taking the concept of smart technology to greater heights, allowing different appliances to work together. Silicon Valley start-up Innit is currently working to create a cloud-based “kitchen platform” which connects to smart kitchen appliances to tell the user what to cook.

This platform works through cameras in the refrigerator, which recognize products inside the smart fridge and send information to either a smart oven to regulate the temperature enough to be able to cook the food or third-party recipe programs to generate recipes based on the available ingredients. Organizations in other nations are developing similar platforms, all of which may serve the purpose in the near future to manage the many Internet connected devices that are becoming common in homes.

Other than kitchen appliances, these devices include smart TVs, smart meters, smart lights, smart smoke detectors, and of course, our smartphones. Ultimately, the enhanced digital intelligence in these devices exists to simplify their use and to track our behavior and usage so that manufacturers can make better decisions during design and production.

However, one of the major drawbacks is closely tied with the latter purpose, since the constant sharing of information with the cloud, and thus, the groups who designed and/or sold the product, can be perceived as an invasion of privacy. With the information derived from smart appliances, marketers and advertising algorithms will be able to use aspects of your private life as fuel in targeting you for future products. While this would allow advertising to be more specialized for each individual, it does raise serious questions and concerns.

Another issue is information security. Even if every user comes to trust the exchange of data through the Internet of Things as it is intended, there is still the susceptibility of the sensors to cybercrime. Right now, the IoT poses many security hazards as companies rush to release their products. The connected devices are prone to attack, just like every other product connected to the Internet, with one key difference: their existence in the physical world. This poses threats never possible before. Just imagine an oven that can be hacked to literally attack you.

Another potential problem is the idea of ownership. Conventionally, when you buy a toaster, it’s yours, there is nothing indicating otherwise. However, a “smart” toaster must maintain a connection with the IoT, and restrictive user agreements may prevent you from tinkering with the appliance you’ve already paid for. With this, it is very possible that the consumer may not actually own their products.

All of these concerns can be influential in today’s market, and consumers have every right to choose conventional products over smart ones. However, in the upcoming years, odds are that consumers may not have such a choice, since companies are likely to insert microchips into almost anything, even without indication. So, whether you like it or not, the Internet of Things will be a part of your home someday.

Of course, just as with most technological developments, things likely are not as alarming as they may seem, and any changes brought on by smart technology might not alter our lives as much as we think. As said by Innit CEO when discussing smart kitchens: "Consumers are using their smart phones and tablets and smart appliances in every walk of life - their cars now have screens in them, everything is now starting to get more connected - so it's a pretty natural transition to then start doing that in the kitchen."

INCITS/IoT10, a subcommittee of ISO/IEC JTC 1, focuses on standardization of the Internet of Things. The U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Administrator of ISO/IEC JTC 1 is the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), an ANSI-accredited standards developing organization.

16 Psyche– an asteroid discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis. Named after the Greek goddess of soul and being the sixteenth “minor planet” discovered, this astronomical object is fairly conventional in how it orbits our Sun from the asteroid belt, yet exceptionally unique due to its large size and composition. 16 Psyche is primarily composed of nickel and iron, differentiating it from the common rock or ice surfaces of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System. Because of this, it is believed to be the exposed core of a proto-planet, a hypothesis that has incited a NASA mission to explore the object by the year 2030.

Scientists believe that the Solar System formed when a cloud of gas and dust in space was disturbed. Gravitational forces pulled the remaining clumps together, forming the planets and some of their moons, and leaving behind meteorites that still exist today. From this process, terrestrial planets today contain hot molten cores with metallic compositions.

Alternatively, the narrative for the formation of 16 Psyche would be similar, but with one major change: as a planet, the now-asteroid survived constant hit-and-run collisions, which were common during the formation of the Solar System. These events would have shaved off the crust and mantle of the planet, leaving behind nothing but a core, which would then have cooled into a solid metal over some time.

And this is why the asteroid is a desired destination of NASA. The mission, led by Arizona State University researchers, is set to take off in 2023 and reach the iron-nickel core during the year 2030. There, it will orbit the minor planet to observe its topography, gravity, magnetic field, graters, and elemental composition.

Psyche: Journey to a Metal World from School of Earth & Space on Vimeo.

These observations will serve two purposes. As with any activity in space exploration, the information gathered during this time is important simply because it allows for the exploration of a minor planet that had never been seen, so that the scientific community can gain a stronger understanding of objects in the Solar System. However, it is also integral for advancing the understanding of planetary processes because it can shed light on planetary cores, features that we have always inferred the existence of, but have never physically seen. 16 Psyche could be the key to truly understanding the formation of terrestrial planets.

This is the objective of the NASA mission, but, when the topic of exploring 16 Psyche is discussed in the news, there is a tendency to focus on an entirely different issue: it’s value. While NASA has no intention of bringing back or mining the asteroid (NASA doesn’t even possess the capability to perform such a feat), the minor planet is a fortune among the stars. Due to its primary iron-nickel composition, in addition to the likelihood of rare metal components (gold, platinum, copper, cobalt, iridium and rhenium), 16 Psyche is believed to contain $10,000 quadrillion in value.

However, if such finances were to be introduced into our society, the world economy would, most likely, collapse. The gross world product (GWP) in 2015 was only about $73.7 trillion, so it would surely not be able to handle such a titan monetary introduction. However, this hasn’t stopped two space mining companies from gearing up for a space-based gold rush.

As for the ownership rights of asteroids, the rules are clear. According to the United Nations’ 1967 TREATY ON PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF STATES IN THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE, INCLUDING THE MOON AND OTHER CELESTIAL BODIES, “Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.” This means that no nation, company, or individual can claim ownership over 16 Psyche.

Regardless of any future intentions for the celestial object, 16 Psyche is the only of its kind in the Solar System, and its observation could help garner a stronger understanding of our world.

If you are interested in the standards that make this aerospace voyage possible, please refer to:

Aerospace Standards
SAE AS 9100D-2016 (The Quality Management Standard for Aerospace Organizations)

Nanomanufacturing – the intentional synthesis, generation or control of nanomaterials or fabrication steps in the nanoscale, for commercial purpose – is encompassed by two primary methods. According to ISO/TS 80004-8:2015 - Nanotechnologies. Vocabulary. Nanomanufacturing processes, these include bottom up nanomanufacturing, “processes that use small fundamental units in the nanoscale to create larger functionally rich structures or assemblies”, and top-down nanomanufacturing, which refers to “processes that create structures at the nanoscale from macroscopic objects.”

These two processes are closely related, since bottom up manufacturing requires the use of top-down manufacturing to be able to utilize the microscopic structures needed to assure precision and sufficient design in any products fabricated through that method. To maintain quality and reliability in intricate nanomanufacturing practices, standardization is a necessity.

The ANSI Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) facilitates the development of nanotechnology standards, including those for nanomanufacturing. ANSI-NSP has been active for over ten years now and has been responsible for the publication of many guidelines and specifications for this still-emerging industry.

One of the most common nanostructures is the carbon nanotube. This can come in a variety of forms, with single-walled nanotubes existing in the simplest sense. In single carbon layers of graphite, each carbon atom is bound to three neighbors in a honeycomb structure. Single-walled carbon nanotubes can actually contain differing geometric compositions, which alters their appearance and gives them either an armchair or zig zag configuration.

Guidance on how to list, illustrate, and define various characteristics of single-wall carbon nanotubes for industrial use is covered by IEC/PAS 62565-2-1 Ed. 1.0 en:2011 - Nanomanufacturing - Material specifications - Part 2-1: Single-wall carbon nanotubes - Blank detail specification, which is also from where the above figures derive.

The primary purpose of these nano-carbon structures is to become components of electronics. Because of this, knowing the surface conductance of carbon nanotubes is essential. This is accomplished through a microwave resonant cavity test method, which is non-contact, fast, sensitive, and accurate, being well-suited for standards, research and development, and for quality control in the manufacturing of two-dimensional nano-carbon materials. The microwave resonant test method is addressed in IEC/TS 62607-6-4 Ed. 1.0 en:2016 - Nanomanufacturing - Key control characteristics - Part 6-4: Graphene - Surface conductance measurement using resonant cavity. Note that this technical specification is intended for graphene, a material that we discussed in a past post as being the strongest material in the world.

The actual process of installing carbon nanotubes during the manufacturing of electronics would fall under bottom up manufacturing, in accordance with its definition from ISO/TS 80004, and this method is incorporated into semiconductor manufacturing on a large scale. Unfortunately, nanomaterials, due to the same size characteristics that make them desirable for manufacturing, represent a potential contaminant in semiconductor facilities, making it necessary to introduce them in a structured and methodical way.

IEC/IEEE 62659 Ed. 1.0 en:2015 - Nanomanufacturing - Large scale manufacturing for nanoelectronics was written with this interest in mind, having the intention of enabling the quick, low-risk adoption of nanomaterials into large-scale electronics manufacturing from a best set of common practices and specifications. These include “composition (material), density, purity, size/dimensions, properties such as electrical characteristics (conductive, non-conductive, and semiconductive), associated media (delivery medium), fabrication, surface functionalization, particle size distribution, surface area, shape, and degree of aggregation and agglomeration, etc.”

The standard also focuses on all aspects of the supply chain, making not only bottom up but also top-down manufacturing important to its guidelines. According to the document, the large scale manufacturing of nanoelectronics incorporates both of these methods, in addition to processes that utilize hybrid methods.

While electronics production is a major aspect of nanomanufacturing, it is by no means everything within the industry’s limits. For example, there is evidence that nanomanufacturing steel can actually make the end products ten times stronger.

Additional nanomanufacturing standards, specifying guidelines for different nanostructures and the procedures to create and use them, can be found by searching the ANSI Webstore.

ISO 26000 Social Responsibility Small Medium Organizations

Within ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility, the international standard assisting organizations in contributing to sustainable development, there exists a brief section titled Box 3 - ISO 26000 and small and medium-sized organizations (SMOs). This box, while only applicable to a certain type of standard user, is a testament to the applicability of the document and can be incredibly beneficial for smaller organizations who want to engage in socially responsible behavior.

What is ISO 26000?

ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility is an international standard providing guidance on most topics relevant to social responsibility, along with the means of implementing sustainability throughout an organization and its sphere of influence. According to the standard, social responsibility and sustainable development, while often used interchangeably, are two distinct concepts.

Sustainable development is “about meeting the needs of society while living within the planet's ecological limits and without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Alternatively, social responsibility keeps “the organization as its focus and concerns an organization's responsibilities to society and the environment.” Obviously, these two ideas are closely tied together and are both essential for comprehending the ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility document.

While there is a great deal of content in ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility, some of the most important issues and priorities from the standard’s scope can be understood by the seven core subjects for guidance on social responsibility:

organizational governance
human rights
labor practices
the environment
fair operating practices
consumer issues
community involvement and development

These are visualized in the following figure from the standard:

ISO 26000:2010 and Small and Medium-Sized Organizations

ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility, having been developed by a working group drawn from about 80 countries and international organizations, has been highly successful because of its widespread applicability. In fact, it is intended to be used by almost any organization, regardless of size.

Small and medium-sized organizations (SMOs), also known as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or “micro” organizations, are organizations whose number of employees or size of financial activities fall below certain limits. The exact thresholds for classification vary between nations, but most SMOs are similar due to their small size, flexibility in terms of organizational management, close contact with the local community, and top management’s more immediate influence on the organization’s activities.

From these defining characteristics, SMOs are actually highly suitable for the recommendations presented in ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility. In fact, the common activities of these organizations simplifies many of the processes and considerations of the standard. For example, it is heavily stressed in the document that any organization needs to consider the interests of its stakeholders, without elevating their concerns above the rights of the public. With smaller businesses and organizations, the stakeholders often interact closely with the individuals responsible for the sustainable development practices, making it easier to accomplish them.

The last subject for guidance on social responsibility, community involvement and development, is also generally easier for SMOs to attain, since they are already active in their communities prior to their adoption of the standard.

Ultimately, SMOs can find success in socially responsible practices with greater ease than other organizations, since they possess a smaller sphere of influence and a smaller staff to engage in the necessary efforts.

However, despite their smaller sphere of influence, SMOs should still work carefully to assure socially responsible behavior. As stated in ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility, SMOs making use of the document should:

take into account that internal management procedures, reporting to stakeholders and other processes may be more flexible and informal for SMOs than for their larger counterparts.
be aware that when reviewing all seven core subjects and identifying the relevant issues, the organization's own context, conditions, resources and stakeholder interests should be taken into account.
focus at the outset on the issues and impacts that are of greatest significance to sustainable development.
seek assistance from appropriate government agencies, collective organizations (such as sector associations and umbrella or peer organizations), and national standards bodies.
where appropriate, act collectively with peer and sector organizations rather than individually, to save resources and enhance capacity for action.

The Benefits of ISO 26000 for Small and Medium-Sized Organizations

The benefits of adherence to social responsibility guidelines for small and medium organizations, just as with any other organization, are numerous. Take, for example, Step Ahead AG, a fairly typical SMO. This German-based software developing company is small, only employing 40 people, some of which are part time, and it uses ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility for orientation in its activities.

By integrating the standard’s recommendations into its values and practices, Step Ahead AG has been able to identify areas where it can reasonably contribute to the development of society. Since Germany is a highly-regulated country, the small organization needed to first take into account the laws in regard to the environment, society, health and safety in the workplace, etc.

However, the interests of ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility extend much further than legal requirements, and Step Ahead AG identified the following issues for social responsibility: human development and training in the workplace, prevention of pollution, sustainable resource use, education and culture, employment creation and skills development, and social investment. By drawing upon the guidance provided on these issues from the standard, the SMO has been able to provide contributions to society and societal development reasonably and effectively, advancing its status in the community.

While most of the actions needed for social responsibility can be fulfilled by an SMO itself, organizations with greater capacity and experience in social responsibility might consider providing support to SMOs, including assisting them in raising awareness on issues of social responsibility and good practice.

ISO 26000:2010 - Guidance on social responsibility is available on the ANSI Webstore.

ISO 12233 2017 Spatial Frequency Response

With consumer digital cameras, the term resolution of is often incorrectly interpreted as the number of addressable photoelements. Quantitatively, resolution refers to the ability of a camera to optically capture finely spaced detail, and it is usually reported as a single valued metric. Resolution is closely related to spatial frequency response (SFR), a multi-valued metric that measures contrast loss as a function of spatial frequency, but the two are distinct, since resolution is the highest spatial frequency that a camera can usefully capture under cited conditions.

These two qualities are addressed in ISO 12233:2017 - Photography - Electronic still picture imaging - Resolution and spatial frequency responses, which specifies methods for measuring the resolution and the SFR of electronic still-picture cameras. It also defines terminology and test charts relevant to the test procedures covered in the document.

SFR is a numerical description of how contrast is changed by a camera as a function of the spatial frequencies that describe the contrast. Because it can also serve as an umbrella function for deriving other metrics, such as sharpness and acutance, SPR is highly beneficial for engineering, diagnostic, and image evaluation purposes.

ISO 12233:2017 is the second edition of the standard for resolution and spatial frequency responses in electronic photography, having several noteworthy changes. Primarily, two SFR measurements are described, with the first SFR metrology measurement, edge-based spatial frequency response, being almost unchanged from the previous version of the standard, with the exception of a lower contrast edge being used for the test chart. The second SFR measurement, which is completely new to this revision, is that of sine-based spatial frequency response.

The choice of which method to use for measuring SFR is at the discretion of the standard user, but several factors should be influential in making this decision. Edges are common features in naturally occurring scenes, acting as visual acuity cues for judging image quality. Edges, in the eyes of almost any viewer, are visually important, making them prone to image processing in many consumer digital cameras. Because of the significance of edges in assessing contrast differences, the edge-based spatial frequency response measurement can be useful for many ISO 12233:2017 users.

Alternatively, sine wave features, as stated in ISO 12233:2017, are “intuitively satisfying”. Because sine waves transition more slowly than edges, they are not prone to being identified as edges in embedded camera processors. This presents an important advantage for the sine wave starburst test pattern: the ambiguity that image processing imposes on the SFR can be largely avoided by their use.

However, the standard also notes that “all experience suggests that there is no single SFR for today’s digital cameras,” suggesting that comparing edge-based and sine wave-based SFR results under the same capture conditions could be a good tool for determining spatial image processing in digital cameras.

The exact procedures for carrying out each of these methods are addressed in the ISO 12233:2017 standard.

Aside from resolution and SFR, standards cover a multitude of digital and analog photography aspects. Even ISO speed and ASA speed, the standard systems for film speed (photographic film’s sensitivity to light), respectively stand for International Organization for Standardization and American Standards Association (a precursor name of the American National Standards Institute).

ISO 12233:2017 - Photography - Electronic still picture imaging - Resolution and spatial frequency responses is now available on the ANSI Webstore.

IES RP-6-15 Errata Sports Recreational Area Lighting

The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) has released an errata document for its IES RP-6-15 standard, titled IES RP-6-15 ERRATA - Errata to Sports and Recreational Area Lighting. This, like most other errata made to standards documents, is primarily editorial in nature, correcting typographical errors and misstatements of fact from the original document that do not warrant an entirely new revision.

IES RP-6-15 ERRATA - Errata to Sports and Recreational Area Lighting is available free on the ANSI Webstore.

IES RP-6-15 ERRATA - Errata to Sports and Recreational Area Lighting is to be used for correcting IES RP-6-15 - Sports and Recreational Area Lighting. This standard was released back in 2015, and its publication came about in response to the growing demand for indoor and outdoor sports facilities, which in turn necessitated the installation of lights for indoor sporting activities and outdoor activities at night.

IES RP-6-15 is intended to provide the reader with recommendations to aid in the design of sports lighting systems, covering most popular sports, including baseball, tennis, basketball, and football, as well as recreational social activities, such as horseshoe pitching and croquet. At its most fundamental level, lighting needs are determined by two distinct criteria: the needs of the players/participants, and those of the spectators at the farthest distance from the field of play. This makes the goal of lighting for sports to provide a luminous environment that makes the playing target (ball) visible.

The sections of IES RP-6-15 oversee the different aspects essential for meeting this goal, including lighting fundamentals and principles, design factors and considerations, power, wiring, and controls, indoor lighting applications, and outdoor lighting applications.

IES asks that users of IES RP-6-15 please mail or send a letter with their information to Pat McGillicuddy, IES Manager of Standards Development, at pmcgillicuddy@ies.org, IES, 120 Wall St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10005 if they believe they have located an error not covered by the errata.

For those who have not yet acquired IES RP-6-15 - Sports and Recreational Area Lighting, it is available on the ANSI Webstore.

Acquiring an accurate measurement of water vapor permeability through some porous materials, such as paper, plastic films, fiberboards, gypsum, plaster products, wood products, and plastics, is essential for compiling a methodical comprehension of materials desired for use. This is the primary interest of ASTM E96/E96M-16 - Standard Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of Materials.

ASTM E96/E96M-16 - Standard Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of Materials addresses two testing procedures for determining the water vapor transmission (WVT) of materials, both of which can be incredibly useful for knowing the potential risks posed on the materials in different humidity levels. The standard’s testing methods are the Desiccant Method and the Water Method.

In the Desiccant Method, the test specimen is sealed to a test dish containing a desiccant, and the assembly is placed in a controlled atmosphere. Periodic weighings are used to assess rate of water vapor movement through the specimen into the desiccant. The Water Method is somewhat simpler, with the dish containing distilled water, and periodic weighings are used to determine the rate of vapor movement through the specimen from the water.

This process can be complicated, so NTA, Inc., a third-party code evaluation, product certification, and inspection agency, has created the following video to describe an overview of the two methods:

The exact specifications for the Desiccant Method and the Water Method are detailed in the standard document.

If you’d like to learn a little more about this standard, please refer to our past post: ASTM E96/E96M-16 Water Vapor Transmission

ASTM E96/E96M-16 - Standard Test Methods for Water Vapor Transmission of Materials is available on the ANSI Webstore.

Graphene Research Innovations Battery Health

Graphene is strong, possibly even the most durable material in the world. But that’s not its sole attribute. The two-dimensional carbon allotrope is also remarkably light and thin, has very high thermal conductivity, can conduct electricity well, and it’s transparent. These one-of-a-kind qualities make graphene a prized material in many products, and it is an ideal component for others in which its use has only been hypothesized. Some formerly-potential applications of graphene, however, are finding realization through scientific innovation.

Advanced Lithium Ion Battery

One of these is the use of graphene as an alternative to conventional batteries. Currently, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the industry standard for mobile phones, tablets, laptops, computers, and electric cars, along with non-consumer devices, such as electronic medical devices. While the Li-ion battery is, in many ways, a marvel of modern technology, it is still restricted by its limited power density and inability to quickly accept or discharge large amounts of energy. This inspired a team of engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led by nanomaterials expert Nikhil Koratkar, to incorporate graphene into the traditional design.

By exposing a large sheet of graphene oxide paper to a laser or a flash from a digital camera, the Rensselaer team was able to create an anode for a Li-ion battery. This resulted from the laser or photoflash literally causing mini-explosions throughout the paper, as the oxygen atoms were violently expelled from the structure. The end product was graphene paper, five-fold in thickness as compared to the original sample, with large voids, cracks, pores, and other blemishes between the individual sheets.

With the graphene paper anode, the battery’s ions were able to use the cracks and pores as shortcuts to move quickly into or out of the graphene—greatly increasing the battery’s overall power density. This experimental anode material is, as expected with graphene, incredibly robust, and could charge or discharge ten times faster than conventional anodes in Li-ion batteries. The researchers have also stated that process of making these graphene anodes can easily be scaled up to fit the needs of the industry.

If you’d like to learn more, please refer to the original research paper here: Photothermally Reduced Graphene as High-Power Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Artificial Skin

Another potential use of graphene became reality from the work conducted by a research team, led by Professor Monica Craciun, from the University of Exeter. This team discovered a new technique, which involved growing graphene in an industrial cold wall chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system, a state-of-the-art piece of equipment recently developed by UK graphene company Moorfield, to create the first transparent and flexible touch-sensor.

The applications of this graphene-based sensor are numerous, and, since the nanoCVD system can grow graphene 100 times faster than conventional methods and reduce costs by 99 percent, it is highly desirable for creating more flexible electronics. In fact, it is even possible for the material to be used as a flexible skin for robots. As noted by Professor Craciun, this electronic skin could even be seen as part of the vision for a “graphene-driven industrial revolution”.

Graphene Temporary Tattoo for Tracking Vital Signs

Another graphene-based innovation also closely related to skin was discussed in IEEE Spectrum. This is a graphene health sensor, which appears much like a small temporary tattoo on an individual’s skin and was presented in December 2016 at the International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco.

This graphene sensor was created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, who engaged in the following process: they grew a single-layer graphene on a sheet of copper, coated the 2D carbon sheet in in a stretchy support polymer, etched off the copper, placed the polymer-graphene sheet on temporary tattoo paper, carved the graphene to make electrodes with stretchy spiral-shaped connections between them, and lastly, removed the excess graphene. The result is the thinnest epidermal electronic ever made.

This graphene health sensor is unobtrusive, durable, highly conformable to the unique surfaces of human skin, and, most importantly, able to measure electrical signals from the heart, muscles, and brain, as well as skin temperature and hydration, with the same precision as conventional devices.

Standardized Use of Graphene: Electronics

These research achievements are miraculous, but they shouldn’t overshadow the standardization of graphene in electronics. Currently, IEC/TS 62607-6-4 Ed. 1.0 en:2016 - Nanomanufacturing - Key control characteristics - Part 6-4: Graphene - Surface conductance measurement using resonant cavity (a technical specification, not a standard) establishes a method for determining the surface conductance of layers of nano-carbon graphene structures. The measurements that can be derived from this method are essential for incorporating graphene into electronics.

The actual incorporation of graphene into electronics is covered by IEC/IEEE 62659 Ed. 1.0 en:2015 - Nanomanufacturing - Large scale manufacturing for nanoelectronics, which provides a framework for introducing nanoelectronics into semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

While the manufacturing of electronics will likely serve as an early commercial use for the robust material, it is not yet a common practice in industry. However, with growing corporate research, such as the announcement in 2014 that IBM would invest $3 billion in graphene semiconductor research, it’s understandable to assume that graphene will be a part of the future.

ISO/TS 9002:2016 Quality Management Application

ISO has published ISO/TS 9002:2016 - Quality management systems - Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2015. This document acts as a companion to ISO 9001:2015 - Quality management systems – Requirements, supplementing its requirements with recommended guidelines on how organizations can expect to meet the standard’s expected results in a realistic manner.

ISO 9001:2015 is the current edition of the official international standard for quality management system requirements. It allows for any organization to implement a system by which it can demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer expectations and statutory or regulatory requirements.

ISO 9001 certification is extremely advantageous for many organizations, as it indicates to their clients and other interested parties that they meet the current benchmark for quality. In 2015 alone, there were over 1 million ISO 9001 certificates issued, demonstrating a widespread recognition of this standard’s importance.

However, ISO 9001:2015 was written with generic requirements which can be objectively audited or evaluated. To strengthen these requirements, ISO/TS 9002:2016 is composed of examples, descriptions, and options that aid in fulfilling their stipulations. All additional information addressed in this technical specification (TS) serves as a collection of recommended guidelines, and it is not intended to supersede the content of the quality management standard, but to support it, if applicable.

For example, in the early stages of the implementation of a quality management system, any organization should consider its context, with internal and external issues influencing its need for quality. ISO/TS 9002:2016 identifies many potential issues that an organization could consider.

These include: external – economic factors (money exchange rates, inflation forecast), social factors (local unemployment rates, education levels), political factors (political stability, international trade agreements), and technological factors (new sector technology, patent expirations); internal – overall organization performance, resource factors (infrastructure, organizational knowledge), human aspects (competency, behavior), and operational factors (production, service provision capabilities).

Similarly, ISO/TS 9002:2016 quality management application guidelines address the clause in ISO 9001:2015 that calls for organizations to “understand the needs and expectations of interested parties”. The technical specification lists many interested parties that the organization may want to consider, such as customers, unions, external providers, parent and subsidiary organizations, and competitors. This, as with considering the context of the organization, can help to determine the scope of the quality management system.

ISO/TS 9002:2016 also includes information necessary for applying some of the updates made to ISO 9001:2015. The role of top leadership in executing the quality management system was heavily emphasized in the latest revision of the quality management standard, and the technical specification addresses several ways in which this can come to realization, including taking clear accountability, monitoring the current and projected workload and schedules, and engaging and directing individuals in the organization in carrying out tasks relevant to quality management systems.

These three examples are only a slight glimpse into the total options described in ISO/TS 9002:2016. Overall, this technical specification walks the user through the majority of the content in ISO 9001:2015, listing a large breadth of applications for each section of the original quality management document. This allows users of both 9001 and 9002 to adhere to the international standard while tailoring it for their own use.

Both ISO 9001:2015 - Quality management systems – Requirements and ISO/TS 9002:2016 - Quality management systems - Guidelines for the application of ISO 9001:2015 are available on the ANSI Webstore.

Last year, the 2012 edition of NFPA 101 the Life Safety Code was adopted by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), mandating that healthcare facilities move from the 2000 NFPA 101: Life Safety Code to the 2012 edition. Hospitals, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, and free-standing emergency departments must comply with the 2012 edition of NFPA 101 to receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement.

Since the ruling, NFPA has developed various resources to help health care facility managers meet the requirements of the CMS Conditions of Participation (CoPs). Below are some observations on how the Code is intended to be applied as developed by NFPA’s Technical Committees on Safety to Life.

NFPA 101 is an occupancy-based code, so understanding the Code and its requirements assures that occupants are well protected from life safety hazards and building owners are focused on the safety protocols that are warranted. Within NFPA 101 there are three occupancy classifications related to medical facilities: business occupancies, ambulatory health care occupancies, and health care occupancies.

Business Occupancy. An occupancy used for the transaction of business other than mercantile.

The definition might seem misaligned with medical facilities, but doctors’ offices, dentists’ offices, and urgent care clinics, with three or fewer occupants who are incapable of self-preservation at any time, are considered business occupancies because patients will be able to evacuate on their own, if there is an emergency. The occupant life-safety risk is no different than that found in an office building. Sure, EMS might occasionally get called to a doctor’s office to assist an incapacitated patient experiencing an unanticipated health scare, but the occupant’s original intent was to consult with a medical expert, much as one might seek out guidance from a business.

Ambulatory Health Care Occupancy. An occupancy used to provide services or treatment simultaneously to four or more patients that provides, on an outpatient basis, one or more of the following:

Treatment for patients that renders the patients incapable of taking action for self-preservation under emergency conditions without the assistance of others
Anesthesia that renders the patients incapable of taking action for self-preservation under emergency conditions without the assistance of others
Emergency or urgent care for patients who, due to the nature of their injury or illness, are incapable of taking action for self-preservation under emergency conditions without the assistance of others

Business occupancies and ambulatory health care occupancies differ because the latter pertains to occupancies where four or more patients are incapable of self-preservation. This occupancy is different from a health care characterization, because care is “on an outpatient basis,” implying that a doctor has not admitted the patient to a facility that provides longer-term care and sleeping accommodations. The occupant receives medical attention and leaves, or if additional treatment is needed, will subsequently be admitted to a health care facility.

Think about a medical facility where treatment is administered that would make the occupant unable to evacuate without medical assistance, like a dialysis clinic. The patient would need help disengaging from the dialysis machine in order to evacuate. Or consider a patient that walks in to receive anesthesia for a procedure. After observation, they can walk out of the facility on their own, the same day. Dentists’ offices can be classified as ambulatory health care settings if, at any time, four or more patients are incapable of evacuating a compromised occupancy on their own. (This could include two patients undergoing procedures while two other patients are simultaneously in recovery.)

Ambulatory health care occupancies also include emergency departments that are attached to a hospital and those that are free-standing facilities. Added to the 2003 edition, the Code indicates that if the emergency department is attached to a hospital and considered ambulatory health care, it must be separated from the remainder of the building by two-hour fire barriers (see 18.1.3.4 of the 2012 edition and 18.1.3.5 of the 2015 edition). Classifying an emergency room as ambulatory health care means that it will not be subject to suite size limitations applicable to health care occupancies, patient rooms can be open to the corridor, and the health care occupancy corridor protection requirements don’t apply. Emergency room patients are outpatients; but once four or more inpatients that are incapable of evacuating themselves are within the facility, it is then classified as health care.

Health Care Occupancy. An occupancy used to provide medical or other treatment or care simultaneously to four or more patients on an inpatient basis, where such patients are mostly incapable of self-preservation due to age, physical or mental disability, or because of security measures not under the occupants’ control.

Health care occupancies include four or more patients who are incapable of self-preservation; they are inpatients, rather than outpatients. Occupants are undergoing extended care at hospitals, nursing homes, and limited-care facilities, and have sleeping accommodations. Optimal life safety features exist in these facilities because there are a high number of patients who are unable to evacuate themselves.

The occupancies referenced above all provide health care services but life safety in the event of fire varies significantly within each setting. The authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) determines occupancy classification and applies the Code in the manner deemed appropriate.

NFPA 101 is available to review online for free.

Contributing Author: Gregory Harrington, Principal Engineer, National Fire Protection Association.

Gregory Harrington is a Principal Engineer at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The ASME B30.23 standard has seen many revisions throughout its lifetime, and these alterations have been a necessity to keep up with changes in design and advancement in techniques that have emerged ever since the original Code of Safety Standards for Cranes was first prepared back in 1916. ASME B30.23-2016 – Personnel Lifting Systems continues the progression of this trend, acting as the latest update to the standard.

ASME B30.23-2016 – Personnel Lifting Systems is the safety standard for the construction, installation, operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and use of cableways, cranes, derricks, hoists, hooks, jacks, and slings used to lift, lower, hold, or transport personnel. Since this standard is under the general scope of ASME B30, which is focused primarily on material handling, the equipment and implementation guidelines featured in this document are not intended to meet any standard recommendations for equipment designed specifically for lifting personnel. Instead, they apply to the hoisting and accessory equipment covered in earlier volumes of ASME B30.

Several changes have been made to this latest revision, and they are listed early on in the new edition.

Changes to ASME B30.23-2016 – Personnel Lifting Systems:

B30 Standard Introduction – Revised
Section 23-0.3 – Definition of designated person deleted
Section 23-0.4 – Added, and remaining paragraph redesignated
Section 23-0.5 – Updated
23-1.1.1 – Subparagraph (b)(10)(-e) revised
23-1.2.1 – Subparagraph (c)(4) added
23-1.2.2 – Subparagraph (f) revised
Section 23-2.1 – Revised
23-2.1.1 – Subparagraph (b)(1) revised
23-2.1.2 – Last sentence added
23-2.2.1 – In subparagraph (a), subparagraph designation “(2)” added, and remaining subparagraphs redesignated
23-2.3.1 – Subparagraph (a)(1) revised
23-3.1.2 – Subparagraph (c)(5) deleted
23-3.1.3 – Subparagraphs (b)(3) and (d) added, and remaining subparagraphs redesignated
23-3.2.2 – Revised in its entirety

All relevant definitions and guidelines for construction, design, maintenance, inspection, testing, and operation of personnel lifting systems with the use of some ASME B30 equipment are detailed in ASME B30.23-2016 – Personnel Lifting Systems.

ASME B30.23-2016 – Personnel Lifting Systems is available on the ANSI Webstore.

NSF ANSI 55 2016 Ultraviolet microbiological water

Of the many objectives undertaken at federal, state, and local levels, guaranteeing access to safe, clean water is one of the utmost necessities. However, many users are faced with the presence of contaminants in their already-treated water supplies, garnering the need for further guidance to reduce microorganisms in drinking water. Reduction of microorganisms, as addressed in 1987’s Report of Task Force on Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Water Purifiers, can be achieved through the use of ultraviolet radiation (UV).

The first edition of NSF/ANSI 55 was released by NSF International with considerations discussed in the expert task force’s report, andsubsequent revisions have built off that knowledge. NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems, the newest revision, covers the minimum guidelines for point-of-entry and point-of-use UV water treatment systems that may be either microbiologically safe or microbiologically unsafe. These UV treatment systems are not intended for water that has an obvious contamination.

Through UV exposure from the treatment units designed through NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems guidance, users can reduce considerably a variety of microorganisms from water supplies. These bacteria and viruses can impose serious threats to public health.

For example, some of the microorganisms reduced through NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems guidance include:

Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite which lives in the intestines of infected humans or animals, causing the disease cryptosporidiosis. Since Cryptosporidium oocysts are protected by a strong outer shell that allows them to survive outside of the body for long periods of time, they are highly tolerant to chlorine disinfection.

Millions of Crypto parasites are released in bowel movements from infected individuals, and exposed individuals can become infected after accidentally swallowing the alveolates. Due to their resistance to chlorine and their main point of infection being through consumption, cryptosporidiosis is primarily spread through drinking water and recreational water. Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis are mainly gastrointestinal in nature and are often paired with fever and weight loss. These symptoms last for about 1 to 2 weeks in persons with healthy immune systems.

In the United States, there are approximately 748,000 cases of cryptosporidiosis each year.

Giardia

Giardia cysts, like Cryptosporidium, are protected from chlorine disinfection by their strong outer shell. Because of this characteristic, Giardia are customarily spread through drinking water and recreational water that has been contaminated with feces from infected individuals as well.

Giardiasis, which results from consumption of Giardia, is the most frequently diagnosed intestinal parasitic disease in the United States. The symptoms of giardiasis are relatively similar to those of cryptosporidiosis, with a similar duration (1 to 2 weeks). However, the disease can cause some less common symptoms, such as itchy skin, hives, and swelling of the eye and joints. In children, severe giardiasis can be extremely detrimental, as it might delay physical and mental growth, slow development, and cause malnutrition.

Ultraviolet Microbiological Water Treatment System Classification

Class A systems (40 mJ/cm²), one of the two classifications of UV water treatment systems from NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems, are designed to disinfect and/or remove both Cryptosporidium and Giardia, along with bacteria and viruses, from contaminated water to a safe level.

Alternatively, Class B systems (16 mJ/cm²) are designed for supplemental bactericidal treatment of public or other drinking water that has been deemed acceptable by a local health agency.

The NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems standard details the purification recommendations for these two UV water treatment system classifications, along with material performance guidelines and product literature and labeling information to be supplied by the manufacturer.

As for the changes made to the revision of the standard, they are found primarily in the tables of the document. In addition, it is noted that the NSF Joint Committee on Drinking Water Treatment Units intends “to eliminate the use of S. cerevisiae as a challenge organism for Class B devices from the Standard after September 2017.”

NSF/ANSI 55-2016 – Ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems is available on the ANSI Webstore.

Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a standard serial communication protocol, meaning that its support of distributed real-time control and multiplexing allows for the interchange of information among the different components of a vehicle. The Classical CAN frame format allows bit rates up to 1 Mbit/s and payloads up to 8 byte per frame, but a newly introduced format, the CAN Flexible Data Rate Frame format, allows bit rates higher than and payloads higher and longer than these conventional values. While the CAN protocol was designed for and is still used primarily in road vehicles, the vehicle bus format has been incorporated into aircraft, aerospace, and railway systems.

CAN was developed in 1985 for in-vehicle networks as a replacement for the increasingly troublesome point-to-point wiring systems that were being used by automotive manufacturers to connect electronic vehicle components. Prior to this time, manufacturers had been incorporating more and more electronics into vehicles, resulting in bulky wire harnesses that proved to be both heavy and expensive. As an in-vehicle network, CAN quickly became a highly advantageous alternative, as it was not only high-integrity but also reduced wiring cost, complexity, and weight. After its adoption by the automotive industry, CAN became the focus of the ISO 11898 international standard in 1993.

CAN is a multi-master peer-to-peer network, in that each node (“assembly, linked to a communication network, capable of communicating across the network according to a communication protocol specification”) in the system is able to temporarily control the action of other nodes. When a CAN node is ready to transmit data, it checks to see if the bus is busy and then simply writes a CAN frame onto the network, giving bus access to the node with the greatest priority.

Other defining properties of CAN are: non-destructive content-based arbitration, all frame transfer is done as broadcast, remote data request, configuration flexibility, network-wide data consistency, error detection and error signaling, automatic retransmission of frames that have lost arbitration, have not been acknowledged, or have been destroyed by errors during transmission, and distinction between temporary errors and permanent failures of nodes and autonomous switching off of defective nodes.

CAN protocol should not be confused with Local Interconnect Network (LIN) protocol, another serial network protocol standard for vehicles. LIN also functions through signal-based communication between nodes, but differs in that it follows a master/slave system, in which the LIN master schedules the transmitted frames and the LIN slave serves the master’s communication requests. In general, LIN protocol is cheaper but less complex than CAN. If you’d like to learn more, please refer to this past post: Local Interconnect Network (LIN)

CAN Protocol Standards

As previously mentioned, CAN is internationally standardized in ISO 11898. Over its lifetime, this standard has seen several revisions, resulting in it being broken up into multiple parts. The current CAN protocol standards include:

ISO 11898-1:2015 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 1: Data link layer and physical signalling

specifies the characteristics of setting up an interchange of digital information between modules implementing the protocol's data link layer.

ISO 11898-2:2016 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 2: High-speed medium access unit

specifies the high-speed physical media attachment (HS-PMA), including HS-PMAs without and with low-power mode capability and those with selective wake-up functionality.

ISO 11898-3:2006 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 3: Low-speed, fault-tolerant, medium-dependent interface

specifies characteristics of setting up an interchange of digital information between electronic control units of road vehicles equipped with CAN.

ISO 11898-3/Cor1:2006

provides a replacement for Figure 9 on page 17.

ISO 11898-4:2004 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 4: Time-triggered communication

sets up a time-triggered interchange of digital information between electronic control units (ECU) of road vehicles equipped with CAN.

ISO 11898-5:2007 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 5: High-speed medium access unit with low-power mode

specifies the CAN physical layer for transmission rates up to 1 Mbit/s for use with road vehicles and covers functionality for systems requiring low-power consumption features while there is no active bus communication.

ISO 11898-6:2013 - Road vehicles - Controller area network (CAN) - Part 6: High-speed medium access unit with selective wake-up functionality

specifies the controller area network (CAN) physical layer for transmission rates up to 1 Mbit/s, describing the medium access unit (MAU) functions as well as a selective wake-up mechanism using configurable CAN frames.

All ISO 11898 series standards for the CAN protocol are available on the ANSI Webstore. In addition, they can all be acquired together as the ISO 11898 - Road Vehicles Controller Area Network (CAN) Package, which is available only on the ANSI Webstore.