Radar simulator based on PDP11: A radar simulator system, the SY2084, based on Digital Equipment PDP-11 minicomputers has been announced by Solartron-Schlumberger, of Famborough, Hants. Depending or customer requirements, the Solartron equipment is built around any unit of the PDP-11 range, with total system costs ranging from about £50,000 to over £1 million. Current applications for an SY2084 are in air traffic control and marine navigation simulation but, the company claims, potential applications are passenger check-in and baggage handling work.

PDP-8/E aid to Soil Analysis: Soil samples are being analysed automatically for lime requirement, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium at Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland, by specially designed equipment under the control of a 4K Digital Equipment PDP-8/E. Liquid extracts of the soils are mixed with reagent and pumped from a sample transporter to linked test-tubes on a sample changer (….)

Air traffic control data handling improved: An attractive alternative to the use of large-scale central computers for data handling and display systems in air traffic control, air defence and other communication and control systems, has been introduced by Marconi Radar Systems, a GEC subsidiary. Called Locus 16, the system makes extensive use of distributed processing in a way which makes even a conventional minicomputer seem inflexible (…)

Saab-Scania units for Ariane rocket: Under an ESRO contract worth between £600,000 and £1million, the Aerospace Division of Saab-Scania is to supply nine special purpose computers for the Ariane rocket, a 200-ton three-stage launch vehicle, which is the biggest ESRO project so far. Ariane has been developed by a consortium headed by CNES, the French national space agency, with the aim of producing a European launcher to put up geostationary telecommunications and research satellites in the 1980s (…)

Micro16V base system to help fight diseases: A nine-year project undertaken by Dr Ken Bagshaw, head of the Oncology Department at Charing Cross Hospital, London, has resulted in a minicomputer-based system, the ramifications of which should have a profound effect on the treatment of malignant diseases. Developed jointly with minicomputer manufacturer, Digico of Stevenage, Herts, the on-line automated radioimmunoassay analytical system, known as Darias, is based on a Micro 16V processor with 16K store (…)

Dataset to sell Scan-Optics range in UK: Complementing the range of input/output media that it already sells, Dataset, the wholly-owned peripheral equipment marketing subsidiary of ICL, has signed an agreement with Scan-Optics Inc, of Connnecticut, under which it will sell the Scan-Optics range of OCR systems to ICL mainframe users in the UK. Scan-Optics Ltd, the UK subsidiary of the US company, will continue to cover the rest of the British market…

Laboratory on the right the lines: A mobile laboratory, which includes Hewlett-Packard equipment, is currently being used by British Rail in experiments it is conducting on Inter-City express trains. Known as Test Coach Mercury, the laboratory is being used between London and Birmingham. If successful, the experiments could form the basis of a system which would display information to drivers about the running of their trains.

The OCR wand casts its spell on the PoS market: The low-cost OCR wand, based on LSI technology, which is being developed by Recognition Equipment, has a wide range of applications with terminals, point-of-sale units, and is also expected to be of interest to banks. The wand is based on a 2.5 mm high solid state LSI chip in its nose which incorporates a 16 by 38 matrix of light sensitive elements.