INSIDER: Imaging
A new software system developed at the University of Michigan uses video game technology to help solve one of the most daunting hurdles facing self-driving and automated cars: the high cost...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Carolyn Parcheta, a NASA postdoctoral fellow based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and JPL robotics researcher Aaron Parness are developing robots that can explore volcanic...
Question of the Week: Energy
Will we deliver electricity from space?
This Week's Question: Scientists are exploring the possibility of utilizing space solar power for Earth-bound purposes. The United States, China, India and Japan all have projects at various stages of development that would see robots assemble solar arrays that could provide the Earth with clean, renewable...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory believe that household robots should take advantage of their mobility and their relatively static environments to...
INSIDER: Nanotechnology
Exploiting mechanics principles similar to those found in children’s ‘pop-up’ books, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a unique process for...
INSIDER: Materials
Scientists have developed a novel nanowire coating that can both generate heat and trap the heat from our bodies better than regular clothing.
INSIDER: Test & Measurement
NASA’s Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) team designed and built a new cloud and aerosol measurement instrument. The instrument will measure clouds, volcanic ash plumes,...
INSIDER: Green Design & Manufacturing
Forensic Tracers Identify Contamination in Water
Duke University scientists have developed new forensic tracers to identify coal ash contamination in water and distinguish it from contamination coming from other sources. The tools can be used by regulatory agencies to monitor the environmental effects of coal ash, and determine whether it has or...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
New optical diagnostic technology developed at Tufts University School of Engineering promises new ways to identify and monitor brain damage resulting from traumatic...
Question of the Week
Are you optimistic about artificial intelligence?
This week's Question: In a BBC interview last year, renowned physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence. Hawking said AI "would take off on its own and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate," passing the limited abilities of humans. A...
INSIDER: Materials
A new coating exploits interference effects in thin films, creating a range of vivid colors.
INSIDER: Materials
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are working on adhesive gripping tools that could grapple objects such as orbital debris or defunct satellites that would...
Question of the Week
Will we build a floating city above Venus?
This week's Question: NASA recently proposed a mission that one day may send astronauts, via a balloon, toward Venus' upper-atmosphere to research the possibility of a "cloud city community." Although the waterless planet has an unforgiving temperature of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the clouds of Venus...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Have you attended an electronics or design tradeshow lately? Have you visited a big-box retailer or browsed an online electronics vendor? If so, you’ve probably seen...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
In the past decade, diode lasers have made great strides in both power and reliability. The performance improvements have enabled new applications, particularly in areas where...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
The SPIE Photonics West 2015 technical conference and exhibition, taking place February 7-12 at The Moscone Center in San Francisco, offers attendees the opportunity to learn about the latest technological...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Two quantities are perennially in short supply on engineering projects: time and money. When it comes to producing custom optical components in less time, for less money, one feasible approach...
Podcasts
Susan Draper, Materials Research Engineer, Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH
Susan Draper performs microstructural analysis of metals and determines where fractures have occurred and propagated. Draper is currently characterizing electron-beam-melted, additive-manufactured titanium-6 aluminum-4 vanadium, a titanium alloy. Her team is...
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The technologies NASA develops don’t just blast off into space. They also improve our lives here on Earth. Life-saving search-and-rescue tools, implantable medical devices, advances in commercial aircraft safety,...
Application Briefs: Software
Siemens PLM Software
Plano, TX
800-498-5351
www.siemens.com/plm
One of ATK Aerospace Group’s current projects...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Medigus, Ltd.
Omer, Israel
011 972 8646 6880
www.medigus.com
NASA has incorporated the micro ScoutCam 1.2 into its Visual Inspection...
Articles: Software
Imagine moving an object using only your mind. Software company Unique Logic’s Time on Task exercise makes that possible, at least on a computer screen. The game is one of the...
Products: Software
SpaceClaim Corp., Concord, MA, released ANSYS® SpaceClaim™ 2015 software for the creation, editing, and repair of 3D data. It provides editing and management of faceted models, improved toolpath...
Briefs: Materials
Magnetic Thermometer for High-Resolution 10-mK Scale Thermometry
A thin-film magnetic thermometer with integrated, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) readout has been designed for fast, precision temperature measurements in the 10-mK range. The compact magnetic thermometer consists of a miniature DC SQUID susceptometer with a...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Low-Power Charged Particle Counter for Space Radiation Monitoring
A miniature, low-power, solid-state detector for ionizing radiation was developed for use in more locations, and requiring less space and lower power than current technology. An accepted way of counting high-energy charged particles common in space radiation is to detect the light...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
This ultrasonic, pulse-echo probe can sustain as high as 250 °C, and uses a piezoelectric transducer to generate and receive the ultrasonic pulses. The...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Ground-to-Space Laser Calibration System
The accuracy of spaceborne sensors measuring reflected solar radiance can be affected by multiple factors. First, instruments with complex optics are sensitive to polarization. The response of such instruments is characterized before launch; however, sensitivity to polarization can change on orbit...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Low-Weight, Durable, Low-Cost Metal Rubber Sensor System for Ultra-Long-Duration Scientific Balloons
Large axial load forces and extreme temperature ranges are typical for scientific balloon missions. Therefore, a durable, flexible, and thermally stable sensor material is needed. In this innovation, sensors have been designed to be integrated...
Top Stories
Videos: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Stratolaunch Approaches Hypersonic Speeds in First Talon-A Flight
Blog: Automotive
A Hack to Trick Automotive Radar
Blog: Medical
3D Ice Printing Artificial Blood Vessels
Blog: Power
Tesla Valve-Inspired Design Could Improve the Performance of Rotating...
Podcasts: RF & Microwave Electronics
Countering Illegally Operated Drones at Airports, Stadiums, and Prisons
Blog: Energy
Fast-Charging Li Battery Could Make ‘Range Anxiety’ a Thing of the Past
Question of the Week
Blog: Artificial Intelligence: Meet Human Intelligence
Webcasts
On-Demand Webinars: Energy
Unveiling Trends in the Battery Industry: Insights from Third-Party Testing
Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace
From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness
Upcoming Webinars: Energy
April Battery & Electrification Summit
Upcoming Webinars: Transportation
Tech Update: 3D Printing for Transportation in 2024
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Unleashing Epoxy's Potential: Ensuring Hermetic Sealing in Modern...