Special Reports : Transportation
Lightweighting - September 2018
Demands for weight reduction and better fuel efficiency in the automotive and aerospace industries are driving design innovations and the development of new lightweight, high-strength materials. To help you keep pace with the latest advances, we present this compendium of recent articles from the editors of...
Briefs : Data Acquisition
Technique Boosts Capacity of Computer Storage
The most dense solid-state memory ever created could soon exceed the capabilities of current computer storage devices by 1,000 times using a new technique. The same technology was used to manufacture atomic-scale circuits, allowing for quickly removing or replacing single hydrogen atoms. The...
Facility Focus : Electronics & Computers
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
In 1977, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, Golden, CO) started as the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), spurred by national concern during the 1973 oil embargo that caused long...
Briefs : Materials
Metamaterial Device Controls Transmission and Reflection of Acoustic Waves
A thin material was developed that can control the redirection and reflection of sound waves with almost perfect efficiency. While many theoretical approaches to...
Articles : Electronics & Computers
Products of Tomorrow: September 2018
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that...
Briefs : Medical
Nano/Micro Mechanical Environmental Test Cell
A device and method have been developed to conduct compression and tensile tests on soft materials such as flocculated sediments, biopolymers, biological materials, and food stuffs. The device...
Briefs : Nanotechnology
Microtesting Rig
The measurement of mechanical behavior in very small samples whose dimensions are on the order of microns and below can offer advantages over conventional macroscopic testing in many instances. Motivations for investigating...
Briefs : Medical
Electrical Contact to Molecules in Semiconductor Structures
To further develop semiconductor technology, the field of molecular electronics is seeking to manufacture circuit components from individual molecules instead of silicon. Because of...
Briefs : Materials
High-Kinetic-Energy Penetrator Shielding and High-Wear-Resistance Materials Fabricated with Boron Nitride Nanotubes and BNNT Polymer Composites
In recent years, anti-penetration materials have been more widely used for armor, bulletproof vests, and micrometeoroid and orbital debris protection layers for space-suits, space vehicles, and...
Briefs : Test & Measurement
Integrated Multiphysics and Advanced Diagnostics
The objective of this effort was to design, fabricate, integrate, and fly a nuclear thermal rocket without having to build massive ground test facilities. Furthermore, this nuclear rocket...
Articles : Imaging
How Augmented Reality Will Disrupt the Manufacturing Industry
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are in the same vein when it comes to modern technology. Both deal with digital content relayed through an immersive environment or...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Device Detects Explosives, Drugs, or Lead
Warfighters and law enforcement personnel encounter many situations where they need to assess and determine if a situation is hostile or benign. Currently available field explosive detection kits are...
Application Briefs : Test & Measurement
NASA's Robotic Sniffer Finds Space Station Leak
Sunnyvale, CA
www.thinksrs.com
The Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL) — a collaboration between NASA's Johnson Space Center and Goddard Space Flight...
Briefs : Test & Measurement
Stray Energy Indicator for Pyrotechnic Applications
A compact and portable system is used to monitor and store real-time measurements of stray energy through a pyrotechnic firing circuit using infrared technology. The infrared sensor is mated to the NASA Standard Initiator simulator, and is calibrated such that the current input through the...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
3D-Printed Active Materials for Robots
The Army uses robots that are structurally rigid, making them impractical when performing military operations in highly congested and contested urban environments where covert maneuvering is critical...
Briefs : Photonics/Optics
Faster Photons Could Make Data Totally Secure
Transferring data using light passed along fiber optic cables has become increasingly common over the past decades, but each pulse currently contains millions of photons. That means that in principle, a portion of these could be intercepted without detection. Secure data is already encrypted, but if...
Briefs : Communications
Atomically Thin Device Transmits Signals Across a Broad Frequency Range
The challenge of miniaturizing devices and systems is also achieving a broader dynamic range of detection for small signals such as sound, vibration, and radio...
Briefs : Materials
Catalytic Mechanism Converts CO2 to Methanol
Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and converting it to useful chemicals such as methanol could reduce both pollution and U.S. dependence on petroleum products. Catalysts are used to bring...
Briefs : Electronics & Computers
Novel Synaptic Architecture for Brain-Inspired Computing
Over the past few years, deep learning algorithms have proven to be highly successful in solving complex cognitive tasks such as controlling self-driving cars and language...
Briefs : Test & Measurement
Carbon Dioxide Collection and Pressurization Technology
Mars is the ultimate destination for NASA's human exploration program. In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is a key technology required to enable such missions. The goals of using resources available at the exploration site are to reduce launch and delivered mass, reduce risk and cost,...
Products : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New on the Market: September 2018
The SLICE IP68 data acquisition system from DTS, Seal Beach, CA, measures physical signals in extreme test environments. It can embed in most test articles, and the rugged...
Briefs : Materials
Coatings Make Natural Fabrics Waterproof
Fabrics that resist water are essential for everything from rainwear to military tents, but conventional water-repellent coatings have been shown to persist in the environment and accumulate in our...
Articles : Medical
Multifunctional, Integrated, Photonic Lab-on-a-Chip for Astronaut Health Monitoring
While widely used for terrestrial medical applications, handheld blood analyzers are not suitable for space missions due to the short shelf-life of...
Application Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Coating Erosion Tests Help Keep Mars 2020 Rover Safe
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl
Mars rovers are sophisticated, multi-instrumented pieces of equipment that travel...
Briefs : RF & Microwave Electronics
Artificial Intelligence Senses People Through Walls
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been used to teach wireless devices to sense people's postures and movement, even from the other side of a wall. RF-Pose uses a neural network to analyze...
Briefs : Imaging
Piezoelectric Thrust Vector Control for Hall Effect Thruster
The design of the CubeSat required precision pointing of the thrust vector through the spacecraft center of gravity to minimize fuel usage for attitude correction. Because the center of gravity shifts over the course of the mission, a means of adjusting the thrust vector was needed....
Briefs : Materials
Non-Toxic HAN Monopropellant Propulsion
A highly miniaturized, MR-143, green monopropellant thruster was developed for 1N thrust. Testing indicated the initial catalyst bed heater was insufficient. In subsequent development, the thruster was equipped with a more efficient catalyst bed heater. For reliable ignition of the advanced, non-toxic,...
NASA Spinoff : Aerospace
Planet-Navigating AI “Brain” Helps Drones and Cars Avoid Collisions
Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and...
Briefs : Data Acquisition
Transmitter Protects Wireless Data from Hackers
Today, more than 8 billion devices are connected around the world, including medical devices, wearables, vehicles, and smart household and city technologies. Those devices are vulnerable to...
Briefs : Photonics/Optics
Antiferromagnetic-Based Memory Processes Data at Terahertz Speeds
Data travels down fiber-optic cables at frequencies of several terahertz. As soon as the data arrives on a PC or television, this speed must be throttled down to match the data processing speed of the device components; this speed currently is in the range of a few hundred...
Briefs : Test & Measurement
Active Measurement Cancellation
A battery pack is only as strong as its weakest cell. As battery packs become larger and more integral to the stable operation of devices and systems, the need to monitor battery dependability and performance...
5 Ws : Imaging
5 Ws of a Simple Nerve Gas Detector
First responders, soldiers, and scientists in the field.
Q&A : Electronics & Computers
Q&A: NYU's Dr. André D. Taylor Shows Pathway for Perovskite Cells
An international team of university researchers, led by Dr. Taylor, reports solving a major fabrication challenge for perovskite cells — the intriguing potential...
Briefs : Communications
Rapidly Deployable Communications Platform
First responders often have trouble communicating with each other in emergencies. They may use different types of radios, they may be working in rural areas lacking wireless coverage, or they may be...
Briefs : Materials
Melt-Cast Explosive Material
The Environmental Protection Agency has listed trinitrotoluene (TNT) as a possible carcinogen, and exposure to the material has been linked to disorders of the blood, such as anemia, and abnormal liver function,...
Briefs : Test & Measurement
Flexible, Compliant, Multiline Microprobes for Measuring Material Electrical Properties
The ability to measure the electronic conductivity of battery film coatings is a pressing need in the battery industry; however, these measurements can...
Briefs : Nanotechnology
Faster, More Efficient Information Processing
For decades, computer chips have been shrinking thanks to a steady stream of technological improvements in processing density. Experts have, however, been warning that we'll soon reach the end of the trend known as Moore's Law, in which the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits...
Briefs : Semiconductors & ICs
Controlled Manufacture of Porous Silicon Carbide
Extremely fine porous structures with tiny holes — resembling a kind of sponge at the nano level — can be generated in semiconductors. A method was developed for the controlled manufacture...
Articles : Imaging
The Expanding Role of Sensors in the IoT/IIoT
The increasing variety of applications for the Internet of Things is driving predictions that the sales volume for sensors will reach 75 billion units by 2025. Applications unforeseen just five...
Briefs : Data Acquisition
Direct-Current Detector for Emergency Responder Safety
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a direct-current detector technology to help emergency responders safely detect high voltages, which they have...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Realization of High-Performance Magnetic Sensors Using Magnetic Vortex Structures
Magnetic sensors play a key role in a variety of applications, such as speed and position sensing in the automotive industry and in biomedical applications....
Articles : Energy
Solar PV and Lithium-Ion Battery Hybrids for the IIoT — A User's Guide
Hybrid solutions that combine small photovoltaic (PV) panels with industrial grade rechargeable Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries provide long-term power for remote...
Application Briefs : Test & Measurement
How to Specify Intrinsically Safe Remote Monitoring Sensor Systems
Wireless sensor networks frequently operate in hazardous areas where explosive atmospheres pose a safety risk to equipment and operators. The design of these systems must...
Products : Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Products: September 2018 Sensor Technology
With its user-friendly new graphical user interface (GUI) for easier setup and connectivity, and cloud-based data access/monitoring, the digiVIT digital...
Briefs : Software
Keeping Data Fresh for Wireless Networks
For wireless networks that share time-sensitive information on the fly, it's not enough to transmit data quickly: that data also needs to be fresh. Consider the many sensors in your car. While it may...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
The Ultimate ‘Smell Test’: Device Sends Rotten Food Warning to Smartphones
When it comes to the “smell test,” the nose isn't always the best judge of food quality. Now in a study appearing in ACS’ journal Nano Letters, scientists...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
A Nanotech Sensor Turns Molecular Fingerprints into Bar Codes
Infrared spectroscopy is the benchmark method for detecting and analyzing organic compounds. However, that requires complicated procedures and large, expensive instruments, making...
Briefs : Aerospace
NIST/NASA Study Shows One Detector Doesn't Fit All for Smoke in Spacecraft
What had been a peaceful and productive mission for the six men aboard the Russian space station Mir, including U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger, nearly became a tragic...
Briefs : Electronics & Computers
An Artificial Nerve System Developed at Stanford Gives Prosthetic Devices and Robots a Sense of Touch
Stanford and Seoul National University researchers have developed an artificial sensory nerve system that can activate the twitch reflex in...
Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have demonstrated that deep learning, a powerful form of artificial intelligence, can discern and enhance...
Articles : Photonics/Optics
What's Ahead for Machine Vision Cameras?
Throughout the history of the electronics industry, the old refrain that systems will continuously become faster, simpler, and cheaper has remained true. In the early days of computer vision, a frame...
Application Briefs : Defense
Specifying Coatings for Military and Aerospace Applications
Optics are employed in virtually every area of military operations, from vision systems and target designators used by troops on the ground, through guidance systems utilized in...
Products : Test & Measurement
New Products: September 2018 Photonics & Imaging Technology
Critical Link LLC (Syracuse, NY) recently introduced an Embedded Vision Development Kit (VDK) that integrates Basler's dart BCON camera with...
Briefs : Materials
COSMIC Impact: Next-Gen X-Ray Microscopy Platform
A next-generation X-ray beamline now operating at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) brings together a unique set of capabilities to measure the...
Articles : Photonics/Optics
Advanced Materials Help Lasers Beat the Heat
Laser diodes are one of a number of different types of electronic devices that generate heat during normal operation. Some power applied to such devices is lost as heat energy. To ensure stable...
Briefs : Photonics/Optics
A Paper-Like LCD — Thin, Flexible, Tough, and Cheap
Optoelectronic engineers in China and Hong Kong have manufactured a special type of liquid crystal display (LCD) that is paper-thin, flexible, light, and tough. With this, a daily...
Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Researchers Create Precision Optical Components with Inkjet Printing
Researchers have developed an inkjet printing technique that can be used to print optical components such as waveguides. Because the printing approach can also fabricate...
Application Briefs : Imaging
Three Popular Machine Vision Standards
Advancements in machine vision have augmented industrial automation and provided a platform to advance imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis applications. This technology, however, comes with...
Products : Test & Measurement
Product of the Month: September 2018 Tech Briefs
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, North Kingstown, RI, announced a new release of HxGN SMART Quality software that combines connectivity, statistical evaluation, and resource...
News : Medical
New Use for Beer, Soup, Barley: Medical Imaging Drink
Before launching their latest science experiment, University at Buffalo researchers bought more than 200 types of tea, chocolate, herbs, and other foodstuffs. The goal wasn't to stock up...
Blog : Manufacturing & Prototyping
Design Tool Brings a ‘Structural’ Approach to Color
INSIDER : Photonics/Optics
Researchers Devise New Way to Measure Light Beams
If you want to get the greatest benefit from a beam of light—whether to detect a distant planet or to remedy an aberration in the human eye—you need to be able to measure it. Well, a...
INSIDER : Energy
Silicon-Based Tandem Photovoltaic Modules Show Potential
New solar energy research from Arizona State University demonstrates that silicon-based tandem photovoltaic modules, which convert sunlight to electricity with higher efficiency...
INSIDER : Photonics/Optics
New Products: September 2018 Photonics & Imaging Insider
Teledyne e2v (Chelmsford, UK) has announced Snappy 2 megapixel, a new CMOS image sensor designed for barcode reading and other 2D scanning applications. The...
INSIDER : Imaging
Engineers Create a Camera With No Lens
In the future, your car windshield could become a giant camera sensing objects on the road. Or each window in a home could be turned into a security camera.
Question of the Week : Electronics & Computers
Are You Dealing with Power Failures?
Energy demands are increasing as consumer, industrial, and data communications markets require greater power distribution.
News : Test & Measurement
Air Quality Sleuths: Salt Lake's Light Rail Trains
The light rail network in the Salt Lake City area already does a lot to improve air quality. Its three lines move more than 67,000 people a day along 45 miles of track, saving countless car trips and sparing the air tons upon tons of petroleum-powered pollutants.
News : Automotive
Sensor Research: Magnetic Transducer Element With Vortex State
Many modern technological applications are based on magnetic forces. Examples are moving components in electric vehicles and storing data on hard disks. Magnetic fields are also used as sensors to detect other magnetic fields. In the automotive industry, for example, more precise...
News : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Fleet of Aerial, Surface, and Underwater Robots Map Ocean Front
Using multiple autonomous vehicles simultaneously, an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers returns to the U.S. after exploring the North Pacific Subtropical front – a sharp boundary where cold fresh waters from the north meet warm salty waters from the south. The...
News : Transportation
Even One Automated, Connected Vehicle Can Improve Safety
Connected cruise control uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to let automated vehicles respond to multiple cars at a time in an effort to save energy and improve safety. University of Michigan researchers have demonstrated its effectiveness on public roads, even when just one automated...
Blog : Manufacturing & Prototyping
Answering Your Questions: "What is Your Advice for a 3D Printing Beginner?"
Blog : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds a New Way to Drill Down
Articles : Government
Key Considerations When Selecting a Connector Solution: Addressing Materials, Layout, and Assembly Aspects
Podcasts : Medical
Here's an Idea: Vibration Communication
Articles : Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Key Considerations When Selecting a Connector Solution: Choosing a Suitable Connector Supplier
Question of the Week : Materials
Have You Used Light-Curable Materials?
Manufacturers have turned to light-cure formulations to protect and improve a variety of components in the aerospace and defense industry, including image sensors, proximity systems, and printed circuit boards.
In a live webinar at 2 pm ET tomorrow, experts will discuss the advantages and benefits...
Blog : Manufacturing & Prototyping
How To Get Your Company to Take 3D Printing Beyond Prototyping
INSIDER : Transportation
EV Charging in Cold Temperatures Could Pose Challenges for Drivers
New research from Idaho National Laboratory suggests that electric vehicle drivers could face longer charging times when temperatures drop. The reason: cold...
A team of semiconductor researchers based in France has used a boron nitride separation layer to grow indium gallium nitride (InGaN) solar cells that were...
INSIDER : Energy
New App Will Extend Smartphone Battery Life
The built-in multi-window feature released with the new Android operating system allows users to have multiple windows and files open at the same time, similar to a laptop, but this results in...
INSIDER : Electronics & Computers
Doubling Performance with Lithium Metal that Doesn’t Catch Fire
A rechargeable battery technology developed at the University of Michigan could double the output of today’s lithium ion cells, drastically extending electric vehicle...
Question of the Week : Electronics & Computers
Are the Possibilities for Squid Proteins 'Potentially Endless?'
Our second INSIDER story today featured a new switching effect for thermal conductivity.
Professor Patrick Hopkins and his colleagues discovered that a responsive protein from squid ring teeth contained properties supporting an on-and-off kind of thermal regulation. When the...
INSIDER : Motion Control
Controlling Nanomotors with Light
Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed the first method for selecting and switching the mechanical motion of nanomotors among multiple modes with simple visible light as the...
INSIDER : Software
3D-Printed "Motion Sculptures" from 2D Videos
Traditional videos and photos for studying motion are two-dimensional, and don’t show the underlying 3D structure of the person or subject of interest. So, researchers are using an...
Blog : Sensors/Data Acquisition
Meet Lindley Johnson, Planetary Defense Officer (and Asteroid Hunter)
News : Materials
Preventing Premature Part Failures with Electropolishing
Design engineers in the aerospace industry are constantly challenged to improve fit and function of components used in commercial and military aircraft. Parts used in these aircraft...
Electropolishing has become a common metal finishing process used in the aerospace industry to help improve the overall quality of metal components. These components...
News : Materials
Advantages of Electropolishing for Penetrant Testing
It’s common, especially in the aerospace industry, for parts that are fracture critical to be Liquid Penetrant Inspected (LPI) prior to installation. Also known as Dye Penetrant...
Blog : Test & Measurement
Answering Your Questions: How Can Medical IoT Devices Move Beyond Simple Information Gathering?
Top Stories
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Small, Precise Gyroscope Navigates Without GPS
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Medical Robots' Role Expands as COVID-19 Outbreak Continues
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
How One Engineer is Supporting the Coronavirus Response with a Hands-Free...
Videos: Lighting
Tactile Robotic Finger Uses Optics for Multicurved Surfaces
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Ultra-Low Power Chip for IoT Wi-Fi
Videos: Energy
A.I. Method Could 'Supercharge' Electric Vehicle Battery Development
Question of the Week
Is Anonymization the Best Way to Protect Personal Data?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Photonics/Optics
High-Powered Directed Energy Laser Projects: Destroy the Target,...
Upcoming Webinars: Photonics/Optics
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Rapid Decompression and Sealed Containers: Why Choose Magnet...
Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control
Advantages of Smart Servo Steppers vs. Smart Brushless Servos
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Large Cable, Large Problems: Considerations for Innovation
Upcoming Webinars: Robotics, Automation & Control
Trending Stories
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Small, Precise Gyroscope Navigates Without GPS
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Blood Test Detects Multiple Types of Cancer
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Hermetic Wafer Bonding by Use of Microwave Heating
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Magnetostrictive Heat Switches Actuated by Flux Tubes
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Medical Robots' Role Expands as COVID-19 Outbreak Continues
Blog: Data Acquisition
