Features: Photonics/Optics
Designing Electro-Optical Sensors Using Collaborative Systems Engineering Technology
About 25% of space-borne electro-optical (EO) sensor programs in both the civil and National Security Space (NSS) communities have experienced reduced...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Choosing Optics for Medical Lasers
Designers of medical equipment using lasers must be careful in their selection of optical components in order to ensure safe and reliable operation. The high power density and narrow wavelength range of...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Product of the Month: Short-Pulse Ultrafast Laser
Newport Corporation’s Spectra-Physics® Lasers Division (Mountain View, CA) introduces the Mai Tai SP, the first fully-automated, hands-free 60nm to responding to near transform-limited...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Electric Actuators Deliver Energy Efficient, Low Maintenance Solutions
Machine designers and end users find themselves balancing sometimes opposing priorities such as improving energy efficiency while minimizing adverse impact on the environment, at the same time ensuring performance (e.g., precision, reliability) is not compromised. A key trend...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Fanuc Painting Robot Boosts Production for Metal Finisher
Classic Metal Finishing, based in Jackson, Mich., supplies components for the aerospace, motorcycle, racing, and medical industries. The plant was purchased in February, 2008 by...
Products: Photonics/Optics
VGA Cameras
Basler Vision Technologies (Ahrensburg, Germanay) has introduced four new scout 120gm VGA cameras based on Sony’s ICX618 sensor. The cameras feature a compact 29 mm × 44 mm × 73.7 mm housing and are equipped with a C- or...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
HEIDENHAIN Gauge Facilitates Precision Stereology Research
Stereology, a tool that became popular in the late ‘90s, is used to quantify properties of 3D objects from 2D sections through an object (such as microscope slides of brain...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Gamma-Ray Spectrometer
ORTEC® (Oak Ridge, TN) offers the trans-SPEC DX-100 hand-held gamma-ray spectroscopic instruments that are suitable for a variety of in situ applications. The trans-SPEC DX-100 features a high-purity Germanium (HPGE)...
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Magnetic Rotary Encoders Aid Remote Control Vehicle
AB Precision (ABP) prefers to call its Guardian a vehicle (as in MROV - Miniature Remotely Operated Vehicle) rather than a robot. Names aside, the UK-based engineering company’s...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Vision Software
Cognex (Natick, MA) has released VisionPro 5.2 hardware-independent vision software that features SearchMaxTM and Color ExtractorTM color tools. SearchMax uses color features to search for objects, and...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Machine Controller
Yaskawa Electric, Waukegan, IL, has enhanced its IEC/MP2000iec machine controller with new hardware and software. New is MotionWorks IEC Pro, an integrated development environment based on the IEC611212-3 international...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Machine Vision Software
DALSA Corporation (Ontario, Canada) has advanced the color capability of its Sapera Essential software for machine vision applications. The cost-effective machine vision software toolkit bundles board-level...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Level Switch
The Model 1100 in-line flow level switch from Thomas Products, Southington, CT, monitors insufficient or excessive liquid flow rates. It is factory preset for flow rates of 0.4 to 100 gpm. Other models are available with a vane...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Photodarkening-Resistant Fibers
nLIGHT (Vancouver, WA) has released highly doped, photodarkening-resistant ytterbium fibers with up to 60% higher absorption at 920nm and pump conversion efficiencies routinely over 75%. The LIEKKITM Yb2000...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Rotary Position Sensor
The RS 1500-200 rotary position sensor from Macro Sensors, Pennsauken, NJ, measures the angular displacement of rotating elements such as quarter-turn ball and butterfly valves, air flow dampers, and diverter gates used in packaging and postal sorting machine. It is available with a 24Vdc input and 0 to 10Vdc output (RSE...
Products: Photonics/Optics
UV LEDs
OPTEK Technology (Carrollton, TX) introduces OUE8A ultraviolet LEDs in the UV-A spectrum. OUE8A UV LEDs are offered in a variety of wavelengths and are housed in hermetic TO-46 metal can packages. The UV LEDs are suitable for medical...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Motion Control Card
The MC302-K Motion Coor dinator motion card from Trio Motion Technology Ltd., Gloucestershire, UK, is designed to plug into the Kollmorgen S300 and S700 drive platform to provide a cost-effective, fully programmable...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Ambient Light Sensor ICs
ROHM Semiconductor (San Diego, CA) releases analog and digital Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) ICs for the control of LED backlighting for LCD-equipped devices. Featuring ROHM’s proprietary trimming process and use of...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Air Bearing Actuator
The Airpel-AB air bearing actuator from Airpot, Norwalk, CT, has a specially shaped stainless steel piston that is precisely fitted to a borosilicate glass cylinder. Introducing pressurized air into the air bearing’s...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Digital Wavefront Analyzing System
DataRay (Boulder Creek, CA) introduces PhaseProTM, a Digital Wavefront Analyzing system that measures intensity and wavefront phase with high resolution in real-time in one shot. PhasePro employs...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Linear Motor Stages
The ANT95-XY and ANT95-XY-H dual-axis linear motor stages from Aerotech, Pittsburgh, PA, allow travel in X and Y dimensions. They allow critical elements such as orthogonality, straightness, and flatness to be optimized....
Products: Photonics/Optics
DUV Dynamic Interferometer
The FizCam DUV interferometer from 4D Technology (Tucson, AZ) provides accurate measurement of optics and optical systems at 193 nm wavelength (deep ultra-violet), even in the presence of vibration and air...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Cylinder Position Sensor
A magnetically actuated linear displacement sensor from Turck, Minneapolis, MN, the Q25L, detects piston position on pneumatic cylinders. Suited for applications requiring precise signal transmission over long...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Thin Film Measurement Instrument
The Craic Technologies QDI 2010 FilmTM is available from Elliot Scientific (Hertfordshire, UK). The QDI 2010 Film is a specialized instrument developed from the existing QDI 2010 UV-VIS-NIR...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Fiber Optic Rotary Encoder
The MR319 fiber optic rotary encoder from Micronot, Newbury Park, CA, has an industry-standard 58mm synchro housing and is installed like a conventional encoder. It optically connects to an MR310 module via a...
Products: Photonics/Optics
LED Color Correction Filters
Abrisa (Santa Paula, CA) has introduced color correction filters for energy-efficient LEDs. The durable LED filters are ideal for interior and architectural lighting design, and can be easily interchanged to...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Axis Compensation Unit
Schunk Inc., Morrisville, NC, has introduced two-axis compensation units. The AGE-F is self-centering using spring force and compensates for deviations of up to 5mm in the X and Y axis. Three spring rates are available...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Marking Laser
The TruMark 3010 marking laser from TRUMPF (Farmington, CT) is suitable for users who need to mark small batches or individual workpieces. The marking laser features user-friendliness, compact size, and low maintenance. Due to...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Organic Photovoltaic Technology
Cytec Industries (Woodland Park, NJ) and IMEC (Leuven, Belgium) have collaborated to develop a commercially viable technology for organic photovoltaic devices with enhanced stability and extended lifetime. The...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Specialty Fibers for Er:YAG Lasers
Infrared Fiber Systems (Silver Spring, MD) produces HPTM Fiber, a Germanium Oxide glass fiber for use with Er:YAG and Er:YSGG lasers. Transmission range is from visible to 3.0 microns, with...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Fiber Optic Switches
New fiber optic switches from Leoni (Nurnberg, Germany) offer reproducibility in the range of 0.1%, they can act up to 50 Hz, and they have ed as well. Up to 16 output channels can be provided by cascading switches. All...
Products: Photonics/Optics
Light Guide Foils
CoActive Technologies KDM (Newton, MA) has expanded its family of light guide foils to include devices with a thickness of less than 200μm. The light guide foils are designed to evenly distribute light from side-firing...
Products: Photonics/Optics
High-Speed Nanopositioner
The new Nano-LPQ piezo nanopositioner from Mad City Labs (Madison, WI) is the lowest profile high speed XYZ nanopositioner available and offers 75 × 75 × 50μm travel with picometer position noise under closed...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Light-Driven Polymeric Bimorph Actuators
Light-driven polymeric bimorph actuators are being developed as alternatives to prior electrically and optically driven actuators in advanced, highly miniaturized devices and systems exemplified by...
Briefs: Information Technology
Guaranteeing Failsafe Operation of Extended-Scene Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensor Algorithm
A Shack-Hartmann sensor (SHS) is an optical instrument consisting of a lenslet array and a camera. It is widely used for wavefront sensing in optical testing and astronomical adaptive optics. The camera is placed at the focal point of the lenslet array...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
T-Slide Linear Actuators
T-slide linear actuators use gear bearing differential epicyclical transmissions (GBDETs) to directly drive a linear rack, which, in turn, performs the actuation. Conventional systems use a rotary power source in...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Cloud Water Content Sensor for Sounding Balloons and Small UAVs
A lightweight, battery-powered sensor was developed for measuring cloud water content, which is the amount of liquid or solid water present in a cloud, generally expressed as grams of water per cubic meter. This sensor has near-zero power consumption and can be flown on standard...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Pixelized Device Control Actuators for Large Adaptive Optics
A fully integrated, compact, adaptive space optic mirror assembly has been developed, incorporating new advances in ultralight, high- performance composite mirrors. The composite mirrors use Q-switch matrix architecture- based pixelized control (PMN-PT) actuators, which achieve high-...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Low-Noise MMIC Amplifiers for 120 to 180 GHz
Three-stage monolithic millimeter-wave integrated-circuit (MMIC) amplifiers capable of providing useful amounts of gain over the frequency range from 120 to 180 GHz have been developed as...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Three MMIC Amplifiers for the 120-to-200 GHz Frequency Band
Closely following the development reported in the article, "Low-Noise MMIC Amplifiers for 120 to 180 GHz" (NPO-42783), three new monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC)...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
G⁴FET Implementations of Some Logic Circuits
Some logic circuits have been built and demonstrated to work substantially as intended, all as part of a continuing effort to exploit the high degrees of design flexibility and functionality of...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Complementary Paired G⁴FETs as Voltage-Controlled NDR Device
It is possible to synthesize a voltage-controlled negative-differential-resistance (NDR) device or circuit by use of a pair of complementary G4FETs (four-gate...
News: Energy
Lowering Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cost
Georgia Tech researchers have developed a new ceramic material that could help expand the applications for solid oxide fuel cells – devices that generate electricity directly from a wide range of...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Mercuric Iodide Anticoincidence Shield for Gamma-Ray Spectrometer
A film-growth process was developed for polycrystalline mercuric iodide that creates cost-effective, large-area detectors for high- energy charged-particle detection. A material, called a barrier film, is introduced onto the substrate before the normal mercuric iodide film growth...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Improved Method of Design for Folding Inflatable Shells
An improved method of designing complexly shaped inflatable shells to be assembled from gores was conceived for original application to the inflatable outer shell of a developmental...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Electrically Variable or Programmable Nonvolatile Capacitors
Electrically variable or programmable capacitors based on the unique properties of thin perovskite films are undergoing development. These capacitors show promise of overcoming two...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
System for Automated Calibration of Vector Modulators
Vector modulators are used to impose baseband modulation on RF signals, but non- ideal behavior limits the overall performance. The non-ideal behavior of the vector modulator is...
Briefs: Materials
Using Ozone To Clean and Passivate Oxygen-Handling Hardware
A proposed method of cleaning, passivating, and verifying the cleanliness of oxygen-handling hardware would extend the established art of cleaning by use of ozone. As used here, “cleaning” signifies ridding all exposed surfaces of combustible (in particular, carbon-based)...
Briefs: Materials
Two-Piece Screens for Decontaminating Granular Material
Two-piece screens have been designed specifically for use in filtering a granular material to remove contaminant particles that are significantly wider or longer than are the desired granules. In the original application for which the two-piece screens were conceived, the granular material...
Briefs: Materials
Metal Standards for Waveguide Characterization of Materials
Rectangular-waveguide inserts that are made of non-ferromagnetic metals and are sized and shaped to function as notch filters have been conceived as reference standards for use in...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Ultra-Large Solar Sail
UltraSail is a next- generation ultra-large (km2 class) sail system. Analysis of the launch, deployment, stabilization, and control of these sails shows that high-payload-mass fractions for interplanetary and deep-space missions are possible. UltraSail combines propulsion and control systems developed for...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Cooperative Three-Robot System for Traversing Steep Slopes
Teamed Robots for Exploration and Science in Steep Areas (TRESSA) is a system of three autonomous mobile robots that cooperate with each other to enable scientific exploration of...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Assemblies of Conformal Tanks
Assemblies of tanks having shapes that conform to each other and/or conform to other proximate objects have been investigated for use in storing fuels and oxidizers in small available spaces in upper stages of...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Microfluidic Pumps Containing Teflon® AF Diaphragms
Microfluidic pumps and valves based on pneumatically actuated diaphragms made of Teflon® AF polymers are being developed for incorporation into laboratory-on-a-chip devices that must perform well over temperature ranges wider than those of prior diaphragm-based microfluidic pumps and valves....
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Transparent Conveyor of Dielectric Liquids or Particles
The concept of a transparent conveyor of small loose dielectric particles or small amounts of dielectric liquids has emerged as an outgrowth of an effort to develop efficient, reliable...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Multi-Cone Model for Estimating GPS Ionospheric Delays
The multi-cone model is a computational model for estimating ionospheric delays of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. It is a direct descendant of the conical-domain model, which...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Progress Toward a Compact, Highly Stable Ion Clock
There was an update on the subject of two previous NASA Tech Briefs articles: “Compact, Highly Stable Ion Clock” (NPO-43075), Vol. 32, No. 5 (May 2008), page 63; and “Neon as a Buffer Gas for a Mercury-Ion Clock” (NPO-42919), Vol. 32, No. 7 (July 2008), page 62. To recapitulate: A...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
High-Sensitivity GaN Microchemical Sensors
Systematic studies have been performed on the sensitivity of GaN HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) sensors using various gate electrode designs and operational parameters. The results here...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
On the Divergence of the Velocity Vector in Real-Gas Flow
A theoretical study was performed addressing the degree of applicability or inapplicability, to a real gas, of the occasionally stated belief that for an ideal gas, incompressibility is synonymous with a zero or very low Mach number. The measure of compressibility used in this study is...
Briefs: Information Technology
Integrated Risk and Knowledge Management Program — IRKM-P
The NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) IRKM-P tightly couples risk management and knowledge management processes and tools to produce an effective “modern” work environment. IRKM-P objectives include: (1) to learn lessons from past and current programs (Apollo,...
Briefs: Information Technology
Constructing LDPC Codes From Loop-Free Encoding Modules
A method of constructing certain low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes by use of relatively simple loop-free coding modules has been developed. The subclasses of LDPC codes to which the...
Briefs: Information Technology
LDPC Codes With Minimum Distance Proportional to Block Size
Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes characterized by minimum Hamming distances proportional to block sizes have been demonstrated. Like the codes mentioned in the immediately...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
MMICs With Radial Probe Transitions to Waveguides
A document presents an update on the innovation reported in “Integrated Radial Probe Transition From MMIC to Waveguide” (NPO-43957), NASA Tech Briefs Vol. 31, No. 5 (May 2007), page 38. To recapitulate: To enable operation or testing of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC), it is...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Tests of Low-Noise MMIC Amplifier Module at 290 to 340 GHz
A document presents data from tests of a low-noise amplifier module operating in the frequency range from 290 to 340 GHz — said to be the highest-frequency low-noise, solid-state amplifier ever developed. The module comprised a three-stage monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC)...
Briefs: Information Technology
Extending Newtonian Dynamics to Include Stochastic Processes
A paper presents further results of continuing research reported in several previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, the two most recent being “Stochastic Representations of Chaos Using Terminal Attractors” (NPO-41519), [Vol. 30, No. 5 (May 2006), page 57] and “Physical Principle for...
Given the current economic conditions, companies must continue to deliver existing products as they develop the products of tomorrow, without increasing the...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Instruments for Imaging From Far to Near
The acronym “CHAMP” (signifying “camera, hand lens, and microscope”) denotes any of several proposed optoelectronic instruments that would be capable of color imaging at working distances that...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Reflectors Made From Membranes Stretched Between Beams
Lightweight cylindrical reflectors of a proposed type would be made from reflective membranes stretched between pairs of identically curved and identically oriented end rails. In each...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Tool Coil Springs Aid in Hubble Repairs
Bal Seal Engineering
Foothill Ranch, CA
949-460-2100
www.balseal.com
When astronauts embarked on the latest mission to repair the Hubble Space...
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Fire Suppression System Protects Giant Crawler Transporters
Fireaway LLC
Minnetonka, MN
952-935-9745
http://statx.com
When NASA Kennedy Space Center’s fire safety experts decided to...
Products
Graphical System Design Software
National Instruments, Austin, TX, has introduced LabVIEW 2009 graphical system design software for control, test, and embedded system development.
New virtualization technology for multicore systems...
NASA Tech Needs
NASA Engineering Polymer Development Needs
There is increasing interest in lightweight and ultra-lightweight structural concepts and materials within NASA’s exploration mission and as part of efforts to develop “green” aeronautics...
Techs for License
Accurate Laser Micro-Etching
A one-step laser etching process proves advantageous for the microfabrication of optics, electromechanical systems, and fluidics. Utilizing a laser-absorbing fluid against the back side of virtually any solid, transparent material, any of a number of lasers can perform micro-etching of 1 millimicron to 10...
Techs for License
Microscopically Reinforced Polymers Without Fibers or Fillers
This micro-reinforcement technology enables new applications where existing thermoplastics, elastomers, thermosets, and reinforcing technologies have not had sufficient toughness or fracture strength, particularly at elevated temperatures. The new reinforcement technology does not...
Tech Needs
Technologies to Protect Crop Plants From Pesticide Damage
A company seeks technologies or “safeners” that minimize the negative impact of pesticides on crops, such as physiological or cosmetic damage. The safener must have utility on a broad combination of crops, result in no inhibition effect or other performance consequences on the active...
Tech Needs
Small, Mechanical Valve for Use With Propellant Gas
A valve technology is sought that can be used with a propellant- gas-based device aimed at the consumer goods industry. The valve will be used with a canister of propellant gas, in a handheld consumer device, and needs to be small, lightweight, and low-cost. The size should be in the millimeter...
Gary Martin began his career with NASA in the Microgravity Sciences and Applications Division in 1990 where he served as Branch Chief...
Blog
Quality Counts
As my post-show coverage of Design & Manufacturing Midwest winds down, the focus is on quality. A number of products were on display that promise to help engineers make the right design decisions, and then ensure that their products are top-notch.
Autodesk showcased its Digital Prototyping solutions, including Moldflow...
Articles: Green Design & Manufacturing
Getting Green and Staying Green
EU RoHS, China RoHS, Korea RoHS, California RoHS, ELV, REACH – the list of environmental regulations for reducing hazardous substances in products keeps growing. What, exactly, are the costs if your products fail to comply? Missed customer requirements, blocked shipments, costly redesigns, and scrapped parts are...
Blog
Keep Innovating!
Although this is the last entry for my Design & Manufacturing Midwest show blog, I want to encourage all of you to keep innovating, and to let me know what new products and technologies you’re working on that may be inspiring to someone at next year’s show.
Here are the last couple of products I wanted to let you...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Spray-Coating Technique And Cheap Organic Solar Cells
IMEC of Leuven, Belgium has demonstrated a solution-processed organic solar cell with a spray-coated active layer and a metal top contact spray-coated on top. The resulting cell shows...
Question of the Week
Will satellite radio ever live up to its commercial expectations?
This week's question concerns satellite radio. When the first U.S. digital satellite radio service was launched in 2001, many people predicted that satellite radio would someday dominate the airwaves, eclipsing all other forms of radio broadcasting. Most of the major automakers...
Penn State researchers are demonstrating a renewable method for hydrogen production from wastewater at the Napa Wine Company in Oakville, CA. The refrigerator-sized hydrogen...
Blog
Robots Doing the Dirty Work
The days of human beings sweeping floors, guarding plants, and doing other mundane or hazardous tasks could someday become a thing of the past. Service robots are increasingly being called on to perform these tasks, according to a new study from industry intelligence organization The Robot Report.
According to...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Battery Battle
A new type of redox flow battery from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) offers an advantage for electric cars. If the rechargeable batteries are low, the discharged electrolyte fluid can simply be...
News: Energy
Finding the Most Efficient Energy Transfer Pathway
University of Florida chemists have pioneered a method to tease out promising molecular structures for capturing energy, a step that could speed the development of more efficient, cheaper...
A strain of yeast, which thrives on turning sugar cane and other tough grasses into ethanol and might be used as biofuel, has had its genome completely sequenced by researchers...
News: Lighting
People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3)
The EPA has awarded 43 grants to teams of university students who will design technologies addressing sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world. The People, Prosperity, and the...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Optical Dipstick Assesses Soil and Overall Planet Health
A new Tel Aviv University invention - a real-time "Optical Soil Dipstick" (OSD) - provides a new diagnostic tool for assessing the health of the planet. Professor Eyal Ben-Dor, of...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Silver Nanoparticles Give Polymer Solar Cells A Boost
Researchers at Ohio State University, led by professor Paul Berger, are experimenting with polymer semiconductors that absorb the sun’s energy and generate electricity - with the goal of lighter, cheaper, and more-flexible solar cells. The team has discovered that adding tiny bits of...
Videos: Energy
Germany Takes the 2009 Solar Decathlon
Today, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman announced the winners of the 2009 Solar Decathlon competition on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The student team from Darmstadt, Germany, won top...
Products: Green Design & Manufacturing
PV Measurement System
Newport Corporation’s Oriel Instruments division (Irvine, CA) has introduced the Oriel IQE-200TM, an instrument that permits simultaneous measurements of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) and the...
Products: Green Design & Manufacturing
Ultracapacitor Provides Enhanced Backup Power
Roughly the size of a postage stamp, the PC-10 ultracapacitor from Maxwell Technologies Inc. (San Diego, CA) has a proprietary electrode for enhancing the reliability of backup power in...
Question of the Week
Should there be a mandate to buy health insurance?
This week’s question concerns the health-care reform bill. One of the controversial bill’s provisions, now in Congressional debate, revolves around an escalating series of fines that would be imposed on individuals refusing to purchase health insurance. The fines, slated to take effect...
News: Energy
New Material Could Boost Data Storage, Save Energy
North Carolina State University engineers have developed a new material that would allow a fingernail-size computer chip to store the equivalent of 20 high-definition DVDs or 250 million...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
"Earth Binoculars" Sense Disasters From Space
New Tel Aviv University technology combines sophisticated sensors in orbit with sensors on the ground and in the air to create a “Hyperspectral Remote Sensor” (HRS). HRS can give advance warnings about water contamination after a forest fire, or swiftly alert authorities of a pollution...
Products: Green Design & Manufacturing
System Continuously Monitors Power and Thermal Use, Pinpoints Waste Areas
A wireless monitoring system from Arch Rock (San Francisco, CA) provides continually updated information on a data center's electrical usage and thermal status -...
Question of the Week
Should net neutrality rules be imposed on broadband service providers?
This week’s question concerns net neutrality. The Federal Communications Commission last week began drafting legislation that would prevent phone and cable companies from abusing their control over the broadband access market, by prohibiting them from censoring certain...
Blog
MEMS Industry Fueled By New Technology
Like other sectors, the market for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) stagnated during the economic downturn. According to a report by market research organization Yole Developpement titled “State of the MEMS Industry 2009 Report,” sales of MEMS-based products are slated to reach $6.9 billion in...
Blog
A Smarter Electric Grid
A stark reminder of our country’s outdated infrastructure is the sight of uniformed utility company personnel canvassing neighborhoods to read electric and gas meters in homes and businesses. For many residents, this means having to arrange access for meter readers. I have circumvented this issue by doing my own...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Permeable Pavement and Reducing Water Runoff
Paved parking lots and driveways often create an easy pathway for pollutants to reach underground water sources and change the natural flow of water back into the ground. Today, EPA announced a study that will investigate ways to reduce pollution that can run off paved surfaces and improve how water...
Products: Lighting
LED Characterization System
As part of the design process, engineers must predict the performance of their LED system and determine if it will meet specifications at real operating temperatures and electrical drive conditions. The ETΦ™...
News: Energy
Harvesting Energy from Regular, Day-to-Day Motions
Duke University engineers have developed a novel approach that they believe can more efficiently harvest electricity from the motions of everyday life. Although motion is an abundant...
Top Stories
Blog: Electronics & Computers
How to Keep Batteries from Catching Fire? Nanotech Energy Goes with...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The Next Challenge for Soft Robots? Beat the Cheetah
Blog: Materials
Gecko-Inspired: Researchers Find Easier Way to Mass-Produce Adhesives
Videos: Automotive
Design Contest Winner Jon Sumroy Shares Success Story
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Starting In the Garage, NASA Engineer Makes Oxygen Helmet for COVID-19...
Videos: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Question of the Week
How Would You Use Gecko-Inspired Adhesion?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
Redefining Healthcare Delivery with Robotics-Assisted Therapy
Webinars: Medical
Materials Qualification of Healthcare Products to Radiation...
Upcoming Webinars: Imaging
Back to the Future of Video Compression
Upcoming Webinars: Robotics, Automation & Control
Mars 2020: The Legacy Continues for NASA Space Robotics
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Linking FMEA, FMEDA, and FTA for Safety Analysis and Hardware...
Upcoming Webinars: Imaging
Producing Optimal High-Speed Images for Automotive and Industrial...
Trending Stories
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Executive Roundtable: 3D Printing
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Remote Sense Helps Power Sources Accurately Simulate Batteries and Charger...
Articles: Motion Control
Choosing Stepper- or Servo-Driven Actuators to Replace Air Cylinders
Features: Photonics/Optics
Products: Communications
New Products: March 2019 Sensor Technology
