Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Motion Control in Factories: Choosing the Right Solution
The need for Ethernet-based communication within the factory has grown over the past 10 years. Detailed information about the tasks and performance of machines at every stage is...
Briefs: Motion Control
Technique Allows Mobile Robots to Navigate Autonomously
A technique was developed to quickly teach robots novel traversal behaviors with minimal human oversight. The technique allows mobile robot platforms to navigate autonomously in...
Articles: Motion Control
Single-Axis Motion Control Systems: Multi-Sourced vs. Single-Sourced
In today’s fast-paced industrial settings, speed and efficiency are key. Reducing time spent on sourcing, installing, and testing motion control systems can play a big...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Popcorn-Driven Robotic Actuators
When heated, popcorn can expand more than 10 times in size, change its viscosity by a factor of 10, and transition from regular to highly irregular granules with surprising force. These unique qualities can...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Robotic Modules Modify Their Environment for Specific Tasks
Given the exact parameters of the task at hand, a robot can assemble a car door or pack a box faster and more efficiently than a human, but such purpose-built machines are not...
Application Briefs: Motion Control
Unique Lift System Enables Installation and Servicing of Large Telescope Mirrors
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), under construction atop 8,737-foot El Peñón peak in northern Chile, is a partnership project of the National...
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Products: October 2018 Motion Design
Simotics SD Pro low-voltage motors from Siemens (Munich, Germany) are suited for mains-fed operation or with a converter for voltages up to 690 volts. There is generally...
Technology Leaders: Electronics & Computers
Key Considerations When Selecting a Connector Solution
Electronics industry trends develop and change, technologies emerge and improve, and new applications bring new requirements and challenges. While this obviously has an impact on the...
Briefs: Communications
Conformal Metasurface Coating Eliminates Crosstalk and Shrinks Waveguides
Researchers have developed a method to simultaneously control diverse optical properties of dielectric waveguides by using a two-layer coating, each layer with a...
Q&A: Test & Measurement
Q&A: UCSD's Sheng Xu Builds a Stretchable Health-Monitoring Patch
A team led by UCSD has built a stretchable electronic patch that can be worn on the skin like a bandage and used to wirelessly monitor a variety of physical and electrical signals, from respiration and body motion, to temperature and eye movement, to heart and brain activity. The...
Briefs: Medical
3D-Printing Light Receptors on a Hemispherical Surface
Researchers have 3D-printed an array of light receptors on a hemispherical surface. This discovery could lead to a “bionic eye” that could someday help blind people see or sighted...
Products: Test & Measurement
New on the Market: October 2018
The Sitrans TH320/420 and TR320/420 WirelessHART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer Protocol) temperature transmitters from Siemens, Erlangen, Germany, are available for...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Products of Tomorrow: October 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: Semiconductors & ICs
Evaluating Effects of Exhaust Heat Recovery Systems on Fuel Economy and Emissions
The exhaust heat recovery system (EHRS) in an automobile captures the thermal energy from exhaust and transfers it to the engine coolant. As the car warms up,...
Briefs: Aerospace
Technique Creates Adaptive Materials
A technique that enables on-demand control of composite behavior could enable a variety of new capabilities for future rotorcraft design, performance, and maintenance. The focus of the research was on...
Briefs: Defense
Power Line Detection System for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Electrical power lines pose a serious crash hazard to helicopters and other air-based vehicles, especially small aerial vehicles such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This is because power lines are so widespread, hard to see, and strung at roughly the same height above the ground at...
Articles: Green Design & Manufacturing
NASA at 60: 1958-2018 Decades of Discovery
For six decades, NASA has led the peaceful exploration of space, making discoveries about our planet, our solar system, and our universe. At home, NASA research has made great advances in aviation,...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Configuration Enables RFID Tags to Work as Sensors
The detection and localization of gas releases, such as methane from leaking natural gas pipelines or nitrogen oxides from failing electrical equipment, require high sensitivity to the target gas and insensitivity to non-target gases. Infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy gives highly specific...
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
NASA at 60: The First A
The first “A” in NASA stands for aeronautics — the science of travel through the air. It's as much about flying on airplanes and arriving safely at a destination as it is about astronauts in space. NASA's roots...
Briefs: Materials
Acoustic Beamforming Array Using Feedback-Controlled Microphones for Tuning and Self-Matching of Frequency Response
NASA's Langley Research Center, in collaboration with Michigan State University (MSU), has developed a microphone array that...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Optical Mass Sensor for Multi-Phase Flows
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is offering opportunities for its new fiber optic mass flow sensor system. Capable of measuring multi-phase flows in a pipe, the technology is minimally invasive,...
Briefs: Materials
Bio-Renewable Process Creates “Green” Plastic
Plastics are often derived from petroleum, contributing to reliance on fossil fuels, and driving harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Facility Focus: Aerospace
Facility Focus: Idaho National Laboratory
In 1951, the first nuclear reactor in Idaho was built, starting a legacy at what is now Idaho National Laboratory (INL). INL is the site where 52 pioneering nuclear reactors were designed and...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Compact, High-Resolution Rotary Position Sensor
It is often desirable to sense the angular position of a rotating part. Numerous kinds of rotation sensors have been developed over the years; one type is a capacitive sensor, where a...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Engineering Soft Materials that Mimic Neural Tissue
A process for engineering next-generation soft materials with embedded chemical networks that mimic the behavior of neural tissue lays the foundation for soft active matter with highly...
When hit with light, semiconductors (materials that have an electrical resistance in between that of metals and insulators) generate an electric current....
Articles: Aerospace
NASA at 60: Celebrating Success
Over the past 60 years, NASA scientists and engineers have developed many advanced technologies and processes. But NASA has also partnered with industry, using commercially available products to complete its missions. Here, some of those companies join NASA in celebrating these collaborative successes.
Articles: Imaging
NASA at 60: From Space to Earth
The benefits of NASA's space exploration efforts are not limited to the cosmos. NASA technologies provide innovative solutions for people around the world. NASA missions have generated thousands of spinoffs...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Switch Controls Light on a Nanoscale for Faster Information Processing
Photons, or units of light, are faster than electrons and could, therefore, process information faster from smaller chip structures. A switch was designed that bypasses a...
Briefs: Aerospace
Air Traffic Management (ATM) System
As the demand for air transportation increases, the capacity of the current U.S. ATM system will eventually be stressed to its limits. New technologies in communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS),...
Briefs: Materials
“Soft Hardware” Cloth Has Built-In Electronic Devices
Optical fibers have been traditionally produced by making a cylindrical object called a preform — essentially, a scaled-up model of the fiber — and then heating it. Softened...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Efficient Semiconductor Material for Thermal Management
Computer processors have continued to shrink down to nanometer sizes where there can be billions of transistors on a single chip. This phenomenon is described under Moore's Law, which...
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Quantum Computing: Learning to Speak a Whole New Technology
Imagine trying to use a computer that looks and acts like no computer you've ever seen. There is no keyboard or screen. Code designed for a normal computer is useless. The...
Briefs: Software
Wing Shape Design Reduces Vortex and Wake
It's common to see line-shaped clouds in the sky, known as contrails, trailing behind the engines of a jet airplane. What's not always visible is a vortex coming off of the tip of each wing — like...
Briefs: Materials
Polymer Nanofiber-Based Reversible Nano-Switch/Sensor Schottky Diode (nanoSSSD) Device
Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have developed a unique nano-structure device that operates as a nano-switch/sensor for detecting toxic gases and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Conventional microsensors are limited by their short life, high cost and...
Briefs: Energy
Fabricating Battery Electrodes Using 3D Printing
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can be used to manufacture porous electrodes for lithium-ion batteries, but because of the nature of the manufacturing process, the design of these...
Briefs: Materials
3D Printing Enables Bulk Creation of Metallic Glass Alloys
Researchers have demonstrated the ability to create amorphous metal (metallic glass) alloys on large scales using 3D printing technology. Metallic glasses lack the crystalline...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Soft, Pliable, 3D Stretchable Electronics
By stacking and connecting layers of stretchable circuits on top of one another, soft, pliable 3D stretchable electronics were fabricated that can pack a lot of functions while staying thin and small...
5 Ws: Electronics & Computers
5 Ws of Electronic Stickers
Billions of objects ranging from smartphones and buildings, to machine parts and medical devices, to furniture and office supplies — any object that has a need to communicate with or sense other...
NASA Spinoff: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printer Aims to Accelerate Materials Development
Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields...
Briefs: Aerospace
Insect-Inspired Drone Deforms Upon Impact
Origami manufacturing has led to considerable advances in the field of foldable structures with innovative applications in robotics, aerospace, and metamaterials; however, existing origami are either...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Hybrid Silicone-Fabric Sensor for Wearable Robots
Wearable technologies are exploding in popularity in both the consumer and research spaces, but most of the electronic sensors that detect and transmit data from wearables are made of hard,...
Briefs: Software
Algorithm Enables Drones to Work in a Coordinated Approach
An algorithm was developed that enables a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to communicate and work toward a common goal. The tool could be used to improve security or capture images simultaneously over a large area.
Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Product of the Month: October 2018
SEGGER Microcontroller Systems, Gardner, MA, introduced emPack, a complete operating system for IoT devices and embedded systems. It is delivered in source code for 8-, 16-, and 32-bit...
Question of the Week: Test & Measurement
Are You Currently Using Mechanical Test Equipment to Measure Strain?
One way to measure strain and deformation in a material is through digital image correlation and non-contact sensors. Next week, in a live webinar presentation, speakers from Trilion Quality Systems and MTS Systems Corp. will review how customers have used their imaging and...
Blog: Data Acquisition
A Closer Look at Bats, Hummingbirds Offers New Ideas for Flying Robots
White Papers: Medical
Injection Molding Considerations for Eastman MXF Compounded Products
As manufacturers look to develop plastic parts with greater chemical resistance to disinfects, molders are taking a closer look at the Eastman MXF portfolio. But how well...
Question of the Week: Medical
Can Digital-Health Apps Reliably Change Patient Behavior?
Last week on TechBriefs.com, a reader had the following question for our medical-device expert:
News: Automotive
'Invisible Glass’ Takes First Prize in ‘Create the Future’ Contest
White Papers: Electronics & Computers
Important Ways of Approaching Heat Management
With electronic gadgets becoming progressively smaller, heat management is an increasing concern. Download this guide to learn methods on managing the removal of heat from your product.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
How Robert Holmes Finds Near-Earth Asteroids from His Home-Built Observatories
Podcasts: Imaging
Here's an Idea: Asteroids
Question of the Week: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
What NASA Spin-Off Stands Out to You?
NASA technologies have led to many of the commercial products and innovative solutions we use every day, from memory foam and freeze-dried foods to exercise equipment and water purifiers. The October issue of Tech Briefs showcased a number of these NASA spinoffs.
Read the Tech Briefs feature article,...
INSIDER: Software
Students Create Computer Chip Security Fix
A tool developed by Dartmouth computer science graduate students tackles a widespread hardware hacking threat. They are coming to grips with a design flaw that ultimately falls into the province...
INSIDER: Software
Robots Can Pick Up Any Object After Inspecting It
Students at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) developed Dense Object Nets (DON), a system that lets robots inspect random objects and visually...
Blog: Imaging
How Will VR and AR Impact Automotive Manufacturers?
White Papers: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Understanding Programmable Resistors for Sensor Simulation in Test
If you think about it, sensors control much of our daily lives. Sensors ensure that the food in your refrigerator stays cold, count your steps on a smartphone, and even...
Question of the Week: Materials
Will Paint-On coatings Become a Popular Way to Cool Down Buildings?
Our lead INSIDER story today featured a paint-on polymer that cools down buildings, through a process known as passive daytime radiative cooling.
Read the article, and let us know what you think.
This week’s Question: Will Paint-On coatings Become a Popular Way...
White Papers: Photonics/Optics
Virtual Prototypes Speed Time to Market for Solid-State Lidar
Lidar is one of the most important optical technologies in the race toward mainstream self-driving cars. Most of the innovation of lidar systems in the automotive industry is...
Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing
Want to Reduce Paper Consumption? ‘Disappearing Ink’ is No Joke
INSIDER: Medical
New Noninvasive Blood Glucose Test Uses Laser Technology
An MIT-developed technology monitors blood glucose levels without needles or a finger prick. Early results show that the noninvasive technology measures blood glucose levels as...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Tiny Curiosity Motor Identifies a Massive Martian Dust Storm
An unexpected source recently identified a global Martian dust storm. The source was an actuator, or motor, that powers a lid to a funnel that takes in samples of powdered...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Now Deploying from the ISS: A Harpoon, A Net, and Other Ideas for Cleaning Up Space Debris
White Papers: Test & Measurement
The Importance of Testing to Detect GNSS Vulnerabilities in Intelligent Transportation Systems
Understanding how GNSS receivers perform in different environments and under different threat conditions is key to identify problems and determine...
Question of the Week: Green Design & Manufacturing
Would You Use Carl Yee’s ‘Disappearing Ink?’
Our second INSIDER story today features a purposefully “lousy ink” – one that slowly fades after being printed. The gradual disappearance of the ink allows the paper to be used again and again.
Read the article, and let us know what you think.
This week's Question: Would...
Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing
From Trash to Treasure: How to Convert ‘Fatberg’ Waste into Biofuel
White Papers: Medical
Staying Up to Date on Traceability in the Medical Industry
Driven by the need for patient safety and better efficiency, the medical industry is becoming more strictly regulated and more heavily automated. Medical device manufacturers face...
Top Stories
Blog: Electronics & Computers
How to Keep Batteries from Catching Fire? Nanotech Energy Goes with...
Videos: Software
'Terrain Relative Navigation' to Autonomously Land Mars 2020 Rover
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
A Breakthrough for Robotic Prosthetics: Researchers Train A.I. to Spot Different Terrain
Videos: Motion Control
Jumping Soft Actuator Inspired by Children's Toy
Videos: Automotive
Design Contest Winner Jon Sumroy Shares Success Story
Videos: Automotive
Question of the Week
Will More Manufacturers Go With Metal 3D Printing?
Webcasts
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...
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Additive Manufacturing Moves into High-Precision Applications
Trending Stories
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Aluminum Gas Tungsten Arc Orbital Tube Welding
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
For Power-Efficient Wireless Sensing, Start with Analog Processing
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
New Material Enables Stable Semiconductor Neutron Detectors
Articles: Semiconductors & ICs
Smart Sensor Technology for the IoT
Facility Focus: Aerospace
Facility Focus: NASA Ames Research Center
Articles: Electronics & Computers
VITA 66 & 67 Bringing Fiber Optic and Mixed Signal Capability to VPX
