Efficient Pump Protection for Large Pumps: The Control Valve Alternative

Automatic recirculation valves offer efficiency for critical pump protection in power or oil and gas applications.

Raising the Ergonomics Bar with Smart Electric Actuators

Smart electric actuators not only enable fine position adjustments, but they also provide real-time feedback on the extent of those adjustments.

New Products: December 2020 Motion Design

Linear slides, electric motors, gears, and more.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — RadiBond

RadiBond technology, based on nanometer-thin coatings, provides ultra-strong and ultra-tight bonding between metals and plastics.

Robot Takes Contact-Free Measurements of Patients’ Vital Signs

The mobile system could reduce healthcare workers’ exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

Upper Body Robotic Exoskeleton

This lightweight, portable garment is designed for active shoulder and elbow positioning.

Cascaded Offset Optical Modulator

This subsystem is used in free-space optical communications and fiber-optic communications.

System Allows Untethered, High-Quality, Multi-Player Virtual Reality

The system allows multiple users to interact with the same VR app on smartphones, providing opportunities for education, healthcare, and entertainment.

20 Years of Science on the International Space Station

We explore the major scientific breakthroughs achieved during 20 years of human presence on the ISS.

Zero-Gravity Body Posture Influences Acupressure Massage Chair

NASA’s neutral body position research was used in the design of a medical massage chair.

5 Ws of the SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex Sensor

A low-cost sensor enables at-home diagnosis of a COVID infection.

Novel Antenna Concept for CubeSat Platforms

While this technology was designed for CubeSats, it may be utilized in any technology that utilizes a structural frame, such as drones.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Sustainable Technologies/Future Energy Category Winner — Flash Graphene

A new process can turn bulk quantities of just about any carbon source into valuable graphene flakes.

Earphone Tracks Facial Expressions, Even with a Facemask

The device can translate expressions into emojis or silent speech commands.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Medical Category Winner — 'A Chip Off the Old Box'

A battery-less pacing system enables painless defibrillation.

New on the Market: December 2020

Mixed-signal oscilloscopes, 3D printers, DC/DC converters, and more.

16-Atom Molecular Motor

The tiny motor can be powered by both thermal and electrical energy.

Tethered Drones Improve Cellular and Internet Networks

Wire-connected drones may complement or replace the fixed base stations of cellular communications networks.

Products of Tomorrow: December 2020

Robotic exoskeletons, a breath-test for cancer, and plastic-eating enzymes are Products of Tomorrow.

Tactile Robot Finger with No Blind Spots

This robotic finger has a highly precise sense of touch over a complex, multi-curved surface.

Q&A: A New Method for 3D Printing of Tiny Gel Structures

See how Dr. Andrei Kolmakov and his team are using low-energy electron beams to 3D-print tiny gel structures in liquids.

Flexible, Sturdy Robot “Grows” Like a Plant

The robot’s extendable appendage can wind through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads.

Toroidal Radiation Pattern Patch Antenna

The antenna is designed for use in extreme conditions such as outer space.

High-Performance, Lightweight, Easy-to-Fabricate Heat Exchanger

This can be used in energy-recovery systems in industrial, space, automotive, and military applications.

Technology Aids Surgeon-Guided Robotic Hands

This method enables users to control their robotic fingers precisely enough to gently land on fragile surfaces.

Technology Leaders: Industry Renaissance Transforms Invention, Learning, Production, and Trade

Digital technologies are enabling an "Industry Renaissance" of virtual experiences.

Fine-Pointing Optical Communication System Using Laser Arrays

This technique for optical data transmission from satellites uses laser arrays to provide fine pointing capability.

Aircraft Thermal Heat Conduction Method

The thermal management technology could also be used for server farms and spacecraft.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest Grand Prize Winner: RepelWrap — A Nature-inspired Surface Technology for Repelling Contamination

Read all about this year's "Create the Future" winner: A transparent flexible film called "RepelWrap."

Multirotor Aircraft Noise Reduction

NASA's phase-locked rotors reduce noise.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — NiobiCon™

The NiobiCon™ underwater connector will not short out, corrode, or cause an electrical shock if touched while powered in harsh environments like saltwater.

3D Camera Merges Depth and Spectral Data

The camera collects the spatial and spectral information required for self-driving cars, machine vision, corrosion detection, and other applications.

Terahertz Receiver for 6G Wireless Communications

The device enables ultra-fast wireless communications at low cost.

Vote for Tech Briefs Product of the Year 2020

These 12 products are the nominees for the 2020 Tech Briefs Readers’ Choice Product of the Year.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Consumer Product Design Category Winner — The Ring Prosthetic Leg

The conceptual Ring prosthetic leg ensures that individuals do not need an entirely new device every time they have a growth spurt.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Automotive/Transportation Category Winner — Low-Noise Laser for Lidar

Compact lasers now offer precise colors.

Atomically Thin Light-Emitting Device for Invisible Displays

Invisible displays on walls and windows would be bright when turned on but invisible when turned off.

Vortex Radiometer for Wireless Communications

Any high-performance communication systems operating in RF or optical frequencies may benefit from this system.

Glove-Like Device Mimics Sense of Touch

The soft, wearable device simulates the sense of touch and has wide potential in medical and industrial applications.

Facility Focus: Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego

Jacobs' scientists are helping to make contract-tracing apps, emergency-use ventilators, and even squid-bots.

Nanoscale Thermal Switches

These switches are key to thermal management of nanoscale devices, refrigeration, data storage, thermal computing, and heat management of buildings.

Using Computer Tomography Images to Simulate Heart Function

Rather than using supecomputers, heart function simulation can be performed at the CT scanner.

3D X-Ray Imager for 3D Object Retrieval

Applications include characterizing additively manufactured components and baggage screening.

Device Camouflages Wearer from Heat-Detecting Sensors

Researchers developed a wearable technology that can hide its wearer from heat-detecting sensors such as night vision goggles, even when the ambient temperature changes. The technology...

SpaceCube 2.0 Flight Card Mechanical System

Applications include mechanical aerospace manufacturing and thermal structure manufacturing.

Programmable Balloons for Shape-Morphing Devices

Kirigami balloons could be used in shape-changing actuators for soft robots, minimally invasive surgical devices, and macro structures for space exploration.

Modular, In-Air, Multi-UAV Docking

This system can be used for long-range or high-payload deliveries as well as search and rescue.

Miniature Antenna Enables Robotic Teaming in Complex Environments

A low-frequency antenna with enhanced bandwidth will enable robust networking among compact, mobile robots.

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Electronics/Sensors/IoT Category Winner – PrintIC Flexible Circuits

With PrintIC technology, sensors, actuators, energy supplies, and ICs can be printed on the same substrate, avoiding assembly cost.

Wave Energy Modeling for Safer Space Travel

What does wave energy have to do with space exploration? Plenty, it turns out.

Product of the Month: December 2020 Tech Briefs

COMSOL Multiphysics® version 5.6 simulation software features four new products.

Collision Detector Mimics Locust Swarms

This detector could help robots, drones, and self-driving cars avoid collisions.

High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor

This partially superconducting machine can be used as a motor or generator.

Human-Like Hands with Flexible, Hybrid Pneumatic Actuators

These hands, with a large grasping force, enable safer human-robot interactions.

Executive Roundtable: Robotics Design

A panel of experts explains how robots are playing a larger role in manufacturing.

Machine Health & Asset Monitoring in Industrial Applications: A Look at Sensor Technologies

Learn about the sensors assessing and analyzing plant equipment.

Compact, Long-Reach Robotic Arm

Applications include retractable covers and awnings, camera booms, and spacecraft and astronaut positioning.

Selecting the Best Power Supply for Your Stepper or Servo Motor Application

We review three of your power-supply choices.

3D-Printed Miniature Magnetic Pump

The magnetic, multi-material pump was 3D-printed all in one piece.

Special Section: The Winners of the 2020 'Create the Future' Design Contest

Your 2020 winners include a bacteria-repelling wrap, an advanced prosthetic leg, flash graphene, and more.

Protecting Power Electronics from EM and RF Interference

As power electronics and controls become more sophisticated, there is a need to shield these devices from external fields as well as reduce their radiated fields. External...

Vehicle Electrification

The rise of electric vehicles with accelerated time-to-market cycles poses new business and engineering challenges for automotive companies. This situation opens up new opportunities, where innovative...

How to Choose an Optical Filter

Optical interference filters are critical to the overall performance of machine vision applications. So how do you select the right one?

Sensors Driven by Machine Learning Sniff-Out Gas Leaks Fast

A new study has confirmed the success of a natural-gas leak-detection tool pioneered by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, which uses sensors and machine learning to...

Novel Miniaturized Organic Semiconductor Will Support Flexible Electronic Devices

Field Effect Transistors (FET) are the core building blocks of modern electronics such as integrated circuits, computer CPUs, and display backplanes....

NIST Sensor Experts Invent Super-Cold Mini-Thermometer

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have invented a miniature superconducting thermometer with big potential applications, such as monitoring the...

How to Make Tomorrow’s Electronics Using Ink-Jet Printed Graphene

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have cracked the conundrum of how to use inks to 3D-print novel electronic devices with useful properties, such as an...

Clean, Limitless Power from Graphene

A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene’s thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

Fast Calculation Dials in Better Batteries

A simpler and more efficient way to predict performance will lead to better batteries, according to Rice University engineers. That their method is 100,000 times faster than existing modeling...

New Technique Extends Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries

Electric vehicles (EVs) hold great promise for our energy-efficient, sustainable future but among their limitations is the lack of a long-lasting, high energy density battery...

Advanced Solar Panels Extract More Energy from Sunlight

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers working to maximize solar panel efficiency said layering advanced materials atop traditional silicon is a promising path to eke...

Q&A: 'Smellicopter' Uses Live Moth Antenna to Seek Out Smells

UW doctoral student Melanie Anderson explains how to make an autonomous 'Smellicopter' to navigate toward smells.

Teaching Old Robots New Tricks

With a training technique commonly used to teach dogs to sit and stay, computer scientists showed a robot how to teach itself several new tricks including stacking blocks. With the method, the robot was...

Miniscule Machines Made of Metal and Plastic

Researchers have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometer-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. The micromachines are made out of metal and plastic, in...

Laser Jolts Microscopic Robots into Motion

A Cornell University team has created microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals. The...

Materials Transform Robots Made of Robots

Scientists from the U.S. Army and MIT created a new way to link materials with unique mechanical properties, opening up the possibility of future military robots made of robots. The method...

Robots Learn to Drive a Car in a Few Easy Lessons

USC researchers have developed a method that could allow robots to learn complicated new tasks, like setting a table or driving a car, from observing a small number of demonstrations.

New High-Peak Power Line Laser for Beam-Steering LiDAR

The mainstream LiDARs used for robotaxis and autonomous consumer vehicles either utilize a few tens of 360-degree rotating laser beams to build 3D models of the vehicle...

A Spiraling Robotic Gripper 'Twines' Like a Plant

As engineering professor Mable Fok saw how the pole beans in her garden wrapped tightly around any objects nearby, she had an idea:

What if a robotic gripper could do the same...

A Better Sensor Detects Ice Build-Up, In Real Time

The sensor is able to detect ice formation far before you can see it occurring on a surface.