Question of the Week: Materials
Should We Use Chitin to Build on Mars?
In the latest episode of our Tech Briefs podcast series Here's an Idea™, researcher Javier Gomez Fernandez talks about his idea for making habitats on Mars. Fernandez envisions using chitin from insects – and combining the substance with the Martian soil – to create a kind of sustainable building...
Application Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Efficient Pump Protection for Large Pumps: The Control Valve Alternative
Articles: Motion Control
Raising the Ergonomics Bar with Smart Electric Actuators
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Products: December 2020 Motion Design
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — RadiBond
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Robot Takes Contact-Free Measurements of Patients’ Vital Signs
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Upper Body Robotic Exoskeleton
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Cascaded Offset Optical Modulator
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Method Tests Microscopic Aeronautical Materials
Articles: Test & Measurement
20 Years of Science on the International Space Station
NASA Spinoff: Data Acquisition
Zero-Gravity Body Posture Influences Acupressure Massage Chair
5 Ws: Sensors/Data Acquisition
5 Ws of the SARS-CoV-2 RapidPlex Sensor
Briefs: Aerospace
Novel Antenna Concept for CubeSat Platforms
Articles: Energy
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Sustainable Technologies/Future Energy Category Winner — Flash Graphene
Briefs: Wearables
Earphone Tracks Facial Expressions, Even with a Facemask
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Medical Category Winner — 'A Chip Off the Old Box'
Products: Software
New on the Market: December 2020
Briefs: Motion Control
16-Atom Molecular Motor
Briefs: Data Acquisition
Tethered Drones Improve Cellular and Internet Networks
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Products of Tomorrow: December 2020
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Tactile Robot Finger with No Blind Spots
Q&A: Photonics/Optics
Q&A: A New Method for 3D Printing of Tiny Gel Structures
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Flexible, Sturdy Robot “Grows” Like a Plant
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Toroidal Radiation Pattern Patch Antenna
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
High-Performance, Lightweight, Easy-to-Fabricate Heat Exchanger
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Technology Aids Surgeon-Guided Robotic Hands
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Technology Leaders: Industry Renaissance Transforms Invention, Learning, Production, and Trade
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Fine-Pointing Optical Communication System Using Laser Arrays
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Aircraft Thermal Heat Conduction Method
Articles: Materials
2020 Create the Future Design Contest Grand Prize Winner: RepelWrap — A Nature-inspired Surface Technology for Repelling Contamination
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
High-Resolution X-Ray Camera System
Briefs: Aerospace
Multirotor Aircraft Noise Reduction
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — NiobiCon™
Briefs: Data Acquisition
3D Camera Merges Depth and Spectral Data
Briefs: AR/AI
Terahertz Receiver for 6G Wireless Communications
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Vote for Tech Briefs Product of the Year 2020
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Consumer Product Design Category Winner — The Ring Prosthetic Leg
Articles: Photonics/Optics
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Automotive/Transportation Category Winner — Low-Noise Laser for Lidar
Briefs: Imaging
Atomically Thin Light-Emitting Device for Invisible Displays
Briefs: Communications
Vortex Radiometer for Wireless Communications
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Glove-Like Device Mimics Sense of Touch
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Facility Focus: Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San Diego
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Nanoscale Thermal Switches
Briefs: Imaging
Using Computer Tomography Images to Simulate Heart Function
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
3D X-Ray Imager for 3D Object Retrieval
Briefs: Materials
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...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
SpaceCube 2.0 Flight Card Mechanical System
Briefs: Materials
Programmable Balloons for Shape-Morphing Devices
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Modular, In-Air, Multi-UAV Docking
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Miniature Antenna Enables Robotic Teaming in Complex Environments
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Electronics/Sensors/IoT Category Winner – PrintIC Flexible Circuits
Application Briefs: Communications
Wave Energy Modeling for Safer Space Travel
Products: Software
Product of the Month: December 2020 Tech Briefs
Briefs: Transportation
Collision Detector Mimics Locust Swarms
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Human-Like Hands with Flexible, Hybrid Pneumatic Actuators
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Executive Roundtable: Robotics Design
Articles: Test & Measurement
Machine Health & Asset Monitoring in Industrial Applications: A Look at Sensor Technologies
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Compact, Long-Reach Robotic Arm
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Selecting the Best Power Supply for Your Stepper or Servo Motor Application
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
3D-Printed Miniature Magnetic Pump
Special Reports: Sensors/Data Acquisition
ADAS/Connected Car - December 2020
Today's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected cars are paving the way for tomorrow's automated vehicles. To help you keep pace with the latest technology developments, we present this...
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Special Section: The Winners of the 2020 'Create the Future' Design Contest
On-Demand Webinars: Electronics & Computers
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...
On-Demand Webinars: Electronics & Computers
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...
Blog: Photonics/Optics
How to Choose an Optical Filter
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
2D/3D Laser Profile Scanners for Industry and Automation
Laser scanners from Micro-Epsilon are among the most powerful profile sensors with regard to accuracy and measurement rate. Equipped with powerful processors and highly sensitive...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
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...
INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs
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....
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
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...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
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...
On-Demand Webinars: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The Evolution of SOSA
SOSA – the Sensor Open Systems Architecture – is an integrative and inclusive standard designed to accelerate the development of affordable, agile, and composable sensor systems by military and industrial entities. Although the U.S. defense industry is currently driving creation of the standard, it’s expected...
White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
Reducing Vibration of Cable Carriers on High-Precision Machinery
In industries like printer design, semiconductor manufacturing and machine tools, cable carrier systems can vibrate, which affects the production equipment’s accuracy and...
White Papers: Defense
Aerospace, Defense and Government Industry Solutions
Whether you’re building and maintaining test assets to support long life cycle programs, designing next generation radar and electronic warfare systems, or deploying digital...
Question of the Week: Materials
Will RepelWrap Catch On?
A material called "RepelWrap" won this year's "Create the Future" Design Contest. The thin film, invented by researchers at McMaster University, instantly fends off viruses and bacteria when the material is placed on a surface, including a door handle or railing.
White Papers: Test & Measurement
Powering Ultra High-End Data Acquisition at Swabian Instruments
Swabian Instruments GmbH, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, was founded in 2016 by Helmut Fedder, Michael Schlagmüller, and Markus Wick as a spin-off from the Physics...
On-Demand Webinars: Software
Next-Gen Vehicle Architectures and the Role of HPCs
Vehicle architectures are evolving from complex networks of individual electronic control units (ECUs) to a handful of ultra-powerful high-performance computers (HPCs). During today’s rapid transition to intelligent, connected vehicles, software differentiation is critical to...
Tech Talks: Medical
Testing Home Healthcare Medical Devices
Treating patients with chronic conditions outside the hospital is a growing trend due to aging populations, the increase of chronic respiratory conditions such as sleep apnea or COPD, and the cost effectiveness of home healthcare treatments. Medical therapy equipment has gotten smaller and lighter,...
INSIDER: Design
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.
INSIDER: Physical Sciences
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...
INSIDER: Design
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...
INSIDER: Design
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...
On-Demand Webinars: Software
Accelerating Pre-Silicon Software Development with Next-Gen Infineon AURIX TC4xx Virtual Prototypes
This 30-minute Webinar presents the usage and benefits of virtual prototyping for a wide range of use cases for Infineon’s next-generation AURIXTM TC4xx automotive microcontrollers. Two main topics will be covered:
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Q&A: 'Smellicopter' Uses Live Moth Antenna to Seek Out Smells
INSIDER: Motion Control
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...
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
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...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
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...
Question of the Week: RF & Microwave Electronics
Could ‘Smellicopters’ Someday Support Search-and-Rescue?
Our second INSIDER story today highlights an innovative combination of autonomous drones and live moth antennae: The “Smellicopter.”
On-Demand Webinars: Software
Balancing Vehicle Comfort and Performance with Simulation-Driven Cabin Design
As consumers look for refreshing and comfortable experiences, cabin design is taking center stage as one of the main selling factors for the automotive industry. Vehicle OEMs have to consider all aspects of the cabin and improve designs to provide customers the...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
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...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
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.
On-Demand Webinars: Photonics/Optics
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...
White Papers: Electronics & Computers
Better Predicting Terminal Enclosure Temperature to Improve Heater Reliability
One of the most common failures in electric process heaters used in various industrial applications involves electrical terminations and not the heating elements....
White Papers: Automotive
The Ultimate Guide to Cable Management
From manufacturing to IT, the more you rely on technology, the more cables you need. Manage, organize and protect your wire and cable bundles with our vast range of solutions suited for demanding...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
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...
Blog: RF & Microwave Electronics
A Better Sensor Detects Ice Build-Up, In Real Time
Top Stories
Articles: Internet of Things

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

With A.I., Robotic Exoskeletons Gain Self-Control
Blog: Transportation

A Warning System for Self-Driving Cars Learns from Failures
INSIDER: Motion Control

Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Blog: Software


Question of the Week
Will Underwater Exploration Go Battery-Free?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace
Future of Military Embedded Systems with an Open Standards-based...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Using Thermoplastics on EV Battery Enclosures/Structures to...
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Optics and Coatings Technology
Webinars: Medical
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Secrets to Efficiently Sustaining Your Automated Test System
Webinars: Medical
Designing with Medical Grade Silicone: Considerations for Medical...
Trending Stories
Articles: Electronics & Computers

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Briefs: Aerospace

Directional UAV Localization of Power Line Ultraviolet Corona
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Actuated Ball-and-Socket Joints
Briefs: Defense
