Technology Leaders: Aerospace
Better Solutions for Testing and Measuring Compression and Extension Springs
NASA Spinoff: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Biofeedback Loops Aim to Enhance Combat and Sports Training
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printing Technique Produces “Living” 4D Materials
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Transistors Both Process and Store Information
Briefs: Materials
Process Synthesizes Carbon Nanotubes Using Carbon Dioxide
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Low-Energy Device Rapidly Reroutes Light in Computer Chips
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
“Smart” Frequency-Sensing Charge Controller for Electric Vehicles
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Portable Sample Preparation for Chemical and Biological Analysis
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Wraparound Self-Structuring Leaky-Wave Antenna (WSS-LWA)
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Bomb Detection Method Detects Peroxide-Based Explosives
Articles: Connectivity
5G in Manufacturing: What’s Here and What’s to Come
Articles: Medical
Products of Tomorrow: February 2020
Facility Focus: Materials
Facility Focus: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Briefs: Materials
Silicon Carbide Fiber Tows
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Breathalyzer Detects Marijuana
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Polymer Coating Cools Down Buildings
Briefs: Aerospace
3D Printing of Plastics with Electrical Circuits
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Enhancing Materials for High-Resolution Patterning
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Multimaterial Fiber “Ink” for 3D-Printed Devices
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Ultrasensitive Vapor Detection System
Briefs: Materials
Thermally Conductive Polymer Films
Briefs: Aerospace
Estimated Spectrum Adaptive Postfilter (ESAP)
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D-Printed Structures Morph from Flat Layers into Predetermined Shapes
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Long-Distance LADAR System and Method
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Underwater Telecom Cables Used as Seismic Network
Briefs: Aerospace
CAESAR Plug-in for MagicDraw
5 Ws: Materials
5 Ws of Microlattice Pads for Improved Helmets
Briefs: Materials
Technique Creates Transparent Polythene Films as Strong as Aluminum
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Atoms Can Receive Common Communications Signals
Briefs: Communications
Wireless Movement-Tracking System Uses Low-Power Radio Frequency Signals
Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New on the Market: February 2020
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Threads Detect Gases When Woven into Clothing
Briefs: Imaging
Smartphone System Tests for Lead in Water
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Modern Software Links Legacy Systems
Briefs: Materials
Welding Ceramics with Lasers
Briefs: Transportation
Insect-Inspired Motion Sensing
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Shape-Shifting Robot Uses New Locomotion Strategy
Briefs: Motion Control
Dynamic Gripper Mimics Adjustable Grip of the Human Hand
Products: Electronics & Computers
New Products: February 2020 Motion Design
The AI25 hazardous series AI25 encoder from Dynapar (Gurnee, IL) is suited for Class 1 Division 2 applications where a Zone 1 or Division 1 encoder may have previously been...
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Smart Manufacturing Control
Briefs: Automotive
Flexure for Self-Assembly
Conventional fastening mechanisms like nails, bolts, and welds are subject to manufacturing and inspection tolerances, differential thermal growth, and other sources of error that lead to over-constraint, among...
Briefs: Transportation
Soft, Skin-Like Structures for Robotic Locomotion and Transportation
Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Modified Fittings Enhance Industrial Safety
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is home to one of the largest buildings in the world — the massive Vehicle Assembly Building — and also hosts a number of one-of-a-kind facilities. The...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Robots Assemble Large Structures from Little Pieces
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Going Beyond the Basics: Innovative Step Motor Designs Give Machine Designers More Options for Motion Control
Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
Robot Circulating Liquid Stores Energy and Provides Power
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Intelligent Microrobots
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Valves for Pneumatic Cylinders and Actuators
Special Reports: Defense
Rugged Computing - February 2020
From the battlefield to the extreme environment of space, electronics and computing advances enable missions in the harshest conditions. To help you keep pace with the latest developments, we present this...
Special Reports: Materials
Advanced Materials - February 2020
Breakthroughs in plastics, composites, metals, and other materials technologies are enabling exciting new applications in industries ranging from aerospace to automotive to medical. Read more in this...
Products: Software
Product of the Month: February 2020 Tech Briefs
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Method Detects Defects in 2D Materials for Future Electronics and Sensors
To further shrink electronic devices and to lower energy consumption, the semiconductor industry is interested in using 2D materials, but manufacturers need a...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Method Gives Robust Transistors
Scientists at Linköping University (Linköping, Sweden) have described a method to manufacture transistors using gallium nitride and aluminum nitride that have the ability to withstand voltages as...
INSIDER: Packaging & Sterilization
Laser Diode Emits Deep UV Light
Nagoya University scientists have succeeded in designing a laser diode that emits deep-ultraviolet light. It emits the world's shortest lasing wavelength, at 271.8 nanometers, under pulsed electric current...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Microchip Capability Expanded with New 3D Inductor Technology
A team of engineers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has boosted the performance of its previously developed 3D inductor technology by adding as much as three...
White Papers: Electronics & Computers
Specifying Modular Connectors
Specifying a new connector is a complicated process and designing a custom connector is not always within your budget. With modular connectors gaining popularity to overcome this challenge, manufacturers have...
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
High Efficiency Electric Propulsion Design and Testing
This whitepaper outlines the design process and presents verification testing of an electric ducted fan for small UAV integration. Flight time estimation is made from performance testing...
Blog: Software
How to Design an Airless Car Tire? Start with Simulation
Question of the Week: Electronics & Computers
In the Near Future, Will Computers Use Light Instead of Electricity?
This month in Tech Briefs: Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed an optical switch that routes light from one computer chip to another in just 20 billionths of a second — faster than any other similar device.
Blog: Photonics/Optics
SPIE Photonics West 2020 – Sights from Day 1
Blog: Photonics/Optics
SPIE Photonics West 2020, Day 2: Sensing LiDAR's Rise
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Robot and Software Create Advanced Materials
Rutgers University engineers have developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. While a human researcher...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
“Pop-Up” Technique Fabricates Microrobots
A bulk-machined “Pop-Up” MEMS process was developed for creating mesoscale machines up to several centimeters in dimension.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
New Discoveries, From Just a Grain of Moon Dust
Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Do the 5G Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
A feature article in this month’s Tech Briefs explored how the fifth-generation mobile network known as 5G will support the creation of increasingly “smart” factories – ones that allow manufacturers to further improve factory automation, human/machine interfaces, and mobility.
White Papers: Connectivity
New Ways to Increase Productivity with ‘Smart’ Systems
Cyber-physical systems (CPS) like the Festo Motion Terminal promise to increase production, simplify value chain processes and future-proof plants. In a new white paper, we explore...
White Papers: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Recommended Compression and Tension Adapters for Force Calibration
Want to learn more about force measurement errors and the impact the wrong adapters can have? The wrong adapters can produce measurement errors up to 20 times that of when...
Blog: Aerospace
NASA's SuperCam Set to Look for Evidence of Life On Mars
On-Demand Webinars: Aerospace
Maximize Productivity and Minimize Costs with New Aerospace Structural Adhesives
Cost-out initiatives are affecting many manufacturers and operators throughout the aerospace value chain. Improving assembly productivity, reducing weight, and extending the lifetime of parts can contribute to a reduction in costs.
Question of the Week: Electronics & Computers
Will Cooling Coatings Catch On?
This month’s Tech Briefs featured a potential alternative to the air conditioner: A painted-on polymer coating that can cool down a building.
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Bottom-line Reasons for Using Additive Manufactured Production Tooling
High fabrication costs, long lead times and the cost to carry inventory don’t need to be the rule of the day when it comes to making production tooling. Additive...
White Papers: Defense
Evaluating Connectors for Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet in Military and Aerospace Applications
As military and aerospace applications move toward Gigabit and 10G networks, standard military connector technology has not kept pace. To...
White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control
The cMT-CTRL01 IIoT PLC
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is both the present and future of manufacturing. Part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, IIoT utilizes smart machines and real-time analysis. IIoT is a...
On-Demand Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printed Metals Are Not All the Same
As metal 3D printing has become a more popular means for the rapid prototyping and production of metal parts, it can be difficult to navigate the various technologies and materials. What kind of parts can you expect from a metal 3D printer, and do they vary from system to system?
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Why Quality Matters
The pressure to cut costs, increase margins and invest in transformative technologies often leaves little left to spend on quality. However, these pressures encourage a status quo approach to quality that results in...
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Delving Deeper into FDA Warning Letters
Provides insight into the issuance of FDA warning letters and what the FDA is expecting to see in your response to show your intentions to address the compliance issues. This will provide hands on...
White Papers: Automotive
Understanding Thermal Gap Filler Pads, PCB Deflection, and Stress
This paper focuses on the characteristics of gap fillers and how they impact a printed circuit board (PCB) including compression characteristics of various types of gap...
On-Demand Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Testing and Inspecting 3D-Printed Parts
As additive manufacturing and the 3D printing of production parts become more commonplace in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, these parts will require more advanced inspection and testing to ensure they meet requirements for structural strength and stability. Whether plastic or...
White Papers: Aerospace
Electronic Latching Solutions for Aircraft Interiors
As Aircraft OEMs concentrate on upgrading cabin interiors, engineers are beginning to investigate new electronic latching solutions for access panels, storage bins, lavatories and galleys....
Dynamic White Papers: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Precision Bellows Couplings: 3 Secrets to their Success
This 10-minute presentation discusses how precision bellows couplings can help machines run faster and more accurately if three key issues are addressed. They are sizing, misalignment tolerances, and proper handling. Bellows couplings are used for transmitting dynamic precision...
White Papers: Aerospace
Digital Transformation Do-Over: How to Restart on the Right Foot
Don’t give up on digital transformation projects that have not delivered as expected. The root cause of failure often lies in data preparation. This tech brief explains how...
Question of the Week: Energy
Will Rain Become a Viable Energy Source?
Our lead INSIDER story today demonstrated the power of a droplet energy generator – specifically the system’s ability to light up 100 LEDs with just a small amount of water.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Inspection and Simulation Methods: Powdered Metal and Additive Manufacturing
On-Demand Webinars: Software
Using Simulation to Design Robust Adhesively Bonded Structures
Engineers are increasingly relying upon adhesive bonding to improve the mechanical performance of their structures and devices. For example, the automotive industry is using adhesives to make vehicles lighter and thus more fuel efficient. In the electronics industry, novel...
White Papers: Test & Measurement
Miniature Cartridge Heaters
Miniature cartridge heaters are designed to fit applications where space is at a premium. They are available in low, medium and high watt densities. Applications including medical devices, printers, monitoring...
Top Stories
Blog: Unmanned Systems

Experts Weigh In: How Will a Robotic Future Impact Nature?
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar...
Videos: Motion Control

Test System Could Enable Reduced Helicopter Vibration
Podcasts: Materials

Videos: Automotive
New Lithium Metal Batteries ‘Build Themselves’
Blog: Transportation

CES 2021: How COVID-19 Turned the Car into a Personal 'Second Space'

Question of the Week
Has the Vehicle Become Your “Second Space?”
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Reducing the Cost of Quality in Automotive BiW
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Electric-Vehicle Transmission Development Priorities
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
The Critical Role of Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors in Medical...
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Zinc Die Casting Concepts to Achieve Precision, Performance, and...
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Radar Measurements: Triggering, Analysis, and Generation
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Trending Stories
INSIDER: Imaging

Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar Atmosphere
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Combining Electronic, Photonic Chips Enables Super-Fast Quantum Light Detection
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Motion Solutions for Electric Expansion Valves
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

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

Solid-State Technology Enables Smaller, Safer Batteries
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Double-Vacuum-Bag Process for Making Resin-Matrix Composites