Technology Leaders: Test & Measurement
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: Transportation
“Smart” Frequency-Sensing Charge Controller for Electric Vehicles
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Portable Sample Preparation for Chemical and Biological Analysis
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Wraparound Self-Structuring Leaky-Wave Antenna (WSS-LWA)
Briefs: Materials
Bomb Detection Method Detects Peroxide-Based Explosives
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
5G in Manufacturing: What’s Here and What’s to Come
Articles: Aerospace
Products of Tomorrow: February 2020
Facility Focus: Electronics & Computers
Facility Focus: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Briefs: Aerospace
Silicon Carbide Fiber Tows
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Breathalyzer Detects Marijuana
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Polymer Coating Cools Down Buildings
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
3D Printing of Plastics with Electrical Circuits
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Enhancing Materials for High-Resolution Patterning
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
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: Electronics & Computers
Long-Distance LADAR System and Method
Briefs: Test & Measurement
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: Automotive
Technique Creates Transparent Polythene Films as Strong as Aluminum
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Atoms Can Receive Common Communications Signals
Briefs: Communications
Wireless Movement-Tracking System Uses Low-Power Radio Frequency Signals
Products: RF & Microwave Electronics
New on the Market: February 2020
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Threads Detect Gases When Woven into Clothing
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Smartphone System Tests for Lead in Water
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Modern Software Links Legacy Systems
Briefs: Materials
Welding Ceramics with Lasers
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Insect-Inspired Motion Sensing
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Shape-Shifting Robot Uses New Locomotion Strategy
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Dynamic Gripper Mimics Adjustable Grip of the Human Hand
Products: Motion Control
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: Connectivity
Smart Manufacturing Control
Briefs: Motion Control
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: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Soft, Skin-Like Structures for Robotic Locomotion and Transportation
Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
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: Motion Control
Going Beyond the Basics: Innovative Step Motor Designs Give Machine Designers More Options for Motion Control
Briefs: Energy
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: Electronics & Computers
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: Defense
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: AR/AI
Product of the Month: February 2020 Tech Briefs
INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs
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: Electronics & Computers
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: Photonics/Optics
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: Sensors/Data Acquisition
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...
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: Sensors/Data Acquisition
SPIE Photonics West 2020 – Sights from Day 1
Blog: RF & Microwave Electronics
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: Medical
“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: Aerospace
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: Aerospace
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: Robotics, Automation & Control
NASA's SuperCam Set to Look for Evidence of Life On Mars
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: Electronics & Computers
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...
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
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
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Blog: Data Acquisition

A Warning System for Self-Driving Cars Learns from Failures
Blog: Nanotechnology

A Photonic 'Sunflower' Offers New Ideas for Light-Driven Systems
INSIDER: Nanotechnology

Transistors Built from Ultra-Thin 2D Materials Take a Step Forward
Blog: Test & Measurement

Readers Select 2020 Products of the Year
Blog: Electronics & Computers

A New Aluminum Anode Leads to Error-Free Rechargeable Batteries

Question of the Week
Will Robotic Exoskeletons Help the Elderly?
Webcasts
On-Demand Webinars: Materials
Optics and Coatings Technology
Webinars: Medical
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Secrets to Efficiently Sustaining Your Automated Test System
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
Designing with Medical Grade Silicone: Considerations for Medical...
Upcoming Webinars: Robotics, Automation & Control
How Critical Are Localization and Perception Technologies for...
Upcoming Webinars: Transportation
Trending Stories
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs

Transistors Built from Ultra-Thin 2D Materials Take a Step Forward
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Hyperspectral Imaging What is it? How does it work?
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Record-Breaking Heat Conduction Material Will Save Computer Chips
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings with Arrival of Perseverance
Articles: Energy

Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers Present Some Overlooked Circuit Protection...