Tackling Aircraft Laser Strikes from the Ground

To reduce the increasing frequency of attacks, the ground-based Laser Aircraft Strike Suppression Optical System (LASSOS) has been developed by researchers from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

Using Lasers in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

Ever since Henry Ford introduced the first moving production line to the industry in 1913, automotive manufacturers have been constantly striving to streamline their processes,...

The Configurable Laser — A Universal Manufacturing Tool

Laser technology will remain at the forefront of tomorrow’s digital manufacturing processes.

Analyzing Wear and Tear of Metal

A new method could enable vehicles and equipment to better withstand high temperatures, loads, and speeds.

Process Enables Manufacturing of Stretchy Electronics

Next-generation devices made with a “peel and stack” method could include electronic chips worn on the skin.

Smart Bandages Monitor and Tailor Treatment for Chronic Wounds

Bandages with integrated pH and temperature sensors, and electronically triggered drug release, improve healing.

Facility Focus: NASA Ames Research Center

This NASA center hosts the world’s greatest collection of wind tunnels and flight simulation facilities

Low-Cost Detection of Thin Film Stress During Fabrication

This method uses fiber optic probes for measurement of semiconductors, optical coatings, magnetic read/write heads, and precision machines.

Open-Source Software Analyzes Economics of Biofuels and Bioproducts

This fast, flexible tool allows researchers to quickly compare and prioritize strategies for converting biomass to fuels and products.

Q&A: Turning Trash into Valuable Graphene

A new process will reduce the cost of manufacturing graphene by a factor of more than 100.

Hydrophobic & Oleophobic Coating Technologies for Polymer Optics

With the recent boom in touch-based, polymer display substrates must be fingerprint-resistant.

AI-Based Machine Vision & the Future of Automotive In-Cabin Technologies

Xilinx is now applying AI to the in-cabin environment.

Sussex Researchers Combine Lasers, Computers & THz Waves to Build Camera That Sees ‘Unseen’ Details

The nonlinear camera captures high-resolution images of the interior of solid objects using terahertz (THz) radiation.

Bats Inspire Detectors to Help Prevent Oil and Gas Pipe Leaks

Engineers have developed a new scanning technique inspired by the natural world that can detect corroding metals in oil and gas pipelines.

New Products: May 2020 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Photodetectors, ultrafast lasers, energy sensors, and more.

Moving Precision Communication, Metrology, Quantum Applications from Lab to Chip

A team is exploring new materials for telecommunications and LIDAR applications.

3D Imaging the Biolocomotion of Fruit Flies

The last thing you probably do when a fly buzzes toward you is marvel at its graceful wing and body kinematics. But that’s exactly what researchers at Cornell University’s Itai Cohen Group...

New Graphene-Based Metasurface Capable of Independent Amplitude and Phase Control of Light

Researchers described a new strategy of designing metamolecules.

Properly Designing and Specifying Aspheric Lenses

Aspheric lenses greatly improve the performance and efficiency of a wide range of optical applications.

Product of the Month: May 2020 Tech Briefs

The ADISRA SmartView 4.0 HMI allows builders to see what's going on in their machines.

Supersonic Spike Diffuser

This diffuser provides double the pumping efficiency in one-quarter the space.

Spin Capacitor for Energy-Efficient Electronics

The capacitor could enable a new generation of electronics that will require less power and generate less heat.

VoroCrust v.1.0 Meshing Software

This program generates a mesh that conforms to a complex model without clipping.

System Provides Cooling with No Electricity

This passive device relies on a layer of material that blocks incoming sunlight but lets heat radiate away.

Device Tests Drugs on Tumor Tissue

An inexpensive 3D-printed microfluidics device could be used to personalize cancer treatment.

Nanostructured Rubber-Like Material to Replace Human Tissue

The material consists solely of components that have already been shown to work well in the body.

Nano-Infused Ceramic Can Report its own Health

A ceramic sensor could be embedded into structures such as bridges and aircraft to monitor their health.

Artificial Intelligence Finds and Labels 2D Materials Instantly

The AI system can help shorten the time required for 2D material-based electronics to be ready for consumer devices.

Radiation-Hardened Gain Digitizer

This instrument has applications in medical equipment, robotics, and satellites.

Microfluidics Device Detects Cancer Cells in Blood

This device could enable rapid, inexpensive liquid biopsies to help detect cancer and develop targeted treatment plans.

New on the Market: May 2020

Sealing connection tools, oscilloscopes, snap-action switches, and more...

High-Efficiency Laser for Silicon Chips

Applications include optical data transfer, infrared and night-vision systems, environmental sensors, and breath analysis for medical diagnosis.

Executive Roundtable: 3D Printing

Tech Briefs posed questions to 3D printing/AM industry execs, to get their views on issues like metal printing, new materials, and environmental sustainability.

Autonomic and Apoptotic Highly Distributed System

Applications include distributed computer systems, computer security, and commercial satellite systems.

Ultrasonic System to Assess Compartment Syndrome

Applications include emergency medicine, combat casualty care, and sports injuries.

Electric Nanoscale Device Sees Through Walls

Applications include imaging, sensing, wireless communications, and medical treatments.

Characterizing Richness of Previously Unmapped Terrain and its Impact on Navigation Using 3D Range Sensors

Landers to small bodies such as comets and asteroids can use this program to estimate the terrain richness of the previously unmapped small body.

Wi-Fi-assisted Inertial Odometry (WIO) Measures Speed and Distance of Indoor Movement

The technique could be used to improve navigation for robots, drones, or pedestrians.

Wearable Air Conditioning

This on-skin electronic device provides a personal air conditioner without electricity.

Wirelessly Powered, Leadless Pacemaker

This device could give doctors a new therapeutic option for treating patients with conditions such as heart failure.

Organic Material for Printed Electronics

The material combines two polymers with different properties.

Lab-on-a-Chip Enables “Liquid Biopsy” of Cancer Cells

This diagnostic device allows doctors to detect cancer quickly from a droplet of blood or plasma.

Defects Enable High-Performance Infrared Photodetectors

A highly sensitive, CMOS-compatible, broadband photodetector was created by tailoring material defects.

Tiny Magnetic Particles Enable Material to Bend, Twist, and Grab

The material could enable applications such as antennas that change frequencies on the fly or gripper arms for delicate or heavy objects.

5 Ws of the Infant Smart Jumpsuit

A smart jumpsuit accurately measures the spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants

Polymer Twists and Bends in the Presence of Light

A liquid crystal elastomer can be programmed to exhibit controllable, dynamic behavior without the need for complex electronic components.

Shape Memory Alloy Mechanisms for CubeSats

This lightweight and efficient mechanism enables retention, release, and deployment of solar arrays and antennas.

Machine Learning Method for Battery Development

The method slashes battery testing times — a key barrier to longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries for electric vehicles.

Method Enables Conductive Gels to Stick When Wet

A new way of making polymers adhere to surfaces may enable better biomedical sensors and implants.

Guiding and Harnessing Transition Waves in Multi-Stable Mechanical Structures

The domino effect is used to design deployable systems that expand quickly with a small push and are stable and locked into place after deployment.

Space Station Garden Shines Light on Earth-Based Horticulture

NASA’s LED lighting system enables food and other crops to be grown indoors in places like skyscrapers.

Leaf-Inspired Surface Prevents Frost Formation

This new design could conserve energy used for defrosting airplanes, appliances, and more.

New Material Enables Stable Semiconductor Neutron Detectors

It can be used both in small, portable devices for field inspections and in very large detectors that use arrays of crystals.

Foldable Mechanical Devices

These “developable mechanisms” are built into the surfaces of structures.

Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness (LHASA)

This framework determines regional landslide probability in near real time.

Injectable Gel Helps Heart Muscle Regenerate

This gel releases short gene sequences into the heart muscle to heal it following a heart attack.

Products of Tomorrow: May 2020

A cryptographic ID tag, a high-reliability NASA switch, and a stretchable thermoelectric generator...

NASA's 'VITAL' Ventilator Gets FDA Approval

A low-cost, low-complexity ventilator developed by NASA engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week.

Starting In the Garage, NASA Engineer Makes Oxygen Helmet for COVID-19 Patients

See how NASA engineer Mike Buttigieg is creating a device that will free up ventilators for patients with COVID-19

New Products: May 2020 Photonics & Imaging Insider

Low-Power Sealed Laser

Luxinar (Kingston Upon Hull, UK) has introduced the SR 08s for marking, scribing and kiss cutting applications requiring average rather than peak power. The...

Upconverting Nanolasers from Subwavelength Plasmons

A research team has used the Molecular Foundry, a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, to create miniature lasers. These lasers are stable and work continuously. What...

Inverse Design Software Automates Design Process for Optical, Nanophotonic Structures

Stanford University researchers created an inverse design codebase called SPINS that can help researchers explore different design methodologies to...

Layered Solar Cell Technology Boosts Efficiency and Affordability

The future’s getting brighter for solar power. Researchers from CU Boulder have created a low-cost solar cell with one of the highest power-conversion efficiencies to...

As Fewer Planes Take Off, NASA's Pandora Sensors Measure Airport Air Quality

An empty airport tells you more than you might think.

The Next Challenge for Soft Robots? Beat the Cheetah

A proof-of-concept soft robot has a cheetah-like gait that avoids the usual crawl.

Gecko-Inspired: Researchers Find Easier Way to Mass-Produce Adhesives

A team at Georgia Tech has discovered a Velcro-like way of mass-producing gecko-inspired adhesives.

How to Keep Batteries from Catching Fire? Nanotech Energy Goes with Graphene and New Electrolyte

The Los Angeles, CA-based company Nanotech Energy is using graphene to prevent thermal runaway and create a non-flammable battery.

New Imaging Method for Alzheimer's Disease

Researchers have tested a new imaging method to understand the brain as an individual develops Alzheimer's disease.

Coronavirus Testing Kits Use RNA Imaging Technology

Simon Fraser University researchers will use their pioneering imaging technology – called Mango, for its bright color – to develop coronavirus testing kits.

Optical Imaging Technology for Treating Tumors

A new tool for medical professionals may help shed light on tumors.

In Vivo Imaging Links Sensory Experience to Activity

Novel biosensors allow the simultaneous study of both neuronal activity and transcription factor dynamics.

A Breakthrough for Robotic Prosthetics: Researchers Train A.I. to Spot Different Terrain

New software sets the stage for A.I.-enabled robotic prostheses that predict user terrain and initiate mechanical changes accordingly.