Technical Briefs, Design Engineering News

June 2019

Special Reports: Transportation

Vehicle Electrification - June 2019

Demand for electric vehicles is accelerating, with several automakers announcing that their entire lineups will either be hybrid or all-electric by the 2020's. To help you keep pace with the rapid changes...

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New Products: June 2019 Motion Design

Rotary Ball Spline

NB Corporation of America (Hanover Park, IL) released a rotary ball spline that can be used for both rotational and linear motion. Applications include SCARA robots, the...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Snake-Inspired Robot

Researchers have developed a new and improved snake-inspired soft robot that is faster and more precise than its predecessor.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Calculating the Estimated Fatigue Life of a Disc Spring

In discussing fatigue life, it is important to distinguish between disc springs and conical spring washers, as they differ by design and intended usage. Conical spring washers are...

Articles: Propulsion

Pneumatics for Mechanical Motion

Employing fluid power to achieve mechanical motion can be implemented via hydraulics using uncompressible liquids or via pneumatics using compressible gasses; typically, air. The latter provides several...

Briefs: Motion Control

Ultra-Low-Power Chips Enhance Performance of Small Robots

An ultra-low-power hybrid chip inspired by the brain could help give palm-sized robots the ability to collaborate and learn from their experiences. Combined with new generations of...

Briefs: Software

Model Gives Robots a Better Feel for Object Manipulation

A new learning system improves a robot’s ability to mold materials into target shapes and make predictions about interacting with solid objects and liquids. The system, known as a...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Vision Sensors in Factory Automation

There are a number of ways to extract data from a production line. In factory automation, sensors are used in work cells to gather data for inspection or to trigger other devices. These sensors fall into...

Briefs: Aerospace

Gear Bearings

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developed gear bearing technology that combines gear and bearing functions into a single unit that significantly improves gear drives for electrical, internal combustion, and turbine motors. The...

Application Briefs: Communications

Cross-Training Made Possible by Common Control Platform

EMAG L.L.C. is the U.S. subsidiary of a major German machine tool builder that specializes in machine tools for the production of automotive, off-highway, agricultural, and oil field...

Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Plastic Bearings Redefine the Wheelchair

For wheelchair users, the feeling of uneven ground can seem all too familiar. Determined to make ride discomfort a thing of the past, Israel-based SoftWheel has completely reinvented the wheel for a...

Briefs: Wearables

Monitor Babies in the NICU Without Wires

An interdisciplinary Northwestern University team has developed a pair of soft, flexible wireless sensors that replace the tangle of wire-based sensors that currently monitor babies in hospitals’...

Application Briefs: Wearables

High Tech Comes to Fitness Monitoring

Early wearable fitness monitoring devices were designed to perform a set of valuable but straightforward activities: tallying the number of steps we take daily, recording the number of hours we sleep,...

Briefs: Wearables

UCI Biomedical Engineers Develop Wearable Respiration Monitor with Children’s Toy

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a wearable, disposable respiration monitor that provides high-fidelity readings on a...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Sensors Expo Preview 2019

The 2019 Sensors Expo and Conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, CA from June 25 – 27. Both the expo and conference are excellent opportunities to get a good sense of important sensor trends. Among the wide variety of themes at the conference, some strike me as being very significant for...

Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Smart Agriculture Sensors: Helping Small Farmers and Positively Impacting Global Issues, Too

Smart agriculture, also known as precision agriculture, allows farmers to maximize yields using minimal resources such as water, fertilizer, and...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Spotting Minute Amounts of Disease in the Bloodstream

The difficulty in spotting minute amounts of disease circulating in the bloodstream has proven a stumbling block in the detection and treatment of cancers that advance stealthily with few...

Briefs: Power

Diagnose Lithium Batteries

Batteries with metallic lithium anodes offer enhanced efficiency compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries because of their higher capacity. However, safety concerns and a short lifespan stand in the way. To...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Stretchable Interlaced-Nanowire Film for Ultraviolet Photodetectors with High Response Speed

Stretchable electronics, which can be stretched, deformed and wrapped onto nonplanar curved surfaces, have attracted much attraction due to their...

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

A Sensor that Fits Like a Glove

We recently had a discussion with Sri Peruvemba, VP of Strategy at BeBop Sensors (Berkeley, CA), about the technology and applications for their two-dimensional fabric sensor material. I started by asking Sri...

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New Products: June 2019 Sensor Technology

Extreme Environment Displacement Sensors and Systems

The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products, Inc (Colorado Springs, CO) announces the availability of its Extreme Environment...

Application Briefs: Data Acquisition

When You Need a Machine for Breathing, You’d Better Have Accurate Sensors

Medical ventilation technology has come far since the original iron lung was first used more than 90 years ago. Using negative pressure to ventilate, the patient was...

Briefs: Imaging

3D Printable Sensors Disposed of Without Contaminating the Environment

Simon Fraser University and Swiss researchers are developing an eco-friendly, 3D printable solution for producing wireless Internet-of-Things (IoT) sensors that can be...

Briefs: Wearables

Graphene-Based Technology for Wearable Health Monitoring

Graphene Flagship partner ICFO, based in Barcelona, Spain is developing graphene-based prototypes that aim to turn mobile phones into life saving devices. The first of these will allow...

Briefs: FDA/Regulatory

New Electromyography Biofeedback Device

Anew electromyography biofeedback device that is wearable and connects to novel smartphone games may offer people with incomplete paraplegia a more affordable, self-controllable therapy to enhance...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Using Laser Metal Printing to Cool Computer Chips

Traditionally, electronics are cooled using a heat sink that transfers the heat generated by the electronic system into the air or a liquid coolant. For the heat sink to work, it has to be attached to the CPU or the graphics processor via a thermal interface material such as thermal paste. It...

Briefs: Aerospace

Cryogenic Cam Butterfly Valve

Typical butterfly valves cannot seal at both ambient and cryogenic temperatures. At cryogenic temperatures, valves grow and shrink, changing critical dimensions such as distance between the disc and seat....

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Vascular Injury Shunt

Extremity vascular injury results in bleeding and lack of blood flow beyond the site of vessel disruption (ischemia). Priorities when this occurs include hemorrhage control, management of life-threatening injuries, and restoration of flow to the extremity. While definitive vessel repair is optimal, life-threatening injuries...

Articles: Test & Measurement

Products of Tomorrow: June 2019

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Single-Photon Detector for Potential Encryption and Sensing

Light is widely used for communications, carrying phone conversations and video signals through fiber optic cables around the world in pulses composed of many photons. Single...

Briefs: Materials

Graphene Coating Takes Oxygen Out of Lithium Battery Fires

Lithium batteries allow electric vehicles to travel several hundred miles on one charge. Their capacity for energy storage is well known — so is their tendency to occasionally...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Design Software Identifies a Product's Performance Tradeoffs

Designing any product — from complex car parts to wrenches — is a balancing act with conflicting performance tradeoffs. Making something lightweight, for instance, may compromise its durability.

Briefs: Wearables

Modular Blocks Enable Plug-and-Play Diagnostic Devices

Over the past decade, many researchers have been working on small, portable diagnostic devices based on chemical reactions that occur on paper strips. Many of these tests make use of...

Briefs: Wearables

Wearable Ultrasound Patch Monitors Blood Pressure

Wearable devices have been limited to sensing signals either on the surface of the skin or right beneath it. A new wearable ultrasound patch non-invasively monitors blood pressure in arteries...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Programming Light on a Chip

Microwave signals are ubiquitous in wireless communications but interact too weakly with photons. A technique was developed to fabricate high-performance optical microstructures using lithium niobate, a material...

Briefs: Propulsion

Double-Fed Induction Linear Alternator

This technology was developed to address the limitations of traditional, single-fed linear alternators that require permanent magnets, adhesive bonding organics, and heavy iron laminations for flux control. They experience eddy-current losses and require electromagnetic interference protection. Furthermore,...

Briefs: Energy

Wood-Based Technology Creates Electricity from Heat

Researchers have transformed a piece of wood into a flexible membrane that generates energy from the same type of electric current (ions) on which the human body runs. This energy is generated using charged channel walls and other unique properties of the wood’s natural nanostructures. With...

Products: Software

New on the Market: June 2019

Code Generator

dSPACE, Wixom, MI, offers Version 4.4 of TargetLink code generator software that features controller modeling with MATLAB^® code from MathWorks. It describes algorithms and...

Briefs: Automotive

Battery Electrolyte Doubles Driving Range for Electric Vehicles

Conventional electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries that power household electronics like computers and cellphones are not suitable for lithium-metal batteries. Lithium-metal batteries that replace a graphite electrode with a lithium electrode are the holy grail of energy...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Generating Electrical Power from Waste Heat

Directly converting electrical power to heat is easy; however, converting heat into electrical power is not as easy. To address this issue, a tiny silicon-based device was developed that can...

Briefs: Materials

Joining Gun Bonds Metal and Plastic in Seconds

The connection of plastics and metals poses a challenge due to the different physical properties of the two materials. All conventional joining options, such as bonds using adhesives or rivets,...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Smart, Soft, Back Orthosis Uses Real-Time Motion Detection

Back pain is inevitable with constrained posture over a number of hours. Permanent damage such as premature spine wear is not uncommon in people who do not adopt proper ergonomic posture. The same applies to those who frequently lift heavy objects.

Briefs: Software

Algorithm Predicts How Electromagnetic Waves Interact with Materials at the Smallest Scales

Magnetic materials can attract or repel each other based on their polar orientation — positive and negative ends attract each other, while two positives or two negatives repel. When an electromagnetic signal like a radio wave passes through such...

Briefs: Materials

One-Pot Bioconversion of Distiller’s Grains to Advanced Biofuels

Increase in bioethanol production throughout the US has led to an increase in the process coproduct — distiller’s grains with solubles (DGS). DGS can be used to feed...

5 Ws: Materials

5 Ws of the Insulin-Delivery Pill

Who

Millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes.

Briefs: Aerospace

Improved Directed Flux Motor

Electromagnetic motors typically convert electrical energy into rotational mechanical energy and are employed across a wide array of applications. While motors represent relatively mature technology, practitioners continue to seek ways to enhance motor operation including a decrease in cost, drop in size/weight,...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Eliminating Corrosion Extends Life of Lightweight Batteries

Metal-air batteries are one of the lightest and most compact types of batteries but when not in use, they degrade quickly, as corrosion eats away at their metal electrodes. While...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Full-Spectrum Infrasonic Stethoscope for Screening Heart, Carotid Artery, and Lung-Related Diseases

Microphones and stethoscopes are regularly used by physicians to detect sounds when monitoring physiological conditions. These monitors are...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Rotary Electrical Contact

Researchers have developed a fundamentally new type of rotary electrical contact that addresses the two limitations of conventional brush/slip ring technology: 1) short operating lifetime due to sliding-contact...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Direct-Write Quantum Calligraphy in Monolayer Semiconductors

In contrast with conventional light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit billions of photons simultaneously to form a steady stream of light, a single photon emitter (SPE) generates...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

All-Fiber, Optically Controlled Optical Switch

An optical switch is a device where information-bearing light may be directed to one of several outputs. Prior art optical switches have mainly been integrated optical waveguide structures such as titanium-diffused (Ti) waveguides in lithium-niobate (LiNbO₃) or gallium-arsenide (GaAs)...

Application Briefs: Transportation

Retinas to Roadways: The Evolution of Optical Coherence Technology

Insight Photonic Solutions
Lafayette, CO
www.sweptlaser.com

A driver’s ability to see and avoid other vehicles is essential to safe driving. The same is true...

Briefs: Imaging

Ingestible, Expanding Pill Monitors the Stomach for Up to a Month

An ingestible pill was developed that, upon reaching the stomach, quickly swells to the size of a soft, squishy ping-pong ball big enough to stay in the stomach for an...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Systems and Methods for Correcting Optical Reflectance Measurements

Optical spectroscopy can be used to determine the concentration of chemical species in samples. The amount of light absorbed by a particular chemical species is often linearly related to its concentration through Beer’s Law. For nontransparent materials such as powders,...

Briefs: IoMT

Electroceutical Bandages Destroy Bacteria

Used since 2013, electroceutical bandages — which use electrical impulses to treat medical issues — kill bacteria around a wound, allowing wounds to heal faster. In addition, if infection is...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) of Structures Using Transient and Lock-in Thermography

Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center improved their Flash Thermography capabilities by incorporating transient and lock-in thermography. By...

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Graphene-Silicon Devices for Optoelectronics Applications

Silicon is a naturally occurring material commonly used as a semiconductor in electronic devices; however, researchers have exhausted the potential of devices with semiconductors made...

Briefs: Design

Safety Analysis: The Key to a Single-Pass ISO26262 Random Fault Workflow

Advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous drive technologies increase the complexity of automotive integrated circuits (ICs), making it harder to ensure that...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Infrared Light-Focusing Platform

Researchers have integrated two technologies widely used in applications such as optical communications, bio-imaging, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems to create a new infrared light-focusing...

Q&A: Test & Measurement

Q&A: 3D-Printed Hydrogel Blocks Can Aid Robotics and Diagnostics

Ian Y. Wong, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Engineering, Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology at Brown University in Providence, RI. He and colleagues have developed a new type of hydrogel blocks that can be assembled like LEGO^®s.

Briefs: Energy

Self-Powered, Washable, Wearable Displays

Clothing usually is formed with textiles and has to be both wearable and washable for daily use; however, smart clothing has had a problem with its power sources and moisture permeability, which causes the devices to malfunction. To solve this problem, a textile-based, wearable display module technology...

Briefs: Energy

Impact-Resistant Battery Electrolyte Solidifies When Hit

Lithium-ion batteries commonly used in consumer electronics are notorious for bursting into flame when damaged or improperly packaged. Inspired by the unusual behavior of some liquids...

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Stretchable, Rubbery Semiconductors

Researchers have created stretchable, rubbery semiconductors including rubbery integrated electronics, logic circuits, and arrayed sensory skins fully based on rubber materials. The semiconductors have...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Running an LED in Reverse Could Cool Future Computers

Researchers devised a method in which running a light emitting diode (LED) with electrodes reversed was able to cool another device nanometers away. They harnessed the chemical potential...

Facility Focus: Medical

Facility Focus: U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory

In October 1962, the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Unit was established with a goal of providing specialized medical and physiological support to help close the gap between Army...

Briefs: Materials

Micro UV Aerosol Detector

The detection of aerosols within fluid samples can be accomplished by optical methods. Such methods are useful in detecting potentially harmful aerosols such as biological aerosols that may be present after a biological agent attack or industrial accident. It is well known that biological molecules fluoresce when...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Key Factors to Consider When Designing a Smart Factory

In recent years, the emergence of Industry 4.0 has been steadily transforming the manufacturing sector into an ultra-high-tech industry. Innovative smart technologies such as robotics,...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Flexible, Transparent, Wearable Bio-Patch

Silicon nanoneedle patches are currently placed between skin, muscles, or tissues where they deliver exact doses of biomolecules. Commercially available silicon nanoneedle patches are usually constructed on a rigid and opaque silicon wafer. The rigidity can cause discomfort and cannot be left in the body...

Products: Data Acquisition

Product of the Month: June 2019 Tech Briefs

Maplesoft™, Waterloo, ON, Canada, released Maple™ 2019 software that analyzes, explores, visualizes, and solves math problems. It includes improvements to core functionality such as...

White Papers: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The Ultimate Shaft-To-Hub Connection

Kinematically ground polygonal shapes have been used as drive connections for more than 45 years. What is now referred to as Polygon Systems was developed by Fortunawerke, Stuttgart, West Germany, who...

White Papers: Motion Control

Shaping the Future of Service Robotics

Robots emerged in the early 1960s as a way to automate the monotonous and dangerous tasks in factories around the world. As time passed and new technologies emerged, these robots have taken a place...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Energy-Efficient ‘SlothBot’ Moves Only When It Has To

While robots like the WildCat from Boston Dynamics reach speeds of just under 20 miles an hour, engineers from Georgia Tech have gone with a decidedly slower approach.

White Papers: Communications

Evolving Critical Communications: 3 Key Trends

Public safety and military agencies are taking an increasingly diverse approach to update their radio communications systems. Learn about three key trends paving the way to heightened...

INSIDER: Wearables

A Washable Sensor Can Be Woven into Material

Researchers at University of British Columbia Okanagan’s School of Engineering have developed a low-cost sensor that can be interlaced into textiles and composite materials. While the...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Building Animal-Inspired Sensors into the Shells of Aircraft, Cars

What if drones and self-driving cars had the tingling “spidey senses” of Spider-Man? They might actually detect and avoid objects better because they would process...

INSIDER: Design

Breakthrough in Stretchable Electronics

With a wide range of healthcare, energy, and military applications, stretchable electronics are valued for their ability to be compressed, twisted and conformed to uneven surfaces without losing...

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Increase Processing Capacity Without Adding Transistors

Computers and similar electronic devices have gotten faster and smaller over the decades as computer-chip makers have learned how to shrink individual transistors. Scientists’...

Question of the Week: Test & Measurement

Will 5G Impact How You Test and Design?

We see a huge ‘Fear of Missing Out’ as companies, or even nations, become the first to release new 5G technologies and products,” said National Instruments’ Charles Schroeder during last month’s NIWeek event.

On-Demand Webinars: Software

All Roads Lead to FMEAs

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

Blog: Data Acquisition

An ‘Active’ Machine-Vision Tool Adds Intelligence to Traffic Management

A new machine-vision tool extracts and reports valuable driving data from the standard traffic cameras already in place.

Podcasts: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Here's an Idea: Candy

In this episode of Here's an Idea, we explore how candy manufacturers large and small turn to technology to support their newest, sweetest ideas.

On-Demand Webinars: Materials

Uncovering Non-Obvious Variables in Surface Preparation Processes for Bonding and Coating

Surface preparation for aerospace, automotive, and medical device bonding and coating operations includes manual and automated processes, which frequently include some combination of solvent wiping and abrasion, among other uncontrolled preparation...

White Papers: Materials

Versatile Hermetic Epoxy Seals Protect Fiber Optic Cable and Ensure Signal Quality

As fiber optics prove vital to the operations of defense, energy and other essential industries, there has been a growing need to protect fiber optic...

INSIDER: Transportation

Clean Fuel Cells Could Be Cheap Enough to Replace Gas Engines in Vehicles

Advancements in zero-emission fuel cells could make the technology cheap enough to replace traditional gasoline engines in vehicles, according to researchers at...

INSIDER: Energy

Winter Could Pose Solar Farm ‘Ramping’ Problem for Power Grid

By adding utility-scale solar farms throughout New York state, summer electricity demand from conventional sources could be reduced by up to 9.6% in some places. But...

INSIDER: Energy

Release of Solar Panel Dataset Helps Cities Make Power Grids Safer and More Reliable

Solar power researchers have traditionally only used the power measurements from single residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to estimate the...

INSIDER: Energy

Flexible Generators Turn Movement into Energy

Wearable devices that harvest energy from movement are not a new idea, but a material created at Rice University may make them more practical.

Tech Talks: Automotive

Getting a Grip on Friction

Friction is the reason bearings exist – without it, relative movement between two objects would require little more than a gentle push. This Tech Talk is intended to delve a little deeper into the influences of friction with respect to rotation, heat generation, bearing function, and bearing failure. Along...

Tech Talks: Medical

Fiber Extrusion for Medical Devices 101

The demand for polymer-derived fibers and yarns for medical device components gives original equipment manufacturers and fiber extrusion experts opportunities to work together in exciting ways. Successfully creating components for a finished medical device depends on a mutual understanding of each...

White Papers: Defense

When to Choose HOT MWIR Over Uncooled LWIR

Cooled midwave infrared (MWIR) cameras have long held a tactical advantage over uncooled longwave infrared (LWIR) cameras in many airborne and ground-based missions. But while cooled MWIR cameras...

Question of the Week: Materials

Would You Use a Device That Bonds Metal and Plastic in Seconds?

The connection of plastics and metals poses a challenge due to the different physical properties of the two materials. A joining gun from Fraunhofer Institute bonds metal and plastic in seconds.

White Papers: Connectivity

Why Adas and Autonomous Vehicles Need Thermal Infrared Cameras

The FLIR Thermal for ADAS and AV solution briefs and accompanying video interviews with Alex Roy, Cannonball Run recorder setter, provide a comprehensive introduction to thermal...

White Papers: Photonics/Optics

Collaborative Manufacturing in Photonics Design

In this highly competitive photonics market, entering the new product introduction phase with little or no packaging expertise is likely to lengthen critical time to market. Using a...

Blog: Aerospace

Answering Your Questions: What are New Missions for Military UAVs?

An industry expert tells a Tech Briefs reader what's over the next hill regarding military UAVs.

White Papers: Software

Learn the 8 Elements of Effective Document Control

Effective document control adds flexibility, ease of use and collaboration into the culture of your organization, while also encouraging best practices. Learn the key elements required to...

White Papers: Robotics, Automation & Control

Get Ready for Factory Intelligence

Successful medical manufacturing depends on speed, accuracy and efficiency. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through seamless collaboration between people and machines — also...

News: Electronics & Computers

Engineers Develop Concept for Hybrid Heavy-Duty Trucks

Heavy-duty trucks, such as the 18-wheelers that transport many of the world's goods from farm or factory to market, are virtually all powered by diesel engines. They account for a...

News: Energy

Next-Generation, Low-Cost Stop Sign Improves Driver Safety

It's dark on the back road as a motorist speeds toward the intersection. Up ahead, the stop sign blends with the night and in seconds a deadly crash occurs. According to the U.S....

News: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Energy Monitor Can Find Electrical Failures Before They Happen

A new system devised by researchers at MIT can monitor the behavior of all electric devices within a building, ship, or factory, determining which ones are in use at any given time and whether any are showing signs of an imminent failure. When tested on a Coast Guard cutter, the...

News: Electronics & Computers

Renewable Oils for Use in Lubricants Synthesized

Engine gears, plane thrusters, refrigerator compressors, wind turbines – the list of important industrial machinery, agricultural equipment, transportation vessels, and home applications that depend on lubricants might be endless. These slick substances quite literally keep the world turning,...

Tech Talks: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Hydraulic Cylinders and the Search for the Perfect Seal

Large-scale manufacturers, such as those in the agricultural and construction industries, are tasked with finding a balance between the cost and performance of their hydraulic cylinders. This Tech Talk explains how to achieve that goal by optimizing advanced sealing technology. In...

On-Demand Webinars: Software

Simulation for Testing and Analysis of Autonomous Vehicles

With the spate of public highway accidents of autonomous vehicles, the conversation has become more intense regarding the need for simulation testing to reduce risky on-road testing and – more important – to accumulate the billions of miles said to be needed to develop robust...

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

How to Produce More Clean Water? Resemble the Rose.

A new water purifier works better because it takes the shape of the rose.

News: Test & Measurement

LASER World of PHOTONICS 2019

The bi-annual Laser World of Photonics exhibition begins today.

Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control

Will Microbots Like HAMR-E Improve Search and Rescue?

Researchers from Harvard University's Wyss Institute created a 1.5-gram microbot called HAMR-E.

Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing

From LASER World of PHOTONICS 2019: Light as the Key to Global Sustainability

The increased use of photonics has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions — by 3-billion tons.

Blog: Photonics/Optics

LASER World of PHOTONICS, Day 2: Bigger is Better

Many vendors at this year's event made their presence known with mega-sized booths.

Webinars: Medical

Establishing Maximum Acceptable Dose

Manufacturers utilizing ionizing radiation (gamma, electron beam, or X-ray) for sterilization purposes need to establish the maximum acceptable dose for the specified product. Compliance to the ISO 11137 standard requires an experimental program that demonstrates that a product treated with the...

INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Tool Tells Robots Where Nearby Humans are Headed

On a factory floor, robots are programmed to stop momentarily if a person passes by. The robot often freezes in place long before a person crosses its path. While robots can predict where...

News: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

LASER World of PHOTONICS, Day 3 — Unusual Exhibits

Editor Bruce A. Bennett takes us through the unusual — and completely unexpected —at this year's LASER World of Photonics.

On-Demand Webinars: Software

ISO 26262 Compliance, Innovation, and Time to Market: How to Deliver All Three

How to comply with functional safety standards without compromising either speed of development or innovation is addressed in this 60-minute Webinar. Delivering on all three is a challenge in an increasingly complex embedded software development environment,...

Blog: Wearables

At Sensors Expo: SST Wireless on a 'Journey of Innovation'

The key to IoT implementation: Democratizing big data, says SST's Christopher Chong.

Blog: Photonics/Optics

New at Sensors Expo: Image-Quality LiDAR for Autonomous Vehicles

At Sensors Expo in San Jose, Innovusion (Los Altos, CA) debuted the Cheetah high-resolution, image-grade LiDAR system with long-distance capability.

White Papers: Power

Achieving Outdoor IP Resilience with IEEE 802.3bt PoE

There are more than 85,000 commercial options for plastic materials listed in materials databases. Needless to say, narrowing down that extensive list of materials can sometimes seem like...

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