Looking ahead to 2007, optical design software will continue to enhance the capabilities of designers who must predict and analyze the performance of optical systems without experimental prototyping. An article in the November issue of Photonics Tech Briefs (PTB) titled "Optical Software in 2007: Isn't That Easy?" provides an...

Smart Materials with Precisely Controlled Constriction Properties A multi-billion-dollar electronics company seeks proposals describing responsive materials having controllable planar constriction. http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20061113A3

The newly created UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Nanomedicine Development Center is developing a method to put light-sensitive switches in the body's cells that can be flipped on and off. Optical switches like these could trigger a chemical reaction, activate a drug, initiate a muscle contraction, or...

Torque Measurement Methods This white paper from HBM outlines torque measurement in the following areas: calculation from electrical power, measuring reaction torque, measuring in-line torque, and strain gages in torque measurement. It showcases torque measurement products in action and details how measurement experts measure torque. ...

ATK Launch Systems is the world's leading manufacturer of solid rocket motor systems for space launch vehicles. We are looking for experienced engineers and project managers to work with us on Ares I, the successor to the space shuttle. Open house for qualified candidates will be held November 13 and 14 at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles...

A hybrid automobile or $20,000 in cash is the Grand Prize in Emhart Teknologies' and NASA Tech Briefs' fifth annual "Create the Future" Design Contest. Engineers, students, and the general public are encouraged to submit their ideas. View the official entry form and contest rules here. Categories are Everyday Products,...

AST Bearings (Montville, NJ) introduced the High Carbon Chromium Steel Tapered Roller Bearings line, comprised of the inner and outer rings, tapered rollers, and a cage (roller retainer). The rings and rollers carry the load; the cage spaces and retains the rollers on the inner ring. For more information click here. Harmonic...

Engineers at Stanford University (Stanford, CA) have devised an algorithm that allows a robot to recognize unfamiliar objects and determine the best way to pick them up. The robot was first trained in a computer-generated environment to pick up five items: a cup, pencil, brick, book, and martini glass. The algorithm locates the...

This filtration device removes gas phase contaminants from an air stream in a non-mechanical, non-cyclic, continuous manner. Odor removal is accomplished by directing an air stream through a filter element consisting of partially hollow wicking fibers. View this technology here.

Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO, Clayton, Australia) have designed a showerhead that saves 30% more water than conventional heads by adding air into the water stream. The resulting shower feels just as "wet" as one with a conventional head.

This technology is based on an ice model for structural integrity with regard to load and impact. Understanding how structures perform against ice-loads is vital to ensure that structures continue to operate safely. View this technology here.

Automated 3D Surface Contact for Nastran FEA NEiNastran V9 adds a powerful new feature that allows automatic surface contact generation (ASCG) between discontinuous bodies. This paper discusses different applications of ASCG as well as some of the more advanced features. Click here for more.

Heat-Resistant, High Dielectric Constant Materials A global electronic components manufacturer is seeking proposals for highly heat-resistant, high dielectric constant materials for capacitors used in power devices. Click here for more.

Free Webinar: Validate Avionics Performance with Realistic Simulation If you design, analyze, or test Avionics equipment, attend this webinar. In 60 minutes, learn how to accelerate the evaluation and validation of reliable performance of your Avionics designs and manufacturing processes. Click here.

There is only one day left to submit your original design idea to the fifth annual Emhart Teknologies "Create the Future" Design Contest. Enter your unique idea in one of four categories -- Everyday Products, Safety, Transportation, and Medical -- and you could win a 2007 hybrid car, $20,000 in cash, a 42" plasma TV,...

An organization is seeking to purchase or to exclusively license US patents that improve the performance of LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) panels. They are especially interested in patents leading to higher resolution (such as light-blocking), and high-speed control (the gap control of the LCD layer).

The Embedded Technology supplement to the Air Force Research Laboratory's Technology Horizons magazine features board-level electronics and COTS solutions for design engineers, as well as a variety of product offerings.

Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester recently won $847,000 from NASA's Astronomy Physics Research and Analysis program to build and test a detector that will capture sharper images and consume less power than technology currently in use. This new detector could transform imaging applications on NASA...

You're a master of the air guitar, playing along with your favorite rock band. But what if your air guitar actually made real music? A team of engineers at the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has created the wearable instrument shirt (WIS), a T-shirt that lets...

Computer science engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed wireless sensor networks with software agents that have been able to navigate a robot safely through a simulated fire, and spot a fire by seeking out heat. The sensor networks also can be used to protect containers in a manufacturing environment.

Engineers at Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT, Tokyo, Japan) have developed three separate prototype devices that use a new electric field/photonics method allowing the surface of the body to be used as a safe, high-speed network transmission path. Called "RedTacton," a transmission path is formed at the moment a part of the...

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a team led by assistant professor Marin Soljacic is developing a method to broadcast power to devices to charge them, rather than depending on cords and cables. Instead of irradiating the environment with electromagnetic waves, a power transmitter would fill the space around it...

Researchers at the University of Manchester (Manchester, UK) have devised an experimental method of virtual reality for the treatment of phantom limb pain (PLP) experienced by some amputees. Using headsets, data gloves, and other sensors, amputees used their remaining physical limbs to control the movements of a...

Renishaw, Hoffman Estates, IL, has introduced a 13-bit magnetic sensor for rotary and angular positioning control. Providing 8,192 counts per revolution, the sensors are available in chip, chip-on-board, and ready-to-mount packaged versions. The solid-state, non-contact design features an integrated circuit chip that senses...

A report describes the main features of a system for testing pyrotechnic and mechanical devices used to separate spacecraft and modules of spacecraft during flight. The system includes a spacecraft simulator [also denoted a large mobility base (LMB)] equipped with air thrusters, sensors, and...