Morphing Robot Turns Challenging Terrain to Its Advantage

From mountain goats that run up near-vertical rock faces to armadillos that roll into a protective ball, animals have evolved to adapt effortlessly to changes in their environment....

Robot Works Inside E-Waste Recycling Facility

A researcher from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science is using robotics to improve e-waste recycling.

MIT Engineers Help Multirobot Systems Stay In the Safety Zone

Drone shows are an increasingly popular form of large-scale light display. These shows incorporate hundreds to thousands of airborne bots, each programmed to fly in paths that...

How Much Do You Know About Cloud Computing?

Test your knowledge of cloud computing with this quiz.

New AI Algorithm Could Lead to Truly Autonomous AI

Researchers have developed a new AI algorithm, called Torque Clustering, that is much closer to natural intelligence than current methods. It significantly improves how AI systems learn and uncover patterns in data independently, without human guidance.

Bioprinting Artificial Organs in Space to Benefit Human Life on Earth

Recent successes in cultivating human heart tissue, knee cartilage, and pharmaceutical crystals in space have relied on technology that was initially developed decades ago with support from NASA.

My Opinion: How to Succeed — Advice from Researchers Who Did

Paying attention to what successful researchers have to say about their process is a good way to get ideas about what it takes to be successful in research and development.

Interoperability in IoMT: Overcoming the Connectivity Barriers

Overcoming IoMT connectivity barriers with ultra-low-power wireless technologies.

5Ws of a 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

With the goal to democratize space research, MIT engineers have demonstrated the first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting electrospray engine which can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the cost of traditional thruster.

New Microactuator Driving System Could Give Microdrones a Jump-Start

An innovative circuit design could enable miniature devices, such as microdrones and other microrobotics, to be powered for longer periods of time while staying...

Breakthrough in High-Performance Oxide-Ion Conductors Using Rubidium

Oxide-ion conductors enable oxide ions (O2-) to be transported in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which can run on diverse fuels beyond hydrogen, including natural gas,...

Power Line Test Bed Energizes Technologies for Increasing Grid Capacity

As population growth and extreme temperatures strain the United States power grid, utilities and equipment manufacturers are looking for ways to increase the amount of...

New Material To Make Next Generation of High-Power Electronics Faster and More Efficient

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have achieved a new material that will be pivotal in making the next generation of high-power electronics...

Readers Select 2024 Products of the Year

Last December, Tech Briefs readers were asked to select one product from our 2024 Products of the Month to be named Readers’ Choice Product of the Year. Thanks to all of our readers who cast their votes. Read on to learn the 2024 winners.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: IDEC Corporation's FS1B Safety Controller, an upgrade of the popular FS1A.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including paper-thin optical lenses simple enough to mass produce like microchips; a compact cooling technology that can pump away heat continuously using layers of flexing thin films; and a multilayered chip design that doesn’t require any silicon wafer substrates and works at temperatures low enough to preserve the underlying layer’s circuitry.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including electronic control products from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS; the new F-141 photonics alignment system from PI; InnoPhase IoT's expansion of its Talaria platform; Aerotech, Inc.'s HexGen® HEX150-125HL Miniature Hexapod; and more.

Closed Ecological System Network Data Collection, Analysis, Control, and Optimization System

NASA Ames Research Center presents a novel, patent-pending adjustable-autonomous intelligent systems approach for developing sustainable, small-scale reproductions of subsets of the Earths biosphere that can be distributed both on and beyond Earth, for improving the quality of life for all life, expanding the diversity of life, studying and protecting life, as well as enabling life to permanently extend beyond Earth. Read on to learn more.

Reducing Electronic Waste with Biodegradable and Recyclable Luminescent Polymers

Researchers have developed a strategy to design luminescent polymers with high light-emitting efficiencies from the start that are both biodegradable and recyclable. Read on to learn more.

Critical Minerals Recovery from Electronic Waste

A PNNL research team used a simple mixed-salt water-based solution and their knowledge of metal properties to separate valuable minerals in continuously flowing reaction chambers. Read on to learn more.

An AI Solution for Steering Adaptive Control Systems

A new study led by Flinders University and French researchers has used a novel bio-inspired computing artificial intelligence solution to improve the potential of UUVs and other adaptive control systems to operate more reliability in rough seas and other unpredictable conditions. Read on to learn more.

When Mushrooms Control Robots

In creating a pair of new robots, Cornell researchers cultivated an unlikely component: fungal mycelia. By harnessing mycelia’s innate electrical signals, the researchers discovered a new way of controlling “biohybrid” robots that can potentially react to their environment better than their purely synthetic counterparts. Read on to learn more.

Insect Cyborgs: Toward Precision Movement

In a recent study published in the journal eLife, an international research group has studied the relationship between electrical stimulation in stick insects’ leg muscles and the resultant torque (the twisting force that makes the leg move). Read on to learn what they found.

RFID Range Extension and Priority Data Forwarding

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed an adaptable RFID system that optimizes transmission for priority data as targets move in and out of passive coverage areas. The method extends the range, and reduces data latency, of ultra-low power battery-assisted passive RFID sensor tags. Read on to learn more.

A Color-Based Sensor Emulates Skin’s Sensitivity

Jamie Paik and colleagues in the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab in EPFL’s School of Engineering have developed a sensor that can perceive combinations of bending, stretching, compression, and temperature changes, all using a robust system that boils down to a simple concept: color. Read on to learn more about it.

Brain-Inspired Wireless System Gathers Data from Salt-Sized Sensors

The Brown University research team created a novel approach for a wireless communication network that can efficiently transmit, receive, and decode data from thousands of microelectronic chips that are each no larger than a grain of salt. Read on to learn more about it.