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INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
A revolution is coming in flexible electronic technologies as cheaper, more flexible, organic transistors come on the scene to replace expensive, rigid, silicone-based...
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INSIDER Product: Electronics & Computers
XP Power (Sunnyvale, CA) has introduced the ITQ series of 6 Watt DC-DC converters. Packaged in a compact SIP 8-pin format, with a footprint measuring just 0.86 x 0.44 x 0.36 inches, the ITQ series delivers a power...
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INSIDER: Energy
Engineer Creates Origami Battery
A Binghamton engineer, Seokheun "Sean" Choi, developed an inexpensive, bacteria-powered battery made from paper. Using a drop of bacteria-containing liquid, the battery generates power from microbial respiration and delivers enough energy to run a paper-based biosensor.
Question of the Week
Would you implant a technology under your skin?
This week's Question: During a speech at last week's Sensors Expo in Long Beach, California, keynote speaker and NewDealDesign technology designer Gadi Amit explained a new concept that he believes could be the next step in wearable technology. The idea, Project Underskin, is an implantable device...
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New Computer Operates on Water Droplets
A synchronous computer from Stanford University operates using the unique physics of moving water droplets. The work combines the manipulation of droplet fluid dynamics with a fundamental element of computer science – an operating clock.
INSIDER: Medical
A new study shows that the recently developed Compact Light Source (CLS) – a commercial X-ray source with roots in research and development efforts at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National...
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INSIDER: Materials
Flexible optoelectronic devices that can be produced roll-to-roll – much like newspapers are printed – are a highly promising path to cheaper devices such as solar cells...
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INSIDER Product: Lighting
EVT (Karlsruhe, Germany) has introduced a new industrial back light in its BrainLight smart illumination series. The LEDs of the intelligent back light can illuminate in the colors red, green, blue and white. There is a...
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INSIDER Product: Lighting
Norlux (Elgin, IL) has introduced new NorFlex brand flexible continuous light engine material. The cuttable high-power LED circuits on a semi-rigid material provide 5x the lumen output of low power flex materials....
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INSIDER Product: Lighting
Lambda Research Corporation (Littleton, MA) recently added the Luminit Light Shaping Diffusers (LSDs) catalog to the latest version of its flagship TracePro software, TracePro v7.6. This new TracePro diffuser catalog...
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INSIDER Product: Lighting
60V LED Driver
Linear Technology’s (Milpitas, CA) LT3952 is a current mode step-up DC/DC converter with an internal 60V, 4A DMOS power switch. It is specifically designed to drive high power LEDs in multiple configurations. It combines input and output current regulation loops with output voltage regulation to operate as a flexible...
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New Etching Method Boosts Nanofiber Production
A new technique from MIT researchers boosts production of nanofibers fourfold, while cutting energy consumption by more than 90 percent. Potential nanofiber applications include solar cells, water filtration, and fuel cells.
Question of the Week
Will robots hurt the job market?
This week's Question: In a cover article in this month's issue of The Harvard Business Review, two researchers suggest strategies for remaining gainfully employed in an age of robotics and smarter machines. Although the authors concede the advance of automation, editor at large Julia Kirby and Babson College...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Researchers at the University of Rochester’s Institute of Optics have shown that a laser-generated microplasma in air can be used as a source of broadband terahertz radiation....
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INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
An international team has, for the first time, precisely tracked the surprisingly rapid process by which light rearranges the outermost electrons of a metal compound and turns...
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INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Since lasers were invented in 1960, they have penetrated countless scientific, industrial and recreational fields from eye surgery to DVD players, from cutting steel to triggering ignition...
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INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics
Excelitas Technologies Corp. (Waltham, MA) has introduced the X-Cite 120LEDmini – a compact white light LED source for fluorescence imaging applications. Through direct coupling, the X-Cite 120LEDmini provides...
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INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics
Fujipoly’s (Carteret, NJ) Self-Supporting Sponge Connectors are ideal for connecting LCD panels to circuit boards with a very low deflection force. Each connector is made from an economical and highly...
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INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics
If diffractive optical elements are used at low and medium laser power, then plastic elements may be sufficient instead of using fused silica elements. Laser Components (Bedford, NH) offers Holo/ORs plastic...
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INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics
Mitutoyo America Corporation (Aurora, IL) has announced the latest version of the Quick Image series 2-D vision measuring system. Two new systems with advanced one-click measuring functionality – available with...
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INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs
Researchers Develop Biodegradable Computer Chip
In an effort to alleviate the environmental burden of electronic devices, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers has collaborated with the Madison-based U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) to develop a semiconductor chip made almost entirely of wood.
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Festo (Hauppauge, NY) introduced PositioningDrives software for designing single-axis drive systems. Engineers input application requirements and the software details the information necessary to create a Festo component...
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Products: Motion Control
Pittman Motors (Harleysville, PA) offers the PLG24, PLG42K, PLG42S, PLG52, and PLG63 planetary gearboxes available with Pittman brush and brushless DC motors. The PLG planetary gearboxes deliver high-torque loads and are...
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Products: Motion Control
The Multi Wheel Encoder from Elma Electronic (Fremont, CA) is a miniature rotary encoder that includes an illuminated 8+1 joystick, enabling control using one finger. The encoder features Hall effect sensed incremental encoder...
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Products: Motion Control
HBM (Marlborough, MA) introduced the FIT7A digital load cell that enables machines to make up to 180 weighings per minute. The load cell features accuracy class C4 per OIML R60, and a maximum scale interval factor Y of up to...
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Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Universal Robots (Odense, Denmark) introduced the UR3 tabletop robot that weighs 24.3 pounds and has a payload of 6.6 pounds, 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints, and infinite rotation on the end joint. The flexible,...
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Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Novotechnik, U.S. (Southborough, MA) introduced the Vert-X 2400 compact angle sensors that convert rotational angle into a voltage output. The sensors are available in single and fully redundant versions; diameter of the housing...
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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The VMX30UHSi, VMX42HSRTi, VMX84SWi, VMX60SWi, and VMX60Ui from Hurco (Indianapolis, IN) are 5-axis machines for traditional 3-axis parts with features on all five sides. The VMX42HSRTi has a swivel-head design with a direct...
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Products: Motion Control
The EGP 25 electric small part gripper from SCHUNK (Morrisville, NC) weighs 110 g and has a stroke of 3 mm per finger. The gripping force can be adjusted on two stages, and maximum gripping force is 40 N. The gripper can handle...
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