Products: Lighting
OLED Panel
The ORBEOS panel from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, San Jose, CA, has a round lamp surface of 80mm diameter, is 2.1mm thick, and weighs 24g. With an efficiency of 25lm/W, the panel beats that of conventional halogen lamps. Its warm...
Products: Lighting
UV LEDs
QuasarBrite™ UV LEDs from Lumex, Palatine, IL, are available in 385nm, 405nm, and 415nm wavelengths at 4-6mW in through-hole format. A robust TO-46 package with a glass lens provides a lifespan of more than 50,000 hours....
Products: Lighting
High-Output Red LEDs
Opto Diode, Newbury Park, CA, offers the OD-624L High-Output Red LED with a dominant emission wavelength at 624 nm (typical) and a narrow beam angle that is ideal for fluorescence in medical, scientific testing...
Products: Lighting
White LED Backlight Driver
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor, Sunnyvale, CA, has expanded its EZBoost™ family with a white LED backlight driver, the AOZ1950. The AOZ1950 provides backlighting solutions for portable devices using medium-sized...
Application Briefs: Lighting
Greening the Golden Arches
Last July, Ric Richards — a fast-food franchisee — opened the first green McDonald’s in North Carolina, proving that it can be affordable and effective to build a sustainable fast-food...
Application Briefs: Lighting
Bright and Economical LEDs Enable Mobile Projection
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Sunnyvale, CA www.osram-os.com
Micro projectors from 3M that can be connected to mobile phones and cameras include LEDs from...
Briefs: Lighting
Sliding Mode Pulsed Current Averaging IC Drivers for High-Brightness Light Emitting Diodes
San Jose, CA
This project developed new light emitting diode (LED) driver ICs associated with specific (uniquely operated)...
Briefs: Lighting
Development of Advanced LED Phosphors by Spray-based Processes for Solid-State Lighting
Boston, MA
The overarching goal of this project was to develop luminescent materials using aerosol processes for making improved...
NASA Spinoff: Lighting
Piezoelectric Switch for Controlling Lighting
Piezoelectric materials convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, and electrical energy into mechanical energy. They generate electrical charges in response to mechanical stress and...
Techs for License: Lighting
Nanofiber-based Lighting Technology
A lighting technology from RTI is more energy efficient than the common incandescent light bulb and does not contain mercury, making it environmentally safer than the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb....
Briefs: Lighting
OLED Deposition Technology
Low-cost processing methods will be required if the small organic molecule materials currently under development for use in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and other electronics are ever to realize wide...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
PPM Receiver Implemented in Software
A computer program has been written as a tool for developing optical pulse-position-modulation (PPM) receivers in which photodetector outputs are fed to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and all subsequent signal processing is performed digitally. The program can be used, for example, to simulate an...
Products: Energy
"Powder to Power"
Today, Bloom Energy Corporation (Sunnyvale, CA) announced the availability of the Bloom Energy Server™, a patented solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology that provides clean, affordable, and continuous onsite...
Using arrays of long, thin silicon wires embedded in a polymer substrate, California Institute of Technology scientists have created a new type of flexible solar...
Question of the Week
Is hands-free texting while driving a safe alternative?
This week's question concerns the ongoing debate over texting while driving. A research team at Clemson University recently developed an application called VoiceTEXT that allows drivers to speak text messages and keep their eyes on the road at the same time. Drivers using VoiceTEXT can put...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
Eco-friendly Nanocatalyst
A new nanotech catalyst developed by McGill University chemists Chao-Jun Li, Audrey Moores, and their colleagues offers industry an opportunity to reduce the use of expensive and toxic heavy metals. Li describes the...
Briefs: Materials
Electroceramic Actuators for Operation at Low Temperatures
Electrostrictive ceramic actuators that can function at low temperatures have been developed for controlling the shapes of mirrors in the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). On Earth, electrostrictive ceramic actuators may be useful for fine control of the positions of objects in...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Thermal Detection of Gas in a Tube Containing Flowing Liquid
A relatively simple thermal technique has been proposed to enable detection of bubbles of gas or bulk gas in a tube that is meant to contain a flowing liquid only. In a system in which gas cannot be tolerated, the technique could be used to trigger a shutoff valve downstream of a...
University of Pennsylvania material scientists have demonstrated the transduction of optical radiation to electrical current in a molecular circuit. The array of...
Question of the Week
Is the American auto industry finally headed in the right direction?
This week's question concerns the wonders and the woes of the American auto industry. With falling sales, the somewhat controversial "cash for clunkers" program, and the spate of bailouts that occurred last year for Detroit's "big three", the industry seems to be due for some...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Profiling the Atmosphere by Use of an Elevated GPS Receiver
A method of determining the radio refractivity of the atmosphere as a function of altitude involves processing of data acquired by airborne or mountain-top Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers from particular GPS satellites as those satellites rise above or fall below the horizon....
News: Energy
Crystals for Carbon Dioxide Capture
UCLA chemists have created three-dimensional synthetic DNA-like crystals that have a sequence of information which is believed to code for carbon capture. The discovery could result in a new way to...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Venting Closed-Cell Foam Panels
A technique for reducing in-flight loss of closed-cell foam insulation has been devised. In the original application, foam is used for thermal insulation on the external tank of the space shuttle. As the space...
Blog
Big Ideas for Small Innovations
Another day at MD&M West has come and gone, and I'm continuing to see a lot of focus on miniaturization -- which makes sense, considering the multitude of medical applications that could benefit from compact yet efficient devices.
The SQUIGGLE motor from New Scale Technologies measures 2.8 x 2.8 x 6 mm....
Blog
Engineering Design at its Coolest
Day one at the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West show in Anaheim, CA was bustling with energy. Nearly everyone I spoke with said that they had found themselves happily busy throughout the day.
One nice part about meeting people at trade shows is that you might come across information you...
Question of the Week
Should the Internet be a nominee for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize?
This week's question concerns a recent Forbes/AP story that reported on the nominees for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. These include a Russian human rights group, a Chinese dissident, and, believe it or not, the Internet. Proposed by the Italian version of Wired magazine, which...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Chemical Machining of Microscopic Holes and Grooves in Glass
A technique for making precise, microscopic holes and grooves in glass workpieces has been invented. The technique differs from both (1) traditional macroscopic mechanical drilling...
A new PHEV traction drive power electronics system provides more power than typical freestanding portable generators, and can be used in emergency situations such as power outages and...
News: Green Design & Manufacturing
External Electric Fields and Hydrogen Storage
It has been difficult to find materials that can efficiently and safely store and release hydrogen with fast kinetics under ambient temperature and pressure, but an international research team...
Top Stories
Articles: Automotive
Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
A Former NASA Mission Manager Reflects on a 'Flawless' Mars Landing
Videos: Motion Control
'LaserFactory' Manufactures Fully Functional Devices & Drones
Podcasts: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Here's an Idea: Hospital Robots
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Modeling & Simulation for Battery Development
Videos: Motion Control
Question of the Week
Would You Use the 'LaserFactory?'
Webcasts
On-Demand Webinars: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Developing Standards for Odor Sensors and Data
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Transforming Automotive Engineering by Tackling Complexity
Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers
Contactless Position, Torque, and Force Sensing for Today’s and...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
How to Achieve Multidisciplinary, Collaborative, Concurrent...
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Ultra-High Purity Silicone in Aerospace and Defense Product Design
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
A Four-Pillar Approach to Driving Greater Efficiency ePowertrain...
Trending Stories
Application Briefs: Data Acquisition
Using the IoT for Predictive Maintenance
Application Briefs: Motion Control
Innovation on a Larger Scale: Robotic Fiber Placement and 3D Printing
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Executive Roundtable: Facility & Network Security
NASA Spinoff: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Sound Inaudible to Humans Can Be Recorded by Microphones
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Compact Ku-Band T/R Module for High-Resolution Radar Imaging of Cold Land...
