A Stanford University research team has designed a high-efficiency charging system that uses magnetic fields to wirelessly transmit large electric currents between metal coils placed several feet apart. The long-term goal of the research is to develop an all-electric highway that...

New circuitry is able to monitor and deliver electrical impulses into living tissue. The elastic electronics are made of tiny, wavy silicon structures containing circuits that are thinner than a human hair, and bend and stretch with the body. The elastic technology attempts to bridge the gap from...

A team of researchers from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in Canada has focused on making soft versions of multitouch screens, batteries, microchip transistors, and other electronics. Those technologies could lead to "smart clothing" that, for example, monitors a person's health signs, or even...

A technique for inducing nanorods – rod-shaped semiconductor nanocrystals – to self-assemble into one-, two-, and three-dimensional macroscopic structures will enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic storage devices, and sensors. The development should also help boost the...

A research team led by investigators at Mayo Clinic in Florida has found that a small device worn on a patient's brow can be useful in monitoring stroke patients in the hospital. The device measures blood oxygen, similar to a pulse oximeter, which is clipped onto a finger.The tool, known as frontal near-infrared...

An international team of researchers has developed a process that improves the efficiency of generating electric power using molecular structures extracted from plants. The system taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.

Task requirements for rocket propulsion test preparations of the test stand facilities drive the need to model the test facility propellant systems prior to constructing physical modifications. The Propellant System Modeling Environment (PSME) is an initiative...

A theory was developed to explain the properties of the chorus magnetic and electric field components in the case of an arbitrary propagation angle. The new theory shows that a whistler wave has circularly polarized magnetic fields for oblique propagation. This...

The performance of an optical system (for example, a telescope) is limited by the misalignments and manufacturing imperfections of the optical elements in the system. The impact of these misalignments and imperfections can be quantified by the phase variations imparted on light traveling through the system. Phase retrieval...

A synthetic leather material delivers a durable touch-feel. The design is based on the way that the human fingertip interacts with surfaces along four different axes of material properties. The fingertip determines whether a surface is soft or hard, smooth or coarse, wet or dry, and warm or...

The PACE Hf, a high-flow proportional valve utilizing a Parker Advanced Technology actuator, delivers 180 slpm of air at 30 psi. The product has low power requirements: steadystate 0.6 Watts max, cycling 15 Hz, 1.2 Watts. The Viva piezoelectric actuator provides repeatability...

An organization seeks innovative processes or coatings for steel. The application requires that a normal force be applied between two lubricated steel surfaces. Excessive normal force results in system power losses and increase in wear; the desired solution will permanently increase the coefficient of friction so...

A company must achieve standard, non-halogenated fire retardancy on cabling. Methods may include plastic compounds, coatings, polymers, or additives. The UL tests define the fire-retardant properties that the cable must exhibit after treatment — notably, ignition resistance, flame spread resistance after ignition,...