Briefs: Nanotechnology
Water-Repellent Nanotextures Possess Anti-Fogging Capability
Some insect bodies have evolved the ability to repel water and oil, adhere to different surfaces, and eliminate light reflections. Scientists have been studying the physical mechanisms underlying these properties found in nature and mimicking them to design materials for use in...
Application Briefs: Materials
Reducing Weight and Design Time for Dream Chaser Spacecraft
Newport News, VA
www.hypersizer.com
With the go-ahead from NASA for a first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Sierra...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Diamond Pellet Grinding Tool
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a numerically controlled grinding tool that eliminates undesirable periodic variations in surface contours in optical and other surfaces — such as mid-spatial...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Chemical Heat Battery Material Releases Energy on Demand
A new chemical composite could be used to store heat from the Sun during the day in a thermal battery, and release the heat when needed. A common approach to thermal storage is to use...
Briefs: Transportation
Electrode Design Boosts Supercapacitor Performance
Supercapacitors are rechargeable energy storage devices that deliver more power for their size than similar-sized batteries. They also recharge quickly, and they last for hundreds to thousands of recharging cycles. Today, they are used in hybrid cars’ regenerative braking systems and for other...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Built-In Temperature Sensing Method in a Microheater
NASA Ames Research Center has developed an innovative built-in temperature sensing method for micro-heaters. The temperature sensing of chip-based microheaters is conventionally done with...
Products: Photonics/Optics
New on the Market: August 2018
NK Technologies, San Jose, CA, introduced DT-FD Series DC current transducers that provide a large sensing window and the ability to safely monitor circuits with voltages up to...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Hybrid Optics for Color Imaging
Today's glass-based lenses are bulky and resist miniaturization. To address the problem, two different imaging methods — a type of lens designed for nanoscale interaction with lightwaves, and robust...
Briefs: Aerospace
Information Sharing Protocol VCR (ISPVCR)
The Information Sharing Protocol (ISP) VCR (ISPVCR) is a software program written in Tcl/Tk that provides the capability to record and play back ISP data (telemetry, computations, ground system status, etc.) via Source Independent Telemetry Format (SITF) files. The ISPVCR provides a graphical user...
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
System Tests Dream Chaser's Atmospheric Flight Control System
Owosso, MI
www.sakor.com
SAKOR Technologies supplied a test system to Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI) to be used to test the...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Hyperfine Interpolated Range Finding for CW Lidar, Radar, and Sonar Using Repeating Waveforms and Fourier Transform Reordering
NASA's Langley Research Center has developed a novel fine interpolation technique that is useful in signal processing for applications in lidar, sonar, radar, and similar modalities. The interpolation technique uses...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Location Awareness Algorithm for Internet of Things Devices
Positioning of wireless devices is centralized, depending on “anchors” with known locations such as cell towers or GPS satellites to communicate directly with each device. As the number of devices increases, anchors must be installed at higher density. Centralized positioning can...
Facility Focus: Materials
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, was formed in October 1997 through the consolidation of four former Air Force laboratories and the Air Force...
Briefs: Materials
Modified, 3D-Printable Alloy for Flexible Electronics and Soft Robots
Liquid metal printing is integral to the flexible electronics field. Additive manufacturing enables fast fabrication of intricate designs and circuitry. The field features...
Products: Test & Measurement
Product of the Month: August 2018
Pepperl+Fuchs, Twinsburg, OH, introduced the R200 and R201 photoelectric sensors in a design that is suitable for specific mounting situations. Standardized IO-Link connection via smart sensor profiles...
Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
IMTS Product Preview 2018
igus, East Providence, RI, offers the E4.1L general-purpose energy chain (e-chain) cable carrier with high dynamics that includes a honeycomb strain relief block. It also includes separators...
By introducing some new ingredients to the flow battery, Stanford University scientists are advancing a new way to store wind and solar electricity.
Question of the Week: Test & Measurement
A Role for Cell-Sized Robots?
Today's lead INSIDER story highlighted cell-sized robots developed by a team at MIT. The researchers say the nanobots could someday support oil-pipeline inspection or medical diagnostics.
Blog: Imaging
Engineers Teach Computers to Detect Radiation Damage
INSIDER: Materials
Future Robots Powered by Light
A novel actuating material – nickel hydroxide-oxyhydroxide –can be powered by visible (Vis) light, electricity, and other stimuli. The material actuation can be instantaneously triggered by visible...
Blog: Test & Measurement
Researchers Ready Cell-Sized Robots for Inspection Tasks
Researchers at MIT have created cell-sized robots that may someday be used to inspect and analyze hard-to-reach locations, from oil pipelines to the human body.
Blog: Semiconductors & ICs
How Would You Use An Electronic Circuit Sensor Sticker?
Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Virginia have designed peelable electronic films that can be cut and pasted onto any object, offering new sensing capabilities to...
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Is It Important to Know How a Robot is 'Feeling?'
Talking about your feelings can be difficult. Now imagine if you’re a robot.
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Silicon Photonics Scientist Demonstrates New Type of Laser
Northern Arizona University assistant professor Ryan Behunin collaborated with a team of physicists from Yale and the University of Texas at Austin in discovering an innovative...
INSIDER: Imaging
Research Project Will Produce Clearer Images of Space Objects
A research project designed to enable more precise imaging of space objects has moved from lab bench testing to field testing at the John Bryan State Park observatory,...
INSIDER: Imaging
National Ignition Facility Sets New Laser Energy Record
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser system has set a new record, firing 2.15 megajoules (MJ) of energy to its target chamber –...
INSIDER Product: Imaging
New Products: July 2018 Photonics & Imaging Insider
Teledyne e2v (Chelmsford, UK) recently announced its Emerald 67 megapixel, the newest member of its Emerald CMOS image sensor family. The new sensor features a...
Question of the Week: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Which Superpower Do You Want Most?
Our latest episode of “Here’s an Idea” showcased a variety of technologies designed to give the human user a kind of “superpower”: a Spider-Man-like adhesive; an Iron Man suit; a Jet Pack; and (thermal) invisibility.
Podcasts: Materials
Here's an Idea: Engineering Real-Life 'Superpowers'
Engineers today are using their creativity to build a variety of superhero-like technologies that enhance our human capabilities, including exosuits, invisibility cloaks, and wall-scaling...
Top Stories
Blog: Materials

A New Way to Cure Adhesives on Demand? Magnets.
Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar...
Blog: Transportation

CES 2021: How COVID-19 Turned the Car into a Personal 'Second Space'
Videos: Motion Control

'Blueswarm' Robots Synchronize Movements like School of Fish
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition


Question of the Week
Will We Make Vibration-Free Helicopters?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Reducing the Cost of Quality in Automotive BiW
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Electric-Vehicle Transmission Development Priorities
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
The Critical Role of Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors in Medical...
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Zinc Die Casting Concepts to Achieve Precision, Performance, and...
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Radar Measurements: Triggering, Analysis, and Generation
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Trending Stories
NASA Spinoff: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Linear Motors and Actuators Meets Automation Needs
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Radiation-Tolerant DC-DC Converters
Application Briefs: Energy

Lithium-Ion Batteries Critical to Mars Spacecraft
Application Briefs: Aerospace

System Recycles and Purifies Large Volumes of Helium for SLS