Application Briefs: Materials

Reducing Weight and Design Time for Dream Chaser Spacecraft

Collier Research Corporation
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: 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

DC Current Transducers

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...

Application Briefs: Test & Measurement

System Tests Dream Chaser's Atmospheric Flight Control System

SAKOR Technologies
Owosso, MI
www.sakor.com

SAKOR Technologies supplied a test system to Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI) to be used to test the...

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

Cable Carrier

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...

Blog: Energy

Scientists Find Right Combination for a Better Flow Battery

By introducing some new ingredients to the flow battery, Stanford University scientists are advancing a new way to store wind and solar electricity.

Blog: Imaging

Engineers Teach Computers to Detect Radiation Damage

Engineers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are teaching computers to quickly detect microscopic 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

CMOS Image Sensor

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...

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...