Q&A: Physical Sciences
Q&A: NASA's Dr. James Thorpe Develops Instrumentation for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)
Gravitational waves from colliding black holes were first observed by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)...
Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control
Will origami-inspired crawler robots support pipe inspection?
This week’s lead story featured an origami-inspired robot. Assistant professor Aimy Wissa sees possible pipe inspection applications for the crawler.
"Pipes have different kinds of diameters, and you want something that can fit in there with ease," Wissa said in our Tech...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
To Watch the Warehouse, Researchers Turn to Drones
Despite the growing use of wireless radio frequency ID (RFID) tags, lost inventory still costs warehouses billions of dollars every year. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of...
INSIDER: Test & Measurement
A Balancing Act: How Months in Space Impact Astronauts' Performance
When you arrive back on Earth after a year in space, you’re going to feel it.
NASA and Jacob Bloomberg, senior scientist in the Houston, TX- headquartered Johnson...
News: Data Acquisition
Sound-Off: With High-Speed Data, How Important is Signal Integrity?
Modern avionics are highly dependent on reliable connectivity — and reliable interconnection systems. As data rates inevitably improve to address greater military...
News: Lighting Technology
New battery coating could improve smart phones and electric vehicles
High-performing lithium-ion batteries are a key component of laptops, smart phones, and electric vehicles. Currently, the anodes, or negative charged side of lithium-ion...
News: Lighting Technology
Precision work: Defect-free coatings for silicon spheres
The prototype kilogram is the unit of mass upon which the weight of a kilo is based. And it’s becoming increasingly lighter. The reason for this, however, is unknown. Now researchers...
News: Lighting Technology
Designing the fuel-efficient aircraft of the future
As much as we complain about air travel, the fact is, flying has gotten considerably cheaper, safer, faster, and even greener, over the last 60 years.
News: Lighting Technology
Lab researchers 3D-print with high-performance carbon fiber
Lawrence Livermore National Lab researchers have become the first to 3D-print aerospace-grade carbon fiber composites, opening the door to greater control and optimization of the...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Pen Device Identifies Cancer in Seconds
Engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have invented the MasSpec Pen that rapidly and accurately identifies cancerous tissue during surgery, delivering results in about 10 seconds — more...
INSIDER: Test & Measurement
Mini Spectrometer Has Big Potential
Researchers have created a miniaturized, portable version of the mass spectrometer, which traditionally has been bulky, limiting its in-field potential. Other smaller spectrometers have been less...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Learning to Crawl: Origami Robot Moves Like an Earthworm
A new mechanical innovation unfolded this month at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a team of engineers built a new kind of crawler robot. The wheel-less design takes...
Question of the Week: Materials
Do you see valuable applications for 3D-printed Kapton?
Our lead INSIDER story today showcased a new Kapton-like material, developed by a team at Virginia Tech. The researchers hope that the 3D-printed polymer will support new applications,...
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Product of the Month: September 2017
The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products, Middletown, CT, announced the OEM-2306 non-contact linear displacement measuring instrument using eddy current technology. The board is...
INSIDER: Materials
Researchers Print the Unprintable: Kapton
Kapton, a material used in electronics and aerospace applications, has only been available in sheet form. Researchers from Virginia Tech have found a way to 3D-print a polymer with Kapton's...
Researchers have developed a fast and practical molecular-scale imaging technique that could let scientists view never-before-seen dynamics of biological processes involved in...
News: Imaging
Multispectral imaging reveals ancient Hebrew inscription
Using advanced imaging technology, Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered a hitherto invisible inscription on the back of a pottery shard that has been on display at the...
News: Imaging
Video imaging of single molecule DNA replication
Almost all life is based on DNA being copied or replicated. Now for the first time, scientists have been able to watch the replication of a single DNA molecule, with some surprising findings....
News: Imaging
New cellular imaging paves way for cancer treatment
Researchers at the Universities of York and Leiden have pioneered a technique that uses fluorescent imaging to track the actions of key enzymes in cancer, genetic disorders, and kidney...
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Sound-Off: How Does Recycled Powder Impact a 3D-Printed Part?
In the additive manufacturing process, leftover powder is often recycled for the next job. Do the raw materials degrade with time and exposure?
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Sound-Off: Who is Using 3D Printing for Thermal Management?
By reducing size and weight, 3D-printed parts provide an opportunity to improve thermal control systems. So which major industries are leading the way and using additive...
Articles: Communications
Self-Powered Wireless Sensors in the Industrial Internet of Things
Sensors have a key role in industrial production. For example, they can be used for quality and process monitoring or condition-based maintenance. The range of applications...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Optical Sensor for Unknown Gas Detection
Gas sensors are usually engineered to detect a specific molecule in one of many potential categories: toxic gases, combustible gases, and VOCs. A number of technologies, such as infrared,...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Occupancy Sensing Using Wi-Fi Routers
In 2015, commercial and residential buildings accounted for 40% of the energy consumption in the United States according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As the owners of these buildings seek to decrease costs and reduce energy consumption they have begun to adopt building energy management...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Expert in A Suitcase Cuts Power Bills 10% In Small Commercial Buildings
The Sensor Suitcase is a portable case that contains easy-to-use sensors and other equipment that make it possible for anyone to identify energy-saving opportunities in...
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Surgeons Can Feel a Robot's Grip
Thanks to advances in biomedical engineering, the use of robotic systems in surgery has become increasingly common. A clear challenge in robotic surgery, however, is the lack of haptic technology — there...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Clean Water with Sandia Sensor Solution
Water utilities have a Goldilocks problem: If they don't add enough chlorine, nasty bacteria that cause typhoid and cholera survive the purification process. Too much chlorine produces disinfection...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Project Helps Provide More Precise Detection and Understanding of Seismic Activity In Oklahoma
Induced seismicity is earthquake activity that occurs because of changes in subsurface stress brought about by human activity. Using geology,...
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Networking the IoT with IEEE 802.15.4/6LoWPAN
The Industrial Internet of Things is predicated on large-scale, distributed sensor/control networks that can run unattended for months to years with very low power consumption. The characteristic...
Top Stories
Blog: Unmanned Systems

Experts Weigh In: How Will a Robotic Future Impact Nature?
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar...
Videos: Motion Control

Test System Could Enable Reduced Helicopter Vibration
Podcasts: Materials

Videos: Automotive
New Lithium Metal Batteries ‘Build Themselves’
Blog: Transportation

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

Question of the Week
Has the Vehicle Become Your “Second Space?”
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
INSIDER: Imaging

Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar Atmosphere
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Combining Electronic, Photonic Chips Enables Super-Fast Quantum Light Detection
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Motion Solutions for Electric Expansion Valves
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Special Section: The Winners of the 2020 'Create the Future' Design Contest
Briefs: Energy

Solid-State Technology Enables Smaller, Safer Batteries
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Double-Vacuum-Bag Process for Making Resin-Matrix Composites