Product of the Month: July 2018

Altair, Troy, MI, released the 2018 versions of electromagnetic (EM) simulation software FEKO^®, WinProp^®, Flux^®, and FluxMotor^®. These electromagnetic solver...

A ‘Green’ Concrete Calls for Less Cement, More Ash

Researchers from Rice University are finding ways to use greater amounts of fly ash in an effort to build a “greener” kind of concrete.

Answering Your Questions: What is Virtual Prototyping (for Optics)?

Just because it's computer simulation doesn't mean it's virtual prototyping. Our expert explains.

Aerial Robot Morphs in Flight

An aerial robot capable of altering its profile during flight paves the way for a new generation of large robots that can move through narrow passages, making them ideal for exploration as well as search and...

To Communicate, Researchers Test the Power of Touch

Could touch be the new avenue for communications? Researchers from MIT and Purdue University think so and are working on a “general-purpose” tactile system that delivers information...

Paving the Way for Safer, Smaller Batteries and Fuel Cells

Researchers are developing a solid electrolyte that will make safer, better batteries.

Future Electric Cars Could Recharge Wirelessly While You Drive

Electric vehicles may one day be able to recharge while driving down the highway, drawing wireless power directly from plates installed in the road.

Self-Assembling 3D Battery Would Charge in Seconds

Instead of having a battery’s anode and cathode on either side of a nonconducting separator, a new battery would intertwine the two.

Wireless System Can Power Devices Inside the Body

Researchers have developed a new way to power and communicate with devices implanted deep within the human body.

Following Up: What is the Future of Flexible Solar Cells?

Researcher Jaana Vapaavuori answered an additional question regarding the future of flexible solar cells.

Machine Learning Software Improves Robot Interaction

MIT PhD candidate and Amazon Robotics Challenge winner Maria Bauza is helping to improve how robots interact with the world. Bauza has been exploring the notion of uncertainty when...

Surveillance Cameras “Talk” to the Public Through Smartphones

A Purdue University Ph.D. student co-developed PHADE, a technology that allows public cameras to send personalized messages to people without compromising their privacy....

With a Conductive Thin Film, Researchers Test a Silver Screen

PhD student Jes Linnet hopes that a silver-based, transparent conductive electrode film offers a longer-lasting alternative for flexible screens and electronics.

Answering Your Questions: Can CFD Software Simulate 'Wear and Tear' on an Engine?

Simulation tools offer insight into the physical processes of heavy-duty engines. But what about natural wear and tear?

Will Flexible Solar Cells Soon Power Our Devices?

Professor Jaana Vapaavuori spoke with Tech Briefs about the manufacturing methods that could someday decrease the cost and increase the lifetime of flexible solar cells.

Studying the Secrets Behind Spider Glue

How does a spider's glue maintain its stickiness, even in high humidity? Researchers in Akron investigated the question.

FLAM! Researchers Test Cellulose as Sustainable 3D-Printing Material

Researchers from Singapore University of Technology and Design have demonstrated 3D printing with one of the Earth’s most abundant organic compounds: cellulose.

New One-Dimensional Material Has Applications in Nanometer-Scale Transistors and Circuits

Quasi-1D materials will play an important role in device miniaturization.

How to Make Your Factory Wireless — A NIST Guide

The just-published NIST Guide to Wireless Systems Deployments in industrial environments was developed by a group of experts on wireless communications from government, industry, and...

A 'Missing' Component Could Revolutionize Electronics

A radically new electronic building block is being proposed.

Answering Your Questions: Who Will Integrate 3D Metal Printing — Tiers or OEMs?

A reader asks: Will it be the OEMs or the Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers who will be purchasing 3D metal printing machines?

Here's an Idea: How 'Simple' Sponges Are Solving Complex Problems

After a disaster like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf coast, what if a giant sponge could clean up the area and the wildlife around it?

How to Harness Humidity: Hydrogel Keeps Rooms Cool, Powers Small Devices

There is plenty of moisture in the air — Professor Swee Ching Tan wants to harvest the humidity and put it to good use.

New Products & Services: June 2018 Aerospace Manufacturing & Machining

Miniature IP68 Rated Data Recorder

The new SLICE IP68 data acquisition system from DTS (Seal Beach, CA) is designed to capture physical signals in challenging...