Technical Briefs, Design Engineering News

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Briefs: Aerospace

Robots Assemble Large Structures from Little Pieces

Systems of tiny robots could build high-performance structures, from airplanes to space settlements.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Going Beyond the Basics: Innovative Step Motor Designs Give Machine Designers More Options for Motion Control

Machine and system designers now have greater options in choosing a motor to meet motion control requirements.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Robot Circulating Liquid Stores Energy and Provides Power

This robot “blood” stores energy, transmits force, operates appendages, and provides structure, all in an integrated design.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Intelligent Microrobots

Such machines, only a few tens of micrometers across, could be used in the human body to perform small operations.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Valves for Pneumatic Cylinders and Actuators

Know your valve options.

Special Reports: Electronics & Computers

Rugged Computing - February 2020

From the battlefield to the extreme environment of space, electronics and computing advances enable missions in the harshest conditions. To help you keep pace with the latest developments, we present this...

Special Reports: Materials

Advanced Materials - February 2020

Breakthroughs in plastics, composites, metals, and other materials technologies are enabling exciting new applications in industries ranging from aerospace to automotive to medical. Read more in this Special...

Products: Imaging

Product of the Month

Varjo™ Technologies announced a 2D/3D immersive "Workspace."

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Soft Robot That Can Maintain Its Temperature? No Sweat!

Cornell researcher T.J. Wallin explains what's so cool about a robot that sweats.

INSIDER: Motion Control

VIPER Rover to Map Lunar Water Ice

An engineering model of the VIPER lunar rover is being tested at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. About the size of a golf cart, VIPER is a mobile robot that will roam around the Moon’s South Pole looking...

INSIDER: Motion Control

Tractionless Motion is Possible

Cells are observed to “crawl” by attaching themselves to a surface and using these anchor points to push themselves forward (like crawling on the ground). Scientists have identified a different propulsion...

Question of the Week: Green Design & Manufacturing

Do you Like the Idea of Fungi-Inspired Design?

Our lead INSIDER story today demonstrated the potential of fungi as a building material. Aside from supporting theoretical space habitats, fungal mycelia have been used to create actual chairs and 2x4 structures. What do you think? Do you Like the Idea of Fungi-Inspired Design?

Blog: Materials

The Next Building Material for Mars: Fungi?

When astronauts arrive on the Moon, their habitat may be one made out of fungi.

INSIDER Product: Imaging

New Products

SWIR Camera Princeton Infrared Technologies, Inc. (PIRT) (Monmouth Junction, NJ) will be introducing its new compact MVCam series shortwave-infrared (SWIR) and visible camera that supports the highest commercially available frame...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Simulated Image Demonstrates Power of Nasa's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope

Imagine a fleet of 100 Hubble Space Telescopes, deployed in a strategic space-invader-shaped array a million miles from Earth, scanning the universe at warp...

INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

Laser Pulse Creates Frequency Doubling in Amorphous Dielectric Material

Researchers have demonstrated a new all-optical technique for creating robust second-order nonlinear effects in materials that don’t normally support them. Using a...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Tests Measure Solar Panel Performance Beyond Established Standards

Photovoltaics used in solar panels are sensitive to environmental factors and often suffer degradation over time. International Electrotechnical Commission standards for...

Blog: Materials

New Coating 'Confuses' Infrared Cameras by Hiding Temperature Changes

"View it as an infrared privacy shield," says Professor Mikhail Kats.

Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Would You Cook with ‘Julia?’

Last week, we highlighted five CES 2020 technologies that are adding intelligence to everyday aspects of the home. One featured “Smart Home” technology included “Julia,” an all-in-one cooker that performs a variety of kitchen tasks: chopping, whisking, steaming, weighing ingredients, and even kneading...

Blog: Electronics & Computers

A Boost for Aqueous Lithium Ion-Batteries: Adding an Oxide

To improve the aqueous lithium-ion battery, RPI researchers tried out niobium tungsten oxide.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D Printing and Space Exploration: How NASA Will Use Additive Manufacturing

NASA is using the International Space Station as a testbed for 3D printing.

Question of the Week: Aerospace

Would You Ride in a Flying Car?

A flying car, also known as a rotable aircraft, is something that inventors have been dreaming about for a very long time. Stuck in traffic? Just take-off and get out of there.