INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

Laser Jolts Microscopic Robots into Motion

A Cornell University team has created microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled – and made to walk – with standard electronic signals. The...

INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Miniscule Machines Made of Metal and Plastic

Researchers have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometer-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. The micromachines are made out of metal and plastic, in...

INSIDER: Motion Control

Teaching Old Robots New Tricks

With a training technique commonly used to teach dogs to sit and stay, computer scientists showed a robot how to teach itself several new tricks including stacking blocks. With the method, the robot was...

Blog: RF & Microwave Electronics

Q&A: 'Smellicopter' Uses Live Moth Antenna to Seek Out Smells

UW doctoral student Melanie Anderson explains how to make an autonomous 'Smellicopter' to navigate toward smells.

INSIDER: Power

Advanced Solar Panels Extract More Energy from Sunlight

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers working to maximize solar panel efficiency said layering advanced materials atop traditional silicon is a promising path to eke...

INSIDER: Design

New Technique Extends Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries

Electric vehicles (EVs) hold great promise for our energy-efficient, sustainable future but among their limitations is the lack of a long-lasting, high energy density battery...

INSIDER: Energy

Fast Calculation Dials in Better Batteries

A simpler and more efficient way to predict performance will lead to better batteries, according to Rice University engineers. That their method is 100,000 times faster than existing modeling...

INSIDER: Design

Clean, Limitless Power from Graphene

A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene’s thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

How to Make Tomorrow’s Electronics Using Ink-Jet Printed Graphene

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have cracked the conundrum of how to use inks to 3D-print novel electronic devices with useful properties, such as an...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

NIST Sensor Experts Invent Super-Cold Mini-Thermometer

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have invented a miniature superconducting thermometer with big potential applications, such as monitoring the...

INSIDER: Data Acquisition

Novel Miniaturized Organic Semiconductor Will Support Flexible Electronic Devices

Field Effect Transistors (FET) are the core building blocks of modern electronics such as integrated circuits, computer CPUs, and display backplanes....

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Sensors Driven by Machine Learning Sniff-Out Gas Leaks Fast

A new study has confirmed the success of a natural-gas leak-detection tool pioneered by Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, which uses sensors and machine learning to...

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

How to Choose an Optical Filter

Optical interference filters are critical to the overall performance of machine vision applications. So how do you select the right one?

On-Demand Webinars: Automotive

Vehicle Electrification

The rise of electric vehicles with accelerated time-to-market cycles poses new business and engineering challenges for automotive companies. This situation opens up new opportunities, where innovative...

On-Demand Webinars: Electronics & Computers

Protecting Power Electronics from EM and RF Interference

As power electronics and controls become more sophisticated, there is a need to shield these devices from external fields as well as reduce their radiated fields. External...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

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

Your 2020 winners include a bacteria-repelling wrap, an advanced prosthetic leg, flash graphene, and more.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Collision Detector Mimics Locust Swarms

This detector could help robots, drones, and self-driving cars avoid collisions.