Smart Fabric Detects and Collects Space Dust

A smart fiber being tested on the International Space Station could be used to develop space dust telescopes and allow astronauts to feel through their pressurized suits.

Low-Energy Nanolaser Shines in all Directions

Compared to a LED, the omnidirectional laser light is much brighter and better defined.

Sensing Magnetic Fields

Applications include detection of explosives, navigation, and aerospace altitude sensing.

Compound for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

The material could enable cheaper and more environmentally friendly displays and large-area lighting.

New Products: February 2021 Motion Design

Industrial robots, motor disconnect switches, position sensors, and more.

Modern HMI Software Propels Industry 4.0

Once confined to the role of machine visualization, modern unified HMI software now delivers better user interfaces, containerization, and remote device management.

Miniscule Robots of Metal and Plastic

A technique enables manufacturing of minuscule robots by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way.

Online Tools Reduce Time and Expense in Selecting, Configuring, and Ordering Motion Control Components

New online tools — coupled with online libraries of pre-selected and tested component specifications — simplify machine design.

Electronic Skin Sensor Decodes Human Motion

This system can track the motion of the entire body with a small sensory network.

Locking Side Pull Hoist Ring

The integrated tool eliminates the need for manual operators or additional custom fixtures.

Direct Drive Servo Motors: Key Terms and Trends

When specifying servo motors for applications like a new machine or CNC retrofit, there are many considerations regarding servo motor performance and sizing.

Electronic Device Manufacturers Shouldn’t Fear Custom Connector Solutions — They Should Embrace Them

As 5G arrives, devices will need to expand I/O counts at the controller, as well as overall networking capabilities.

Improving Performance of Supercritical CO2 in Next-Generation Energy Applications with 3D Metal Printing

See why Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. is excited for the potential of additive manufacturing.

New Capabilities for Grasp-Assisting Gloves

Applications include aiding patients with impaired hand muscle strength and in manufacturing for operating tools for extended periods of time.

Products of Tomorrow: February 2021

Next-generation solar panels, 3D-printed composites from NASA, and a new way to sterilize medical devices.

Product of the Month: February 2021 Tech Briefs

The Agile Engineering Design System® is an integrated suite of software modules for CAE/CAM of turbomachinery.

How Smashing Nanoparticles Together Led to Super-Strength Metal 'Coins'

The hard “coin,” could be used to make super-strength metal coatings or larger industrial components.

A Recycling Breakthrough: Researchers Discover a Molecule That 'Zips Up'

The "polymer of squares” could one day enable the use of plastic products many times over.

Chemically Driven Wheels “Morph” Into Gears

University of Pittsburgh researchers have utilized a catalytic reaction that causes a two-dimensional, chemically coated sheet to spontaneously “morph” into a three-dimensional...

T-REX Rover Looks to the Dark Side

The Tethered permanently shadowed Region EXplorer (T-REX) rover, designed and built by a team of Michigan Technological University students – is designed to provide reliable power and data to other...

Self-Heating Battery Addresses Key Barrier to Electric-Vehicle Adoption: Range Anxiety

If you're concerned that electric vehicles don't have the reliability to get you where you need to go, Penn State engineers are working on a battery for...

Reducing the Cost of Quality in Automotive BiW

Automotive production relies on quality to maintain an automaker’s brand image within its customer base. But in the production process, suboptimal dimensional quality can lengthen lead...