Every month, our editors choose a Product of the Month that has exceptional technical merit and practical value for our design engineering readers. Those 11 products are the nominees for the 2025 Tech Briefs’ Readers’ Choice Product of the Year.

You’re invited to cast your vote for the one product among the 11 listed below that you feel was the most important new product introduced to the engineering community in 2025.

The Readers’ Choice Product of the Year winners will be announced in Tech Briefs magazine and here.

Only one vote per person will be counted. All votes must be submitted by January 23, 2026.

The 2025 nominees are:

L. S. Starrett  , Athol, MA, has expanded its AVR Vision Metrology Line with the introduction of the AVR400 CNC Vision System, the largest benchtop platform to date from Starrett, with stage travel that is twice the speed of previous Starrett AVR models. The stage travel is 15.8"× 11.8"× 7.9" (400 mm × 300 mm × 200 mm) in the X-Y-Z axes, with a speed of up to 120 mm/sec. Auto part recognition enables creating a part measurement program that comprises the desired features of a part for inspection, which can automatically be saved in the system or to a network. Programmable light output options can be built into the program as defined steps.

Darveen Co., Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan, announced its SPC-9000 Series IP66 stainless steel touch panel PCs. They are specifically designed to meet high hygiene standards, making them ideal for food processing, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, and humid or hot kitchen environments. Available in 10", 12", 15", and 18.5" screen sizes, they support 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5/i3 processors with additional processor options including Intel® Celeron® and Rockchip ARM architectures to match varying performance needs. The system is equipped with M12 waterproof connectors, featuring 4 × USB 2.0, 2 × COM and 2 × LAN. Customers can also choose blank I/O options to suit specific requirements. For wireless connectivity, an optional Wi-Fi module is also available for expansion.

IDEC Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA, is launching the FS1B Safety Controller — an upgrade of the popular FS1A. It lets designers create streamlined machine safety systems with multiple safety channels by using any of 24 preset safety logic strategies selected with DIP switch configuration. Each of these are certified on this device by a trusted independent body to ensure proper and reliable performance. Standard safety circuit designs often use many safety relays to accommodate multiple inputs from emergency stop (E-stop) buttons, light curtains, and other safety devices to provide a safety interlocking output for de-energizing associated equipment. The FS1B consolidates the functionality usually associated with these into a compact, standalone form factor.

ControlAir LLC, Amherst, NH, has announced the release of the Type CG330 and CG340 gas regulators. This innovative product line is engineered to address the growing demand for low-emission solutions in industrial applications involving compressed gases such as inert gases, natural gas, and other sensitive media. They are designed to deliver accurate pressure control while ensuring near-zero atmospheric leakage under dynamic or steady-state flow conditions. These regulators are ideal for industries such as oil and gas, chemical processing, and any operation where precise pressure regulation and environmental safety are critical. They provide users with exceptional reliability and operational efficiency.

Power Integrations, Power Integrations, San Jose, CA, has announced a two-fold increase in power output from its HiperLCS™-2 chipset. Featuring advanced half-bridge switch technology and an innovative package, the new device can deliver up to 1650 W of continuous output power with over 98 percent efficiency and permits brief peak loads of 2.5 kW. The new family member targets industrial power supplies as well as chargers for e-scooters and outdoor power tools, where its high efficiency and high level of integration reduce enclosure volume and eliminate the need for air vents and fans, enhancing reliability and resistance to dust and moisture.

Lanner Electronics, Taipei, Taiwan, announces the launch of the ICS-P770 rugged industrial-grade computer with ICS/SCADA security. It is designed to power mission-critical substation automation, virtualization, and network security. Powered by the Intel® Xeon® 6 Processor, it delivers exceptional compute performance, security acceleration, and high-speed connectivity for power grid applications. It supports up to 512 GB of DDR5 RDIMM memory and offers high-speed networking with four 2.5 GbE RJ45, two GbE SFP, and two 25 GbE/10GbE SFP/RJ45 interfaces. Designed to withstand harsh substation environments, it has an IP30-rated rugged chassis with intelligent fan cooling and is certified for operation from -25 °C to 55 °C.

Weidmuller USA, Richmond, VA has released CUBESERIES Industrial Relay Modules, which, due to their durability and robust design, can reliably switch a multitude of small loads, decouple systems, and multiply signals. Designed for flexibility in complex industrial environments, the CUBESERIES relay sockets come with both PUSH IN and screw connection options. Relay contact versions from 15.6-mm width come with one changeover contact (16 A) or two changeover contacts (8 A). Relay contact versions from 27-mm width come with two changeover contacts (12 A) or four changeover contacts (7 A). They feature diverse cross-connections; lockable test button; are available with a multitude of LED and test button configurations; and are available in fully assembled kits with UL listing.

STMicroelectronics, Geneva, Switzerland, is launching the LEOPOL1 point-of-load step-down converter for low-Earth orbit (LEO) deployments targeting the needs of equipment developers in the space market. It is the latest in ST’s LEO series of power, analog, and logic ICs developed for low cost of ownership with quality assurance and radiation hardness optimized for LEO satellites. They leverage automotive best practices including statistical process control. They provide extended flexible features including out-of-phase current sharing, which permits multiplying the current to the load with multiple LEOPOL1 converters working in parallel. In addition, synchronization capability allows easy sequencing to power-up equipment with multiple voltage rails. The converter delivers up to 7 A, accepts an input voltage up to 12V at ground level and has demonstrated 5 A at 6V at 62 MeV.cm2/mg s.

Phoenix Contact, Middletown, PA, is introducing NearFi, a contactless real-time transmission technology. NearFi couplers can transmit up to 50 Watts of power and 100 megabits of data per second, all without physical contact. Many factory automation applications, such as robot tool changes, rotary tables, and automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS), have moving parts subject to wear and tear. NearFi couplers can replace plug-in connectors and slip rings in these applications, minimizing repair and downtime costs. When transmitting data alone, it can communicate across an air gap of 40 millimeters (mm). Power and data together or just power can be transmitted across an air gap of 12 mm. NearFi is protocol-independent and can transmit time-critical Ethernet protocols such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, Modbus, and EtherCAT. NearFi’s low latency also makes it suitable for standards like TSN.

Optical Gaging Products (OGP®), Rochester, NY, is announcing an addition to their SmartScope® 3D Multisensor Metrology systems: SmartScope M130. For manufacturers crafting large, heavy parts, it ushers in the next generation of enhancements in image accuracy, optics, and throughput in a new large format 3D multisensor video measurement platform. It features fi xed optics with a 20-megapixel camera and proprietary VIRTUAL ZOOM™ technology. It eables instant magnifi cation changes throughout the same zoom range as a traditional mechanical zoom system, resulting in faster runtime, while requiring far less downtime for maintenance. It has a standard XYZ travel of 790 x 815 x 200 mm, optional 300- or 400-mm Z-axis, and payload capacity of 165 lbs.

OnLogic, South Burlington, VT, has introduced a new edge computer series, the Karbon 520, which brings powerful, scalable computing to a wide range of applications from industrial automation and robotics to autonomous mobile systems. It has integrated AI capabilities with an onboard NPU for efficient, localized processing. The platform is highly customizable, supporting up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory and offering expansion options for advanced workloads, including support for NVIDIA MXM AI GPUs. A key feature is its robust construction, with some models offering a passively cooled, fanless design with a -40 °C to 70 °C operating temperature range. It is also built to withstand continuous vibration and shock, validated by MIL-STD-810H testing, making it ideal for mobile and high-impact applications.

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This article first appeared in the December, 2025 issue of Tech Briefs Magazine (Vol. 49 No. 12).

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