What Robots Can Learn from Sea Stars

Sea stars are creatures whose movements involve the coordination of hundreds of tiny tube feet to navigate complex environments — despite the lack of a central brain. In other words, it’s as though...

Robots React to Danger Like Humans

In the midst of the co-development of artificial intelligence and robotic advancements, developing technologies that enable robots to efficiently perceive and respond to their surroundings like humans has...

Simulation-Based Pipeline Tailors Training Data for Dexterous Robots

When ChatGPT or Gemini give what seems to be an expert response to your burning questions, you may not realize how much information it relies on to give that reply. Like...

New Products

See the new products, including Teledyne FLIR's radiometric models of its high-performance Boson®+ thermal and Hadron™ 640R+ dual thermal-visible camera modules; Insight SIP's ISP2554-HM module — a dynamic IOT node, with support for Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, and Zigbee radios; Bosch Sensortec's BMV080 particulate matter sensor; dSPACE's MicroLabBox II, a very flexible entry-level system for closed-loop tests at the controller level; and more.

Bringing Together Real-World Sensors and VR to Improve Building Maintenance

A new system that brings together real-world sensing and virtual reality would make it easier for building maintenance personnel to identify and fix issues in...

A Hack to Trick Automotive Radar

The technology can hide the approach of an existing car, create a phantom car where none exists, or even trick the radar into thinking a real car has quickly deviated from its actual course. Plus, it can do these things in the blink of an eye without having any prior knowledge about the specific settings.

MIT Engineers Design a Robotic Replica of the Heart’s Right Chamber

MIT engineers have developed a robotic replica of the heart’s right ventricle, which mimics the beating and blood-pumping action of live hearts.

AI Helps Robots Manipulate Objects with Their Whole Bodies

Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers and lift the box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and balance...

AI Yields ‘Athletically Intelligent’ Robotic Dog

Someday, when quakes, fires, and floods strike, the first responders might be packs of robotic rescue dogs rushing in to help stranded souls. These battery-powered quadrupeds would use...

New Products

New products for February 2023, including stainless-steel specialty inductive proximity sensors, hermetically sealed position sensors, and more.

Where is Sensor Technology Headed? Look in the Mirror

Sensor technology design and manufacturing demands continue to rise to the needs of our continuously connected world.

EV vs. ICE: How Does Wire Harness Design Differ?

The wire harness is changing as vehicles become “computers on wheels.” A reader asks how electrification impacts the wiring harness.

Low-Cost Radio System Could Help Trace Disease Spread

In efforts to limit the spread of disease while preserving privacy, an interdisciplinary research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has designed and...

Stanford Engineers Create Perching Bird-Like Robot

Like snowflakes, no two branches are alike. They can differ in size, shape, and texture; some might be wet or moss-covered or bursting with offshoots. And yet birds can land on just about...

Testing Sensors in Fog to Make Future Transportation Safer

Self-flying drones and autonomous taxis that can safely operate in fog may sound futuristic, but new research at Sandia National Laboratories’ fog facility is bringing the future...

2021 Supplier Guide: Sensors

See leading manufacturers in a variety of sensor topic areas, including radar and encoders.

New Products

Linear motion bearings, magnetic angle encoders, isolation valves, and more.

New Products

High-precision medical sensors, battery-cell mappers, signal conditioners, and more.

Smarter Pneumatic Valves Enhance Automation Systems

Pneumatic technologies such as control valves continue to evolve, incorporating sensors, industrial network interfaces, wireless technology, and more.

New Products

Rain detectors, beacons, flow meters, and more.

New Products

Accelerometers, actuators, hexapods, and more.

Torque Limiters 101: Benefits, Types, and Comparisons

Torque limiters protect against damage and downtime caused by machine overloads.

Medical Robotic Hand? Rubbery Semiconductor Makes It Possible

Researchers at the University of Houston report that they have designed and produced a smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand capable of assessing vital diagnostic data...

Quantum Error Correction Method

This method provides a key step toward quantum computers, sensors, and distributed quantum information.

Smart Sensors for Hazardous Areas

Smart sensors for hazardous areas monitor essential assets, such as motors and pumps.

Leap in Lidar Could Improve Safety and Security of New Technology

University of Colorado researchers have described a new silicon chip that improves the resolution and scanning speed needed for a lidar system.