Features

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Product of the Month: June 2021 Tech Briefs

A new power supply from Bicker Elektronik has a backup battery that bridges power failures, brownouts, and flicker.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Linear Bearings: What You Need to Know

Learn the distinct forms that linear bearings take, and where the bearings are being used today.

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Options Abound When Selecting a Sensor for Motor Feedback

Designers who must sense motor position, speed, or acceleration have a lot of choices, including resolvers, optical encoders, and Hall-effect devices.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Automated X-Ray Inspection

Faster inline CT inspections makes it possible to inspect far greater numbers of circuit boards.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

What’s New in MEMS Sensors for Wearables

MEMS sensors have been around for a long time, but requests from the market for new applications are driving upgrades in the technology.

Articles: Transportation

Simulation Applications Streamline the Development of Electric Vehicle Motors

See how simulation software is being used to is automate the test process for vehicle rotors.

Articles: Materials

Products of Tomorrow: June 2021

Head-up displays, health-monitoring sensors from NASA, and a pollen sponge.

Application Briefs: Motion Control

New Hybrid Concept for Actuating Subsea Valves

A valve actuator has deep-sea applications.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Next-Generation MEMS IMUs — High Performance, Scalable

Editor Ed Brown explores what’s ahead for MEMS automobile navigation systems.

Application Briefs: Wearables

Smart Sensors Are Improving Medical Care

Over the last 75 years, sensors have played an increasingly significant part in the advancement of medicine.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Next-Generation MEMS Multi-Gas Sensing

The MPS Flammable Gas Sensor can detect and identify the concentrations of 12 of the most common combustible gases,

Application Briefs: Transportation

Airless Alloy Tire Has NASA Roots

The SuperElastic Tire — a NASA Glenn innovation — can be used on both Earth and Mars.

Application Briefs: Aerospace

Robotic Arm Will Head to the Moon

The Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm (COLDArm) is a first-of-its-kind robotic technology.

NASA Spinoff: Robotics, Automation & Control

Astronaut Experience Inspires Single-Handed Drone Flight Controller

The interface enables one person to accomplish tasks that previously required two sets of hands.

5 Ws: Materials

5 Ws of the Sunlight-Powered Water Filter

The invention could help solve the problem of providing clean water off the grid or where low-cost, non-powered water purification is needed.

Q&A: Robotics, Automation & Control

Q&A: Team of Robots Maps Composition of an Environment

New autonomous robotic devices can survey hazardous or difficult-to-reach sites faster than humans.

Technology Leaders: Connectivity

RF Wireless Power Unleashes the Ubiquity of Sensor Networks

AI will only reach its full potential when it can be fed with a constant stream of data from a plentitude of diverse sources.

Technology Leaders: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Smart Batteries Include Force and Pressure Sensing

Ultra-thin piezoresistive sensors can be used in both R&D and as embedded components to develop safer, longer-lasting lithium-ion battery technologies.

Technology Leaders: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Innovative IoT Sensor Applications Pave the Way to the Future

Sensors play a pivotal role in solving critical business challenges.

Technology Leaders: Transportation

Machine Control Power Quality and Surge Protection

You may not be able to see them, but power anomalies that originate within your automated control system are costing you expensive downtime.

Technology Leaders: Energy

Supercapacitors Go Hybrid for Increased Performance and Efficiency

Learn about the properties of each capacitor option, and their ideal applications.

Facility Focus: Materials

Facility Focus: University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley’s academic research reflects pressing global challenges in the areas of health, energy, and the environment.

Products: Imaging

New Products: May 2021 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Fiber coatings measurement, single-frequency laser, optical filters, and more.

Products: Data Acquisition

New on the Market: May 2021

Cable ties, milling software, snap-action switches, and more.

Products: Software

New Products: May 2021 Battery Technology

Battery analyzers, uninterruptible power supplies, adhesives, and more.

Products: Test & Measurement

Product of the Month: May 2021 Tech Briefs

A smart temperature transmitter delivers measurements via Bluetooth.

Articles: Imaging

Harnessing SWIR Line Scan Imaging Technology

Learn about the benefits of SWIR imaging, from food inspection to surveillance.

Articles: Imaging

Preventing Heat-Induced Image Warping in Machine Vision Line Scan Cameras

A heat source near the optical path can introduce image warping that locally shifts the position of the image content. Learn how to fix the flaw.

Articles: Materials

Products of Tomorrow: May 2021

Conductive cellulose, composites testing, and a light-emitting tattoo.