Features

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Power Integrations' HiperLCS™-2 chipset. 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.

Self-Growing 3D Objects

Professor Sameh Tawfick and his team at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana have developed a 3D process that grows polymer objects in a controlled manner to achieve a desired shape.

Space Tech Gives Treadmill Users a ‘Boost’

Creators of the original antigravity treadmill for astronauts in space have now developed a new treadmill that uses air pressure to counter gravity, making running possible for people with injuries and other conditions.

5Ws of a Morphing Robot

GOAT (Good Over All Terrains), a bioinspired robot developed at EPFL, can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle.

Thermal Management Lies at the Heart of EV Innovation

Along with rapid innovation in cooling methods, a major trend in EV thermal management is the use of technology to better design more thermally efficient vehicle architectures. AI and digital technologies have been major boons to the engineering toolkit for better design, helping to radically speed up system testing and development. Read on to learn more.

For EV Safety Tests, AI Is Here to Help

It’s important to note that skepticism toward AI is reminiscent of past attitudes toward now-standard technologies. Thirty years ago, tools such as CFD were met with trepidation — an attitude defined by limited understanding. Today, engineers see them as indispensable. Similarly, adopting AI requires a shift in perspective and embracing its potential.

New Products

See the new products, including KULR Technology Group's NASA-certified M35A battery cells; Nexperia's 650 V, 10 A silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diode; Rotor Clip's patented InterShim™ Wave Spring design; and more.

How Test Equipment Is Evolving to Keep Up with EV Batteries

Whatever technology is employed in the future, it is clear that battery test systems will continue to adapt to keep pace with changes in EV battery technology and production. Ensuring that you choose a future proof, scalable, and capable bi-directional DC source is critical in planning for testing success today and tomorrow. Read on to learn more.

Ensuring the Quality of EV Batteries with CT-Scan Data Analysis and Visualization

Research and development aimed at optimizing both the technology and the cost of that most expensive of EV components — the battery — continues. Not only are the makers of current batteries under pressure to produce the highest-quality product, but they may also be considering how to participate and compete in the next-generations of these key components. Read on to learn more.

How Automakers Boost Quality via Servo-Electric Test Systems

Today, electrically actuated (servo-electric) test systems have emerged as a preferred alternative to servo-hydraulics that have traditionally been used. Michigan-based eMpulse Test Systems is a supplier of these advanced testing systems. Read on to learn more.

Elevating Welding Operations with Collaborative Automation

Mesekon Oy, a Finnish welding manufacturer that produces complex welded steel structures for the marine, energy, and paper industries, needed a flexible and collaborative solution to improve efficiency, reduce defects, and enhance workplace ergonomics by automating repetitive and physically demanding welding operations. Read on to learn what Mesekon Oy did.

Cobot Cuts Cost and Risk While Boosting On-Time Delivery

Los Angeles-based plastics contract manufacturer Kal Plastics deployed UR10e trimming cobot for a fraction of the cost and lead time of a CNC machine, cut trimming time nearly in half, and reduced late shipments to under one percent — all while improving employee safety and growth opportunities. Read on to learn more.

Gear Motors Help Put the Squeeze on Materials Requiring Dewatering

The applications that require dewatering are too numerous to list in their entirety. Dewatering is a process that — as its name suggests — separates fluids from solids, often converting what would otherwise go down the drain or end up in a landfill into saleable products. Read on to learn more about it and how gear motors come into play.

New Products

See the new products, including igus' aluminum version of its drylin ® NT-60 telescopic rail; Tolomatic Inc.'s online Drive Integration Tool; Flexiv's KURAVIZON adaptive robot; Thomson Industries' upgrade to its stepper motor linear actuator online selector tool, which adds the ability to include encoders in the design process; and more.

Navigating the Challenges of Motor Commutation

Motor commutation involves the process of switching between motor phases to ensure smooth, continuous operation. In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of commutation, explain how it works, and discuss the challenges faced when trying to pair different motors and drives, especially across brands.

Executive Insights: Humanoid Robots

Despite their immense potential, humanoid robots face several challenges before they can achieve mainstream adoption. In this article, two industry executives — Melonee Wise, Chief Product Officer of Agility Robotics and Barry Phillips, Chief Commercial Officer of Apptronik — share their insights about the current state and future outlook for humanoid robots.

Why AI-Powered Engineering Matters in Automotive Design and Lightweighting

How can we implement new technology and meet market demand without compromising performance and quality? The answer is AI-powered engineering. Read on to learn more about it.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Endress+Hauser's FMR63B 80 GHz radar level sensor; the TP-108 Series, the smallest of all test points from Components Corporation; Sumida America's family of Resin-Shielded Surface-Mount Power Inductors; Coilcraft's XGL3020 series of ultra-low loss power inductors; Yokogawa Electric Corporation's OpreX™ Intelligent Manufacturing Hub; and much more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a practical way to make hydrocarbons powered solely by the sun; an air traffic control system for drones that can effectively and accurately track anything in an identified low-altitude airspace; and a robotic system whose primary structural platform, or “orb,” can be injected into a pipe network and perform reconnaissance of piping infrastructure and other interior volumes.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: ControlAir LLC's Type CG330 and CG340 gas regulators. They are designed to deliver accurate pressure control while ensuring near-zero atmospheric leakage under dynamic or steady-state flow conditions.

AI and Humans as Teammates

Duke University Professor Boyuan Chen and his team have developed a platform called CREW that is used to create algorithms to optimize human-AI cooperation.

Bioprinting Artificial Organs in Space to Benefit Human Life on Earth

Recent successes in cultivating human heart tissue, knee cartilage, and pharmaceutical crystals in space have relied on technology that was initially developed decades ago with support from NASA.

5Ws of a 3D-Printed Electrospray Engine

With the goal to democratize space research, MIT engineers have demonstrated the first fully 3D-printed, droplet-emitting electrospray engine which can be produced rapidly and for a fraction of the cost of traditional thruster.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: IDEC Corporation's FS1B Safety Controller, an upgrade of the popular FS1A.

Readers Select 2024 Products of the Year

Last December, Tech Briefs readers were asked to select one product from our 2024 Products of the Month to be named Readers’ Choice Product of the Year. Thanks to all of our readers who cast their votes. Read on to learn the 2024 winners.

Is Advanced Packaging the Next Large Leap for Mission-Critical Microelectronics?

The U.S. government’s microelectronics needs have evolved significantly over the decades. Now, we have entered the era of Advanced Packaging. This is the next microelectronics evolution to enhance and extend the performance of modern military and commercial systems. Read on to learn more about this.

Leveraging the Plasma Pen for Solving Complex Adhesion Challenges

By leveraging plasma pen technology into inline processes, manufacturers can achieve stronger, more reliable bonds, improved wettability, and enhanced performance across various materials. Read on to learn more about what this means.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including electronic control products from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS; the new F-141 photonics alignment system from PI; InnoPhase IoT's expansion of its Talaria platform; Aerotech, Inc.'s HexGen® HEX150-125HL Miniature Hexapod; and more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including paper-thin optical lenses simple enough to mass produce like microchips; a compact cooling technology that can pump away heat continuously using layers of flexing thin films; and a multilayered chip design that doesn’t require any silicon wafer substrates and works at temperatures low enough to preserve the underlying layer’s circuitry.