Features

Microphone Detects Turbulence Hundreds of Miles Away

A NASA microphone that detects unseen air turbulence is lofted to high heights aboard a stratospheric glider.

5 Ws of Puncture-Proof Soft Electronics

The durable soft electronics could be used in wearable electronics and soft robotics and could someday be part of a stretchable smartphone.

UpFront: September 2021 Tech Briefs

NASA Washing Machine Designs Go for a Spin Right now, there is no laundry service in space. Astronaut garments aren’t washed. They are put onto ships that burn up in the atmosphere. At NASA Glenn,...

New on the Market: September 2021

Power distribution units, pressure sensors, connector straps, and more.

Facility Focus: The Pennsylvania State University School of Engineering

Learn about the batteries, skin sensors, flexible antennas, and other cutting-edge research coming from Penn State Engineering.

Q&A: Flexible, Printable, Tunable Microwave Resonator Arrays

Fiorenzo Omenetto, Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts University School of Engineering, Dean of Research, and Director of the Tufts Silklab led a team that has produced...

Executive Roundtable: Cloud Software

Tech Briefs asked 5 execs: What should a user consider before moving to the cloud?

Products of Tomorrow

Water-sensing smartphone screens, a NASA-developed RF switch, and an ultrasound patch.

Optimizing 5G Fiber Optic Filament Production

Ball screws are helping manufacturers meet the growing demand for fiber optic cables generated by 5G communications.

Image Sticking — Cause, Test and Solutions

Learn how to fix one of the more annoying problems in display imaging.

Spectroscopy Using an Optical Microscope

With an optical microscope, spectra can be acquired from a sample area smaller than a micron.

The Hidden Effects of Optical Coating Stress

For applications requiring high-energy material deposition coatings, you'll need to understand how stress can impact surface figure and system performance.

Backside Illumination Gets Fast

A new high-speed sensor pushes the boundaries in light-starved conditions.

Monitoring Additive Manufacturing with an Optical Microphone

Learn about a membrane-free, broadband microphone for the highest ultrasound frequencies.

New Products

Automotive camera monitors, curved CMOS sensors, fiber lasers, and more.

New Materials Move Li-Ion Batteries Toward the Solid-State Endgame

A new generation of lithium-ion batteries is poised to improve electric vehicle range and affordability.

New Products

Lithium batteries, compartment gaskets, chargers, and more.

Mapping Performance Variations to See How Lithium-Metal Batteries Fail

Brookhaven National Laboratory scientists have identified the primary cause of failure in a state-of-the-art lithium-metal battery.

Cloud-Connected, Battery-Based IoT Devices Last Years Longer

Demand for wireless IoT cloud-connected devices is growing rapidly, yet deploying Wi-Fi battery-based products is difficult.

Advancing Battery Technology: THE 2021 BATTERY SHOW Preview

The Battery Show North America is a forum for advanced battery technology for electric and hybrid vehicles, utility and renewable energy support, portable electronics, medical technology, military, and telecommunications.

An Immersive Solution for Thermally Safer EV Batteries

An R&D project indirectly leads to potentially greater power density, EV range, and battery life.

Product of the Month

The SHT40 Smart Gadget comes with a humidity and temperature sensor.

2021 Motion Control Product Directory

Explore manufacturers and products in over 25 motion-design categories.

Bipolar and Unipolar Drives for Stepper Motors: A Comparison

Learn the differences between bipolar and unipolar motors, their driving methods, and advantages and limitations.

Making High-Duty-Cycle Industrial Automation Affordable

A new generation of long-life electric linear actuators has emerged to give designers more flexibility.

New Products

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

Giving Robots Better Moves

RightHand Robotics combines machine vision with an intelligent gripper design to make more adaptable robots.

Basic Pneumatic Circuits

These common pneumatic circuits can be used alone or as building blocks in larger pneumatics systems.

Back to Basics: Improving Your Drives Investment

An OEM must think about how to build a machine that will work on any kind of power system.