Magazine

Making Oxygen Production in Space More Sustainable

A team of scientists and researchers has found a way to make oxygen production lighter, easier, and more sustainable — using magnetism. Read on to learn more.

Overcoming Multipath Propagation

A research team has designed a passive metasurface-based filtering system that breaks free from LTI constraints through an innovative time-varying interlocking mechanism. The design incorporates metasurface panels with internally coupled circuit elements, including metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Read on to learn more.

FPGA-Accelerated AI for Demultiplexing Multimode Fiber Toward Next-Generation Communications

The technique promises immediate impact not only on high-capacity optical communications but also on real-time endoscopic imaging, vibration-tolerant fiber sensors, and any application that demands fast, energyefficient phase retrieval. Read on to learn more.

New MEMS Modulator Offers Significant Advancements in Optical Efficiency

A new Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) grating modulator has been developed, offering significant advancements in optical efficiency and scalability for communication systems. By integrating a tunable sinusoidal grating with broadside-constrained continuous ribbons, a large-scale aperture of 30 × 30 mm is achieved and supports high-speed modulation up to 250 kHz. Read on to learn more.

New Evaporative Cooling Technology Aims to Thwart Rising Energy Demands

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new cooling technology that could significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers and high-powered electronics. The technology features a specially engineered fiber membrane that passively removes heat through evaporation. It offers a promising alternative to traditional cooling systems like fans, heat sinks and liquid pumps. Read on to learn more.

Advancing Computational Combustion Tools for Next-Gen Detonation Engine

In a new collaboration, the Argonne National Laboratory and National Energy Technology Laboratory are leveraging their expertise in RDEs to develop advanced computational fluid dynamics tools that can give scientists a deeper understanding of the combustion process to unlock more of the engine's potential. Read on to learn more.

All-Solid-State Lithium Battery Breakthrough

Researchers at McGill University have made a major breakthrough in advancing all-solid-state lithium batteries, a promising next-generation technology for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. By addressing a long-standing issue with battery performance, this innovation could pave the way for safer, longer-lasting EVs. Read on to learn more.

Integrating Large Language Models into Autonomous Vehicles

Imagine simply telling your vehicle, “I’m in a hurry,” and it automatically takes you on the most efficient route to where you need to be. Purdue University engineers have found that an autonomous vehicle (AV) can do this with the help of ChatGPT or other chatbots made possible by artificial intelligence algorithms called large language models. Read on to learn more.

Space Traffic Management (STM) Architecture

Space is becoming increasingly congested due to rising numbers of on-orbit satellites and debris objects. Uncontrolled growth will severely affect future space operations. NASA Ames has developed a novel patent-pending technology known as Space Traffic Management (STM) which provides a robust framework for on-orbit coordination of activities to enhance the safety, stability, and sustainability of operations in the space environment. Read on to learn more.

Meet IRIS: A Smart Ring to Control Smart Devices

University of Washington researchers have developed IRIS, a smart ring that allows users to control smart devices by aiming the ring’s small camera at the device and clicking a built-in button. The prototype Bluetooth ring sends an image of the selected device to the user’s phone, which controls the device. Read on to learn more.

Firefly Aerospace Adds Volta’s Wireless Power Receiver to Blue Ghost Mission 2 Lander

Firefly Aerospace recently announced a new commercial payload agreement with Volta Space Technologies to host a wireless power receiver on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 lander on the far side of the Moon. The payload will serve as a technology demonstration for Volta’s planned lunar power network, called LightGrid. Read on to learn more.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Aerotech's PICAlignTM architecture, a new active alignment solution designed to overcome the manufacturing challenges of high-volume Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) production; PI's 6-axis piezo alignment platform: the P-616.65S Nano-Cube® 6-DOF piezo-flexure nano positioning system; a high-impedance miniaturized ferrite-core wire wound inductor from Coilcraft; and more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a bio-mimetic, light-powered soft lens that mimics the human eye’s ability to refocus and adjust to varying light conditions; a new material for insulating windows that could improve the energy efficiency of buildings worldwide; and more.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Dart Controls' EZ VFD® family of variable frequency drives for three phase, ¼ to 2 HP motors.

Readers Select 2025 Products of the Year

Last December, Tech Briefs readers were asked to select one product from our 2025 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 for the three 2025 winners.

Analyzer Delivers Real-Time Insights for U.S. Power Grid

Yilu Liu, lead researcher and UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Power Electronics, and her team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory partnered with the University of Tennessee to develop the Universal GridEdge Analyzer, a secure, affordable sensing device that delivers real-time insight into electric grid behavior.

Lubricating Aerospace One Zulu Pod at a Time

On the heels of taking first place in the Aerospace & Defense category at the 2023 Create the Future Contest, Zulu Pods has grown in nearly every way imaginable and shows no signs of slowing down (nor a desire to!) at any point soon.

Bringing Hybrid Power to the Rescue

NASA-funded hybrid power system makes drones more capable in disasters.

5Ws of the AEON Humanoid Robot

One of the 2026 CES Innovation Awards honorees in the robotics category is AEON — a humanoid robot developed to address labor shortages as industries adapt to ageing populations and shifting workforce demands.

High-Voltage Switch Innovation for Electric Power Systems

Pinggao Group focuses on the development and production of high-voltage and ultra-high-voltage electrical equipment. Different teams at the company use simulation to explore in depth the factors that affect the performance of high-voltage switches as well as to optimize switch designs and predict the operational status of equipment. Read on to learn more about the work.

A New Approach Enabling Intuitive Robotic Helpers for Household, Workplace, and Warehouse settings

For a robot, the real world is a lot to take in. Making sense of every data point in a scene can take a huge amount of computational effort and time. Using that information to then decide how to best help a human is an even thornier exercise. Now, MIT roboticists have a way to cut through the data noise, to help robots focus on the features in a scene that are most relevant for assisting humans. Read on to learn more.

Getting Robots to “Bee” have Without a Plan

Bees, ants, and termites don’t need blueprints. They may have queens, but none of these species breed architects or construction managers. Each insect worker, or drone, simply responds to cues like warmth or the presence or absence of building material. Now, researchers at Penn Engineering have developed mathematical rules that allow virtual swarms of tiny robots to do the same. Read on to learn more.

A Light-Powered Soft Robot That Can Carry Loads Through the Air Along Established Tracks

Researchers have created a light-powered soft robot that can carry loads through the air along established tracks, similar to cable cars or aerial trams. The soft robot operates autonomously, can climb slopes at angles of up to 80°, and can carry loads up to 12 times its weight. Read on to learn more.

Monitoring and Control of Each Nanosatellite within a Cluster of Nanosatellites

NASA has developed an innovative combination of a Magnetometer, low-powered ElectroMagnets, and Resonant Inductive Coupling (MEMRIC) to create and control relative positioning of nano satellites within a cluster. This is a game-changing approach to enable distributed nanosatellite (nanosat) clusters. Read on to learn more.

Ultrasound Waves Move Objects Hands-Free

University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have discovered a new method to move objects using ultrasound waves, which opens the door for using contactless manipulation in industries in which devices wouldn’t need a built-in power source to move. Read on to learn more.

A Smart Sensor for Better Monitoring

A major challenge in self-powered wearable sensors for health care monitoring is distinguishing different signals when they occur at the same time. Researchers from Penn State and China’s Hebei University of Technology addressed this issue by uncovering a new property of a sensor material, enabling the team to develop a new type of flexible sensor that can accurately measure both temperature and physical strain simultaneously but separately to more precisely pinpoint various signals.

New Wearable Aims to Mimic Skin’s “Sensors”

When it comes to haptic feedback, most technologies are limited to simple vibrations. But our skin is loaded with tiny sensors that detect pressure, vibration, stretching and more. Now, Northwestern University engineers have unveiled a new technology that creates precise movements to mimic these complex sensations. Read on to learn more.

Combining 3D Embroidery Techniques with Machine Learning for Fabric-Based Touch Sensors

A new study from NC State University combines three-dimensional embroidery techniques with machine learning to create a fabric-based sensor that can control electronic devices through touch. Read on to learn more.

Meet ReSURF: An Ultrafast, Stretchable, Self-Healing, Recyclable Sensing Device

Clean, safe water is vital for human health and well-being. However, detecting contamination quickly and accurately remains a major challenge in many parts of the world. A groundbreaking new device developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore has the potential to significantly advance water quality monitoring and management. Read on to learn more.