Magazine

Embracing Agile Product Development

We've made some impressive strides from both a societal and industry perspective in the face of this unrelenting pandemic. And while the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry has been hit exceptionally...

Test Strategies to Track Hypersonic Threats

Hypersonic weapons, unlike ballistic missiles, take unpredictable paths and can evade missile defense systems. To counter hypersonic technologies, radar engineers must build systems that have no...

Polymer Mixture Creates Ultra-Sensitive Heat Sensor

An ultra-sensitive heat sensor was developed that is based on the fact that certain materials are thermoelectric. The electrons in a thermoelectric material move from the cold side to the warm...

Material for the Next Generation of Smart Sensors

Scientists have developed color-changing, flexible photonic crystals that could be used to develop sensors that warn when an earthquake might strike next. The wearable, robust, and low-cost...

Bimodal “Electronic Skin”

Through the use of magnetic fields, scientists have developed an electronic sensor that can simultaneously process both touchless and tactile stimuli. Prior attempts have so far failed to combine these functions on...

Detecting Health Markers in Thread-Based, Wearable Sweat Sensors

Engineers have created a flexible electronic sensing patch that can be sewn into clothing to analyze sweat for multiple markers. The patch could be used to diagnose and monitor...

Liquid Metal Wearable Pressure Sensor

Soft pressure sensors have received significant research attention in a variety of fields including soft robotics, electronic skin, and wearable electronics. Researchers have developed a highly sensitive...

Portable Device Detects Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness hits about one in six people in the United States every year from more than 31 recognized pathogens including E. coli O157:H7, a particularly harsh strain of E. coli. Researchers...

Handheld Measuring Device Distinguishes Between Methanol and Potable Alcohol

Methanol is sometimes referred to as ethanol's deadly twin. While the latter is the intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer, and liquor, the former is a chemical that...

Method Measures Temperature Within 3D Objects

Engineers have remotely determined the temperature beneath the surface of certain materials using a new technique called depth thermography. The method may be useful in applications where...

Rapid Agent Aerosol Detector for Biological Agents

Any space, enclosed or open, can be vulnerable to the dispersal of harmful airborne biological agents. Silent and near-invisible, these bioagents can sicken or kill living things before steps...

Electronic Skin Powered by Sweat Serves as Human-Machine Interface

Researchers have developed electronic skin (e-skin) that is applied directly on top of real skin. Made from soft, flexible rubber, it can be embedded with sensors that monitor...

3D System Prints Structures of Submicrometer Accuracy

3D printers working in the millimeter range and larger are increasingly used in industrial production processes. Many applications, however, require precise printing on the micrometer scale...

3D Printing Creates Environmentally Friendly Material Made of Algae

Living materials made by housing biological cells within a nonliving matrix have gained popularity as scientists recognize that often the most robust materials are those that...

New Printing Process Advances 3D Capabilities

Substances such as plastics, metals, and wax are used in 3D printers to make products and parts for larger items. Products created through the 3D printing of plastics include every-thing from toys...

3D Printing Process Uses Light to Improve Precision and Speed

Most conventional 3D printing processes rely on replicating a digital design model that is sliced into layers with the layers printed and assembled upward like a cake. A new method...

Novel Ink 3D Prints Bone with Living Cells

Scientists have developed a ceramic-based ink made of calcium phosphate to 3D print bone parts complete with living cells that could be used to repair damaged bone tissue. The 3D printer method is...

Multi-Material Manufacturing of Molded Composites

Researchers combined additive manufacturing with conventional compression molding to produce high-performance thermoplastic composites reinforced with short carbon fibers. The approach...

Tiny Magnets to Create Miniaturizable Quantum Devices

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, have achieved efficient quantum coupling between two distant magnetic devices, which can host a certain...

Elastic Polymer is Both Stiff and Tough

Elastic polymers, known as elastomers, can be stretched and released repeatedly and are used in applications such as gloves and heart valves, where they need to last a long time without tearing. But...

Developing Lightweight Glass for Efficient Cars and Wind Turbines

All solid materials, including glass, have a property called elastic stiffness — also known as elastic modulus. It's a measure of how much force per unit area is needed to make...

Graphene Made with Lasers for Wearable Health Devices

Graphene — hexagonally arranged carbon atoms in a single layer with superior pliability and high conductivity — could impact the development of future motion detection, tactile sensing,...

Developing a Flexible Polymer with Robust Piezoelectric Effectiveness

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers developed a polymer with robust piezoelectric effectiveness, resulting in 60 percent more efficient electricity...

Electronic Textiles Made with Conductive Cellulose Thread

A research team developed a thread made of conductive cellulose that offers practical possibilities for electronic textiles. Sewing the electrically conductive cellulose threads into a...

Tiny Optical Elements Could Replace Traditional Refractive Lenses

Researchers have developed tiny optical elements from metal nanoparticles and a polymer that could replace traditional refractive lenses to realize portable imaging systems and...

New Optical Component Used to Create AR/VR Headsets and Eyewear

Consumers are looking for augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) glasses that are compact and easy to wear, delivering high-quality imagery with socially acceptable optics that...

Composite Glass Produces Unbreakable Screens

Researchers have developed technology to produce next-generation composite glass for lighting LEDs and smartphone, television, and computer screens. The technology was a step forward in perovskite...

Nanocomposite Material Protects Against Intense Light

Optical limiting — a manner of telecom switching without the use of electronics — is an all-optical method that could improve the speed and capacity of Internet communications. A...

New Family of Glass for Lens Applications

A new composition of germanosili-cate glass created by adding zinc oxide has properties good for lens applications. The new family of zinc germanosilicate glass has a high refractive index comparable to...