Magazine

Closed Ecological System Network

The Controlled Closed-Ecosystem Development System (CCEDS) can be used to develop designs for sustainable, small-scale reproductions of subsets of the Earth’s biosphere and the Orbiting Modular...

Facility Focus: Purdue University College of Engineering

Purdue University is helping to create better battery monitoring, stretchable biosensors, allergen detectors, and more.

Water Purification System Engineered from Wood

The eco-friendly process removes heavy metals, dyes, and other pollutants.

2021 OEM Photonics & Imaging Directory

See top suppliers and manufacturers in over 20 categories, including high-speed cameras, sensors, and optical components.

Inside Story, November 2021: Momentive Materials in Space, Defense, and Aviation

Thanos Yiagopoulos, Chief Technology Officer of Momentive Performance Materials, discusses how engineers can determine the best product for their application.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest Grand Prize Winner: Self Destructing Plastics via Embedded Enzymes

Once triggered, the enzyme-embedded plastics self-destruct, completely degrading and eliminating microplastics in days.

UpFront: November 2021 Tech Briefs

How to be a NASA intern; a new ideas for moon fabrics; and NASA's need for a better rover.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Electronics/Sensors/IoT Category Winner — Freetouch

Freetouch turns a smartphone into a touchscreen remote control.

Products of Tomorrow

Nanotube fibers that turn heat to power; a NASA antenna system; and an antimicrobial coating.

Designing Advanced IR Optical Assemblies for UAVs

Unmanned aircraft present a range of optics challenges.

New “Metalens” Shifts Focus Without Tilting or Moving

The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles.

Nanoscale Machines Convert Light into Work

The optically powered machines self-assemble and could be used for nanoscale manipulation of tiny cargo.

New Products

Infrared lens testers, fiber optic transceivers, spectral radiometers, and more.

Silicon Carbide Optics for High-Energy Applications

Silicon Carbide (SiC) optics are becoming more and more prevalent in high-energy laser (HEL) designs, and manufacturers must be aware of the potential risks

Illumination Design Considerations for Robotic Surgery Vision Systems

To have a successful product, one must consider all the required sub-systems to deliver high-quality illumination.

Unique Amplifier Could Change Optical Communication

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an optical amplifier that they expect will revolutionize both space and fiber communication.

Let’s Get Small: New Argonne Method Greatly Improves X-Ray Nanotomography Resolution

Scientists are working to improve the image resolution of X-ray techniques.

Thermal Imaging — Making Hidden Details Visible

When even your iPhone can easily become a thermal imager, today's top cameras offer better sensitivity and measurement accuracy.

Making Measurements with a Fine-Toothed Comb

The comb detects even the smallest amounts of greenhouse gases in the air or look for disease in human breath.

Product of the Month

Dinkle International offers universal interface modules for connecting equipment signals to I/O modules.

ARTEMIS I: Our Return to the Moon Begins

Artemis I will launch from Kennedy Space Center into Earth orbit, where it will travel 40,000 miles beyond the Moon.

“Smart” Shirt Monitors the Heart

Flexible carbon nanotube fibers woven into clothing gather accurate EKG and heart rate.

DC Drives as Replacements for AC Servos

Low-voltage DC stepper and servo drives offer space-saving options for applications traditionally handled by AC servo drives.

Q&A: Self-Healing Polymers Create Water-Resistant Coatings

Jingcheng Ma, along with a team of researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, found a way to make ultra-thin water-resistant surface coatings robust enough to survive...

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — How to Keep Drones Flying When a Motor Fails, without GPS

A vision-based control algorithm saves a quadrotor after the complete loss of a single motor.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Consumer Product Design Category Winner — Aira FreePower

Learn about "FreePower" charging stations.

Deployable Composite Boom

Applications include space structures, emergency shelters, backpack solar collectors, and inspection of hazardous environments.

Facility Focus: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

The "ERDC" helps solve problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources, and environmental sciences.

Soft Robots Use Camera and Shadows to Sense Human Touch

An off-the-shelf USB camera captures the shadows made by hand gestures on the robot’s skin.