Blog: Aerospace
Will Electric Aircraft Reach the Speeds of Commercial Jets?
An Israel-based company called Eviation is working on an all-electric aircraft known as "Alice." Will it match the speeds of a jet?
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
With a 50-Million-Electron Jolt, Sensors Power Themselves
By jumpstarting electrons, a team at Washington University in St. Louis has developed sensors that can power themselves for more than a year.
Blog: Data Acquisition
Stanford Computer Model Predicts How COVID-19 Spreads in Cities
The model analyzes three factors that drive infection risk: where people go in the course of a day; how long they linger; and how many other people are visiting the same place at the same time.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A Solar Alternative: How to Power Devices with Indoor Light
A new material is especially effective at absorbing indoor light and converting it into usable energy.
The RepelWrap inventors explain why their product is especially valuable as the world confronts a pandemic like COVID-19.
Blog: Aerospace
What Role Will Motors Play in Mars 2020 Missions?
The great tasks of retrieving samples and flying a helicopter on Mars requires a number of small parts — specifically motors and drives.
Blog: Electronics & Computers
'Soil Fuel Cells' Support Water Treatment in Brazil
The soil microbial fuel cells produce energy to filter enough water for a person’s daily needs, with potential to increase scale.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A Spider-Inspired Design Paves Way for Better Photodetectors
Purdue University innovators are taking cues from the spider to develop 3D photodetectors for biomedical imaging.
Blog: Software
Woodworking, Simplified: New Software Aids in Design
An interactive software being developed at the University of Tokyo allows architects and furniture makers with little experience in woodworking to to design and build structurally sound wood joints.
Blog: Test & Measurement
Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Testing: Simulation vs. Closed-Course vs. Public Roads
A reader asks, "For AV testing, what are the respective role of simulation, closed course, and public road testing?"
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
A Squid-Like Robot Swims, Untethered
A robot being tested at the University of California San Diego takes after an aquatic invertebrate that has a jet-like way moving through the water: The Squid.
Blog: Electronics & Computers
With Water Jets, Machines 'Breathe' to Cool Down
University of Central Florida researchers are developing a human-like way for large machines to cool off and keep from overheating: Letting the machines "breathe."
Researcher Nina Mahmoudian is finding a new way for underwater robots to recharge and upload their data, and then go back out to continue exploring, without the need for human intervention.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Is the Public Ready for a Level-4 Autonomous Vehicle?
A reader asks, "Will the public feel safe enough in an autonomous vehicle?"
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Researchers Prove Their Elastic Exosuit Eases Back Stress
Vanderbilt University engineers are proving that their elastic exosuit can provide relief for people doing the heavy lifting.
Thermal cameras detect heat radiation and can be used to identify the surface temperature of objects and people. So what's their limit, asks a reader.
Blog: Electronics & Computers
New Composite Energizes the Electric Vehicle Market
A new composite from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) increases the electrical current capacity of copper wires, providing a new material that can be scaled for use in ultra-efficient, power-dense electric vehicle traction motors.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Software Keeps Self-Driving Cars on a Safe Path
New software from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) wants to predict all traffic possibilities, so that self-driving vehicles will never get into accidents.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
NASA's 'VITAL' Ventilator: A Choice Between Licensing and Open-Source
As Brazil begins mass-producing a NASA-developed ventilator, a Tech Briefs reader asks why NASA didn't go open-source.
Blog: Transportation
Breakthrough Model Offers Better Look Inside Rechargeable Batteries
The new approach could help pave the way for smaller battery packs and greater driving range in electric vehicles.
Blog: Automotive
What's Best for Autonomous Cars: LiDAR vs Radar vs Cameras
A reader asks our expert: When it comes to autonomous vehicles, what’s best: Radar, LiDAR, or cameras?
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Can We Trust A.I.? Modeling Tool Quantifies How Much a Machine Doesn't Know
A new modeling tool from USC engineers generates automatic indicators when data and predictions from AI algorithms are trustworthy.
Blog: Photonics/Optics
With a Flash of a Laser, Microscopic Robots Move
A Cornell team developed paramecium-sized robots that can be controlled with lasers.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Clang! Robots Detect Objects By Sound
Carnegie Mellon researcher Lerrel Pinto wants to prove that sound can be a valuable asset for robots.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Answering Your Questions: Edge Computing vs. Cloud Computing in the Vehicle
Deciding between edge computing and cloud computing? Make sure to consider these four major factors, says our industry expert.
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Scientist Proposes Life on Mars, Below the Surface
Although life has not been found on Mars just year, a researcher from NYU thinks there could be life...under it.
Blog: Motion Control
How to Guarantee Autonomous Driving Levels — When Vision is Obstructed
A reader asks: How can self-driving car manufacturers guarantee safety when snow, ice, or mud impair a vision system?
Blog: Electronics & Computers
How to Test a Living Sensor, Made with Bacteria
Dr. James Rees is spending the time in his lab testing sensors made from bacteria.
“Food supply” goes beyond just crop production. See how NASA is offering a more comprehensive look at food security and agriculture.
Top Stories
Blog: Energy
A Solar Alternative: How to Power Devices with Indoor Light
Blog: Software
Stanford Computer Model Predicts How COVID-19 Spreads in Cities
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Woodworking, Simplified: New Software Aids in Design
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Printing Paper Structures for Mechatronics
Blog: Imaging
What's Best for Autonomous Cars: LiDAR vs Radar vs Cameras
Videos: Power
Question of the Week
Will Indoor Light Someday Power Our Smart Devices?
Webcasts
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Protecting Power Electronics from EM and RF Interference
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Tech Talks: Medical
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