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Tech Briefs writers and editors share their opinions and find the fun, interesting, and unexpected stories behind today's leading-edge inventions.

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Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
On the opening day of the RAPID + TCT Show in Detroit, HP introduced the new Jet Fusion 5200 Series 3D printing solution – an industrial 3D printing system – and the Digital Manufacturing Network, a new global...
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Blog: Medical
Your smartwatch can count your steps, but can it tell if you’re typing on a keyboard? Or chopping a vegetable?
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Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
A microrobot can take up to 8 hours to make. With the help of a 3D printer, University of Toronto engineers got the process down to 20 minutes
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News: Robotics, Automation & Control
A reader asks: "With medical robots, what's in it for surgeons?"
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Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
If a short circuit starts a fire up on the International Space Station, Dr. Yuji Nakamura has an idea to extinguish it: The vacuum.
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Blog: Propulsion
Three new unmanned helicopters were unveiled at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL show in Chicago.
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Blog: Transportation
A Navy Sea Glider can look for a target in mid-air or underwater.
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News: Propulsion
As always, the Air Force Research Laboratory had a huge presence at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL show in Chicago.
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News: Aerospace
You think riding your Harley Davidson is exciting? Try the ElectraFly.
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Blog: Aerospace
Taxi! A steady stream of AUVSI XPONENTIAL attendees got to see Bell's new air vehicle up close.
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Blog: Photonics/Optics
For the first time, researchers have 3D printed a unique material that demonstrates optical transparency in the mid-infrared range: chalcogenide glass.
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Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Some parts should be CNC machined, and some parts should be 3D printed. Our expert compares the two manufacturing processes.
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Blog: Energy
A new 3D printed device turns snowfall into electricity.
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Blog: Materials
Researchers created transparent polythene sheets that have a strength greater than aluminum – at a fraction of the weight.
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Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The 3D-printing process has a number of steps. Find out where CT scanning should fall.
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Blog: Electronics & Computers
Dr. Peter Cavanagh talks with Tech Briefs about his journey in the 1980s as he turned a running shoe into a tracking computer.
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Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
On day one of the Automate show in Chicago, Stäubli introduced its new TS2 four-axis robots to the North American market.
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Blog: Photonics/Optics
The dyed threads change color when they detect a variety of gases.
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Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Answering Your Questions: Can Collaborative Robots Help Manufacturers Looking to Scale Their Business?
Cobots can help manufacturers automate tasks both known or unknown, says engineer Israel Nunez.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The MIT system can monitor the behavior of electronic devices within a building, a factory – and even a 270-foot Coast Guard cutter.
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Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Answering Your Questions: When to Use Collaborative Robots in Manufacturing
A reader asks: What types of considerations need to be made before you go in on collaborative robots?
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The sensor supports new ideas in food-quality control, environmental monitoring, and more.
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Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
It took two and a half years, 60 prototypes, and even some of his children’s craft foam, but Curtis Ray turned his idea into invention.
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Blog: Energy
A new technology may lead to a more mainstream use of algal biofuels.
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Blog: Electronics & Computers
See which three products won our 2018 Readers' Choice contest.
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Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
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Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The wearable is fireproof, thanks to a carbon aerogel nanocomposite material.
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Blog: Software
Answering Your Questions: What Areas of Study Are Desirable for the Autonomous Industry?
With self-driving vehicles poised to take the road, how can today’s engineers prepare themselves to support an autonomous future?
Blog: Electronics & Computers
Tesla uses batteries to store energy underneath the car seats. What if we could store energy everywhere on the vehicle?
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