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A New Way to Replace Plastic Packaging: Crab Shells and Tree Fibers

Georgia Tech researchers have created a sustainable plastic packaging material, using two ingredients you might not expect in a snack machine: crab shells and tree fibers.

Scientists Find Right Combination for a Better Flow Battery

By introducing some new ingredients to the flow battery, Stanford University scientists are advancing a new way to store wind and solar electricity.

Engineers Teach Computers to Detect Radiation Damage

Engineers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are teaching computers to quickly detect microscopic radiation damage.

Researchers Ready Cell-Sized Robots for Inspection Tasks

Researchers at MIT have created cell-sized robots that may someday be used to inspect and analyze hard-to-reach locations, from oil pipelines to the human body.

How Would You Use An Electronic Circuit Sensor Sticker?

Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Virginia have designed peelable electronic films that can be cut and pasted onto any object, offering new sensing capabilities to...

Is It Important to Know How a Robot is 'Feeling?'

Talking about your feelings can be difficult. Now imagine if you’re a robot.

New Products at Sensors Expo 2018: IMUs, Microcontrollers, Transducers, and More

See five of the new products released this week at Sensors Expo 2018.

From Chemical Engineer to Solar-Powered Whiskey and Beer: Meet Jim Batdorf, Chief Distiller

Jim Batdorf tells Tech Briefs about his unique career path, from chemical engineer to distiller of solar-powered spirits.

A ‘Green’ Concrete Calls for Less Cement, More Ash

Researchers from Rice University are finding ways to use greater amounts of fly ash in an effort to build a “greener” kind of concrete.

To Communicate, Researchers Test the Power of Touch

Could touch be the new avenue for communications? Researchers from MIT and Purdue University think so and are working on a “general-purpose” tactile system that delivers information using...

With a Conductive Thin Film, Researchers Test a Silver Screen

PhD student Jes Linnet hopes that a silver-based, transparent conductive electrode film offers a longer-lasting alternative for flexible screens and electronics.

Will Flexible Solar Cells Soon Power Our Devices?

Professor Jaana Vapaavuori spoke with Tech Briefs about the manufacturing methods that could someday decrease the cost and increase the lifetime of flexible solar cells.

Studying the Secrets Behind Spider Glue

How does a spider's glue maintain its stickiness, even in high humidity? Researchers in Akron investigated the question.

FLAM! Researchers Test Cellulose as Sustainable 3D-Printing Material

Researchers from Singapore University of Technology and Design have demonstrated 3D printing with one of the Earth’s most abundant organic compounds: cellulose.

Answering Your Questions: Why Are Companies Holding Back on 'Digital' Product Development?

If digital transformation is a boardroom priority, why are companies so slow to transform product development? A reader asks our experts.

A ‘Symmetrical’ Approach Improves Wireless Microsensors

A researcher tells Tech Briefs how his team's "symmetrical" sensor approach will support the growing "Internet of Things."

Wanted: Uses for a Beetle-Inspired 'Spider-Man' Adhesive

Professor Paul Steen helped to create a beetle-inspired adhesive. Now it's about finding applications for it.

A 'Solid' Idea for Powering Spacecraft: Thermoacoustics

Researchers from Purdue University demonstrated that thermoacoustics properties could theoretically occur in solids as well as liquids.

‘Invisibility’ Material Offers Thermal Camouflage

A stretchy material, modeled after squid skin, achieves thermal invisibility by reflecting heat.

When the Battery Runs Out, the ‘BATLESS’ Microchip Keeps Going

A new microchip allows sensor nodes to run uninterruptedly, even when the battery runs out.

No Map Needed: ‘MapLite’ Sends Self-Driving Cars Off the Beaten Path

A “MapLite” framework from MIT allows self-driving cars to navigate roads – with just GPS and sensors as a guide.