INSIDER: Energy
System Harvests Energy from Automotive Shock Absorbers
Boosting the fuel efficiency of motor vehicles by “harvesting” the energy generated by their shock absorbers and feeding it back into batteries or electrical systems such as air...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Silicon Nanoantennas Turn Light Around
A team of physicists from ITMO University, MIPT, and The University of Texas at Austin have developed an unconventional nanoantenna that scatters light in a particular direction depending on the...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Researchers Create First “Water-Wave” Laser
Technion researchers have demonstrated, for the first time, that laser emissions can be created through the interaction of light and water waves. This “water-wave laser” could someday...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Scientists Find New Way to Image Solar Cells in 3-D
Next-generation solar cells made of super-thin films of semiconducting material hold promise because they’re relatively inexpensive and flexible enough to be applied just about...
INSIDER: Communications
Tiny Graphene Radios May Lead to Internet of Nano-Things
For wireless communication, we’re all stuck on the same traffic-clogged highway — it’s a section of the electromagnetic spectrum known as radio waves. Advancements have made...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Novel Computer Chips Could Bridge Gap Between Computation and Storage
Computer chips in development at the University of Wisconsin–Madison could make future computers more efficient and powerful by combining tasks usually kept separate...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Supersonic Spray Yields New Nanomaterial for Bendable, Wearable Electronics
A new, ultrathin film that is both transparent and highly conductive to electric current has been produced by a cheap and simple method devised by an...
INSIDER: Software
Machine-Learning System Recognizes Sounds from Video
A machine learning system from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recognizes sounds by watching video. The neural network interprets natural sounds in terms of image categories, without hand-annotated training data.
Question of the Week: Aerospace
Will we be a “multi-planetary” species?
This week's Question: In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into space ventures. SpaceX, an advanced spacecraft manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, has completed more than 30 successful launches since 2006, delivered cargo to the International Space Station, and secured...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
AI Algorithm 'Learns' Beyond its Training
A new machine-learning training method developed at the University of Toronto enables neural networks to learn directly from human-defined rules. The achievement supports new possibilities for artificial intelligence in medical diagnostics and self-driving cars.
INSIDER: Materials
Glowing Crystals Cleanse Contaminated Drinking Water
Motivated by public hazards associated with contaminated sources of drinking water, a group of scientists has successfully developed and tested tiny, glowing crystals that detect and trap heavy-metal toxins like mercury and lead.
Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control
Are you optimistic about AI possibilities?
This week's Question: Today's featured INSIDER story demonstrated a new achievement in artificial intelligence. According to a recently released Stanford University report developed by a standing group of AI scientists, the ability for robots to be self-determined and concerned with their own longevity...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Drones and Biobots Map Disaster Areas
North Carolina State University researchers will use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and insect cyborgs, or biobots, to map large, unfamiliar locations.
Question of the Week: Automotive
Will you use "car concierge" services?
This week's Question: Automaker Volvo is inviting 300 owners of XC90 SUVs and S90 sedans to try out a new app that connects car owners with convenience services. Through the pilot program, users can receive remote fuel delivery, valet car cleaning, and maintenance from their phones. Authorized providers of...
Who's Who: Aerospace
Jason Dworkin, Project Scientist, OSIRIS-REx, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
On September 8, NASA launched OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer). The probe will...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Rocket Motor Design Could Boost Small Satellite Missions
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a rocket motor concept that could be used to power CubeSat low-cost satellites. The Los Alamos team recently tested a...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Morphing Wing Could Enable More Efficient Manufacturing and Flight
A new morphing wing architecture could greatly simplify the manufacturing process and reduce fuel consumption of aircraft by improving the wing’s aerodynamics, as well...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Sandia, Harvard Team Create First Quantum Computer Bridge
By forcefully embedding two silicon atoms in a diamond matrix, Sandia researchers have demonstrated for the first time on a single chip all the components needed to create a...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Researchers Create Smallest Transistor Ever
For more than a decade, engineers have been eyeing the finish line in the race to shrink the size of components in integrated circuits. They knew that the laws of physics had set a 5-nanometer...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
T-rays Will “Speed Up” Computer Memory By a Factor of 1,000
Together with their colleagues from Germany and the Netherlands, scientists at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have found a way to significantly...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
World's 'Smallest Magnifying Glass' Supports New Sensors
Using tiny particles of gold, researchers from the University of Cambridge have concentrated light to smaller than a single atom. By focusing the light to just under a millionth of a meter, the scientists have a "magnifying glass" that reveals individual chemical bonds within...
News: Imaging
Infrared Brings to Light Nanoscale Molecular Arrangement
Detailing the molecular makeup of materials – from solar cells to organic LEDs and transistors to medically important proteins – is not always a crystal-clear process. To...
News: Medical
New Catheter Lets Doctors See Inside Arteries
Removing plaque from clogged arteries is a common procedure that can save and improve lives. This treatment approach has been made safer and more effective with a high-tech catheter that...
News: Robotics, Automation & Control
Mapping Marine Snow on Sea Floor
City-sized maps of terrain and life on the sea floor have revealed that drifts of "marine snow" on submarine hillsides act as a source of food to fuel a higher biomass of marine life than on flatter...
Question of the Week: Imaging
Will virtual reality increase empathy?
This week's Question: According to a recent article in The Washington Post, a growing number of filmmakers, policymakers, researchers, human rights workers, and law enforcement officials are using virtual reality technology to make people feel as if they have experienced an event firsthand. Advocates say...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Smart Buoy Measures Water Pollutants
Extensive water monitoring is indispensable for drinking water supply and water protection. Researchers have developed a smart monitoring system that combines various technologies in a...
INSIDER: Test & Measurement
Ultrasensitive Sensors Keep Driverless Cars Safer
News of the first serious accident involving an automated electric vehicle made headlines recently. Researchers are counting on light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology, in...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Military Sensor Inspires Instrument to Search for Life on Mars
A sensing technique used by the U.S. military currently to remotely monitor the air to detect potentially life-threatening chemicals, toxins, and pathogens has inspired a new...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Metamaterial Structures Shrink When Heated
While most solid materials expand with heat, a new 3D-printed structure built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers is designed to shrink. The metamaterial may enable heat-resistant circuit boards.
Top Stories
Blog: Materials
A New Way to Cure Adhesives on Demand? Magnets.
Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar...
Blog: Transportation
CES 2021: How COVID-19 Turned the Car into a Personal 'Second Space'
Videos: Motion Control
'Blueswarm' Robots Synchronize Movements like School of Fish
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Question of the Week
Will We Make Vibration-Free Helicopters?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Electric-Vehicle Transmission Development Priorities
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
The Critical Role of Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors in Medical...
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Zinc Die Casting Concepts to Achieve Precision, Performance, and...
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Radar Measurements: Triggering, Analysis, and Generation
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Designing with Silicone for Space
Upcoming Webinars: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Trending Stories
Articles: Motion Control
Linear Motors and Actuators Meets Automation Needs
NASA Spinoff: Propulsion
Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Chemically Driven Wheels “Morph” Into Gears
Articles: Electronics & Computers
Battery Power Source Options for Mission-Critical Applications
NASA Spinoff: Automotive
Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
Q&A: Energy
