INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Gas Sensor Monitors Pollution from Power Plants and Roads
A research team from Adelphi University in New developed a new device that can detect ultra-low concentrations of gases like nitrogen dioxide accurately and nearly...
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Wristband Sensor Predicts and Prevents Asthma Attacks
Researchers have developed an integrated, wearable system that monitors a user’s environment, heart rate, and other physical attributes with the goal of predicting and preventing...
INSIDER: Energy
Scientists Simulate Bacteria-Powered 'Windfarm'
A team of scientists from Oxford University has shown how the natural movement of bacteria could be harnessed to assemble and power microscopic "windfarms."
INSIDER: Medical
Researchers Develop Self-Healing, Shape-Changing Smart Material
Washington State University researchers have created a multi-functional smart material that changes shape when subjected to heat or light; the material then assembles and disassembles itself.
Question of the Week
Will security concerns prevent widespread adoption of wearables and IoT devices?
This week's Question: In the paper "Friend or Foe?: Your Wearable Devices Reveal Your Personal PIN" scientists from Binghamton University and the Stevens Institute of Technology combined data from embedded sensors in wearable technologies, such as smartwatches and...
Question of the Week
Should armed robots be used by police?
This week's Question: The Dallas Police Department used a bomb-disposal robot armed with a brick of C-4 explosives to kill the gunman who had shot and killed five Dallas police officers. The use of armed robots by police is worrisome to those who fear they could be used on American streets for crowd...
Question of the Week
Will drone delivery be practical?
This week's Question: On July 11th, the convenience store chain 7-Eleven partnered with drone startup Flirtey to make the first commercial delivery – a chicken sandwich, donuts, coffee, candy, and Slurpees – to a private residence in Reno, Nevada. Many companies, like Amazon and Google, are exploring the use...
R&D: Robotics, Automation & Control
Five-Fingered Robot Gets a Grip
Intricate tasks that require dexterous in-hand manipulation — rolling, pivoting, bending, and sensing friction — are a challenge for today's robots. A University of Washington team of computer scientists...
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Space Station Crew 3D Prints Student-Designed Tool
A college student who won a NASA design challenge recently had the tool he designed 3D-printed on the Additive Manufacturing Facility on the International Space Station. The Multipurpose...
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Bacteria Helps Make Chemicals from Wood Waste
The present-day chemical industry is based on oil. Many chemical products – from plastics through to detergents and solvents, to medication and crop protection products – have their...
INSIDER: Medical
New Technology “Prints” Customized Pills
Researchers have found a way to make personalized medicine cheaper and easier through a tablet fabrication system that 3D prints a myriad of pills in just one tablet. While there are existing...
INSIDER: Imaging
New Method Combats Virtual Reality Sickness
Researchers have developed a method of combating virtual reality (VR) sickness that can be applied to consumer head-worn VR displays such as the Sony PlayStation VR. The approach dynamically,...
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control
Soft Actuator Provides Gentle Strength for Robots
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart developed a motion system that is compliant and can be integrated in robots thanks to its space-saving design....
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Technique Controls Autonomous Vehicles in Extreme Conditions
Researchers have devised a novel way to help keep a driverless vehicle under control as it maneuvers at the edge of its handling limits. The new technology is being tested by...
INSIDER: Medical
Researchers Keep Hydrogels Hydrated
Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to prevent hydrogels from dehydrating. The water-based technique could lead to longer-lasting contact lenses, stretchy microfluidic devices, flexible bioelectronics, and even artificial skin.
INSIDER: Energy
3D-Printed Polymer Turns Methane to Methanol
By combining biology and 3D printing, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have created a reactor that continuously produces methanol from methane at room temperature and pressure.
INSIDER: Test & Measurement
Researchers Test Galaxy-Seeking Robots
A telescope project from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) will use a planned array of 5,000 galaxy-seeking robots to produce a 3D map of the universe. Dubbed ProtoDESI, the scaled-down, 10-robot system will help scientists achieve the pinpoint accuracy needed...
Question of the Week
Will VR be the new way to watch sports?
This week's Question: Fox Sports offered virtual-reality streams from last week's U.S. Open, a major golf championship in Oakmont, PA. Sports fans who owned the right devices could watch the golf event on the television while using VR for enhancements: game recaps, highlights of a particular play,...
Question of the Week
Will AI improve vehicle safety by 2020?
This week's Question: As the competition to develop self-driving cars intensifies, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that over the next five years the company will spend $1 billion on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). Gill Pratt, CEO of Toyota Research Institute, recently said Toyota aims to...
INSIDER: Imaging
Researchers Film Droplets Getting Blown Up by X-ray Laser
Researchers have made the first microscopic movies of liquids getting vaporized by the world’s brightest X-ray laser at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Engineers Set New World Record in Solar Cell Efficiency
A new solar cell configuration developed by engineers at the University of New South Wales has pushed sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency to 34.5% – establishing a new...
INSIDER: Materials
Optics Breakthrough Could Revamp Night Vision
A breakthrough by an Australian collaboration of researchers could make infrared technology easy-to-use and cheap, potentially saving millions of dollars in defense and other areas using...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Teaching Computers to Understand Human Languages
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have developed a set of algorithms that will help teach computers to process and understand human languages.
While mastering natural...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
High-Efficiency Power Amplifier Could Bring 5G Cell Phones
A new highly efficient power amplifier for electronics could help make possible next-generation cell phones, low-cost collision-avoidance radar for cars and lightweight...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Fast, Stretchy Circuits Could Yield New Wearable Electronics
The consumer marketplace is flooded with a lively assortment of smart wearable electronics that do everything from monitor vital signs, fitness or sun exposure to play music,...
INSIDER: Imaging
New Algorithm Reveals Underground Water Levels
Researchers from Stanford University have used satellite data and a new computer algorithm to gauge groundwater levels in Colorado’s San Luis Valley agricultural basin. The technique "fills...
Question of the Week
Will flying cars catch on (beyond the 1 percent)?
This week's Question: Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly has invested millions of dollars in two startups that are developing flying cars. Bloomberg reports that Page has spent more than $100 million on Silicon Valley's Zee.Aero, and is also funding a similar firm called Kitty Hawk....
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Disposable 'Ninja-Star' Battery Supports Biosensors
A Binghamton University researcher's new disposable battery folds like an origami ninja star. The microbial fuel cell could power biosensors and other small devices in challenging field...
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
'On the Fly' 3D Printer Adjusts to Design Changes
In conventional 3D printing, a nozzle scans across a stage: depositing drops of plastic, rising slightly after each pass, and building an object in a series of layers. A new "on-the-fly" prototyping system from Cornell University allows the designer to make refinements while printing is in...
Top Stories
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Experts Weigh In: How Will a Robotic Future Impact Nature?
Podcasts: Materials
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Orbiting Instrument Hints That Stored Magnetic Energy Heats Solar...
Videos: Motion Control
Test System Could Enable Reduced Helicopter Vibration
Blog: Transportation
CES 2021: How COVID-19 Turned the Car into a Personal 'Second Space'
Videos: Automotive
Question of the Week
Has the Vehicle Become Your “Second Space?”
Webcasts
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Reducing the Cost of Quality in Automotive BiW
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
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