Stories

How Much Do You Know About Jet Engines?

As the future of jet engine technology continues to take shape, test your knowledge about how jet engines work with this quiz.

Top Prizes Awarded in 2023 Create the Future Design Contest

NeuroPair’s Fibermag treatment — which aims to help patients of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) recover — took home the distinguished honor on Friday, November 10 in the heart of New York City.

Robotic Ankles Stabilize Amputees

Robotic prosthetic ankles that are controlled by nerve impulses allow amputees to move more “naturally,” improving their stability.

How Much Do You Know About DC Power Supplies?

DC power supplies are ubiquitous in the modern electronic age. All electronic devices need DC power. Although our smart phones, for example, use batteries, those batteries need to be recharged using a DC power supply. How much do you know about DC power supplies?

AI Yields ‘Athletically Intelligent’ Robotic Dog

Someday, when quakes, fires, and floods strike, the first responders might be packs of robotic rescue dogs rushing in to help stranded souls. These battery-powered quadrupeds would use...

Finger-Shaped Sensor Enables More Dexterous Robots

Imagine grasping a heavy object, like a pipe wrench, with one hand. You would likely grab the wrench using your entire fingers, not just your fingertips. Sensory receptors in your skin,...

Using AI to Design a New Robot from Scratch in Seconds

A team led by Northwestern University researchers has developed the first artificial intelligence (AI) to date that can intelligently design robots from scratch.

Big Data, AI Help Advance Ornithology

Big data and artificial intelligence are being used to model hidden patterns in nature, not just for one bird species, but for entire ecological communities across continents.

Wearable Device Makes Memories and Powers Up with The Flex of a Finger

Researchers have invented an experimental wearable device that generates power from a user’s bending finger and can create and store memories, in a promising step...

Electric Vehicles Play a Surprising Role in Supporting Grid Resiliency

Widespread electrification initiatives are increasing the demands on America’s aging power grid, but utilities and consumers may have an unlikely ally in electric...

New Modeling Approach Helps to Understand Faults in the Modern Electric Grid

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are leading the way in understanding the effects of electrical faults in the modern U.S....

Choosing Exoskeleton Settings like a Music-Streaming App

Taking inspiration from music-streaming services, engineers have designed the simplest way for users to program their own exoskeleton assistance settings.

VR Therapy Aims to Help Those with Hoarding Disorder

Virtual reality therapy could allow those with hoarding disorder to rehearse relinquishing possessions in a simulation of their own home, which could help them declutter in real life.

Photonic Crystals Bend Light as Though It Were Under the Influence of Gravity

A collaborative group of researchers has manipulated the behavior of light as if it were under the influence of gravity. The findings, which were published in the...

NASA’s First Two-Way End-to-End Laser Communications Relay System

NASA is demonstrating laser communications on multiple missions – showcasing the benefits infrared light can have for science and exploration missions transmitting terabytes...

A Nanophotonic Electron Accelerator Breakthrough

Using lasers to accelerate electrons within a photonic nanostructure constitutes a microscopic alternative with the potential of generating significantly lower costs and making devices...

India Opens New Silicon Photonics Research Center

India's new Center for Programmable Photonics Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS) opened with an inaugural ceremony hosted by the nation's secretary of electronics and information...

Can Photonic Chips Help Drones Avoid GPS-Jamming?

Researchers at University of Rochester are developing photonic chips that could replace the gyroscopes currently used in unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, enabling them to fly where GPS...

Plant-Based Soft Robots Take on the Medical Industry

Researchers have created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots.

Robotic Prosthetic Ankles Improve ‘Natural’ Movement, Stability

Robotic prosthetic ankles that are controlled by nerve impulses allow amputees to move more “naturally,” improving their stability, according to a new study from North...

AI Copilot Enhances Human Precision for Safer Aviation

Imagine you're in an airplane with two pilots, one human and one computer. Both have their “hands” on the controllers, but they're always looking out for different things. If...

DNA Nano-Engine

An international team of scientists has recently developed a novel type of nano-engine made of DNA. It is driven by a clever mechanism that can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a...

What Are Bio-Inspired Robots?

Bio-inspired robots have many applications ranging from inspections and rescue operations to surgery and space exploration. Test your knowledge about bio-inspired robots in this quiz.

My Opinion: Engineers Can Help Solve Social Problems

This past year’s Technology and Society articles in Tech Briefs magazine describe different ways engineers are making significant contributions to improving our lives.

Using AI to Track Animal Behavior

A Salk team has created GlowTrack, a non-invasive movement tracking method that uses fluorescent dye markers to train AI.

Shape-Changing Smart Speaker Lets Users Mute Areas of a Room

Researchers have developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones.

How Much Do You Know About Radar?

Radar is used in a wide variety of applications from locating nearby aircraft, to navigating unmanned vehicles, to trapping speeding motorists. How much do you really know about this common technology? Take this quiz to find out.

Combustion-Powered, Bug-Sized Robots can Leap, Lift, and Race

Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion.

New Wearable Sensor Makes Continuous Analysis of Sweat Possible

Continuous monitoring of sweat can reveal valuable information about human health, such as the body’s glucose levels. However, wearable sensors previously developed for this...