Stories

What Exactly is LiDAR?

There's been a lot of talk about LiDAR recently. If you want to judge the arguments, you should know something about it. Take this LiDAR quiz to see how much you know.

Test Your Knowledge About the James Webb Space Telescope

On July 12, 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope began its official science operations. Test your knowledge about Webb with this quiz.

A Drone to Protect Bats from Wind Turbines

A study has perhaps solved the wind-turbine issue of causing harm to bats.

How Much Do You Know About GPS and its History?

The chances are very high that you're familiar with GPS. However, do you know how it came to be? Its trials and tribulations? Take this quiz to find out.

Top 5 Tech Briefs Quizzes of 2022

See Tech Briefs’ top-performing quizzes of 2022.

Top 10 Most-Read Tech Briefs Stories of 2022

See Tech Briefs’ most-read stories of 2022.

Electromagnetic-Wave-Absorbing 6G Tech

The epsilon iron oxide nanoparticles could be continuously produced through a micrometer-sized powder manufacturing process.

What Do You Know About Factory Automation?

Factories are becoming more and more automated and integrated. How much do you know about what factory automation actually is? Take this quiz to find out.

A Low-Cost Robot Ready for Any Obstacle

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science and the University of California, Berkeley, have designed a robotic system that enables a low-cost and relatively small legged...

Computational System Streamlines the Design of Fluidic Devices

Combustion engines, propellors, and hydraulic pumps are examples of fluidic devices — instruments that utilize fluids to perform certain functions, such as generating power or...

Hummingbird Flight Could Provide Insights for Biomimicry in Aerial Vehicles

Hummingbirds occupy a unique place in nature: They fly like insects but have the musculoskeletal system of birds. According to Bo Cheng, Associate Professor in...

Low-Cost, High-Energy Battery Could Change the Decarbonization Game

The battery was made using sodium-sulphur — a type of molten salt that can be processed from sea water at a low cost.

How Much Do You Know About the Hyperloop?

Take this quiz to find out how much you know about the hyperloop - a system that moves people and goods safely and sustainably by bringing airplane speeds or even greater to the ground.

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for Engineers

Gift giving always induces anxiety. It’s never easy to pick a present that someone will enjoy, especially if the recipient is an engineer.

Self-Folding Origami Honeycombs Perfect for Protective Packaging

A research team has demonstrated a promising method to easily manufacture self-folding origami honeycomb structures.

How Well Do You Know E-Skin?

How much do you know about e-skin? Find out with the quiz below.

To-Go Cup Lids May Help Drones Sense Danger

The work showed that when a certain level of force inverts a dome, embedded sensors surrounding the dome can detect the change.

Graphene Boosts Flexible and Wearable Electronics Boosts

At 200 times stronger than steel, graphene has been hailed as a super material of the future since its discovery in 2004. The ultrathin carbon material is an incredibly strong...

New Material Will Make Locally Flexible Diodes Possible

Diodes allow directed flows of current. Without them, modern electronics would be inconceivable. Until now, they had to be made from two materials with different characteristics. A...

Novel Nanowire Fabrication Technique Paves Way for Next Generation Spintronics

The challenge of fabricating nanowires directly on silicon substrates for the creation of the next generation of electronics has finally been solved by...

Advanced LiDAR — On the Road to SAE Level 3 Partially Automated Driving

For automated driving, LiDAR combines the best features of two of the other sensing technologies: radar and cameras.

How Artemis I Launched

The Artemis I launch took place at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with support from University of Central Florida alums, faculty, and students. However, it didn’t go off without a hitch.

The Power of Power Electronics for a Sustainable Future

Power electronics are critical for renewable energy. They require special design and testing to ensure that they will reliably perform their critical duties.

High-Power Electrostatic Actuators to Realize Artificial Muscles

Electrostatic actuators are simple and lightweight devices that emulate human muscles. However, their usage has primarily been restricted to moving small devices since they...

NYU Tandon Researchers Explore a More Frictionless Future

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Elisa Riedo and her team have discovered a fundamental friction law that is leading to a deeper understanding of energy dissipation...

The Skillful Skydiving of Wingless Springtails

Early in the pandemic, Víctor Ortega-Jiménez was exploring creeks near his home and observing springtails. The organisms are the most abundant non-insect hexapods on earth, and...

AI Material That Adapts to Its Surroundings

UCLA engineers have designed a new class of material that can learn behaviors over time and develop a “muscle memory” of its own.

Sleep Mode Makes Internet of Energy More Energy Efficient

A group of scientists in Nagoya University, Japan, have developed a possible solution to one of the biggest problems of the Internet of Energy, energy efficiency. They did so by...

Extensive NREL Power Electronics Capabilities

Imagine a technology that can convert, amplify, limit, filter, control, and transform electricity in countless ways to supply power to the electrical grid. These are power electronics, and the...