Electronics & Software

Upside-Down Design Expands Wide-Spectrum Super-Camera Abilities

Plasmonics is a technology that essentially traps the energy of light in groups of electrons oscillating together on a metal surface.

Researchers Demonstrate 40-Channel Optical Communication Link

It achieves 40 channels by combining a frequency comb light source based on a new photonic crystal resonator developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with an optimized mode-division multiplexer.

Lignin-Based Jet Fuel Packs More Power

An experimental plant-based jet fuel could increase engine performance and efficiency, while dispensing with aromatics, the pollution-causing compounds found in conventional fuels.

An Alternative to Lithium-Ion Batteries

Have we found a better alternative to lithium-ion batteries?

Engineers Build Reconfigurable Artificial Intelligence Chip

The researchers plan to apply the design to edge computing devices.

An Algorithmic Planner Helps Delegate Tasks to Human-Robot Teams

The technology could be useful in manufacturing and assembly plants for sorting packages, or in any environment where humans and robots collaborate.

Insect-Scale Robots Take Flight

Researchers built electroluminescent soft artificial muscles for flying, insect-scale robots.

Enhanced Material Stable Enough for Solar Cells

A simple change to the surface of perovskite removes a barrier to its functionality.

Plant-Based Thermotherapy Patch

Additional applications include defogging/defrosting, wearable devices, industrial heat systems, sensors, thermochromic displays, and microfluidic chips.

Piezoelectric Material Remains Effective at High Temperatures

The material remains effective as an energy harvester or sensor at temperatures to well above 572°F.

Analyses Find Cause of Fatal Problem in Rocket Engine Combustors

Advanced analyses shed light on the mechanism of a deadly problem plaguing combustion chambers in rocket engines.

Laser Processing Method for Optoelectronic Devices

This method increases the efficiency of light-emitting diodes and other optical elements.

Flexible Micro LEDs for Wearables

These micro LEDs can be folded, twisted, cut, and stuck to different surfaces.

Ecological Power Storage Battery Made of Vanillin

Vanillin is converted into a redox-active electrolyte material for liquid batteries.

Method Helps Create Fuels from Plants

Scientists have been trying for years to create biofuels and other bioproducts more cheaply.

Maximizing the Performance of Battery Cells for Better Energy Storage

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is leading the development of new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery designs specific to the stationary storage requirements.

Photovoltaic Cell Increases Nighttime Power Generation

The device uses a thermoelectric module to generate voltage and current from the temperature gradient between the cell and the air.

A Heat Engine with No Moving Parts

The design could someday enable a fully decarbonized power grid.

New Screening System May Point the Way to Renewable Hydrogen Power

A highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas can foster the development of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.

Advancing Renewable Energy Production with Solar Thermochemical Hydrogen

Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources, as a substitute for fossil fuels used for transportation, in the production of ammonia, and for other industrial applications.

Autonomous Assemblers Assemble

In-space and planetary surface assembly for human exploration is a challenging domain that encompasses various technological thrusts to support human missions. NASA is developing autonomous assembly agents to...

An Artificial Intelligence System to Identify Objects in Cluttered Scenes

Robotic vision has come a long way, reaching a level of sophistication with applications in complex and demanding tasks, such as autonomous driving and object...

3D-Printed Micro-Robots Hold Promise for Drug Delivery

Georgia Tech researchers have shown that robots about the size of a particle of dust are capable of precise bidirectional control. By harnessing the power of a magnetic field generated by a...

Powerful Micro-PLCs Enhance Equipment and Testing Systems

For many types of machinery and test equipment, there is a great need to perform basic automatic control functions, or even just sensor monitoring. Developing hardwired automation is...

Smart Molecules Act as Computer Transistors

Researchers have discovered a single-molecule switch that can act like a transistor and store binary information such as the 1s and 0s used in classical computing. The molecule is around five square...

Applying Friction Principles to Finger-Device Interaction Mechanics

High-fidelity touch has the potential to significantly expand the scope of what we expect from computing devices, making new remote sensory experiences possible. The research...

Three-Dimensional Electronic Flying Microchip

Engineers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (microflier) does not have a motor or engine. Instead, it catches...

Heat-Management Material Keeps Computers Running Cool

Computer processors have shrunk to nanometer scales over the years, with billions of transistors sitting on a single computer chip. While the increased number of transistors helps make...

Platform for Quantum Technologies Using Gold

Scientists discovered a new platform for quantum technologies by suspending two-dimensional (2D) crystals over pores in a slab of gold. When heated, the metal reflows to form a porous structure and...