Mechanical/​Mechatronics

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Maximizing Safety in Advanced Battery Systems

Fuse devices enable circuit safety in high-power applications, such as motion control and alternative energy generation, in addition to electric vehicles.

Briefs : Nanotechnology

Researchers Create Nanoscale Sensors to Better See How High Pressure Affects Materials

Researchers have developed new nanoscale technology to image and measure more of the stresses and strains on materials under high pressures.

Briefs : Wearables

New Solution to Elderly Falls: Drones, Smartphones and Sensors

Drones, smartphones, and sensors could provide a lifeline to the world’s growing elderly population at risk of falls.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Low-Inductance DC Power Bus

The bus is designed for high-frequency, high-temperature operation in electric drive systems and next-generation power electronics.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Layered Composite Insulation

This cost-saving piping insulation has uses in refrigerated containers that protect food, medicine, and other perishables.

Briefs : Aerospace

Flap Device for Airframe Noise Reduction

This trailing edge flap device reduces noise without compromising cruise efficiency or landing lift and stall characteristics.

Briefs : Energy

High-Performance, Piezoelectric, Hybrid Synthetic Jet Actuators

These actuators provide active flow control for airfoil surfaces and supersonic inlets of wing-borne vehicles.

Briefs : Test & Measurement

Trunk Support Assists Those with Spinal Cord Injury

The device retrains patients with spinal cord injury to sit more stably and gain an expanded active sitting workspace.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Spring Drive Fitting

Applications include valves, tubes, and other gas and fluid system components.

Briefs : Motion Control

Bio-Inspired Mechanics to Make Robots More Effective

This technology could impact new directions in robotics design.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Electrically Non-Conductive Ladder Fall Protection

This system protects workers on lightning and telecommunications towers, and on oil and gas platforms.

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sensor Uses Microwaves to Determine Real-Time Ice Accumulation

The sensor makes it easier to detect and manage ice accumulation on aircraft wings.

Briefs : Materials

Multi-Objective Flight Control Optimization Framework

This framework can be used by commercial and military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Briefs : Energy

Green Jet Fuel Additive Made from Acetone Plus Light

The additive creates fuel from biomass while improving engine performance.

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Low-Energy Device Rapidly Reroutes Light in Computer Chips

The switch is a major new step toward building a computer that uses light instead of electricity to process information.

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Insect-Inspired Motion Sensing

This mechanical gyroscope can advance motion sensing capabilities in consumer-sized applications.

Briefs : Motion Control

Dynamic Gripper Mimics Adjustable Grip of the Human Hand

Such grippers would be suited for human-robot partnership in assembly lines in the automotive, electronic packaging, and other industries.

Briefs : Motion Control

Flexure for Self-Assembly

Conventional fastening mechanisms like nails, bolts, and welds are subject to manufacturing and inspection tolerances, differential thermal growth, and other sources of error that lead to over-constraint, among...

Briefs : Materials

Soft, Skin-Like Structures for Robotic Locomotion and Transportation

These soft robots can be rolled up and carried in a pocket.

Briefs : Test & Measurement

Portable Sample Preparation for Chemical and Biological Analysis

This system autonomously prepares samples for online automated analysis.

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Welding Ceramics with Lasers

This technology could be used to create smartphones that don't scratch or shatter, metal-free pacemakers, and electronics for space and other harsh environments.

Briefs : Aerospace

Robots Assemble Large Structures from Little Pieces

Systems of tiny robots could build high-performance structures, from airplanes to space settlements.

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Thermally Conductive Polymer Films

These materials may replace metals as lightweight, flexible heat dissipators in cars, computers, cellphones, and refrigerators.

Briefs : Photonics/Optics

Intelligent Microrobots

Such machines, only a few tens of micrometers across, could be used in the human body to perform small operations.

Briefs : Transportation

“Smart” Frequency-Sensing Charge Controller for Electric Vehicles

This controller minimizes the burden on the power grid.