Tech Briefs

Mechanical/​Mechatronics

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Access our comprehensive library of mechanical and mechatronics technical briefs, from engineering experts at NASA and government, university, and commercial laboratories.

Briefs: Imaging
Acoustic Monitoring of Laser Welds
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Spider Silk Can Create Lenses Useful for Biological Imaging
Briefs: Energy
Electronics Cooling Using Additive Manufacturing
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Top Stories

Blog: AR/AI

Can We Trust A.I.? Modeling Tool Quantifies How Much a Machine Doesn't Know

Podcasts: Imaging

Here's an Idea: An ‘Aerodrome’ Testing Ground for Unmanned Aircraft

Videos: Aerospace

Tomorrow's Fastest Jet

INSIDER: Energy

Biomorphic Batteries Could Provide 72 Times More Energy for Robots

Videos: Aerospace

SQUID 2.0: Autonomously-Stabilizing, Ballistically Launched Drone

Blog: Transportation

What's Best for Autonomous Cars: LiDAR vs Radar vs Cameras

Latest Tech Briefs

Briefs: Imaging
Leap in Lidar Could Improve Safety and Security of New Technology
University of Colorado researchers have described a new silicon chip that improves the resolution and scanning speed needed for a lidar system.
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Gripper Handles Freely Moving Cables
The gripper’s soft, sensitive fingers could enable robots to help with tying knots, wire shaping, or surgical suturing.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Flexible Feet Help Robots Walk Faster
This technology can help robots walk up to 40 percent faster on uneven terrain such as pebbles and wood chips.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Fluid-Filled Frequency-Tunable Mass Damper
Applications include absorbers, tuned mass dampers, harmonic absorbers, and seismic dampers.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Electrolyte Design Improves Anode Capacity in Lithium-Ion Batteries
The battery design increases the number of possible cycles from tens to more than 100 with little degradation.
Briefs: Energy
Tough, Solid Electrolyte Battery Component
Using ceramic material and graphene, the toughness of solid-state lithium-ion batteries can be doubled.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Selecting Electrical Safety Relay Modules for Optimal Performance
New safety relay modules follow updated standards to give designers more options for a tailored electrical safety implementation.
Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
Nanosensors for Real-Time Plant Health Monitoring
This approach allows scientists to study the communication within plants, providing valuable insights to improve crop yields.
Briefs: Medical
Magnetic Force Manages Pain
This gel-like material leads a path toward “mechanoceuticals.”
Briefs: Materials
Wraparound Sensors
These sensors monitor electrical loads from household appliances to support grid operations.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Process Creates Soft Actuated Objects Using Commercial Knitting Machines
This approach could be used to cost-effectively make soft robots and wearable technologies.
Briefs: Transportation
Method Improves Efficiency and Heat Tolerance of Devices
These are important traits in electronics and electrical systems including electric cars, industrial drills, and electric grids.
Briefs: Energy
Semi-Liquid Metal Anode
Lithium batteries made using this electrode type could be much safer than typical lithium metal-based batteries.
Briefs: Imaging
Pseudo-Random Coding Technique for 3D Imaging
This technique offers enhanced resolution and improved system reliability for mapping and obstacle recognition and navigation for vehicles.
Briefs: Transportation
Retroreflective Material for Nighttime Color-Changing Road Signs
The technology could help call attention to important traffic information when it’s dark, with potential benefits for both drivers and pedestrians.
Briefs: Transportation
Neural Hardware for Image Recognition in Nanoseconds
An ultrafast image sensor with a built-in neural network can be trained to recognize certain objects.
Briefs: Transportation
Electrohydraulically Actuated Valve Train
The new technology demonstrates a 20 percent savings in fuel in typical passenger car low-load operating conditions.
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Soft Prosthetic Hand Feels Surroundings via Stretchable Optical Waveguides
Sensors in the hand can actually detect forces being transmitted through the thickness of the robot.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Multi-Polymer Filament Increases Production from Low-Cost Printers
The new filament allows low-cost printers to produce parts with mechanical properties competitive with injection molded plastics.
Briefs: Aerospace
SMART Solar Sail
The miniaturized, autonomous, reconfigurable solar sail is capable of very fine maneuvering by small surface deformation.
Briefs: Aerospace
Biohybrid Can Turn Carbon Dioxide into New Products
Applications exist both on Mars and on Earth.
Briefs: Transportation
Bio-Inspired Propulsion
Frequencies and passive dynamics of vehicles moving in air or water help enhance propulsion performance.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Hardware Reduces Energy Draw of Artificial Intelligence
A quantum material could offset energy demand of artificial intelligence.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Solid-State Lithium Battery
This thin film battery can be used for on-package power in mass market electric vehicles (EVs) and electronic devices.
Briefs: Imaging
Autonomous Boats Automatically Target and Clasp Onto Each Other
A fleet of “roboats” could transport people, collect trash, and self-assemble into floating structures.
Briefs: Transportation
Nature-Inspired Green Energy Technology
A new design enables artificial photosynthesis to generate fuel that can power homes and vehicles.
Briefs: Software
Machine Learning Enables Rapid Rocket Engine Design
This method provides a fast way to assess rocket engine performance in a variety of operating conditions.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Cut-to-Length Electrical Cable Cuts Costs
Electrical cables are used in services such as power delivery, automation signaling, and communications.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Device Modulates Light and Amplifies Tiny Signals
This system can amplify a faint signal from a neighboring system even when that signal’s amplitude is as small as ten trillionths of a meter.
Question of the Week
Will 'Biomorphic' Batteries Support a Future of Tiny Robots?

Webcasts

Webinars: Medical

Making Medical Device Designs Possible with Innovative Silicone...

Upcoming Webinars: Transportation

High-Voltage Arteries: How Connectivity Gives Life to Electric...

Upcoming Webinars: Materials

Metal Injection Molding

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

The Power of the Hollow: Using Hollow Aluminum Extrusions to Meet...

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Helping HEV/EV Batteries Go the Distance and Stay Cool Under...

Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

Standardization for Automated-Vehicle Testing and Simulation

Trending Stories

Q&A: Electronics & Computers

Q&A: Charge Wirelessly as You Drive

Briefs: Wearables

Wearable Ultrasound Patch Monitors Blood Pressure

Blog: Medical

Sponge-Inspired XSTAT Device Quickly Seals Gunshot Wounds

Blog: Wearables

At Sensors Expo: SST Wireless on a 'Journey of Innovation'

Videos