Photonics/​Optics

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Seeing Around Corners to Detect Object Shapes

Special light sources and sensors see around corners or through gauzy filters, enabling reconstruction of the shapes of unseen objects.

Briefs : Photonics/Optics

Using Sound and Light for Ultrafast Data Transfer

This method could lead to the transmission of data at the rate of 100 gigabits per second.

Briefs : Test & Measurement

Terahertz Imaging System Uses Small, Efficient Lasers

The lasers are small and efficient enough to fit on a microchip.

Briefs : Imaging

Cryogenic Near-Field Optical Microscope Images Dynamics of Graphene

This imaging technique could impact optical communications and signal processing.

Briefs : Green Design & Manufacturing

NASA Space Data Can Cut Disaster Response Times, Costs

The NASA study is a first step in developing a model to deploy in future disasters.

Briefs : RF & Microwave Electronics

Researchers Generate Terahertz Laser with Laughing Gas

In the middle ground between microwaves and visible light lies terahertz radiation, and the promise of “Tray vision.”

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Remote, Noninvasive Cardiac Activity Tracer (RENCAT)

This vibrometer has uses in analyzing spasms in humans, as a breath analyzer for diagnosis of cancer and other diseases, and as a preventative healthcare sensor.

Briefs : Materials

Thin Films of Barium Zirconium Sulfide Offer Exceptional Electronic Properties

These thin films hold great promise for solar cells and LEDs.

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

Polymer Coating Cools Down Buildings

This coating acts as a spontaneous air cooler and can be fabricated, dyed, and applied like paint.

Briefs : Aerospace

3D Printing of Plastics with Electrical Circuits

This innovation could lead to better drones, satellites, and biomedical devices.

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Multimaterial Fiber “Ink” for 3D-Printed Devices

Filaments with embedded circuitry can be used to print complex shapes for biomedical and robotic devices.

Briefs : Electronics & Computers

Long-Distance LADAR System and Method

The system provides three-dimensional imagery of potential threats at closer ranges.

Briefs : RF & Microwave Electronics

Underwater Telecom Cables Used as Seismic Network

Fiber-optic cables could help scientists study offshore earthquakes and the geologic structures hidden deep beneath the ocean surface.

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Atoms Can Receive Common Communications Signals

This atom-based receiver has the potential to be smaller and work better in noisy environments than conventional radio receivers.

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 : 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 : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Laser-Based System Detects Fires Even in Dusty, Harsh Environments

A new laser-based system offers an efficient way to detect fires in challenging environments such as industrial facilities or large construction sites.

Briefs : Photonics/Optics

Microchip Produces High-Contrast OCT Imagery

For disease diagnosis, a microchip maps the back of the eye.

Briefs : Imaging

Helping Autonomous Vehicles See Around Corners

A system senses tiny changes in shadows on the ground to determine if there’s a moving object coming around the corner.

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sandia’s Nanoantennas Help Detectors See More Heat, Less Noise

A nanoantenna-enabled detector boosts the usable signal of a thermal infrared camera by up to three times.

Briefs : Test & Measurement

Acoustic Interactions Change Materials at the Atomic Level

Interaction of sound and light reveals new information of a crystal's quantum properties.

Briefs : Robotics, Automation & Control

Particle Robot Works as a Cluster of Simple Units

Loosely connected disc-shaped “particles” can push and pull one another, moving together to transport objects.

Briefs : Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Magneto-Optic Biosensor Using Bio-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

This technology is a novel, rugged, and economic diagnostic and sensor platform technology.

Briefs : Sensors/Data Acquisition

Shape Sensing Innovations Dramatically Improve Structural Design Tools

These advances are useful for transportation, infrastructure, and aerospace.

Briefs : Materials

Optical Window for Far-IR Instruments Using Thin TOPAS® Film

This thin film can be used for ground-based and airborne applications in aircraft, balloons, and other flight missions.

Briefs : Imaging

Low-Bandwidth Radar Technology Provides Improved Detection of Objects

Radar technologies were originally designed to identify and track airborne military targets. Today, they're more often used to detect motor vehicles, weather formations,...

Briefs : Test & Measurement

Embedded Fiber Optic Sensors (EFOS)

Current laser interferometry pressure pulse detection techniques use the shock-induced change in index of refraction to track detonation and/or shock fronts in a single fiber optic by reflecting laser...