Electronics & Software

Electrical/Electronics

New technologies in power supplies and management, board-level electronics, electronics and computers, and battery systems provide wide-ranging applications essential to military, aviation, medical, and automotive.

Stories

Briefs: Materials

Environmental Barrier Coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composites

These barrier coatings protect high-performance components in extreme environments.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Thin Heat Shield for Superfast Aircraft

A carbon nanotube heat shield can better protect extremely fast aircraft.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Wirelessly Controlled Ingestible Capsule

This electronic pill can relay diagnostic information or release drugs in response to smartphone commands.

Q&A: Materials

Q&A: A Shape-Morphing, Self-Healing Soft Composite

Have you heard of "Thubber?"

Briefs: Test & Measurement

The Planetary Tides Simulation Facility for Simulation Tidal Strain in Planetary Ice Analogs

Applications include modeling of tidal stress response of icy satellites as well as fatigue of terrestrial ice shelves.

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New Products

Photopolymer films, LED light engines, measurement systems, and more.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

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.

Blog: Energy

Countdown: The Top Stories of 2019

Tech Briefs in 2019 celebrated historic NASA anniversaries, new ways to power electronics, and innovative hacks of our “smartest” technologies.

INSIDER: Materials

Big Plans to Save the Planet Depend on Nanoscopic Materials Improving Energy Storage

The challenge of building an energy future that preserves and improves the planet is a massive undertaking. Scientists and politicians have recognized the...

INSIDER: Internet of Things

Highly Sensitive Diode, Converts Microwaves to Usable Electricity

A highly sensitive rectifying element in the form of a nanowire backward diode can convert low-power 100 nanowatt microwaves into usable electricity. The newly developed...

Question of the Week: Automotive

Will ‘Unbreakable Batteries’ Find a Place in Electronics and Vehicles?

Increasingly, lithium-ion batteries are supporting portable electronics, electric vehicles, and grid storage.

INSIDER: Green Design & Manufacturing

A New Concept for More Sustainable Batteries

A new concept for an aluminum battery has twice the energy density as previous versions, is made of abundant materials, and could lead to reduced production costs and environmental impact. The...

News: Medical

Soft Wearable Health Monitor Uses Stretchable Electronics

A wireless, wearable monitor built with stretchable electronics could allow comfortable, long-term health monitoring of adults, babies, and small children without concern for skin...

Blog: Materials

In High Temperatures, A New Class of Ceramics Controls Heat Radiation

New ceramics expand on ways to more efficiently use heat radiation.

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

MIT Researchers Employ Low-Cost Sensors to Detect and Track the Origins of Air Pollutants in India.

At any moment in Delhi, India, a resident might start their car, releasing exhaust that floats into the atmosphere. In northwest India, a...

INSIDER: Nanotechnology

3D-Printed Plastics with High Performance Electrical Circuits

Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Compact Depth Sensor Inspired by Spiders

Inspired by spiders, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), have developed a compact and efficient depth sensor that could be used onboard...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Transistor Nanocrystals Are Smaller, Higher Quality, and More Efficient

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new method for producing atomically thin semiconducting crystals that could one day enable more powerful and...