Stories
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NASA Spinoff: Energy
Life support research for astronauts enabled a solution to one aspect of climate change.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The nanogenerator also acts as a weather station.
Briefs: Communications
RFID-based devices work in indoor and outdoor lighting conditions and could transmit data for years before they need to be replaced.
Briefs: Materials
Ultra-Thin Layers of Rust Generate Electricity from Flowing Water
When combined with saltwater, rust can be a source of electricity.
Blog: Energy
A new charging cell wants to use low-grade heat from our industrial processes to power our devices.
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Learn about the world's first wave-driven desalination system.
Question of the Week: Energy
Will Wave-Powered Desalination Catch On?
Today's lead INSIDER story demonstrated how ocean waves can be used to turn seawater into freshwater.
Briefs: Energy
A new device, inspired by a rose, inexpensively collects and purifies water. The device is a new approach to solar steaming for water production — a technique that uses energy from sunlight to...
Question of the Week: Energy
Does Snow Have Power Potential?
A 2019 Tech Briefs story demonstrated a plastic-like, flexible nanongenerator that creates electricity from falling snow.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The widespread adoption of thermoelectric devices that can directly convert electricity into thermal energy for cooling and heating has been hindered, in part, by the lack of...
Blog: Energy
Scientists from Caltech and Northwestern University have found a way to generate electricity by combining saltwater with one of life's more undesirable compounds: rust.
Facility Focus: Energy
The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory — with sites in Anchorage, AK; Albany, OR; Morgantown, WV; and Pittsburgh, PA —...
Briefs: Energy
Certain species of bacteria that exist in oxygen-deprived environments must find a way to breathe that doesn't involve oxygen. These microbes — which can be found deep within mines, at the...
Briefs: Energy
Whereas hydrogen fuel cells (e.g., proton exchange membrane (PEM) and other fuel cells) generate electricity from the chemical reaction between pure hydrogen and oxygen, direct carbon fuel cells (DCFCs)...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Nearly 70 percent of the energy produced in the United States each year is wasted as heat. Much of that heat is less than 100 °C and emanates from things like computers, cars, or...
News: Energy
The increased use of photonics has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions — by 3-billion tons.
Blog: Energy
A new water purifier works better because it takes the shape of the rose.
INSIDER: Energy
Solar power researchers have traditionally only used the power measurements from single residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to estimate the power...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
By adding utility-scale solar farms throughout New York state, summer electricity demand from conventional sources could be reduced by up to 9.6% in some places. But Cornell...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Traditionally, electronics are cooled using a heat sink that transfers the heat generated by the electronic system into the air or a liquid coolant. For the heat sink to work, it has to be...
Briefs: Energy
Wood-Based Technology Creates Electricity from Heat
Researchers have transformed a piece of wood into a flexible membrane that generates energy from the same type of electric current (ions) on which the human body runs. This energy is generated using charged channel walls and other unique properties of the wood’s natural nanostructures. With this...
Briefs: Energy
Increase in bioethanol production throughout the US has led to an increase in the process coproduct — distiller’s grains with solubles (DGS). DGS can be used to feed...
Briefs: Energy
Self-Powered, Washable, Wearable Displays
Clothing usually is formed with textiles and has to be both wearable and washable for daily use; however, smart clothing has had a problem with its power sources and moisture permeability, which causes the devices to malfunction. To solve this problem, a textile-based, wearable display module technology was...
Blog: Electronics & Computers
An Ohio State researcher shares with Tech Briefs the promise of potassium-oxygen batteries.
Briefs: Materials
Measurement Method for Radioactive Methane
Anew method for measuring radioactive methane is an optical one based on spectroscopy. Previously, radioactive methane has been measured with accelerator mass spectrometry involving expensive machines. Optical measuring could be a cheaper and more agile method.
Blog: Energy
A new technology may lead to a more mainstream use of algal biofuels.
Articles: Aerospace
The Create the Future Design Contest, launched in 2002 by the publishers of Tech Briefs magazine, helps stimulate and reward engineering innovation. The annual event has attracted...
Briefs: Imaging
A stainless steel alloy — alloy 709 — has potential for elevated-temperature applications such as nuclear reactor structures. It is exceptionally strong and resistant to damage when exposed to high...
Briefs: Energy
Today's photovoltaic power systems are generally comprised of a single photovoltaic module or multiple modules connected by combinations of series and parallel circuits as a photovoltaic array. In...
Top Stories
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
Aerial Microrobots That Can Match a Bumblebee's Speed
Blog: Electronics & Computers
Turning Edible Fungi into Organic Memristors
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Revolutionizing the Production of Semiconductor Chips
News: Energy
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
World’s Smallest Programmable, Autonomous Robots
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Webcasts
On-Demand Webinars: Power
E/E Architecture Redefined: Building Smarter, Safer, and Scalable Vehicles
Upcoming Webinars: Energy
Hydrogen Engines Are Heating Up for Heavy Duty
Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers
Advantages of Smart Power Distribution Unit Design for Automotive...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Quiet, Please: NVH Improvement Opportunities in the Early Design...
Upcoming Webinars: Power
A FREE Two-Day Event Dedicated to Connected Mobility
Podcasts: Defense
How Sift's Unified Observability Platform Accelerates Drone Innovation
