RF & Microwave Electronics

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including an EV valve motor drive, a switch mainframe, CAD/CAM software, control panels, and more.

New Wireless System for Greater 5G Access

A new paper on wireless connectivity from researchers at the lab of Dinesh Bharadia, an affiliate of the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute (QI), introduces a new technique for increasing access to the 5G-and-beyond millimeter wave (mmWave) network.

Wearable RFID Sensor Tags Yield Extended Operational Times

The technology exploits the inherently passive nature of RFID to approximate the services provided by traditional active Internet of Things (IoT) protocols like ZigBee and Bluetooth.

RFID Slot Antenna Offers Big Performance, Small Form Factor

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a quarter-wavelength RFID slot antenna that provides polarization diversity and employs dual resonances, but in a form factor that is much smaller than other RFID antennas that provide similar functionality.

Lightweight, Self-Deployable Helical Antenna

NASA's newly developed antenna is lightweight (at or below 2 grams), low volume (at or below 1.2 cm3), and low stowage thickness (approx. 0.7 mm), all while delivering high performance (at or above 10 dBi gain).

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a spoofing device, a deployable electrode, and a snake robot.

Engineering the Flow of Light

A novel nanostructure produces uniquely shaped light.

How Much Do You Know About Satellite Communications?

The use of satellites for wireless and mobile communication applications has become a widespread practice across multiple industries. How much do you know about satellite communications? Test yourself with this quiz.

Augmented Reality Headset Provides X-Ray Vision

MIT researchers have built an AR headset that gives the wearer X-ray vision. The headset combines computer vision and wireless perception to automatically locate a specific item that is hidden from view.

New on the Market

See what's New on the Market, including eFuses, a Portable Particle Counter, a high-efficiency right angle gearmotor, graphical panel meters, and more.

Ultrafast Beam-Steering Breakthrough at Sandia Labs

The ability to control light using a semiconductor device could allow low-power, relatively inexpensive sources like LEDs or flashlight bulbs to replace more powerful laser beams in new technologies.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow--today.

5 Questions with DART's Dr. Cambioni

A Tech Briefs interview with DART team member Dr. Saverio Cambioni.

Lunar Surface Navigation System

Scientists have developed a novel concept for a lunar navigation system based on the reverse-ephemeris technique.

AI Image Analysis, Li-Fi and Quantum Processor Among 2023 PRISM Awards Winners

Photonics West 2023 featured the 15th annual gathering of the Prism Awards, a ceremony hosted by SPIE that honors and recognizes industrial innovation in...

NASA Targets 2026 for Launch of Israel's First Space Telescope

NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT). ULTRASAT, an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of...

Laser Attack Blinds Autonomous Vehicles, Deleting Pedestrians and Confusing Cars

Research reveals that expertly timed lasers shined at an approaching LIDAR system can create a blind spot in front of the vehicle.

Blocking Electromagnetic Radiation with the Flip of a Switch

Researchers in Drexel University’s College of Engineering have developed a thin film device, fabricated by spray coating, that can block electromagnetic radiation with the flip...

Diamond Transistors

Researchers at Arizona State University and Northrop Grumman are working on a new project to create power transistors from diamond. The results could yield efficiencies that significantly shrink the size of electrical...

What Exactly is LiDAR?

There's been a lot of talk about LiDAR recently. If you want to judge the arguments, you should know something about it. Take this LiDAR quiz to see how much you know.

A Drone to Protect Bats from Wind Turbines

A study has perhaps solved the wind-turbine issue of causing harm to bats.

Sharp-Shooting Farm Robot

SprayBox can target individual weeds and crops at a 20-per-second rate and then spray them at a millimeter’s accuracy.

Using Laser Transceivers for LEO Satellite Links

Organizations in both the public and private sectors are currently racing to launch large numbers of satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO).