Electronics & Software

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Keystone Technologies' THM Test Points, Nikon IMBU's CT systems for non-destructive inspection, Renesas' SoCs and MCUs, Rad Source NDT's X-ray Inspection System, the Precision Specimen Loader from Instron, and more.

New System Uses Only Solar Energy to Generate Hydrogen

The system harnesses the sun's heat to directly split water and generate hydrogen — a clean fuel that can power long-distance trucks, ships, and planes, while in the process emitting no greenhouse gas emissions.

A Temperature-Modulating Robotic System

A research team has developed a robotic system that can be unobtrusively built into the frame of a standard honeybee hive. Composed of an array of thermal sensors and actuators, the system measures and modulates honeybee behavior through localized temperature variations.

Snake-Like Robot for Traversing Extreme Terrain on Earth, Moon, and Beyond

Called EELS (Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor), the self-propelled, autonomous robot was inspired by a desire to look for signs of life in the ocean hiding below the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus by descending narrow vents in the surface that spew geysers into space.

Optical Concentration Sensor for Liquid Solution

The optical concentration sensor has been demonstrated to effectively measure pretreat concentrations in both still and flowing liquid conditions and is resistant to contamination issues as necessitated by the UWMS.

Photoelectric Sensor Essentials

Photoelectric (PE) sensors represent a discrete sensor technology widely used throughout industry. They use the presence or absence of light to provide an on/off output to supervisory automation and monitoring systems, and are often the better choice for sensing manufacturing products.

Optimizing a Chemical Vapor Deposition Process for a High-Performance Tungsten Material

To make fusion power not only physically possible but also economically possible, we need to develop high-performance fusion reactors. However, these reactors call for high-performance materials.

Sustainable Manufacturing: Re-Imagining Production

Given that manufacturing is responsible for 37 percent of global energy consumption, industry is feeling the pressure to address the challenge. Here are a few key trends that are accelerating the push to become more sustainable.

Extended Reality: Immersing into the Future of Manufacturing

Extended reality (XR) technology has emerged as a key catalyst for innovation, offering a spectrum of benefits that redefine the way industries operate.

Digital Twins: The Next Steps

According to researchers, Interconnected Digital Twins will challenge existing understanding of value creation and capture. The discrete and composite twins will be integrated within and between manufacturing firms and other key stakeholders.

6G: Will It Trigger a Manufacturing Revolution?

The next evolution in mobile networks is on the horizon with 6G. Set to surpass 5G with enhanced speed, reduced latency, and expanded capacity, countless applications will benefit. Manufacturing is anticipated to be one of the greatest beneficiaries.

Artificial Intelligence: How Cloud Technology and AI Drive a More Productive Future

This new era of technology eases the twin challenges of capacity and complexity and offers more flexibility than ever for businesses to respond to a fast-changing world.

Can Harmful Gas Detection Improve With a New Way of Generating Powerful Lasers?

Scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a novel method to produce intense and ultra-fast lasers that holds promise for making precise devices that can speed up how quickly trace amounts of pollutants and hazardous gases can be sniffed out.

Measuring Earthquakes and Tsunamis with Fiber-Optic Networks

Scientists from the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich, working together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS), have found an inexpensive method that enables accurate earthquake measurements even on the ocean floor and in less developed countries.

Designing Optics for Lunar Rovers, Satellites and Other Space-Based Applications

The year 2024 will be full of new satellite manufacturing, launches and operations, with major players like Amazon expected to start full-scale deployment of Project Kuiper and strong demand for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites driving development and launches from the likes of SpaceX and Telesat among others.

How Corning’s Hyperspectral Imaging in the Sky Sees the Unseen

New satellites equipped with Corning’s advanced hyperspectral-imaging technology can detect pipeline leaks and other environmental issues, providing precise monitoring and exploration capabilities for businesses and governments.

5Ws of the Silk Transistor

Researchers at Tufts University have created microprocessor-scale transistors that can detect and respond to biological states and the environment.

5 Most-Popular Quizzes of 2023

Find out which five of our quizzes were the most popular in 2023.

Top 10 Engineering Stories of 2023 on Tech Briefs

If you missed the most-popular engineering stories of 2023 on Tech Briefs, see the list below.

AI Steers Adaptive Control Systems

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are used around the world to conduct difficult environmental, remote, oceanic, defense, and rescue missions in often unpredictable and harsh conditions.

How Much Do You Know About EMC/EMI?

EMC/EMI is a serious issue in the design of electronic systems. The best laid plans for a system design can easily go awry if EMC/EMI is not a serious consideration in both the design and installation. How much do you know about EMC/EMI?

Beyond the Shadows: Engineering Solutions for Surviving the Lunar Night

Passive thermal control systems have been developed over years of research and product development and will serve as enabling technology for NASA’s VIPER and future missions.

10 Tech-Savvy Holiday Gifts for Engineers

Choosing a present for an engineer is almost as daunting as performing the tasks of an engineer. With that in mind, we here at Tech Briefs aim to make your life easier with regards to the former.

Scientists Amplify Superconducting Sensor Array Signals Near the Quantum Limit

Understanding how energy moves in materials is fundamental to the study of quantum phenomena, catalytic reactions, and complex proteins. Measuring how energy...

Novel Approach to Advanced Electronics and Data Storage with Ferroelectricity

New research from Flinders University and UNSW Sydney, published in ACS Nano, explores switchable polarization in a new class of silicon compatible metal oxides...

Researchers Demonstrate a High-Speed Electrical Readout Method for Graphene Nanodevices

The 'wonder material' graphene is well-known for its high electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, and flexibility. Stacking two layers of graphene...

‘Digital Winglets’ for Real-Time Flight Paths

Traffic-Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR), developed by NASA, is a piece of software pilots and ground operations teams can use to find better routes in transit.