Electronics & Software

NASA’s First Two-Way End-to-End Laser Communications Relay System

NASA is demonstrating laser communications on multiple missions – showcasing the benefits infrared light can have for science and exploration missions transmitting terabytes...

A Nanophotonic Electron Accelerator Breakthrough

Using lasers to accelerate electrons within a photonic nanostructure constitutes a microscopic alternative with the potential of generating significantly lower costs and making devices...

Can Photonic Chips Help Drones Avoid GPS-Jamming?

Researchers at University of Rochester are developing photonic chips that could replace the gyroscopes currently used in unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, enabling them to fly where GPS...

The Next Frontier in Neurology

A new technology offers a minimally invasive option for neurology while improving patient outcomes.

What Are Bio-Inspired Robots?

Bio-inspired robots have many applications ranging from inspections and rescue operations to surgery and space exploration. Test your knowledge about bio-inspired robots in this quiz.

How Much Do You Know About Radar?

Radar is used in a wide variety of applications from locating nearby aircraft, to navigating unmanned vehicles, to trapping speeding motorists. How much do you really know about this common technology? Take this quiz to find out.

Combustion-Powered, Bug-Sized Robots can Leap, Lift, and Race

Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion.

New Wearable Sensor Makes Continuous Analysis of Sweat Possible

Continuous monitoring of sweat can reveal valuable information about human health, such as the body’s glucose levels. However, wearable sensors previously developed for this...

Researchers Wire Up Individual Graphene Nanoribbons

Researchers have developed a method of “wiring up” graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices....

Analog and Digital: Best of Both Worlds in One Energy-Efficient System

We live in an analog world of continuous information flow that is both processed and stored by our brains at the same time, but our electronic devices process...

Dr. Brendan Mulvaney Talks China’s Space and SATCOM Strategy

Dr. Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute, is the guest on this episode of the Here’s an Idea Podcast.

NASA Engineers Help Create a Virtual World of Data

NASA engineers have been trying to improve data visualization for decades. Their research, experience, and patents lead to a new method of exploring and visualizing data in VR.

New Hydrogel Uses Just Energy from Sunlight to Create Water

Researchers at University of Texas at Austin were able to pull water out of the atmosphere and make it drinkable using solar energy, in conditions as low as 104°.

Product of The Month

See the product of the month: Bosch Rexroth's DI5 display range, which expands its BODAS ecosystem for mobile electronics.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Würth Elektronik's inductors, Endress+Hauser's 80 GHz radar sensors, COMTECH PST's power amplifier, Advantest Corporation's Independent Thermal Control device, and more.

Getting NASA Data to the Ground with Lasers

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will usher in a new era of laser communications.

Imaging Space Debris in High Resolution

A team has introduced a new method for taking high-res images of fast-moving and rotating objects in space, such as satellites or debris in low-Earth orbit.

Building Technology to Clean Up Space

In 1978, NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler theorized that an increasing amount of space pollution would lead to more collisions between objects in orbit, and thus more debris — the Kessler Syndrome. Multiple teams of researchers are working on solutions.

A Thin, Flexible OLED Display

Imagine a thin, digital display so flexible that you can wrap it around your wrist, fold it in any direction, or even curve it over your car’s steering wheel. Well, imagine no more — researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago have designed such a material.

A Vertical Electrochemical Transistor to Revolutionize Bioelectronics

A Northwestern University research team has developed a revolutionary transistor that is expected be ideal for lightweight, flexible, high-performance bioelectronics. The electrochemical transistor is compatible with blood and water and can amplify important signals.

Touchless Switches Provide a Hygienic User Interface Option

Touchless switches are an ideal solution for industries such as food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, medical, and chemicals where sanitary design is important. They are also useful for protecting the well-being of users in everyday commercial applications.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on data connectivity, one on democratizing analytics, one on self-driving cars, and more.

Wireless Networking Expanding the Reach of Healthcare

Devices to remotely monitor patients’ health have been around for more than 20 years, but their use is rapidly expanding now. As networking technologies such as LoRaWAN are maturing, and artificial intelligence is being embedded in “smart” sensors, the medical device industry is motivated to take advantage.

New Products

See the new products, including Thine Electronics' serial transceiver, EBE Elektro-Bau-Elemente GmbH's level sensor, Melexis' ToF sensor, IQE's microLED display, and more.

Capturing the Movements of Dancers Has Wide Applications

Praneeth Namburi is a research scientist at the MIT.nano Immersion Lab. One project that bridges the physical and digital worlds uses VR simulations to train people to fabricate computer chips and semiconductors.