Electronics & Software

Ant Insights Lead to Robot Navigation Breakthrough

Have you ever wondered how insects are able to go so far beyond their home and still find their way home? The answer to this question is not only relevant to biology but also to making the...

How Much Do You Know About Capacitors?

Capacitors are fundamental components that are used in a wide variety of applications, from the tiniest electronics to high-power applications. What are capacitors, what are the differences among them, and what is common to all of them? Check your knowledge with this quiz.

Creating the Self-Healing Grid of the Future

It’s not hard to imagine the potential value of a self-healing grid, one able to adapt and bounce back to life, ensuring uninterrupted power even when assailed by a hurricane or a group of bad...

Highway Segment Charges Electric Vehicles

Purdue University engineers and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) are working to make it possible for electric vehicles ranging from tractor-trailers to passenger cars to wirelessly...

Improved GaN-Based Semiconductor Devices for Power Electronics

A study led by Nagoya University in Japan revealed that a simple thermal reaction of gallium nitride (GaN) with metallic magnesium (Mg) results in the formation of a distinctive...

International Space Station Uses Cordierite Ceramic Mirror for Optical Communication

A cordierite ceramic mirror was used first time in experimental equipment to conduct optical communication between the International Space Station and a mobile optical station on Earth.

RISING STAR AWARDS 2024 JUDGES

  We want to thank our judges for the Rising Star Awards 2024. Our esteemed panel of judges is comprised of leaders from engineering and technology fields who bring decades of experience and expertise to the...

My Opinion: Who Was Grace Hopper?

My opinion: Some last-minute, posthumous nominations for the Tech Briefs Rising Star Award for Women in Engineering.

Method Rapidly Verifies That a Robot Will Avoid Collisions

Before a robot can grab dishes off a shelf to set the table, it must ensure its gripper and arm won’t crash into anything and potentially shatter the fine china. As part of its...

AI + Computer Simulations = Enhanced Robotic Exoskeletons

Researchers have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running, and climbing stairs.

Beyond Earth: The Future of In-Space Servicing

It no longer requires the imagination of Arthur C. Clarke to see where the space industry is headed. We need only to look at every other system of vehicles, appreciate the falling technical roadblocks, and observe the regulations and resources environment. It is with confidence that we ask not, “if?” but, “when?” We invite you to consider, “what’s next?” because almost anything becomes possible with the right foundations in place.

Advancing Technologies for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing

Greg Richardson leads COSMIC as the Executive Director of the consortium and primary interface to NASA. He is also a principal engineer/scientist in the Human Exploration and Space-flight Division at The Aerospace Corporation. In this interview, he elaborates on the future vision of COSMIC and how the organization will coordinate work to help accelerate ISAM activities that will foster the future space economy.

The Heat Is on Data Storage — Which Is Now OK

A University of Pennsylvania team demonstrated memory technology capable of enduring temperatures as high as 600 °C — more than twice the tolerance of any commercial drives on the market — and these characteristics were maintained for more than 60 hours.

How Much Do You Know About Unmanned Underwater Vehicles?

How much do you know about unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs)? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Why the Hybrid Approach Extends the Range of Electric Aircraft

Jean-Christophe Lambert, Ascendance Co-founder and CEO, joins the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain why the hybrid approach is essential to near-term development of electric aircraft.

How Much Do You Know About Programmable DC Power Supplies?

Programmable DC power supplies have many more uses than those that are just controlled manually. The output levels can be remotely programmed to meet system and application requirements, for example in performing equipment testing. How much do you know about programmable power supplies? Take this quiz to find out.

My Opinion: Energy Storage, Part 2

My opinion: I take a look at some cases where it makes sense to use non-battery methods to store energy.

Creating Synthetic Cell Images for Enhanced Microscopy Analysis

The images that come out of this model are ready to be used to train segmentation models. In a sense, it’s doing microscopy without a microscope.

How Helios Horizon Is Taking Electric Aircraft to New Altitudes

Miguel Iturmendi, Helios Horizon Founder and Chief Test Pilot, explains the project's goal of flying an all-electric aircraft to the stratosphere.

How Much Do You Know About Fiber Optics?

The science of transmitting data, voice, and images by the passage of light through thin, transparent fibers, fiber optics play a pivotal role in our daily lives. How much do you know about fiber optics? Find out with this quiz.

Developing Next-Gen Solar Cells

Meet perovskite. The synthetic semiconducting material has the potential to convert substantially more solar power than silicon at a lower production cost.

3 eVTOL Companies to Watch in 2024: Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Lilium

Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Lilium are three electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers that are making major progress in this growing new area of aviation right now. In this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, we highlight some of the latest business agreements, international expansion and regulatory progress being made by these three eVTOL companies. Listen now.

How Much Do You Know About Integrated Building Systems?

Office buildings use a significant portion of the world’s energy resources. Integrated building systems such as HVAC and lighting can significantly reduce that load. How much do you know about integrated building systems? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Adding Abundant Elements to Improve Li-ion Battery Cathodes

Researchers used X-ray absorption analysis and theoretical calculations to explore the fine details of changes in the structure of the cathode material caused by introducing different dopant elements.

Researchers Demonstrate Cutting-Edge Chip Technology for Ultra-Low Power AI Connected Devices

Researchers from NUS, together with industry partners Soitec and NXP Semiconductors, have demonstrated a new class of silicon systems that...

Opening Up the Potential of Thin-Film Electronics for Flexible Chip Design

Silicon semiconductors have become the ‘oil’ of the computer age, as was demonstrated recently by the chip shortage crisis. However, one of the disadvantages of...