Consumer Product Manufacturing

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Special Section: The Winners of the 2020 'Create the Future' Design Contest

Your 2020 winners include a bacteria-repelling wrap, an advanced prosthetic leg, flash graphene, and more.

Articles: Materials

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — RadiBond

RadiBond technology, based on nanometer-thin coatings, provides ultra-strong and ultra-tight bonding between metals and plastics.

NASA Spinoff: Test & Measurement

Zero-Gravity Body Posture Influences Acupressure Massage Chair

NASA’s neutral body position research was used in the design of a medical massage chair.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Technology Leaders: Industry Renaissance Transforms Invention, Learning, Production, and Trade

Digital technologies are enabling an "Industry Renaissance" of virtual experiences.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Consumer Product Design Category Winner — The Ring Prosthetic Leg

The conceptual Ring prosthetic leg ensures that individuals do not need an entirely new device every time they have a growth spurt.

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Overcoming Pitfalls When Measuring Thin, Parallel Optics

A "TPSI" process makes it possible to distinguish between the front and back of optical surfaces, and to characterize the quality of both in a single measurement.

Blog: Software

Woodworking, Simplified: New Software Aids in Design

An interactive software being developed at the University of Tokyo allows architects and furniture makers with little experience in woodworking to to design and build structurally sound wood joints.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Algorithm Defends Against Side-Channel Attacks on Hardware

The algorithm provides an extra layer of safety and security against hackers of electronic devices.

Products: Software

Product of the Month: October 2020 Tech Briefs

Users can edit the shape of a model while viewing results and watch the simulation update immediately.

INSIDER: Wearables

Researchers Devise Efficient, Scalable Process for Fabricating MXene Films That Block Electromagnetic Interference

The proliferation and miniaturization of electronics in devices, wearables, medical implants, and other applications has...

NASA Spinoff: Aerospace

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

The NASA-funded nanoparticle lubricant also works in satellites and space vehicles.

5 Ws: Materials

5 Ws of Slip-Resistant Shoe Coatings

MIT researchers are developing a shoe coating that provides a stronger grip on ice and other slippery surfaces.

Articles: AR/AI

5 Important ESD Protection Considerations for Augmented Reality Wearables

How to design for safety, reliability, and connectivity using the latest circuit protection technologies and board layout strategies.

Products: Data Acquisition

New on the Market: July 2020

Photoelectric sensors, cable connectors, power monitors, and USB3 cameras.

Technology Leaders: Test & Measurement

MEMS — Smart Sensors for the IoT

Tim Brosnihan, Executive Director of SEMI’s MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), talks about the current state of the MEMS industry and trends for the future,

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Artificial Intelligence Finds and Labels 2D Materials Instantly

The AI system can help shorten the time required for 2D material-based electronics to be ready for consumer devices.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Defects Enable High-Performance Infrared Photodetectors

A highly sensitive, CMOS-compatible, broadband photodetector was created by tailoring material defects.

Articles: IoMT

Reimagining Robotics in a Connected World

Manufacturers are beginning to realize the same benefits by cloud-connecting their equipment and processes on the shop floor.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

How One Engineer is Supporting the Coronavirus Response with a Hands-Free Door Opener

See how Prof. Olaf Diegel built a hands-free door opener.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Create the Future Contest Idea Saving Lives

Tech Briefs checks back in with CEO Jon Sumroy about his award-winning product: the mifold grab-and-go car seat.

Blog: Materials

Inspection and Simulation Methods: Powdered Metal and Additive Manufacturing

How does testing a metal 3D-printed part compare to testing a casted one? That's the elephant in the room, says industry pro Kevin Brigden.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

CES 2020: A High-Tech Wine Dispenser and More Arrivals to the Smart Home

Here are five technologies that aim to add intelligence to the most surprising household objects.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Wireless Sensor “Stickers” Track Physiological Signals

These stickers wirelessly beam health readings to a receiver clipped onto clothing.

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

3D-Printed Plastics with High Performance Electrical Circuits

Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small...

5 Ws: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

5 Ws of EarEcho

The biometric tool uses modified wireless earbuds to authenticate smartphone users