Consumer Product Manufacturing

Technology Leaders: Electronics & Computers

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: Materials

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: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Defects Enable High-Performance Infrared Photodetectors

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

Articles: Motion Control

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: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

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: Sensors/Data Acquisition

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: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Wireless Sensor “Stickers” Track Physiological Signals

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

INSIDER: Nanotechnology

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

NASA Spinoff: Energy

Carbon Capture Process Makes Sustainable Oil

Life support research for astronauts enabled a solution to one aspect of climate change.

Articles: Automotive

Innovators Recognized for Creating the Future 2019

Top prizes in the 2019 contest were awarded on November 8 in New York City.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

2019 Create the Future Design Contest Special Awards Section

See the eight winners of the 2019 "Create the Future" Design Contest

Articles: Imaging

2019 'Create the Future' Consumer Products Category Winner: Livox

Through Livox, non-verbal people can speak, learn how to read and write, and understand abstract concepts.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

High-Speed 3D Printer for High-Performance Plastics

3D printers that build small parts layer by layer from melted plastic can take up to an hour to produce a pocket-sized piece. This process is far too slow for the mass-production of...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft, Wearable Health Monitor with Stretchable Electronics

A soft and conformable health monitor can broadcast electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, respiratory rate, and motion activity data as much as 15 meters to a portable recording...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Calibration Method Improves Scientific Research Performed with Smartphone Cameras

Although smartphones and other consumer cameras are increasingly used for scientific applications, it's difficult to compare and combine data from different...

Articles: Energy

Energy Harvesting for Smart Home Sensing

The key to acceptance and adoption of a "smart home" will be enhancing total ease of ownership.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Wearable Liquid Unit Harvests Energy

Researchers have created wearable technology to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. It presents a step toward the practical realization of self-powered, human-integrated technologies.

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Product of the Month: August 2019 Tech Briefs

nTopology, New York, NY, offers the nTop Platform, a unifying technique for design, simulation, and manufacturing data to be intelligently embedded directly into a part. The approach...

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

A Washable Sensor Can Be Woven into Material

Researchers at University of British Columbia Okanagan’s School of Engineering have developed a low-cost sensor that can be interlaced into textiles and composite materials. While the...

Briefs: Design

Safety Analysis: The Key to a Single-Pass ISO26262 Random Fault Workflow

Advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous drive technologies increase the complexity of automotive integrated circuits (ICs), making it harder to ensure that...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Impact-Resistant Battery Electrolyte Solidifies When Hit

Lithium-ion batteries commonly used in consumer electronics are notorious for bursting into flame when damaged or improperly packaged. Inspired by the unusual behavior of some liquids...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Key Factors to Consider When Designing a Smart Factory

In recent years, the emergence of Industry 4.0 has been steadily transforming the manufacturing sector into an ultra-high-tech industry. Innovative smart technologies such as robotics,...

Articles: Photonics/Optics

Industrial Blue Lasers

What Does It Takes to Change the Game?

Industrial lasers are integrated into manufacturing and fabrication facilities around the world. Every moment, there is an industrial laser somewhere that is cutting, etching,...