Propulsion

Propulsion

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Centimeter-Long Snail Robot Powered with Light
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Tension Element Damping (TED) with Hydraulics for Large Displacements

Top Stories

Blog: Electronics & Computers

A 'Charging Room' Powers Devices Through the Air

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

A 3D-Printed 'Fish Fin' Offers New Ideas for Morphing Aircraft

INSIDER: Energy

More Efficient Electricity Distribution Thanks to New Insulation Material

Blog: Propulsion

A New Way to Launch Rockets: Microwave Power

Blog: Aerospace

Go for Launch: Scientists Explore Radiation Risks to Mars-Bound Astronauts

INSIDER: Energy

Better Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

Latest Briefs & News

Articles: Test & Measurement
Inside Story: Keith Moore, CEO of Pickering Interfaces
CEO Keith Moore tells Tech Briefs about the unique challenges facing testing engineers in aerospace.
Blog: Aerospace
A New Way to Launch Rockets: Microwave Power
A team at the University of Tsukuba used a beam of microwave radiation to a launch a drone into the air. Can this type of propulsion take off?
Special Reports: Design
Medical Robotics - September 2021

Self-propelled nanobots that deliver drugs inside the human body...novel sensors that improve the safety and precision of industrial robots...a dynamic hydrogel material that makes building soft robotic...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Soft Mate Lifting Device
This below-the-hook device enables gentle crane placement to decrease the risk of property damage.
Question of the Week: Aerospace
Will 'Zero-Impact' Planes Take Off?

Our May issue of Tech Briefs highlighted a hybrid-electric aircraft design from MIT that, according to its creators, could reduce global nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 95 percent.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Medium Entropy Alloy
This additively manufactured alloy is tailored for high-temperature applications.
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
High-Power Microwaves for Launching Space-Bound Rockets
Using microwaves reduces the cost of launching rockets.
Briefs: Power
3D-Printed Nanosatellite Thruster Emits Pure Ions
The thruster provides a low-cost, extremely efficient propulsion source for miniature satellites.
Briefs: Power
Rotating Detonation Engines for Rocket Propulsion
These engines will allow upper stage rockets for space missions to become lighter, travel farther, and burn more cleanly.
Briefs: Materials
Hybrid Propellant Formulation Uses Graphene Foams
This method increases burn rate of solid propellants.
Briefs: Propulsion
Hybrid-Electric Plane Concept Could Reduce Air Pollution
The proposed design could reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 95 percent.
Articles: Aerospace
Cleaner, Faster Flight is on the Horizon
These 6 advancements are leading us to cleaner, faster aircraft.
Briefs: Energy
Rocket Thruster Exploits the Mechanism Behind Solar Flares
Thrusters based on magnetic reconnection could complete long-distance missions in a shorter period of time.
Question of the Week: Aerospace
Will Turboelectric Aircraft Take Off?

A recent video on Tech Briefs TV highlighted NASA’s new idea for aircraft: the STARC-ABL. The concept under development aims to bridge the gap between current jet fuel-powered aircraft and future all-electric vehicles.

Articles: Transportation
SAE WCX™ Digital Summit Preview
Live discussions will explore electric vehicles, propulsion, advanced electronics, and more.
Facility Focus: Robotics, Automation & Control
Facility Focus: NASA Langley Research Center
See how NASA Langley tests a variety of advanced aircraft concepts. including ways to make flying both cleaner and quieter.
INSIDER: Imaging
High-Speed Infrared Reveals Safer Hypergolic Propellant

When SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule splashed down off the Florida coast in August following its first crewed mission, the two astronauts inside could not exit the capsule...

Facility Focus: Aerospace
Facility Focus: Stanford University School of Engineering
Stanford University’s School of Engineering has been at the forefront of innovation for nearly a century
NASA Spinoff: Propulsion
Water-Powered Engines Offer Satellite Mobility
The technology could allow deep-space exploration without running out of propellant.
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
2020 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner — NiobiCon™
The NiobiCon™ underwater connector will not short out, corrode, or cause an electrical shock if touched while powered in harsh environments like saltwater.
Application Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Wave Energy Modeling for Safer Space Travel
What does wave energy have to do with space exploration? Plenty, it turns out.
White Papers: Power
Measuring Torque Ripple and Its Effects on Electric Power and Noise & Vibration

Torque ripple can create challenges in electric motors including control, power output, noise, vibration, and durability. Torque ripple can be described as the...

Facility Focus: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Facility Focus: NASA John C. Stennis Space Center
Stennis now is testing RS-25 rocket engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) that will carry humans back to the Moon.
Question of the Week: Aerospace
Will Electric Aircraft Take-Off in Everyday Aviation?

In May of 2020, the “eCaravan” aircraft, powered by a 750-horsepower electric motor and more than 2000 pounds of lithium-ion batteries, flew to a height of over 2500 feet, at over 100 miles per hour. The all-electric airplane was built by magniX, Seattle-based electric propulsion...

Blog: Aerospace
Answering Your (Mars 2020) Questions: Will the Perseverance Rover Carry Around NASA's Mars Helicopter?
The Mars rover Perseverance has a helicopter. Will the rover have to carry it around?
Briefs: Transportation
Electrohydraulically Actuated Valve Train
The new technology demonstrates a 20 percent savings in fuel in typical passenger car low-load operating conditions.
Briefs: Aerospace
SMART Solar Sail
The miniaturized, autonomous, reconfigurable solar sail is capable of very fine maneuvering by small surface deformation.
Briefs: Software
Machine Learning Enables Rapid Rocket Engine Design
This method provides a fast way to assess rocket engine performance in a variety of operating conditions.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Bio-Inspired Propulsion
Frequencies and passive dynamics of vehicles moving in air or water help enhance propulsion performance.

Webcasts

On-Demand Webinars: RF & Microwave Electronics

Advanced High-Peak-Power Semiconductor Laser Transmitter Solutions for LiDAR

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Software Reuse in Automotive Engineering

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Don’t Let the Future of High-Voltage Cables Shock You

Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

Artemis: Back to the Moon

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Managing the Complexity of Sealing Battery Housings in Electric...

Upcoming Webinars: Automotive

Engineered Fillers for Vehicle Lightweighting: Doing More With...

Trending Stories

Technology Leaders: Internet of Things

Optimizing 5G Fiber Optic Filament Production

INSIDER: Energy

More Efficient Electricity Distribution Thanks to New Insulation Material

INSIDER: Energy

Better Batteries for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Magic-T Junction Using Microstrip/Slotline Transitions

Briefs: Motion Control

Sustainable 3D-Printed Magnets

NASA Spinoff: Propulsion

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

Videos