Transportation

Briefs: Materials

Method 3D-Prints Marine-Grade Stainless Steel

Marine-grade stainless steel is valued for its performance under corrosive environments, and for its high ductility — the ability to bend without breaking under stress. But conventional...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Polymer Membrane Separators for Next-Generation Energy-Water Systems

Polymer membrane separators play a crucial function in many energy and water technologies including energy storage, hydrogen generation through water electrolysis, and...

Briefs: Imaging

Composite Panel with Integrated Thermal Control

Technological advancements in materials, sensors, and computing have driven demand for higher-performance satellites. Satellites need to be much more capable in a much smaller size with a...

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Autonomous Vehicles and the Burden of Testing

AB Dynamics
Wiltshire, England
www.abdynamics.com

Autonomous vehicles cannot be tested for every eventuality that might transpire in their operating environment. As the technology...

Articles: Software

Taking It to the Streets: Designing Streetlamp Optical Components

The task of creating a streetlamp optical system has changed over the last 20 years and due to this change, so has optical design software. Let’s compare the task of...

Briefs: Imaging

See Objects Hidden Around Corners

A driverless car is making its way through a winding neighborhood street, about to make a sharp turn onto a road where a child’s ball has just rolled. Although no person in the car can see that ball, the...

INSIDER: Transportation

Future Electric Cars Could Recharge Wirelessly While You Drive

Electric vehicles may one day be able to recharge while driving down the highway, drawing wireless power directly from plates installed in the road.

Blog: Materials

Answering Your Questions: Who Will Integrate 3D Metal Printing — Tiers or OEMs?

A reader asks: Will it be the OEMs or the Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers who will be purchasing 3D metal printing machines?

Briefs: Transportation

Sensor-Free Smart Wheel

Technology was developed that not only allows wheels to “know” when and how to rotate, but also enables them to work together in interactive teams. The new technology can be used wherever there is a need for...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Offset Compound Gear Inline Two-Speed Drive

Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed a simple, lightweight, inline, two-speed drive that can be used either as an overall transmission, or as a supplemental add-on input...

Briefs: Transportation

Ultra-Wide-Bandgap Power Electronics

Power electronics used for routing, control, and conversion of electrical power traditionally utilize silicon semiconductors. These systems tend to be bulky, require active cooling, and are inadequate for...

Briefs: Communications

Using Vanadium Dioxide to Create Programmable Electronic Functions

Vanadium dioxide’s unique properties make it ideally suited for outperforming silicon and giving rise to a new generation of low-power electronic devices. This compound can...

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Answering Your Questions: Beyond Prototyping, How is 3D Metal Printing Being Used in the Automotive Industry?

Can metal 3D printing help automakers with more than just prototyping? It can, and it has, says our engineering expert.

News: Imaging

Depth-Sensing Imaging System Can Peer Through Fog

An inability to handle misty driving conditions has been one of the chief obstacles to the development of autonomous vehicular navigation systems that use visible light. These systems are...

Blog: Automotive

No Map Needed: ‘MapLite’ Sends Self-Driving Cars Off the Beaten Path

A “MapLite” framework from MIT allows self-driving cars to navigate roads – with just GPS and sensors as a guide.

Blog: Transportation

Answering Your Questions: Will Reducing Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Lead to Increased Particulate?

Does less nitrogen oxide mean more particulate emissions? A reader asks our expert.

Articles: Transportation

3D-Printed Lab on Wheels

Next-generation manufacturing takes on a 50-year-old icon as ORNL researchers transform the classic Shelby Cobra sports car into a 3D-printed laboratory on wheels. Additive manufacturing enables the seamless...

Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing

How to Control Vehicle Emissions: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)?

What's the best platform for controlling vehicle emissions? "It depends!" says one engine expert.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Circuit Protection Challenges for Battery Management Systems

The market for higher-voltage automotive systems is expanding. The number of electric vehicles that use battery-powered drive systems having voltage equal to or higher than 48V is...

Q&A: Transportation

Q&A: Dr. Abhaya Datye Creates a More Powerful Emission-Control Catalyst

Researchers at Washington State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the University of New Mexico have created a catalyst capable of reducing...

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Truck Platooning Technology: How Will Road Conditions Impact V2V Communications?

A reader asks our expert: "How do road conditions impact vehicle-to-vehicle responses?"

News: Energy

Replacing Camshafts with Valves Paves Way for Cheaper, Greener Engines

By replacing the cam, a new valve technology may lead to more affordable — and more environmentally friendly — engines.

Blog: Transportation

Sound-Off: How to Achieve ‘Level 5’ Autonomous Driving

A Tech Briefs reader asked our expert: What is the best data-processing architecture for truly autonomous, 'Level-5' vehicles?

News: Sensors/Data Acquisition

With Laser-Based Imaging, Self-Driving Cars See Around Corners

Stanford University is developing a laser-based imaging technology that allows cars to peek around corners.