Mechanical/Mechatronics

Stay updated on advancements in mechanical components and mechatronics systems. New technologies in MEMs, fluid systems, and propulsion are driving breakthroughs in transportation, electrification, autonomous driving, and manufacturing.

Stories

Blog: Data Acquisition

Machinery Health Monitoring: Which Equipment is Critical?

Which machinery requires constant monitoring? According to one industry expert, the answer boils down to “Criticality.”

Special Reports: Wearables

Test & Measurement - February 2022

From space vehicles to the modern battlefield to the human body, test innovations are improving device and system reliability while speeding time to market. Read about the latest advances – including the...

Products: Electronics & Computers

New on the Market: February 2022

Liquid-cooled workstations, universal amplifiers, hydrogen sensors, and more.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

3D Printing of Polymers

A 3D-printable elastomer yields soft, elastic objects that feel like human tissue.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sound Waves Transport Droplets for Rewritable Lab-on-a-Chip Devices

Vibrating transducers create tunnels in a thin layer of oil to transport droplets across a chip without leaving a trace behind.

Articles: Motion Control

Discrete Proportional Valve Technology

The DPV concept matches the unique needs of electric vehicle cooling and energy management systems.

Articles: Test & Measurement

Designing Smart Solutions for Gas Flow Devices

Learn how design engineers are making better gas meters.

Products: Motion Control

New Products

Test servo drives, robot monitors, AC motors, and more

Briefs: Motion Control

Giving Bug-Like Bots a Boost

A new fabrication technique helps improve the performance of flying micro-robots.

Briefs: Materials

Micro-Robots Propelled by Air Bubbles and Ultrasound

A remotely controlled microswimmer could navigate the human body and aid in drug delivery.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Mobile Molecular Robots Swim in Water

Synthesized micro-robots can convert their mechanical motion into a means of self-propulsion in water.

Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials

These “living machines” hold potential for applications from medical treatments to improving the environment.

Products: Energy

New Products

Charger ICs, backup units, power supplies, and more.

Question of the Week: Energy

Will ‘Ocean Batteries’ Catch On?

Our lead story today highlights an innovative energy approach from a Netherlands-based company called Ocean Grazer. Tied to existing wind farms, the team’s “Ocean Battery” pumps water from solid subsea reservoirs into flexible bladders located just above the seabed. When there is a demand for power, the...

INSIDER: Design

Extending Quadcopter Flight Time — By Adding Wings

It might be tiny, but Peter Ryseck’s Mini QBIT offers hobbyists some serious fun — and could help foster new innovations in the field of unmanned aviation.

INSIDER: Motion Control

Method to Create Upward Water Fountain in Deep Water

A pair of University of Houston engineers has discovered that they can create upward fountains in water by shining laser beams on the water’s surface. Jiming Bao, professor of...

Podcasts: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

How to Build an 'Ocean Battery'

Dr. Frits Bliek and his team at Ocean Grazer are building an "Ocean Battery" that brings hydrodam technology to the sea.

Blog: Energy

3 Challenges with Hydrogen Powered Engine Adoption

For hydrogen-powered engines to reach a mainstream adoption, there are questions about infrastructure and regulation that must be answered.

Question of the Week: Electronics & Computers

Will a Breath-Like Approach Cool Down Machinery?

University of Central Florida researchers are developing a human-like way for large machines to cool off: Letting the machines "breathe." (See our January issue of Tech Briefs to learn more.)

INSIDER: Imaging

Testing Sensors in Fog to Make Future Transportation Safer

Self-flying drones and autonomous taxis that can safely operate in fog may sound futuristic, but new research at Sandia National Laboratories’ fog facility is bringing the future...

Blog: Electronics & Computers

What is the Most Difficult Vehicle Subsystem to Develop?

What's so tough about developing a car? A Tech Briefs reader wants to know the most challenging subsystem of the vehicle to build.

Special Reports: Test & Measurement

Vehicle Electrification - January 2022

Innovation is happening at a rapid pace in the e-mobility space. Read this compendium of recent articles from the editors of Automotive Engineering and Truck & Off-Highway Engineering to learn about...

Special Reports: Manned Systems

Space Technology - January 2022

Read about the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, the NASA rocket that will carry humans back to the moon, the nanosatellites that are dramatically reducing the cost of space science, and much more...