Sensors/​Data Acquisition

2021 OEM Photonics & Imaging Directory

See top suppliers and manufacturers in over 20 categories, including high-speed cameras, sensors, and optical components.

DC Drives as Replacements for AC Servos

Low-voltage DC stepper and servo drives offer space-saving options for applications traditionally handled by AC servo drives.

Facility Focus: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

The "ERDC" helps solve problems in civil and military engineering, geospatial sciences, water resources, and environmental sciences.

Soft Robots Use Camera and Shadows to Sense Human Touch

An off-the-shelf USB camera captures the shadows made by hand gestures on the robot’s skin.

Special Section: The Winners of the 2021 'Create the Future' Design Contest

See this year's product designs from engineers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide.

5 Ws of the Electronics-Powering Finger Wrap

The wearable device turns the touch of a finger into a source of power for small electronics and sensors.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Manufacturing/Robotics/Automation Category Winner — Electronics-Free Soft Walking Robot

Av four-legged soft robot walks, without requiring any electronics.

Color-Changing Dyes Visualize Stress in Plastics

Directly visualizing external stresses of plastics is useful in development of materials with improved mechanical properties.

Stable Polymeric Ink with High Conductivity

This paves the way for innovative and more energy-efficient printed electronics.

New on the Market: November 2021

Power supply ICs, temperature sensors, DC-DC converters, and more.

UpFront: November 2021 Tech Briefs

How to be a NASA intern; a new ideas for moon fabrics; and NASA's need for a better rover.

2021 Create the Future Design Contest: Electronics/Sensors/IoT Category Winner — Freetouch

Freetouch turns a smartphone into a touchscreen remote control.

Designing Advanced IR Optical Assemblies for UAVs

Unmanned aircraft present a range of optics challenges.

New Products: November 2021 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Infrared lens testers, fiber optic transceivers, spectral radiometers, and more.

Illumination Design Considerations for Robotic Surgery Vision Systems

To have a successful product, one must consider all the required sub-systems to deliver high-quality illumination.

Unique Amplifier Could Change Optical Communication

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an optical amplifier that they expect will revolutionize both space and fiber communication.

Thermal Imaging — Making Hidden Details Visible

When even your iPhone can easily become a thermal imager, today's top cameras offer better sensitivity and measurement accuracy.

2021 Supplier Guide: Sensors

See leading manufacturers in a variety of sensor topic areas, including radar and encoders.

Four-Legged 'Swarm' Robots Traverse Tough Terrain — Together

Forget puzzles — In the early days of quarantine, Notre Dame professor and robotics engineer Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin used the time at home to put together robots.

Soft Pressure Sensor Breakthrough Solves Field's Most Challenging Bottleneck

Medical sensing technology has taken great strides in recent years, with the development of wearable devices that can track pulse, brain function, biomarkers in...

A Simple Way to Get Complex Semiconductors to Assemble Themselves

Stacking extremely thin films of material on top of each other can create new materials with exciting new properties. But the most successful processes for building those...

Directly into the Brain: A 3D Multifunctional and Flexible Neural Interface

Although measuring the electrical activity of neurons is useful in many disciplines, making durable neural interfacing brain chip implants with negligible...

Two-Dimensional Hybrid Metal Halide Device Allows Control of Terahertz Emissions

Researchers have utilized two-dimensional hybrid metal halides in a device that allows directional control of terahertz radiation generated by a spintronic...

Using Silicone Wristbands to Measure Air Quality

The inexpensive, convenient devices can measure exposure to a class of chemicals that can be harmful during pregnancy.