Sensors

5Ws of the AEON Humanoid Robot

One of the 2026 CES Innovation Awards honorees in the robotics category is AEON — a humanoid robot developed to address labor shortages as industries adapt to ageing populations and shifting workforce demands.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including a new nanoscale optical device that works at room temperature to entangle the spin of photons (particles of light) and electrons to achieve quantum communication; a dust sensor for use in space environments; and more.

Using Real-World Sensors and VR to Improve Building Maintenance

A new system that brings together real-world sensing and virtual reality would make it easier for building maintenance personnel to identify and fix issues in commercial buildings that are in operation. The system was developed by computer scientists at the University of California San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University. Read on to learn more.

Meet ReSURF: An Ultrafast, Stretchable, Self-Healing, Recyclable Sensing Device

Clean, safe water is vital for human health and well-being. However, detecting contamination quickly and accurately remains a major challenge in many parts of the world. A groundbreaking new device developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore has the potential to significantly advance water quality monitoring and management. Read on to learn more.

Combining 3D Embroidery Techniques with Machine Learning for Fabric-Based Touch Sensors

A new study from NC State University combines three-dimensional embroidery techniques with machine learning to create a fabric-based sensor that can control electronic devices through touch. Read on to learn more.

New Wearable Aims to Mimic Skin’s “Sensors”

When it comes to haptic feedback, most technologies are limited to simple vibrations. But our skin is loaded with tiny sensors that detect pressure, vibration, stretching and more. Now, Northwestern University engineers have unveiled a new technology that creates precise movements to mimic these complex sensations. Read on to learn more.

A Smart Sensor for Better Monitoring

A major challenge in self-powered wearable sensors for health care monitoring is distinguishing different signals when they occur at the same time. Researchers from Penn State and China’s Hebei University of Technology addressed this issue by uncovering a new property of a sensor material, enabling the team to develop a new type of flexible sensor that can accurately measure both temperature and physical strain simultaneously but separately to more precisely pinpoint various signals.

SAE Automotive Podcast: Autonomous Driving Technology

Bringing and keeping robotaxis on the road requires a village.

World’s Smallest Programmable, Autonomous Robots

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan have created the world’s smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots: microscopic swimming machines that can...

5Ws of Unloading Robots

Founded by MIT alumni, the Pickle Robot Company has built machines that can autonomously load and unload trucks inside warehouses and logistic centers.

Co-Developing Illumination and Imaging Systems for Medical Fluorescence Endoscopy

Endoscopic imaging system development requires coordination between various engineering disciplines, especially for optical illumination and imaging engines, particularly when adding fluorescence imaging capabilities. Read on to learn more about it.

Top 5 Videos of 2025

If you’re wondering which of our videos from 2025 were the most popular, wonder no more! We’ve put together a list below of the top 5 Tech Briefs videos.

Manufacturing the World's Tiniest Light-Emitting Diodes

Miniaturization ranks as the driving force behind the semiconductor industry. The tremendous gains in computer performance since the 1950s are largely due to the fact that ever smaller...

Scientists Create Superconducting Semiconductor Material

Scientists have long sought to make semiconductors that are also superconducting, thereby enhancing their speed and energy efficiency and enabling new quantum technologies. However,...

New Cooling Technique Could Make Computer Chips More Powerful

As more devices get piled onto computer chips to increase processing power capacity, heat generation becomes increasingly concentrated. This heat must be removed to keep chip...

An Electronic Fiber for Stretchable Sensing

The phrase ‘liquid metal’ may bring to mind something hazardous, like mercury or molten steel. But in the Laboratory of Photonic Materials and Fiber Devices (FIMAP) in EPFL’s School of...

Programming Robots with Rubber Bands

Mechanical engineering researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences think there’s another way to design robots: Programming intended functions directly into a robot’s physical structure, allowing the robot to react to its surroundings without the need for extensive on-board electronics. Read on to learn more.

Vision Integration Transforms Collaborative Robotics

Without integrated vision, robots can only perform tasks in precisely the same way every time. If a part is even slightly out of position or rotated differently, the robot may fail to complete its task, or worse, cause an error in the process. Read on to learn more.

This Self-Powered Device Can Detect Toxic Amines in Water

Researchers have built a self-powered device that detects toxic amines in water using electrochemiluminescence (ECL).

A New Way to Build Soft Robots That Can Walk on Water

Imagine a tiny robot, no bigger than a leaf, gliding across a pond’s surface like a water strider. One day, devices like this could track pollutants, collect water samples or scout...

Robotic Skin Allows Tiny Robots to Navigate Complex, Fragile Environments

Researchers have developed a soft robotic skin that enables vine robots a few millimeters wide to navigate convoluted paths and fragile environments. To accomplish...