Sensors

Breakthrough in High-Performance Oxide-Ion Conductors Using Rubidium

Oxide-ion conductors enable oxide ions (O2-) to be transported in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which can run on diverse fuels beyond hydrogen, including natural gas,...

“Living Bioelectronics” That Can Sense and Heal Skin

A team has created a prototype for what it calls “living bioelectronics” — a combination of living cells, gel, and electronics that can integrate with living tissue. The patches are made of sensors, bacterial cells, and a gel made from starch and gelatin. Tests in mice found that the devices could continuously monitor and improve psoriasis-like symptoms, without irritating skin. Read on to learn more.

Brain-Inspired Wireless System Gathers Data from Salt-Sized Sensors

The Brown University research team created a novel approach for a wireless communication network that can efficiently transmit, receive, and decode data from thousands of microelectronic chips that are each no larger than a grain of salt. Read on to learn more about it.

A Color-Based Sensor Emulates Skin’s Sensitivity

Jamie Paik and colleagues in the Reconfigurable Robotics Lab in EPFL’s School of Engineering have developed a sensor that can perceive combinations of bending, stretching, compression, and temperature changes, all using a robust system that boils down to a simple concept: color. Read on to learn more about it.

Soft, Bioelectronic Sensor Implant

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and New York’s Columbia University have embedded transistors in a soft, conformable material to create a biocompatible sensor implant that monitors...

MIT Engineers Grow “High-Rise” 3D Chips

The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking to build up rather than out.

Neuromorphic Semiconductor Chip Learns and Corrects Itself

Existing computer systems have separate data processing and storage devices, making them inefficient for processing complex data like AI. A Korea Advanced Institute of Science and...

Quantum Sensing to Engineer Photonic Sensors

A Bristol-led team of physicists has found a way to operate mass manufacturable photonic sensors at the quantum limit. This breakthrough paves the way for practical applications such as monitoring greenhouse gases and cancer detection. Read on to learn more.

Pervasive Biocybernetic Adaptation

The technology has the potential for many applications including enhancing pilot training for peak performance and alertness, developing software, training programs, and services for well-being and healthcare, as well as revolutionize the gaming industry by creating interactive video games. Read on to learn more.

Providing Robots a Soft Touch Using 3D Printing

A recent study demonstrates that soft skin pads doubling as sensors made from thermoplastic urethane can be efficiently manufactured using 3D printers. Read on to learn more.

A More Responsive Infrared Photodiode

Researchers have developed a new type of infrared photodiode that is 35 percent more responsive at 1.55 µm, the key wavelength for telecommunications, compared to other germanium-based components.

Gyro Sensors for Monitoring Motion on Martian Moon Rover

On the JAXA Martian Moons mission, gyro sensors from Silicon Sensing on the rover vehicle will explore the larger moon, Phobos, collecting vital surface samples.

Smallest Walking Robot Makes Microscale Measurements

Cornell researchers in physics and engineering have created the smallest walking robot yet. Its mission: to be tiny enough to interact with waves of visible light and still move...

A New Home for Sustainability Robotics

The world is currently facing significant environmental challenges and complex demands related to infrastructure and natural ecosystems. To address these issues, viable solutions that are both...

The Integration of Sensors into Next-Generation Health Devices

How advanced sensor technologies driving the development of wearables and health-monitoring devices.

The Role of MEMS in Next-Gen Medical Devices

How microfabrication and MEMS technology are driving sensor-based medical devices.

A Tabletop Robot May Revolutionize Physical Therapy Delivery

Mohammad Habibur (Habib) Rahman, Director of the BioRobotics Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his team have been developing a portable, assistive robotic arm that therapists can use to assess and treat patients whether or not they are not in the same location.

Giving Robots the Human Touch via Listening

New research from Duke University details a system dubbed SonicSense that allows robots to interact with their surroundings in ways previously limited to humans.

NASA’s Electric Thrusters Keep Commercial Satellites on the Clock

NASA’s advancements in materials research for ion thrusters enabled Orbion Space Technology to bring high-efficiency ion thrusters to the commercial satellite industry.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Cotronics' Duralco™ 215, an alumina ceramic-based high temperature coating, specially developed for impregnating and coating electrical products to 2500 ºF; COMSOL's Multiphysics ® version 6.3, which delivers new features and capability updates for efficient physics modeling and simulation app development; Binder's angled M5 panel mount connectors; and much more.

“Living Bioelectronics” That Can Sense and Heal Skin

A team has created a prototype for what it calls “living bioelectronics” — a combination of living cells, gel, and electronics that can integrate with living tissue. The patches are made of sensors, bacterial cells, and a gel made from starch and gelatin. Tests in mice found that the devices could continuously monitor and improve psoriasis-like symptoms, without irritating skin. Read on to learn more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including the world’s first soft touchpad that can sense the force, area, and location of contact without electricity; a hydrogel that retains the semiconductive ability needed to transmit information between living tissue and machine; and a thin film sensor that measures temperatures up to 1200 °F.

Implantable Sensors for Internal Health Monitoring

The advent of implantable sensor technologies has had a transformative impact on internal health monitoring. This episode looks into the advancements that allow for continuous, real-time data collection from within the human body, revolutionizing patient care and treatment strategies.

MIT Team Takes a Major Step Toward Fully 3D-Printed Active Electronics

Active electronics — components that can control electrical signals — usually contain semiconductor devices that receive, store, and process information. These...