Sensors/​Data Acquisition

5Ws of BEM-AI

Buildings researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have released Building Energy Model AI (BEM-AI) is an open-source bot that can help energy modelers save time and money.

Unlocking the Potential of 48V Robotic Systems

The shift from 12V to 48V systems is driven by the need for improved efficiency and reduced cooling requirements. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Flexxbotics' enhanced MQTT connector driver within the Flexxbotics open-source project on GitHub; IKO International's LCRB series — an ultra-lightweight crossed roller bearing series with a unique inner and outer ring construction; Bosch Sensortec's BMI5 platform, a new generation of inertial sensors designed to provide consistent, high-precision performance across multiple device classes; and more.

A Smart Sensor Performs AI Tricks While Capturing Spectral Images

By folding AI algorithms into a camera’s sensor itself, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have now eliminated a data-processing bottleneck that has long plagued the performance of spectral imaging technology. The result is an intelligent sensor capable of identifying chemicals and characterizing materials quickly and efficiently. Read on to learn more.

ARC ANGEL Reduces Gravity’s Effect on Arms

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed an Earthbound robotic training system called “ARGOS” for short. It can actively simulate an astronaut’s weightlessness in space by using an overhead runway and bridge drive system to partially or fully offload their weight using attached cables, effectively suspending them off the ground. Read on to learn more.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including Chalmers University of Technology's new sensor that is well suited to humid environments — and actually performs better the more humid it gets; a new fabrication technique that can produce multifunctional “smart synthetic skin” from a research team at Penn State; and RMIT University researchers' flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times.

CES 2026: AI, EVs Need These Power Electronics Updates

Physical AI may have been the dominant keyword at CES 2026, but behind all the hype around that, there were still plenty of companies on hand in Las Vegas focused on less flashy headlines. Read on for some examples of companies working on the power electronics required behind the scenes to make our potential artificial intelligence future possible.

Shifting from Reactive to Preemptive Thermal Management

A shift from reactive to preemptive thermal management is particularly important for improving performance, efficiency, and service life. By maintaining a uniform, stable temperature and minimizing even small momentary disruptions to such a steady state, thermal management systems backed by coupled electrothermal modeling will be key to pushing the envelope for EV motor quality. Read on to learn more.

Stony Brook University Researchers Redefine Capacitor Behavior at the Nanoscale

Stony Brook University researchers led a new study published in Physical Review Letters that overturns long-standing assumptions about how capacitors operate when engineered at the nanoscale, offering a clearer scientific foundation for future nanoscale electronic devices. Read on to learn more.

Electron Microscopy Shows ‘Mouse Bite’ Defects in Semiconductors

Cornell researchers have used high-resolution 3D imaging to detect, for the first time, the atomic-scale defects in computer chips that can sabotage their performance. Read on to learn more.

New Sensing Tech Responsive, Versatile — Even in Liquids

Researchers at Penn State have designed a new type of field-effect transistor that can facilitate responsive and versatile sensing, even in liquid-rich environments like the human body. Read on to learn more.

Going for Gold in Winter Olympic Curling

How a purpose-built curling training brush unlocked meaningful performance data and improved Olympic curlers’ performance.

Readers Select 2025 Products of the Year

Last December, Tech Briefs readers were asked to select one product from our 2025 Products of the Month to be named Readers’ Choice Product of the Year. Thanks to all of our readers who cast their votes. Read on for the three 2025 winners.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including Aerotech's PICAlignTM architecture, a new active alignment solution designed to overcome the manufacturing challenges of high-volume Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) production; PI's 6-axis piezo alignment platform: the P-616.65S Nano-Cube® 6-DOF piezo-flexure nano positioning system; a high-impedance miniaturized ferrite-core wire wound inductor from Coilcraft; and more.

New MEMS Modulator Offers Significant Advancements in Optical Efficiency

A new Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) grating modulator has been developed, offering significant advancements in optical efficiency and scalability for communication systems. By integrating a tunable sinusoidal grating with broadside-constrained continuous ribbons, a large-scale aperture of 30 × 30 mm is achieved and supports high-speed modulation up to 250 kHz. Read on to learn more.

Teaching a Robot to Hang a T-shirt Starts with Data

Building on her experience volunteering at retirement homes, Carnegie Mellon researcher Jasmine Li decided to focus her research on assistive robotics that help people with everyday tasks....

What Robots Can Learn from Sea Stars

Sea stars are creatures whose movements involve the coordination of hundreds of tiny tube feet to navigate complex environments — despite the lack of a central brain. In other words, it’s as though...

Wearable Lets Users Control Machines and Robots While on the Move

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a next-generation wearable system that enables people to control machines using everyday gestures — even...

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.