NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched on December 25 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America. A joint effort with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency, the Webb observatory is NASA’s revolutionary flagship mission to seek t

Like snowflakes, no two branches are alike. They can differ in size, shape, and texture; some might be wet or moss-covered or bursting with offshoots. And yet birds can land on just about any of them. This ability was of great interest to the labs of Stanford University engineers Mark Cutkosky and D

Researchers have designed a new way to monitor batteries by sending electrical pulses into them and measuring the response. The measurements are then processed by a machine learning algorithm to predict the battery’s health and useful lifespan. The method is non-invasive and is a simple add-on to an

Telehealth has become a critical way for doctors to still provide health care while minimizing in-person contact during COVID-19. But with phone or online appointments, it’s harder for doctors to get important vital signs from a patient, such as their pulse or respiration rate, in real time. A metho

Taking shoes off and placing them in a bin has been part of the flying experience since 2006. But soon, even those without pre-check status may be able to keep their shoes on, step on a shoe scanner, walk through a body scanner, and proceed to their boarding gates. The original holographic millimete

A self-driving car has a hard time recognizing the difference between a toddler and a brown bag that suddenly appears because of limitations in how it senses objects using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). The autonomous vehicle industry is exploring frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiD

A type of imaging that does not require a lens and uses reconfigurable particle-based masks to take multiple shots of an object is being developed. The electric-field directed self-assembling mask technology was developed by creating a mask of microscopic gold wires and placing it near the object to

Researchers have developed a new method to 3D print mechanisms that detect how force is being applied to an object. The structures are made from a single piece of material, so they can be rapidly prototyped. A designer could use this method to 3D print interactive input devices, like a joystick, swi

Innovators at NASA Marshall, in conjunction with the Center for Applied Optics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, developed a system that increases the spatial resolution of interferometric measurements of optical surfaces beyond the fundamental Nyquist Limit of the interferometer’s imaging

Engineers have demonstrated a versatile microfluidic lab-on-a-chip that uses sound waves to create tunnels in oil to manipulate and transport droplets touch-free. The technology could form the basis of a small-scale, programmable, rewritable biomedical chip that is completely reusable to enable on-s

A new fabrication methodology addresses the need for a thin, double-sided circuitry board capable of low crosstalk between sensors and low loss in transmission lines. The fabrication method allows for a minimalistic silicon wafer to be used as a circuit board while reducing space and increasing effi

Who A system uses combustion to inflate silicone membrane “dots,” which could someday serve as a dynamic braille display for electronics. What Imagine a tablet or Kindle that can display braille on command for the visually impaired. The major hurdle in designing the dynamic display is how to apply t

A technology called Dynamis was developed that makes industrial robots able to manipulate tiny glass lenses, electronics components, or engine gears that are millimeters in size without damaging them. The proprietary force feedback technology enables anyone to program touch-sensitive tasks that are

The manufacturing industries are undergoing a digital transformation worldwide, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is speeding up the adoption of Industry 4.0. This shift to digital is fueling advances in smart sensors that not only capture sensing data, but also interpret that data into action

During the 20th century, the energy landscape in India was dominated by fossil fuels, with diesel, petroleum, and kerosene used for most industrial and domestic purposes. In rural India, a large part of the population was still using coal, wood, or dung fires for cooking. However, the last few decad

Demand for sensitive and selective electronic biosensors — analytical devices that monitor a target of interest in real time — is growing for a wide range of applications. They are ideal for health care within clinical settings, drug discovery, food safety and quality control, and environmental moni

Twisted nanoscale semiconductors manipulate light in a new way. This effect could be harnessed to accelerate the discovery and development of life-saving medicines as well as photonic technologies. The photonic effect could help enable rapid development and screening of new antibiotics and other dru

The trade-off between carrier mobility and stability in amorphous oxide semiconductor-based thin film transistors (TFTs) has been finally overcome by researchers from Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) in a fabricated indium tin zinc oxide TFT. This could pave the way for the design of displ

In efforts to limit the spread of disease while preserving privacy, an interdisciplinary research team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has designed and tested low-cost devices and methods that can detect when people or animals come into close contact with each other. The

Dr. Israel Owens and his team at Sandia National Laboratories have used a crystal smaller than a dime and a laser smaller than a shoebox to safely measure 20 million volts without making physical contact to the electrode. Tech Briefs: What led you to this idea? Dr. Owens: How to measure high voltag