Every year, consumers are dazzled by the latest smartphones and wireless devices that hit the market. Before these upgraded gadgets reach the shelves, there is an extensive design and testing process that goes into developing them. Antennas, a paramount component of wireless devices, are consistentl

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), established in 1998, is the research organization of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ERDC conducts R&D in support of the soldier, military installations, and civil works projects (water resources, environmental missions, etc.) as w

A self-driving car contains a multitude of sensors, including detectors of lanes, traffic signs, and free space. The advanced driver-assistance system, or ADAS, components must be evaluated in a range of conditions before officially getting on the road. One safe way to go for a test drive: recreatin

On isolated mountaintops across the planet, scientists await word that tonight is the night. The complex coordination between dozens of telescopes on the ground and in space is complete, the weather is clear, tech issues have been addressed—the metaphorical stars are aligned. It is time to look at t

This years OEM Photonics & Imaging Directory shows you leading suppliers and manufacturers in the following categories: Cameras – CCD Cameras – CMOS Cameras – GigE/USB/IEEE 1394 Cameras – High Speed Cameras — Infrared/Hyperspectral/UV Cameras – Other Coatings/Adhesives/Materials Fiber Optics La

NASA Kennedy Space Center developed the Inductive Non-Contact Position Sensor for motion control applications. The sensor was designed to monitor the precise movements of an optical inspection system that measured defects in Space Shuttle windows. The technology is precise, small, inexpensive, and

Lithium-ion batteries now in widespread use for everything from mobile electronics to electric vehicles rely on a liquid electrolyte to carry ions back and forth between electrodes within the battery during charge and discharge cycles. The liquid uniformly coats the electrodes, allowing free movemen

Roboticists and artificial intelligence (AI) researchers know there is a problem in how current systems sense and process the world. Currently, they are still combining sensors — like digital cameras that are designed for recording images — with computing devices like graphics processing units (GPUs

Hydrogen as a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels is part of a sustainable-energy future; however, lingering concerns about flammability have limited widespread use of hydrogen as a power source for electric vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles can refuel much more quickly and go farther without ref

Researchers demonstrated that drug levels inside the body can be tracked in real time using a custom smartwatch that analyzes the chemicals found in sweat. This wearable technology could be incorporated into a more personalized approach to medicine in which an ideal drug and dosages can be tailored

Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental r

NASA Goddard developed an absorber-coupled far-infrared microwave kinetic inductance detector (FIR MKID) array that incorporates a cross-absorber pattern. It allows incident power to be absorbed equally for both horizontal and vertical polarization. The array enables the output of the detector to be

The core mechanism of a miniature sensor on a chip incorporates two layers of silicon that overlay each other separated by the space of 270 nanometers — about 0.005 the width of a human hair. They carry a minute voltage. Vibrations from bodily motions and sounds put part of the chip in flux, making

Researchers have developed a way to incorporate electronic sensors into stretchy fabrics, allowing them to create shirts or other garments that could be used to monitor vital signs such as temperature, respiration, and heart rate. The sensor-embedded, machine-washable garments can be customized to f

Cast Your Vote! It’s time to submit your vote for this year’s Tech Briefs Readers’ Choice Product of the Year Awards. See the 12 nominees, and cast your vote for the 2021 honors. What’s New on Techbriefs.com This month, our blog catches up with the winners of the Create the Future Design Contest in

Researchers have developed a compact 3D LiDAR imaging system that can match and exceed the performance and accuracy of most advanced mechanical systems currently used. 3D LiDAR can provide accurate imaging and mapping for many applications; for example, it is the “eyes” for autonomous cars and is us

NASA Ames developed a novel remote sensing instrument with advanced scientific capabilities for Multispectral Imaging, Detection and Active Reflectance (MiDAR). The MiDAR transmitter and receiver demonstrate a cost-effective solution for simultaneous high-frame-rate, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

The Portable EnGineered Analytic Sensor with aUtomated Sampling (PEGASUS) is a miniaturized waveguide-based optical sensor that can detect toxins, bacterial signatures, viral signatures, biothreats, white powders, and more from samples such as blood, water, food, and animal samples. PEGASUS does not

Researchers have taken a step toward developing a type of antenna array that could coat an airplane’s wings, function as a skin patch transmitting signals to medical implants, or cover a room as wallpaper that communicates with Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The technology, which could enable man

Researchers have developed an approach that allows a rotary wing unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to land on a moving unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) without the aid of GPS and recharge before moving on. Teams of autonomous air and ground agents will enable operations in search and rescue environments that