Inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, engineers have designed a friction-boosting material that could be used to coat the bottoms of shoes, giving them a stronger grip on ice and other slippery surfaces. Kirigami, a variation of origami that involves cutting paper as well as fol

For most people, the task of identifying an object, picking it up, and placing it somewhere else is trivial. For robots, it requires the latest in machine intelligence and robotic manipulation. RightHand Robotics — a Somerville, MA-based spinoff from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — has

There is a need for rad-hard crystal stabilized clock sources with at least 300 krad of total ionizing dose (TID) immunity. A common solution has been to spot-shield a commercial off-the-shelf part or enclose it in a vault. Rad-hard clock sources are needed for main electronics boards (MEBs) and rea

Some materials in nature can significantly change in size and shape — or deform — like a rubber band when an electrical signal is sent. The materials act as an energy converter that deforms when an electrical signal is sent through or supplies electricity when manipulated. This is called piezoelectr

Mercury SystemsAndover, MAwww.mrcy.com NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) selected solid-state data recorders (SSDRs) from Mercury Systems for NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust

The advent of inexpensive wearable sensors that can monitor heart rate, body temperature, and levels of blood sugar and metabolic byproducts has allowed researchers to monitor human health in ways never before possible. But like all electronic devices, these wearable sensors need a source of power.

NASA Glenn has developed a method to correct for variations in transistor threshold voltage due to die location on the wafer for silicon carbide (SiC) op amps, enabling improved electrical circuits for sensor signal conditioning in harsh environments. Important system-level benefits are enabled by i

Monitoring the progression of multiple sclerosis-related gait issues can be challenging in adults over 50 years old, requiring a clinician to differentiate between problems related to MS and other age-related issues. To address this problem, researchers integrated gait data and machine learning to a

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) was founded in 1865 and is the nation’s third-oldest private technological university. Located in Worcester, MA, WPI fosters research in areas from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, to exploration of the technological and policy issues surrounding cy

Communications interfaces provide the all-important link between sensors (the “nerves” of a control system) and the controllers (the “brain”). An impressive variety of communications technologies has been introduced to provide this link, usually with features and capabilities tailored to a certain t

Ultrathin, flexible computer circuits have been an engineering goal for years, but technical hurdles have prevented the degree of miniaturization necessary to achieve high performance. Now, researchers at Stanford University have invented a manufacturing technique that yields flexible, atomically th

When you pick up a balloon, the pressure to keep hold of it is different from what you would exert to grasp a jar. And now engineers at MIT and elsewhere have a way to precisely measure and map such subtleties of tactile dexterity. The team has designed a new touch-sensing glove that can “feel” pres

Researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) fabricated brain-inspired highly scalable neuromorphic hardware by co-integrating single transistor neurons and synapses. Using standard silicon CMOS technology, the neuromorphic hardware is expected to reduce chip cost and

New sensors from MIT detect small and fast pressure changes at the fingertip. When placed on a silk glove, the stud-like components help to create a valuable picture for doctors. The inventors of the highly attuned sensors, which pick up slight vibrations across the skin, provide specific pressure m

Research and development work to solve an excessive noise problem created by an EV’s battery fast charger has led to advances in thermal management, heat dissipation, and reduced fire risks. D2H Advanced Technologies, a UK-based specialist engineering company, found that the noise occurred during th

The number of data-transmitting microdevices will increase sharply in the coming years. All these devices need energy but the number of batteries would have a major impact on the environment. Researchers have developed a biodegradable mini-capacitor that can solve the problem. The new battery consis

LCD (liquid crystal display) is the most widely used display technology. They are used for automotive, appliance, telecommunication, home appliance, industrial, consumer electronic, military etc. But LCD displays have some drawbacks, such as slow response, narrow viewing angle, lower contrast etc. O

The novel structure shown in the illustration was designed to do one thing: change the shape of light as it is transported. In a recent paper, Professor Mercedeh Khajavikhan and her team showed how this can be done by using a new theoretical model that could have profound implications for many aspec

Purdue researchers have created technology aimed at replacing Morse code with colored “digital characters” to modernize optical storage. They are confident the advancement will help with the explosion of remote data storage during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Morse code has been around since t

Gas accidents — such as toxic gas leakage in factories, carbon monoxide leakage of boilers, or toxic gas suffocation during manhole cleaning — continue to claim lives and cause injuries. Developing a sensor that can quickly detect toxic gases or biochemicals is still an important issue in public hea