Topic

Fabricating Optical Mirrors for Use in Outer Space Measurements

There are many ways to manufacture an optic depending on the complexity of the component and the application. From choosing the best substrate, to detailing the numerous operations...

Making VR a NASA Reality

NASA researchers want to prove that a virtual reality headset like the Oculus Rift is not just a toy. Josh Kinne, a deputy project manager at NASA Langley Research Center, sees a future role for virtual and augmented...

SPIE Photonics West 2017 Preview

The SPIE Photonics West 2017 technical conference and exhibition returns to The Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 28 through February 2, offering attendees the opportunity to explore the latest...

Biomedical Skin-Like Bandage Is Stretchy, Durable, and Long Lasting

A skin-like biomedical technology that uses a mesh of conducting nanowires and a thin layer of elastic polymer might bring new electronic bandages that monitor biosignals for...

Glass Fibers with Potential Far Beyond Transmitting Light

Glass fibers do everything from connecting us to the Internet to enabling keyhole surgery by delivering light through an endoscope. But as versatile as today’s fiber optics are,...

New ‘Bottlebrush’ Electroactive Polymers Make Dielectric Elastomers Increasingly Viable for Use in Devices

Material can change shape and size when exposed to a relatively small electric field. A multi-institutional research team has...

Fluorescent Sensor Provides Low-Cost Diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis

New device provides a cheaper, easier way to detect levels of chloride in sweat. Scientists have developed a new diagnostic test for cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder currently...

Energy-Efficient Biomedical Sensor Hub for Wearable Health Applications

A new sensor hub integrated as a system-on-chip (SoC) has been designed for use in a broad range of wearable health devices and applications. The SoC was developed by imec,...

1.7-Megapixel Automotive Image Sensor

The OV10650 from OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) is a wide-format image sensor that captures high-quality color images and video in a 2:1 aspect ratio. Built on OmniVision’s 4.2-µm...

Creating a Slippery Slope on the Surface of Medical Implants

Implanted medical devices such as left ventricular-assist devices for patients with heart failure or other support systems for patients with respiratory, liver, or other end organ...

From the Editor — A Cure for the U.S. Medical Innovation Ecosystem

As 2016 came to a close, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the 21st Century Cures Act by a vote of 392–26, and the Senate passed it by a vote of...

Silicone Pump Segments for Medication and Feeding Pumps

They are vitally important, make therapy possible, and they have become an integral part in hospitals or home-care settings: medication and feeding pumps supply patients with essential...

Building an Integrated Home Health Monitoring System

Among the challenges faced by the healthcare sector is a population that is growing older. The elderly population is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 years. Having an...

Linear Actuators for High-Speed, Low-Load Applications

A number of medical applications need high-speed actuation in the lower load band. Many OEMs use pneumatic actuators or electric solenoids for this purpose; however, these options do not...

Enhancing Performance and Safety of Medical Implantable Devices with Multiphysics Simulation

At St. Jude Medical, ventricle assist devices are developed to improve the lives of patients with heart failure. Numerical simulation is used...

Design Validation and Regulatory Requirements

Design validation is one of the most important aspects of the design and development process for medical devices. It is at this stage that the medical device manufacturer confirms that the device...

Mari: Precision Technology for Successful Surgery

Besides radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the standard procedure for treating brain tumors includes the surgical removal of all or some of the growth. This surgery calls for precision and...

Pour Your Next EV Battery?

While electric propulsion appears destined to supplant the internal combustion engine at some point in the future, the laws of economics and market forces will likely keep ICEs around for decades. Batteries for...

2016 Los Angeles Auto Show: Mazda’s All-New CX-5 to Include Diesel Engine for North America

Mazda made no secret it would unveil an all-new CX-5 compact crossover—now one of its best-selling models in the U.S.—at the 2016 Los Angeles...

New Ford Fiesta Claims B-Car Tech Leadership

It may look similar to the current model but Ford describes its next generation Fiesta as the “world’s most technologically advanced small car.”

High-Performance Thermoplastic Elastomer

Sarlink ML-2355B from Teknor Apex Co. (Pawtucket, RI) is a new styrene block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-S) for automotive interior parts such as cable ducts and grommets. The compound...

New EEAs for the Connected, Autonomous Future

The connected, electrified and eventually driverless vehicle revolution has a less publicized but equally important back story — the development of next-generation electrical and electronic...

Bridging the Power Gap with 48 Volts

The hybrid Lincoln MKZ I'm driving feels like it's floating on air as we hustle down I-75, the combustion engine having been shut off by a clever bit of electrification. On this long, flat stretch of...

Shuttle, Hubble Work Lead to Strength in Custom Current Sensors

NASA Technology When it was built, the Space Shuttle boasted the world’s most complex avionics system. The Shuttle’s controls were entirely digital, with all connections...

3D Weaving Technology Strengthens Spacecraft, Race Cars

NASA Technology Weaving processes created millennia ago have helped create some of the most cutting-edge technology on NASA’s Orion spaceship, helping shield heat for humans who may one...

Data Acquisition System Captures Machine Performance

NASA Technology When you launch rockets, even the smallest deviation from design can create big problems—and they’re hard to fix for next time unless you know exactly what happened. The...

High-Heat Cement Gives Ashes New Life

NASA Technology When constructing high-performance structures, at NASA or elsewhere, materials made from recycled ingredients might not seem like a good fit. But when it comes to concrete made from ashes,...