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Understanding the Vulnerability in Wireless Backhaul Networks for 5G

A research team led by Rice University’s Edward Knightly has uncovered an eavesdropping security vulnerability in high-frequency and high-speed wireless backhaul links, widely employed in critical applications such as 5G wireless cell phone signals and low-latency financial trading on Wall Street. Read on to learn more.

Recycling Defunct Satellite Material into a Fuel Source

A research team from the University of Waterloo’s Laboratory for Emerging Energy Research is looking into processing lunar regolith, the Moon’s top layer of soil and dust, into usable materials for life support, energy generation, and construction. This includes investigating the use of defunct satellite material as a fuel source when mixed with lunar regolith. Read on to learn more.

Modeling and Analyzing Inter-Satellite Relative Motion

To address scalable control of orbital dynamics, NASA Ames Research Center has patented Swarm Orbital Dynamics Advisor (SODA) — a solution that accepts high-level configuration commands and provides the orbital maneuvers needed to achieve the desired type of swarm relative motion. Read on to learn more.

UCF’s Hypersonic Technology Advances

Over the past year, the DoD has awarded funding to hypersonics research led by University of Central Florida Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Kareem Ahmed to support the advancements he’s making in the technology. The support is a testament to the progress UCF has made in the field. Read on to learn more about these advances.

Safe, Inexpensive Method to Propel Small Satellites

A novel micropropulsion system was developed for nanosatellite applications using a liquid-fed pulsed-plasma thruster. It uses a liquid propellant for a Lorentz-force pulsed-plasma accelerator and an extended lifetime ignition system driven by nanosecond-long pulses. Read on to learn more.

Vision-Based Approach and Landing System (VALS)

Incorporating a vision-based navigation method, NASA Ames has developed a novel Alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) solution for AAM aircraft in environments where GPS is not available. Read on to learn more about it.

3D-Printed Reactor Core Makes Solar Fuel Production More Efficient

In recent years, engineers at ETH Zurich have developed the technology to produce liquid fuels from sunlight and air. In 2019, they demonstrated the entire thermochemical process chain under real conditions for the first time, in the middle of Zurich, on the roof of ETH Machine Laboratory. Two ETH spin-offs, Climeworks and Synhelion, are further developing and commercializing the technologies. Read on to learn more.

Transistors Repurposed as Microchip Clock Address Security Flaws

A new approach uses commercial chip fab materials and techniques to fabricate specialized transistors to serve as the building block of the timing device. Read on to learn more.

4D Printing of Shape Memory Polymers

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the 4D printing of shape memory polymers in submicron dimensions that are comparable to the wavelength of visible light. Read on to learn more.

Ball Valve Assembly Yields Linear Flowrate Control

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed an adjustable thermal control ball valve assembly which utilizes a unique geometric ball valve design to facilitate precise thermal control within a spacesuit. The technology meters the coolant flow going to the cooling and ventilation garment, worn by an astronaut in the next generation space suit. Read on to learn more.

Bio-Ink for 3D Printing

Biomedical engineers have developed a “bio-ink” for 3D-printed materials that could serve as scaffolds for growing human tissues to repair or replace damaged ones in the body. Read on to learn more.

3D-Woven Thermal Protection System Technologies Support NASA Space Missions

Over the past decade, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and its team of development partners have developed several unique thermal protection system (TPS) technologies designed to protect spacecraft from the extreme heat conditions and entry environments that space missions face. Read on to learn more about it.

Cable Carriers Promote Efficiency in an Autonomous Hospitality Robot

Since the COVID-19 pandemic that advanced contactless service, robots are increasingly being seen conducting routine deliveries around hospitals and hotels. Developed by Robotise Technologies, JEEVES is one such autonomous service robot used in hotels, healthcare facilities, offices, airports, and other settings. Its main duty is to transport materials and products. Read on to learn more about JEEVES.

AI in Motion Control: Optimizing Servo Systems

As technology advances, so do we as skilled professionals in the automation industry. Much like artificial intelligence, we continuously learn and adapt to enhance our overall performance. AI advancement and straightforward learning algorithms have transformed how we implement servo systems. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including the TNC7 control system from HEIDENHAIN; ATI Industrial Automation's GBX 10 Gigabit Tool Changer Ethernet Module; Emerson's Rosemount™ 802 Wireless Multi-Discrete Input or Output Transmitter; Moticont's two 15.9 mm (0.625 in.) diameter Linear Voice Coil Motors, the LVCM-016-019-01M (Metric) and the LVCM-016-019-01 (Imperial); and much more.

The Future Is Flexible: How One Component Represents Tomorrow’s Manufacturing

Speed and efficiency are bedrocks of operational efficiency but are only proven in processes that are strategically optimized. Read on to learn more about what this means.

ROSE Could Usher in a New Era of Automated Farming

A team of researchers has developed an innovative soft robotic gripper named ROtation-based Squeezing grippEr or ROSE. Read on to learn more about it.

Enabling Robots to Interpret Surroundings Quickly and Accurately

MIT engineers have developed a method that enables robots to make similarly intuitive, task-relevant decisions. The team’s new approach, named Clio, enables a robot to identify the parts of a scene that matter, given the tasks at hand. Read on to learn more about Clio.

Mastering Physical Contact with New Algorithm for Robots

Penn Engineers have developed a new algorithm that allows robots to react to complex physical contact in real time, making it possible for autonomous robots to succeed at previously impossible tasks, like controlling the motion of a sliding object. Read on to learn more.

Cat’s Eye-Inspired Vision System for Autonomous Robotics

Researchers led by Professor Young Min Song from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology have unveiled a vision system inspired by feline eyes to enhance object detection in various lighting conditions. Featuring a unique shape and reflective surface, the system reduces glare in bright environments and boosts sensitivity in low-light scenarios. Read on to learn more.

How a Standardized Platform Delivered Precision Motion Control

To upgrade its existing line of laboratory and high-speed production equipment, Genesis called on Moxley Electronics, a trusted distributor of automation components from Mitsubishi Electric. Read on to learn what happened.

Revolutionizing Seafood Production with Adaptive Robots

Robotic automation technology is reshaping food manufacturing, packaging, and handling by driving significant improvements in efficiency, quality, and flexibility. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence, computer vision, and proprietary force-sensing technology, Flexiv has introduced cutting-edge automation to the food processing sector. Read on to learn more.

Advancing Implantable Medical Device Reliability with Enhanced Laser Joining Technology

Laser joining is essential for creating reliable, high-performance implantable medical devices that enhance patient safety and device longevity. The precise control and reproducibility offered by laser joining, particularly through keyhole management, ensures strong, clean joints with minimal heat affected zones. Read on to learn more.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on how MicroLumen engineers develop tubing that ensures precision and reliability in medical device applications; one on Carnegie Mellon University and the Mayo Clinic teaming up in the Transforming Transplant Initiative; one on a fully digital design-to-manufacturing process that has the potential to revolutionize lower limb socket production; and one on a new 3D inkjet printing system that works with a much wider range of materials.

From the Editor - FDA’s Final Rule on LDTs Raises Concerns for Personalized Medicine

Hear directly from Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, about the FDA's final ruling on LDTs and why that is raising concern.

Product Showcase

See the product showcase, which includes Accumold All-Plastic Molded Cannula technology; Arnold Magnetic Technologies' thin metals and flexible composite solutions; the OmniCure® S2000 Elite; Omnetics’ Nano-D connectors; the Lee Company’s Full Isolation Dual Seal Precision Dispense Pump; and much more.

Contract Manufacturing: Accelerating Product Development

The expertise of CDMs that have dedicated space for innovation are focused on accelerated development cycles, DfM, and the optimal application of materials science for their OEM partners. Read on to learn more.

Medical Podcasts

Listen to some medical podcasts, including one on the transformative journey of drug-delivery devices; one on the drug-delivery innovations that will shape the landscape of drug delivery and improve therapeutic outcomes for patients in the future; one on pens and autoinjectors as drug-delivery options; and one on designing drug-delivery pumps, and, particularly, the drive assembly of modern drug pumps.

Bioelectronic Device Offers New Hope in the Fight Against Bacterial Infections

Researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of California – San Diego have made an exciting breakthrough in the battle against bacterial infections. The labs have developed a cutting-edge bioelectronic device that taps into the natural electrical activity of certain bacteria found on our skin, paving the way for a drug-free approach to managing infections. Read on to learn more.