Topic

Optical devices like telescopes and microscopes have relied on solid lenses that slide up and down to magnify and to focus. To tune how much light is received, conventional devices use mechanical contraptions like the blades that form the adjustable aperture in cameras. Engineers from the...

A $500 nano-camera that can operate at the speed of light has been developed by researchers in the MIT Media Lab. The three-dimensional cameracould be used in medical imaging and collision-avoidance detectors for cars, and to improve the accuracy of motion tracking and gesture-recognition...

Researchers are building a massive computer system that browses millions of pictures and decides for itself what they all mean. The system at Carnegie Mellon University, called NEIL (short for Never Ending Image Learning) has been searching the Internet for images 24/7 and, in tiny steps, is determining how...

Using under $1,500 worth of materials, including a small commercial MIG welder and an open-source microcontroller, a Michigan Technological University team built a 3D metal printer than can lay down thin layers of steel to form complex geometric objects. Expanded 3D printing would benefit people in...

Researchers have combined antennas and solar cells to work together with unprecedented efficiency. The development is a first step towards more compact, lightweight satellites. The technology could also be deployed in the autonomous antenna systems used in the aftermath of natural disasters.For their...

Researchers from MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) created a new lidar-like system that gauges depth when only a single photon is detected from each location. The new scheme could enable laser rangefinders to infer depth from a hundredth as much light — and to produce images from...

A robot, created by of a joint collaboration between researchers of the High School of Industrial Engineers of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) in Spain and the Gliatech S.L Company, can be used to guide precise insertion of needles and catheters. It has a hybrid powerstrain structure...

Using a novel rehabilitation device that converts an individual’s thoughts to electrical impulses to move upper extremities, stroke patients reported improvements in their motor function and ability to perform activities of daily living. A multidisciplinary team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison built the...

Plastics can be made scratch-proof and flame-proof, or given antibacterial properties through the addition of nano-sized additives mixed in with the pellets of plastic during the manufacturing process. However, the particle distribution within the plastic compound must be absolutely precise. A new device being...

Jim Lux is task manager on FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response), a portable radar device that detects heartbeats and breathing of victims trapped under rubble in a disaster.

How can you measure forces acting between two components within a device without drilling holes or sticking on a sensor? Researchers at the Technischen Universität Darmstadt, Germany, have developed a simple solution: a screw with an integrated sensor.

Electromagnetic fields can interfere with or damage electronic devices. Electromagnetic radiation is invisible to people. A new measuring instrument being developed by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Muenchen, Germany, can help determine the strength, frequency, and direction of the attack.

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), West Conshohocken, PA, has proposed a new international standard to be used in the design, development, quality control, and comparison of a variety of collagen-based medical products, including surgical implants, delivery...

ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), West Conshohocken, PA, has proposed a new international standard to be used in the design, development, quality control, and comparison of a variety of collagen-based medical products, including surgical...

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has launched the ANSI IBR Portal, an online tool for free, read-only access to voluntary consensus standards that have been incorporated by reference (IBR) into federal laws and regulations.

A conventional low-noise detector requires a technique to both absorb incident power and convert it to an electrical signal at cryogenic temperatures. This innovation combines low-noise detector and readout functionality into one device while maintaining high absorption,...

Flexible circuits with superconducting wiring atop polyimide thin films are being studied to connect large numbers of wires between stages in cryogenic apparatus with low heat load. The feasibility of a full microstrip process, consisting of two layers of superconducting material...