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New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including ASM's posiwire® sensors WST61, WST85, and WST21; Allegro MicroSystems' third product in its High Voltage Power-Thru™ portfolio; Sumida America's CDPQ/T150 Series of high-current power inductors; the advanced new series of USB Type C Plugs and Sockets from Keystone Electronics Corp.; Analog Devices, Inc.'s IMU; and binder's latest enhancements to its panel mount connectors in M12 size.

Products of Tomorrow

See the products of tomorrow, including the Third Thumb, an extra robotic thumb aimed at increasing the wearer’s range of movement; a way to display full-color, 3D moving images over a direct view of the real world; and an adjustable filter that can successfully prevent interference, even in higher-frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on an experimental tractor-trailer that recaptures its own electricity from vibrations, heat, and airflow; one on Mugatu, the first steerable bipedal robot with only one motor; one on Tiago, a research robot being developed at Chalmers University of Technology to push the boundaries of development; and one on a new lithium battery that can charge in under five minutes.

Volvo Trucks’ Battery Chemistry of Choice: NCA

While Daimler Truck and Paccar are pursuing LFP battery cells, Volvo Trucks employs lithium-ion batteries in which lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) is used as the cathode — for now anyway. The Swedish truck maker is continuously exploring other battery technologies. Read on to learn more.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Dewesoft's OBSIDIAN®, a breakthrough data acquisition (DAQ) instrument that combines the best features of a high-end DAQ system, a long-term datalogger, a real-time EtherCAT data server, and a signal conditioning front end.

Optimizing IoMT Device Battery Life With Emulation and Profiling Software

Battery profiling and emulation software are essential for IoMT device power analysis in order to improve field operations and force safety. Profiling and emulation help improve battery life, mimic any charge and battery profile state, create more reliable and consistent test environments, and measure capacity loss and aging effects. Read on to learn more.

Improving Battery Design for eVTOL Aircraft With Simulation

Batteries for eVTOL aircraft need to deliver high power for efficient takeoff and landing, as well as high energy for the cruise period. To meet these demands, designers must consider the power–energy tradeoff of batteries and integrate a reliable battery management system into the overall design. Read on to learn more.

Embedded Processing Advancements Enable Smarter, SWAP-Optimized Avionics Displays and Computers

Avionics developers are leveraging a combination of advanced software and scalable system-on-chip (SoC) processing modules to pack more capabilities into smaller form factors for current and next generation aircraft. Read on to learn more.

Space Lasers: Aiming Towards Next Leap in Global Communications

Space lasers are transforming the world. Not the far-off future of science fiction, but the universe of how data and communications flow today — everywhere from deep space missions to countless applications here on earth, including consumer internet services, military operations, and banking transactions. Read on to learn more.

To 6G and Beyond: Penn Engineers Unlock the Next Generation of Wireless Communications

In the early 2010s, LightSquared, a startup promising to revolutionize cellular communications, declared bankruptcy. The company couldn’t figure out how to prevent its signals from interfering with those of GPS systems. Now, Penn Engineers have developed a new tool that could prevent such problems from ever happening again: an adjustable filter that can successfully prevent interference, even in higher-frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Testing Military-Grade Adhesive in Extreme Loading Conditions

Military performance requirements for adhesives have been traditionally derived to fulfill niche defense needs in harsh operational environments with little consideration for dual-use commercial potential. Read on to learn more.

Streamlined Microcomb Design Provides Control With The Flip of a Switch

Researchers at the University of Rochester describe new microcomb lasers they have developed that overcome previous limitations and feature a simple design that could open the door to a broad range of uses. Read on to learn more.

Researchers Demonstrate the First Chip-Based 3D Printer

Imagine a portable 3D printer you could hold in the palm of your hand. Researchers took a major step toward making this idea a reality by demonstrating the first chip-based 3D printer. The prototype chip has no moving parts, instead relying on an array of tiny optical antennas to steer a beam of light. Read on to learn more.

The New Airbus Wingman Aircraft

Airbus presented a new prototype Wingman concept aircraft at the 2024 International Aerospace Exhibition ILA in Berlin. Read on to learn all about it.

Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System

Hensoldt, Lufthansa Technik Defense, and Bombardier Defense provided a significant program update on the highly-specialized modification work on the Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System (PEGASUS) aircraft at the 2024 Berlin Air Show. Read on to learn more.

Developing the UK’s First Hypersonic Missile

Ninety total organizations – large and small – from across industry and academia have secured a place on a £1 billion transformational Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) agreement set up to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic missile capabilities for the U.K. Read on to learn more.

Beyond Boundaries: Elevating Aerospace Design with Fluorosilicones

The introduction of fluorosilicones helped solve the immediate issues faced by the aerospace sector, but also set a new standard for material performance in challenging operational environments. Consequently, these types of silicones have become a critical component in the design and manufacturing of aircraft. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Durabook's major upgrade of its Z14I laptop; New Wave Design’s V6065, a next-generation heterogeneous embedded computing 3U VPX module; Teledyne FLIR's next generation of high-performance Hadron 640 dual radiometric thermal and visible camera modules; Pickering Interface’s new high channel count microwave MUX family; and more.

MEMS-Based Accelerometer to Measure Microgravity for In-Orbit Manufacturing

Looking ahead, the continued development of MEMS technology will likely unlock new possibilities for space exploration and utilization, ensuring that projects like ForgeStar remain at the forefront of scientific and technological progress. Read on to learn more.

Sensitive Subjects

You’ve got regulations, cost and personal preferences all getting in the way of the next generation of automated vehicles. Oh, and those pesky legal issues about who’s at fault should something happen. Under all...

From the Editor - FDA Releases Draft Guidance for Drug-Delivery Devices

At the end of June, FDA released a draft guidance that is designed to facilitate and streamline development of stand-alone devices and combination products by improving the consistency of drug-delivery performance information included in applications and submissions. Read on to learn more about it.

Enabling CDMO Success Through Intelligent Testing Capabilities

While mechanical testing may play a small role in the total scope of CDMO competencies, a poorly equipped solution can result in significant issues with time management, data integrity, and root cause analysis. Investing in highly capable testing systems should be considered a long-term investment and serve to showcase a commitment to quality for potential clients. Read on to learn more.

Therapeutic Ultrasound: Contactless Drug Delivery and Treatment Enabled by Piezo Transducers

Therapeutic ultrasound opens up numerous new fields of application for the treatment of neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, or cancer diseases. Read on to learn how.

Packaging and Processing: Life Sciences Industry Strives to Become More Sustainable

The pharmaceutical industry’s pivot toward sustainability reflects a broader movement in global business practices where environmental responsibility is not just a choice but a business imperative. Read on to learn more.

How Advanced Drug-Delivery Systems Are Improving Healthcare

Innovative reusable drug-delivery devices are transforming the administration of high-dose biologics by enabling self-administration of challenging drug formulations. These devices support high viscosity and larger injection volumes, enhancing patient comfort and adherence. Read on to learn more.

The Role of Sensors in the Big Picture of Sustainability

In the big picture of medical equipment sustainability, sensors play an important role. That’s right, something so miniature can have quite the impact on maintaining and improving sustainability — from the product design phase to use in equipment in the home. Read on to learn more.

Sensor Packaging: Critical MEMS Considerations

While MEMS sensors are revolutionizing various industries with their precision and miniaturization, they can present unique product development challenges and risks during design, development, and manufacturing. Read on to learn more.

Ultrasound Beam Triggers ‘Nanodroplets’ to Deliver Drugs

What if drug delivery could be targeted at exactly the right spot? This would allow the total dose to be dramatically lower, thus minimizing side effects. Now, U.S. scientists have found a way to perfect a promising, emerging method that does just that. Read on to learn more.

Soft Implantable Polymer Balloon Enables Controlled and Targeted Drug Delivery

In a paper published in Biomaterials Research, a team led by researchers from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology present data on their nonbiodegradable, ultrasoft, and flexible balloon implant for drug delivery. Their findings demonstrate the balloon’s effectiveness in delivering a model drug both in the laboratory setting and in animal models. Read on to learn more.