Electrical Equipment
Researchers develop new design for concentrator solar cell
November 8, 2012 9:02 am | News | CommentsEngineers in Israel have created a radically new design for a concentrator solar cell that, when irradiated from the side, generates solar conversion efficiencies which rival, and may eventually surpass, the most efficient photovoltaics. The design, the developers say, can exceed 40% conversion efficiency at intensities of 10,000 suns.
24V Line Drivers with Impedance Adaption
October 3, 2012 7:58 am | Product Releases | CommentsThe nearly released integrated devices iC-HD2, iC-HD7 and iC-HE from manufacturer iC-Haus are line drivers for 5 V and 24 V industrial encoder/sensor applications. The output drivers are designed for cable impedances in the range of 30 to 140 ohms. The devices feature a unique integrated wave impedance adaption.
Solar cell consists of a single molecule
October 1, 2012 5:39 am | News | CommentsResearchers in Germany and Israel have developed a method to measure photocurrents of a single functionalized photosynthetic protein system. The proteins represent light-driven, highly efficient single-molecule electron pumps that can act as current generators in nanoscale electrical circuits. According to the findings these proteins can be integrated and selectively addressed in artificial photovoltaic device architectures while retaining their biomolecular functional properties.
Hotter might be better at energy-intensive data centers
September 26, 2012 4:43 am | News | CommentsAs data centers continue to come under scrutiny for the amount of energy they use, researchers at University of Toronto Scarborough have a suggestion: turn the air conditioning down. Their latest research suggests that turning up the temperature could save energy with little or no increased risk of equipment failure.
Manufacturing changes may increase solar cell production efficiency
September 19, 2012 9:03 am | News | CommentsThe competition in the photovoltaics (PV) market is fierce. When it comes to price, Asian manufacturers are frequently ahead of the competition. Now, researchers in Germany are designing new coating processes and thin layer systems that may help reduce the price of solar cells significantly, and change the balance of power in PV.
U.S. research and development most prevalent in small number of regions
September 13, 2012 4:29 am | News | CommentsAccording to data from a 2008 Business R&D and Innovation Survey by the National Science Foundation, businesses perform the lion's share of their R&D activity in just a small number of geographic areas, particularly the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland area and the New York-Newark-Bridgeport area.
How to clean up oil spills
September 12, 2012 3:38 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMassachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have developed a new technique for magnetically separating oil and water that could be used to clean up oil spills. They believe that, with their technique, the oil could be recovered for use, offsetting much of the cleanup cost.
Self-charging power cell converts, stores energy in single unit
August 22, 2012 3:39 am | News | CommentsResearchers have developed a self-charging power cell that directly converts mechanical energy to chemical energy, storing the power until it is released as electrical current. By eliminating the need to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy for charging a battery, the new hybrid generator-storage cell uses mechanical energy more efficiently than systems using separate generators and batteries.
Engineers damage graphene to make batteries perform far better
August 21, 2012 5:58 am | News | CommentsAfter making a sheet of “paper” from the world’s thinnest material, graphene, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute scientists zapped it with a laser. The light blemished the ultrathin paper with countless cracks, pores, and other imperfections. The result is a graphene anode material that can be charged or discharged 10 times faster than conventional graphite anodes used in today’s lithium-ion batteries.
Magnetic insulator shows way to dissipationless electronics
August 20, 2012 8:01 am | News | CommentsA team of researchers at in Japan has demonstrated a new material that promises to eliminate loss in electrical power transmission. Their methodology for solving this classic energy problem is based on a highly exotic type of magnetic semiconductor first theorized less than a decade ago—a magnetic topological insulator.
Increased productivity, not less energy use, results from more efficient lighting
August 7, 2012 4:12 am | News | CommentsIn 2010, Sandia National Laboratories researcher Jeff Tsao and Harry Saunders of The Breakthrough Institute in Oakland, Calif., predicted that light-emitting diodes would have a similar improvement in productivity—but not less energy use—that occurred upon the introduction of the Edison light bulb. Now, they have reprised their report to emphasize conclusions they say were misinterpreted by the media.
Simple square chart helps generate better product design
July 30, 2012 9:59 am | by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office | News | CommentsMore and more companies are turning to simplified procedures to help tackle complex product design tasks. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, work on Design Structure Matrix analysis is helping heavyweight companies improve their products, production lines and organizations by transforming product design into a productive routine.
R & D 100 Winners Seek Success with Partners
July 27, 2012 8:43 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsR&D laboratories take on challenges of terrorism, energy, and communications in the new millennium.
Getting amped
July 16, 2012 3:38 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have developed a new type of amplifier for boosting electrical signals. The device can be used for everything from studying stars, galaxies, and black holes to exploring the quantum world and developing quantum computers.
Solid-state terahertz devices could scan for cancer
July 11, 2012 3:49 am | by Bill Steele, Cornell University | News | CommentsCornell University researchers have developed a new method of generating terahertz signals on an inexpensive silicon chip, offering possible applications in medical imaging, security scanning, and wireless data transfer.
Nanodevice builds electricity from tiny pieces
July 9, 2012 6:38 am | News | CommentsA team of scientists in the U.K. have developed an electron pump—a nano-device—which picks these electrons up one at a time and moves them across a barrier, creating a very well-defined electrical current. This technique, which manipulates electrons individually, could replace the traditional definition of electrical current, the ampere, which relies on measurements of mechanical forces on current-carrying wires.
Radiation-resistant circuits from mechanical parts
June 12, 2012 5:25 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Utah engineers designed microscopic mechanical devices that withstand intense radiation and heat, so they can be used in circuits for robots and computers exposed to radiation in space, damaged nuclear power plants, or nuclear attack.
Integrated sensors handle extreme conditions
June 1, 2012 7:52 am | News | CommentsA team of Case Western Reserve University engineers has designed and fabricated integrated amplifier circuits that operate under extreme temperatures—up to 600 C—a feat that was previously impossible. The silicon carbide amplifiers have applications in both aerospace and energy industries.
Sensor measures power consumption quickly, easily
May 16, 2012 10:57 am | News | CommentsThanks to new energy taxation regulations taking effect in Germany, electrical engineers there have invented a space-saving energy usage metering unit that can be simply clipped onto a power cable like a laundry peg, without having to disconnect the load. The device is based on a magnetic field sensor originally developed for use in washing machines, where it monitors the position and orientation of the rotating drum.
Spin polarized supercurrents optimized with a simple flip
May 14, 2012 5:52 am | News | CommentsResearchers from Michigan State University, the NIST Center for Neutron Research, and the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology have discovered the key to controlling and enhancing the lossless flow of a current with a single electron spin state in a standard superconducting device.
Infrared LEDs can be made cheaper, compatible with silicon
May 10, 2012 3:31 am | by Anne Ju, Cornell University | News | CommentsLight-emitting diodes (LEDs) at infrared wavelengths are the magic behind such things as night vision and optical communications. Cornell University researchers have advanced the process of making such LEDs cheaper and easier to fabricate, which could lead to ultrathin LEDs painted onto silicon to replace computer wiring with light waves.
Engineers work toward electric mass mobility
May 3, 2012 5:45 am | News | CommentsElectric vehicles have slowly been catching on in urban environments, but their popularity has been hampered by available manufacturing technology. Either the vehicles are too heavy and too expensive, or they do not meet mass-market safety requirements. Researchers in Germany, funded by major automotive corporations, are testing a new mobility concept they hope will hit the sweet spot.
New Output Voltage Ranges for Power Converters
April 30, 2012 8:45 am | Product Releases | CommentsSchaefer, Inc., has broadened capabilities for its Raptor Series of military COTS/MOTS power supplies. The output voltage range has been extended to provide DC outputs from 12 VDC to 52.5 VDC with power ratings from 1200 W to 1800 W.
R & D Change in the 1980s
April 19, 2012 10:56 am | by R&D Editors | Articles | CommentsGlobalization, the personal computer, and changing priorities set the stage for R&D 100 Award Winners.
LED incandescent replacement bulb gets Energy Star nod
April 18, 2012 12:24 pm | News | CommentsPhilips recently announced that its EnduraLED 12.5 W bulb has met or exceeded the quality and energy efficiency requirements for a 60 W light-emitting diode (LED) equivalent set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. Philips was the only company to enter the Department of Energy’s L Prize contest, which sought a product like the EnduraLED.
