Electronic Equipment
DARPA creates program to promote robotic actuation efficiency
July 5, 2012 7:41 am | News | CommentsHumans and animals have evolved to consume energy very efficiently for movement. If robotic actuation can be made to approach the efficiency of human and animal actuation, the range of practical robotic applications will greatly increase. To help this progression, DARPA has created the M3 Actuation program with the goal of achieving a 2,000% increase in the efficiency of power transmission and application.
Sony, Panasonic tying up in advanced TV displays
June 26, 2012 11:21 am | by Yuri Kageyama AP Business Writer | News | CommentsLong-time Japanese rivals Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. are working together to develop next-generation TV panels based on organic light-emitting diode technology. The move is a reversal of decades of rivalry as they try to catch up with South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
“Dirt cheap” magnetic field sensor made from “plastic paint”
June 13, 2012 5:08 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Utah physicists developed an inexpensive, highly accurate magnetic field sensor for scientific and possibly consumer uses based on a “spintronic” organic thin-film semiconductor that basically is “plastic paint.” Its inventors say the new type of magnetometer also resists heat and degradation, works at room temperature and never needs to be calibrated.
Researchers produce largest flexible color organic light-emitting display
June 4, 2012 4:10 am | News | CommentsThe Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University announced that it has successfully manufactured the world's largest flexible color organic light-emitting display prototype using advanced mixed oxide thin-film transistors. Measuring 7.4 diagonal inches, the device was developed at the FDC in conjunction with Army Research Laboratories scientists.
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.
BLE RF test solution speeds development of devices
May 31, 2012 9:59 am | News | CommentsAgilent Technologies Inc. announced its Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) test solution on the N4010A wireless connectivity test set was verified by Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) for use with TI's integrated circuits in Bluetooth Smart and Smart-Ready devices.
NLT Technologies, Renesas expand touch panel options
May 25, 2012 7:27 am | News | CommentsNLT Technologies, together with its sales and marketing channels in the Americas and Europe, Renesas Electronics America Inc. and Renesas Electronics Europe GmbH, announced the successful development of three mid-size color LCD modules based on projected capacitive touch panel technology.
A new world of spintronics with topological insulators
May 15, 2012 4:20 am | News | CommentsLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory theorists and experimenters have led in the exploration of the unique properties of topological insulators, where electrons may flow on the surface without resistance and with their spin orientations and directions intimately related. Recent research at beamline 12.0.1 of the Advanced Light Source opens the way to exciting prospects for practical new spintronic devices that exploit control of electron spin as well as charge.
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.
Researchers map path to quantum electronic devices
May 14, 2012 4:28 am | News | CommentsA team of Duke University engineers has created a master "ingredient list" describing the properties of more than 2,000 compounds that might be combined to create the next generation of quantum electronics devices.
Peratech creates fast-acting electronic nose
May 11, 2012 9:48 am | News | CommentsPeratech is developing an electronic nose using its Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC) material. This new sensor technology detects the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) very rapidly and can recover equally quickly, in a matter of seconds.
Rover on the move after surviving Martian winter
May 10, 2012 6:28 pm | News | CommentsAfter spending nearly five months conducting experiments in one spot, the NASA rover moved for the first time this week, rolling off the rock outcrop where it hunkered down for the Martian winter. Engineers will check its power supply before directing it north to study dust and bedrock.
Objects that know when they are touched
May 4, 2012 6:10 am | News | CommentsTouché, a new sensing technique developed by a team at Disney Research, Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University, is a form of capacitive touch sensing, similar to what’s used in smartphone touchscreens. But its ability to monitor capacitive signals across a broad range of frequencies allows it to perform functions based on complex movements: doorknobs that know when to lock based on the type touch, for example.
Textile sensors monitor cardiac signs, communicate with smart phones
May 4, 2012 5:00 am | News | CommentsAn interdisciplinary team of engineers at the University of Arkansas has developed a wireless health-monitoring system that gathers critical patient information, regardless of the patient's location, and communicates that information in real time to a physician, hospital, or the patient herself.
Vertical takeoff and landing UAV enters new development phase
May 1, 2012 6:20 pm | News | CommentsPart helicopter, part airplane, the Office of Naval Research-sponsored Flexrotor vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle has an oversized propeller with helicopter-like controls for vertical takeoff and landing and the wings of a conventional aircraft. If successful, the craft will extend UAV surveillance capabilities to smaller platforms like ships.
X-rays reveal molecular arrangements for better printable electronics
April 25, 2012 9:38 am | News | CommentsBy employing powerful X-rays that can see down to the molecular level of organic materials used in printable electronics, researchers are now able to determine why some materials perform better than others. Their findings could lead to cheaper, more efficient printable electronic devices.
Students automate process of lengthening children’s limbs
April 24, 2012 6:04 am | by Mike Williams | News | CommentsA team of Rice University students has invented a machine designed to improve the process of correcting bone deformities in children. Typically, bone correction devices are manually operated, which children must remember to use and which introduces the possibility of damaging fragile tissues and nerves. The new automated linear lengthener avoids these risks.
Miniature sensor measures magnetic activity in human brain
April 19, 2012 12:28 pm | News | CommentsA miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by NIST has passed an important research milestone by successfully measuring human brain activity. Experiments reported this week verify the sensor's potential for biomedical applications such as studying mental processes and advancing the understanding of neurological diseases.
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.
Human Machine Interface Systems for Specialized Machinery
April 12, 2012 8:54 am | Product Releases | CommentsEAO, a maker of human machine interfaces, is now offering custom-built human machine interface (HMI) systems and a full range of components ideal for use in special purpose machinery. EAO can design and manufacture all types of control panels or input devices.
Researcher finds faster, cheaper way to cool electronic devices
April 9, 2012 5:32 am | News | CommentsA North Carolina State University researcher has developed a more efficient, less expensive way of cooling electronic devices. The technique uses a heat spreader made of a copper-graphene composite, which is attached to the electronic device using an indium-graphene interface film.
Plastic electronics: A neat solution
April 9, 2012 5:21 am | News | CommentsA breakthrough in the development of a new generation of plastic electronic circuits by researchers at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory brings flexible and transparent intelligent materials—such as artificial skin and interactive playing cards—a step closer.
Discovery may lead to more efficient method of data storage
April 9, 2012 4:02 am | by Jean Jones, University of Nebraska-Lincoln | News | CommentsA team led by University of Nebraska-Lincoln physicist Alexei Gruverman in collaboration with researchers in Spain and at the University of Wisconsin has discovered a significantly more efficient method of data storage that offers great promise for the future of technology.
Mobile technology helps explore nicotine addiction
April 4, 2012 9:42 am | by Victoria M Indivero, Penn State University | News | CommentsSome people quit smoking on the first try while others have to try to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as handheld computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.
Kyocera acquires Optrex
April 2, 2012 11:51 am | News | CommentsKyocera Corporation, Kyoto, Japan, has acquired LCD manufacturer Optrex Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, to form Kyocera Display Corporation. The acquisition will enable Kyocera to complement its range of resistive and capacitive type touchscreen panels with Optrex's touchscreen bonding capabilities.
