Tech Briefs

TECH BRIEFS is where Design Engineers come for new ideas & actionable solutions to their toughest challenges. as well as top universities and companies.

As informed sources proliferate and compete for the attention of time-strapped engineers, Tech Briefs’ unique, compelling content ensures your marketing message will be seen and read. Our coverage includes NASA and major federal R&D labs (Department of Energy, Department of Defense, etc.) Our mission is to report "engineering solutions for design and manufacturing." Go to techbriefs.com for expand

ed editorial coverage. If it is an engineering breakthrough that will help to create great products, it’s reported in Tech Briefs.

11/17/2025

Sealing the Future: Materials Challenges in Hydrogen-Powered AAM

In this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast, Margaux Ningre-Coirier, Aerospace Sales and Market Development Manager at Omniseal Solutions, is the guest to analyze how advanced sealing solutions are becoming the hidden enablers of safe, efficient hydrogen-powered advanced air mobility (AAM).

She explores the latest materials innovations, the remaining technical hurdles, and how these breakthroughs could shape the next generation of hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Listen now: https://ow.ly/x3FF50XsMvQ

11/14/2025

Test Your Knowledge About EV Motors

Electric motors are not new. They’re actually quite old. But that doesn’t mean all of their secrets have been revealed. Engineers today are still improving on an idea that has been around for almost … well, that’s the first question.

How much do you know about EV motors? Find out with this quiz.

Take now: https://ow.ly/e8pL50XrFpR

11/13/2025

Open-Source Software for 3D Printing with Multiple Materials

Charles Wade, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Matter Assembly Computation Lab (MACLab) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Professor Rob MacCurdy, who leads the MACLab, have created a design package that uses functions and code to map not just shapes but where different materials belong in a 3D object.

Read SAE Media Group's Ed Brown's full Q&A with Wade: https://ow.ly/9GuW50Xr2hV

11/12/2025

An AI-Powered Wearable Device to Expedite Wound Healing

Waiting for a wound to heal is incredibly frustrating. First, it must clot; then an immune system response is needed; followed by scabbing and scarring — and that’s not even getting into the pain part.

However, a wearable device, a-Heal, designed by engineers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, aims to expedite the entire healing process. It uses a tiny camera and AI to detect the stage of healing and deliver treatment in the form of medication or an electric field. The system responds to the unique healing process of the patient, offering personalized treatment.

a-Heal’s concept is akin to how a physician cares for a wound, UCSC Baskin Engineering Endowed Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Marco Rolandi said. Typically, a physician or healthcare professional observes the wound periodically when changing the dressing. They will then assess the stage and condition of the wound from visual inspection and additional analysis as needed. With their training and knowledge, they’ll determine and administer the therapy for the wound to heal. An experienced physician trained on many wounds will typically provide a more accurate diagnosis and improved therapy.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/mW0S50XqsQ0

11/11/2025

Showcasing Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs: Innovations at the 2025 Create the Future Design Contest

From breakthroughs like invisible glass and self-destructing plastics to innovative treatments for spinal cord injury, the Create the Future Design Contest has spotlighted future technologies throughout its 23-year run. This year’s event, held on November 7 in New York City, was no exception.

Sponsored by COMSOL, Mouser Electronics, Analog Devices, intel, and presented by SAE Media Group, the Create the Future Design Contest brought together seven exceptional finalists to pitch their groundbreaking ideas before a panel of 12 expert judges, who then chose the Grand Prize winner, IMERSIV, based on a 20-point scoring system.

The contest rewarded innovation in seven categories: Aerospace & Defense; Automotive & Transportation; Electronics; Manufacturing and Materials; Medical; Robotics and Automation; and Energy, Power & Propulsion. There were two prior rounds of judging to determine the seven finalists — one for each category.

Learn about the finalists: https://ow.ly/AszW50XpTZQ

11/10/2025

Autonomous Drones Harness Wind for ISR and Counter UAS

Windlift, a North Carolina-based startup, recently announced successful results from initial testing of a new autonomous tethered drone system that leverages winds aloft for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).

Rob Creighton, Windlift Founder & CEO, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to explain how Windlift's autonomous tethered drone system leverages wind to power a wide variety of defense applications.

Listen now: https://ow.ly/4j8n50XpikG

11/07/2025

It seems like there are new applications for 3D printing every day. How much do you know about its history? Find out with this quiz.

Take now: https://ow.ly/NHAE50XojAk

11/06/2025

Cutting-Edge Computing Goes Spaceborne

When Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (HPE) sent an unmodified high-performance computer to the International Space Station in 2017, no computer expert thought it would last a week. Over a year and a half later, Spaceborne Computer-1 returned home, having operated successfully for its entire mission.

“No one in the aerospace industry thought this was going to work,” said Mark Fernandez, now Principal Investigator for Spaceborne Computer-2 at Spring, TX-based HPE. “The longest publicly stated life expectancy for Spaceborne-1 was four days, because we did nothing to the hardware at all.”

Unaltered, off-the-shelf computers don’t last long in space due to radiation that the atmosphere protects us from on Earth. When high-energy particles or photons strike microchips, they can alter the voltage in nearby transistors, corrupting data, changing the computer’s behavior, and eventually destroying its electronics.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/c1aN50XnK6w

11/05/2025

Machine Learning Leads to Stronger 3D-Printed Alloy

MIT engineers have developed a printable aluminum alloy that can withstand high temperatures and is five times stronger than traditionally manufactured aluminum.

The new printable metal is made from a mix of aluminum and other elements that the team identified using a combination of simulations and machine learning, which significantly pruned the number of possible combinations of materials to search through. While traditional methods would require simulating over one million possible combinations of materials, the team’s new machine learning-based approach needed only to evaluate 40 possible compositions before identifying an ideal mix for a high-strength, printable aluminum alloy.

When they printed the alloy and tested the resulting material, the team confirmed that, as predicted, the aluminum alloy was as strong as the strongest aluminum alloys that are manufactured today using traditional casting methods.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/CWvF50Xn1Ze

11/04/2025

5Ws of Dex: A Mobile Humanoid Robot

What: Richtech Robotics unveiled Dex, its mobile humanoid robot for industrial use, at GTC 2025 in Washington, D.C., in October. Accelerated by the NVIDIA Jetson Thor, Dex can operate in dynamic environments, adapt with real-time reasoning, and perform complex tasks with detailed precision. By combining real-world data with NVIDIA Isaac Sim, an open reference robotics simulation framework, Dex can learn tasks virtually and implement behaviors into a live industrial environment. Dex combines the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology of Richtech’s Titan delivery series with the two-armed precision of the ADAM service robot line, creating a platform that’s designed to be both mobile and dexterous.

Its dual production arms feature modular end-effectors for hands, clamps, or specialized tools. A four-camera vision system allows Dex to navigate and perform tasks in a rapidly changing environment. According to the company, it made a conscious decision, driven by both engineering and operational efficiency, to opt for wheels rather than legs. Dex’s wheeled AMR platform is designed to run for hours on a single charge and deliver fast braking, tight maneuvering, and stability in shared human environments. It features a four-hour battery life in mobile mode and can run continuously 24/7 from a static base.

Learn the other four Ws: https://ow.ly/QM7v50Xmpwq

11/03/2025

Solving Space, Power Challenges with PoE-Enabled Panel PCs

Semiconductor manufacturing environments operate under strict regulatory and operational constraints that dictate every aspect of their design, including computing solutions. Unlike conventional production facilities, these spaces require sterile conditions, efficient workflows, and strict regulatory adherence, necessitating the careful optimization of every square inch. Computing systems must be compact, compliant, and seamlessly integrated into space-constrained environments.

These manufacturing facilities require highly specialized equipment for each stage of production, and the strategic placement of this equipment is critical to ensure compliance with cleanroom standards. Expanding these facilities is rarely an option, as cleanroom construction is expensive, and many operate in high-cost urban or industrial areas where space is a premium resource. As a result, manufacturers must maximize limited floor space while preserving seamless, contamination-free workflows.

Compounding this challenge is the limited availability of power sources in production areas. Regulatory requirements emphasize smooth, sealed surfaces to maintain cleanliness. Additional power sources can increase the risk of dust accumulation, microbial growth, and contamination.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/6ukT50XlHIM

10/30/2025

My Opinion: What’s AI Good For?

In my last blog, “AI is Great — Is There Enough Electricity to Feed It?” I discussed the serious problem that unsustainable amounts of electrical and water resources are needed to run the data centers required by the exponential growth of generative AI. And I didn’t see much hope for solving the problem. But then I ran across an article in the Harvard Business Review that got me thinking in a new direction — rather than trying to feed that exponential growth, how about reducing it?

According to the article, a report from the MIT Media Lab found that 95 percent of companies that have incorporated generative AI tools into their workplace “see no measurable return on their investment in these technologies.” The article says that one possible reason is that employees are using AI tools to create low-effort, passable-looking work that ends up creating more work for their co-workers. “We refer to this phenomenon as ‘workslop.’ We define workslop as AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” And that requires receivers of this work to waste time “interpreting, correcting, or redoing it.”

That leads me to think about applications for which generative AI does indeed make sense, so we can make smart decisions about where it is useful it and where it is a waste. To gain some insight, I asked a software engineer I know, who happens to be my son Jeremy, how he uses AI in his work. The following is his answer:

Learn what SAE Media Group's Ed Brown thinks AI is good for: https://ow.ly/O9b150XkfAI

Address

New York, NY

Website

http://www.TechBriefs.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tech Briefs posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Tech Briefs:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in New York?

Our Story

TECH BRIEFS delivers content rich with technical expertise and innovation. Take a deep-dive into the latest technical and application briefs from NASA Centers, major government and commercial labs, and university researchers. Access the latest industry news and information, interviews with industry leaders, topical webcasts/podcasts - live/on-demand, and a comprehensive white paper and video library.

SUBSCRIBE to TECH BRIEFS MAGAZINE where Design Engineers find new ideas & actionable solutions to their toughest engineering challenges.