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Articles

Regulations/Standards

Scooter, scat? 

The widening concept of Shared Active Transportation (SAT) encompasses a variety of configurations of small vehicles rented for short distances or brief durations to facilitate urban mobility and includes docked and...

Briefs

Materials

Burner Rig Testing of A500® C/SiC

There is growing interest in developing, testing, and deploying ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) into commercial and military aerospace gas turbine engines due to their durability under extreme conditions...

Briefs

Aerospace

Space Debris Orbit and Attitude Prediction for Enhanced and Efficient Space Situational Awareness

This research deals with the problem of modelling the orbit and attitude motion of uncontrolled manmade objects in orbit about the Earth, which...

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Bringing RF into the Embedded World: It's Time

Embedded systems have been almost entirely digital throughout their long history, while RF and microwave technologies were separate subsystems with no effective interface between the two. For...

Briefs

Test & Measurement

Fundamental Aspects of Single Molecule and Zeptomole Electroanalysis

The objective of this research program was to provide the fundamental understanding required for using the principles of electroanalytical chemistry to detect target...

Application Briefs

Aerospace

Unmanned Aerial Refueling Aircraft

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Poway, CA
858-312-2810
www.ga-asi.com

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is using an integrated fuel tank structure to maximize...

Products

RF & Microwave Electronics

New Products

Microstepping Motor Driver

US Digital (Vancouver, WA) announced the release of the MD3 Programmable Microstepping Motor Driver, capable of driving motors from NEMA size 14 to 42. The MD3 accepts 9-50 VDC power inputs...

News

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Many ICE Paths Lead to Reduced Emissions

Despite all the hype about electrification, internal combustion engines (ICEs) are likely to dominate the commercial vehicles market for several years. But these engines will have to advance using...

News

Aerospace

First F-35 Crash; Pilot Safe

On September 28, a day after the first Lockheed Martin F-35B combat strike, an F-35B stationed at United States Marine Corps (USMC) Air Station Beaufort crashed a short distance from the base. The aircraft...

Road Ready

Power

With 2019 Sierra, GMC Puts Brand Differentiation Behind It—literally 

That the all-new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup uses GM’s same T1 fullsize-truck architecture as the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado was of course preordained. The new...

Articles

Transportation

Automating Machines for Off-Highway Environs Is Simple, Yet Difficult

It is the best of environments and the worst of environments for designers of autonomous off-highway vehicles. Freight haulers and some agricultural equipment are in...

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Toyota Launches Second-Gen Fuel-Cell Class 8

At a late-July auto-industry conference in Michigan, Toyota revealed the second generation of its Project Portal prototype Class 8 heavy-duty truck driven electrically from fuel-cell power....

Original Equipment

Transportation

Mercedes Doubles down on Electric Vans, Considers Fuel Cells

As the demonization of diesel continues across much of Europe, manufacturers are rushing to introduce a range of options to power tomorrow’s delivery vehicles. While petrol...

Road Ready

Energy

2019 Toyota Corolla Injects Sport, Adds Hatchback

There are three good reasons why Toyota’s compact Corolla overtook the original VW Beetle, the VW Golf and even the Ford F-Series to become the top-selling vehicle nameplate ever...

News

Unmanned Systems

Autonomous Vehicles Present Passive-Safety Challenges

Reclined and rotated seating positions are commonly depicted for autonomously driven vehicles. But for the Autoliv engineers tasked with developing occupant safety for tomorrow’s...

Road Ready

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

2019 Honda Pilot Gets Refined 9-Speed, Tougher Styling and Standard Safety Suite

The 2019 Honda Pilot arrives with few but important changes for the 3-row, 8-seat SUV, most notably revisions to its 9-speed automatic. More rugged new...

Technical Innovation

Materials

Adding 3D Printing to Design, Manufacturing Processes

Additive manufacturing is beginning to transform operations from early development through fulfilling requests for obsolete components. Integrating 3D printing into the design and...

Application Briefs

Test & Measurement

Military Vehicle Situational Awareness System

Computech International (CTI)
Tikva, Israel
+972-3-9211110
www.cti-intl.com

Computech International (CTI), a company that specializes in advanced, unique military IT and...

Application Briefs

Imaging

T-45 Virtual/Augmented Reality Training Technology

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim)
Orlando, FL
1-407-608-7000
https://bisimulations.com

Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a global developer of advanced...

Application Briefs

Defense

Radar System

RADA Electronic Industries Ltd.
Netanya, Israel
+972-9-892-1111
www.rada.com

RADA Electronic Industries Ltd., an Israeli-based company that specializes in the development and production of tactical land radar...

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Using Electromagnetic Brakes to Keep Thrust Reversers IN PLACE

Applying reverse thrust redirecting engine power to oppose the direction of travel is a standard technique for decelerating aircraft after touchdown. The approach saves wear on...

Articles

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Digital Transformation for a CONNECTED ENTERPRISE

Manufacturers around the world are grappling with the challenge of continuous innovation in the face of increasing complexity. In aerospace and defense (A&D), complexity is nothing new,...

Articles

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Thermostatic Solutions for Temperature Control Applications

The wax-filled thermostatic element was invented in 1936 by Sergius Vernet (1899-1968). Its principal application was in automotive thermostats used in the engine cooling system....

Briefs

Software

Maintaining Enterprise Resiliency Via Kaleidoscopic Adaption and Transformation of Software Services (MEERKATS)

This research investigates a new vision for increasing the resilience of computing clouds by elevating continuous change, evolution, and misinformation as first-rate design principles of the cloud's infrastructure. The work is...

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Compact Power Amplifier Solution for Electronic Warfare

Wolfspeed, a Cree company, provides field-tested silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power and RF solutions. As a leader in wide-bandgap semiconductor technology, Wolfspeed...

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

Detecting Drones with Doppler-Based Radar

As drones become more commonplace, the need to secure facilities from the high-definition cameras and potential dangerous payloads has caused a rapid growth of counter-drone technologies.

News

Defense

Standards to Help Define Role of Humans, Automated Systems in Aerospace Industry of Tomorrow

David Schutt, CEO of SAE International, opened the 2018 SAE Aerospace Standards Summit, focused on the theme of humans on the loop – defining...

News

Defense

SAE International’s Latest Podcast on Cybersecurity and Aerospace

In a connected world, cyber vulnerability is real. Despite the advantages of electronic flight bags, passenger entertainment, and electronic access to maintenance...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Wing Anti-Frosting Fights Ice with Ice

A passive anti-frosting surface was developed that keeps surfaces 90 percent dry and frost-free indefinitely – all without any chemicals or energy inputs. The anti-frosting surface was tested on...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Insect-Inspired Micro-Drone

A flying robot, developed by TU Delft researchers, is an autonomous, free-flying and agile flapping-wing micro-drone. Inspired by fruit flies, the robot’s control mechanisms have proved to be highly...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Tiny Satellites Track Global Storms

NASA’s RainCube, a satellite small enough to fit in a backpack, shrinks weather radar into a low-cost, miniature satellite that can provide a real-time look inside storms. The satellite’s...

Technology Report

Energy

Mazda Details Electrification Strategy, Confirms Rotary Engine’s Return

In an announcement from Japan this week, Mazda—one of the few established automakers to articulate a comprehensive longterm commitment to hybridization or...

News

Manned Systems

Unleashing AI in Aviation Will Accelerate Move to Zero-Pilot Cargo and Passenger Aircraft

Software has transformed every operational asset of everything in life; artificial intelligence (AI) will have as big an impact on life, predicts...

News

RF & Microwave Electronics

South Africa’s Paramount Group Will Provide New Mission System for Combat Version of the Aermacchi M-345 Jet Trainer

This article is Part Two of a two-part series on the development of the M-345 for the African market. Click here to...

News

Unmanned Systems

Sly HMI

As a kid who grew up with his fair share of television cartoons and action feature films of the late 1960s and ‘70s, when Mitsubishi Electric recently showed a video depicting a vehicle-deployed drone intended to aid...

Articles

Automotive

Prodrive Process Expands Carbon Fiber’s Manufacturing Potential

Motorsport and advanced-engineering company Prodrive recently revealed what it confidently sees as a breakthrough process for recycling carbon fiber. It says the...

News

Automotive

Boeing Partners with Robotic Skies to Provide Commercial UAS Supply Chain Optimization, Analytics, and MRO Services

Boeing of Chicago, Ill. and its subsidiaries, Denver-based Jeppesen and Pittsburgh-based Aviall, have joined with...

News

Manned Systems

“The Eagle Has Landed”

Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md. has revealed its concept for a new crewed lunar lander: a single stage, fully reusable system that incorporates flight-proven technologies and systems from the NASA Orion...

What We’re Driving

Automotive

2018 Hyundai Kona Ultimate AWD

I’ve been generally ambivalent about subcompact crossovers such as the Honda HR-V, Ford EcoSport and Mazda CX-3. They’re typically cramped and underpowered, leaving you feeling outgunned on the open...

News

Test & Measurement

Boeing Extends Use of Siemens’ Mentor Graphics Technology for Electrical Systems and Electronics Design, Mechanical Analysis

Boeing officials are expanding the company’s use of Siemens’ Mentor Graphics software as part of its Second...

News

Energy

Generation Orbit’s GOLauncher1 Is Officially the Air Force’s X-60A Hypersonic Flight Research Vehicle

The United States Air Force (USAF) has designated the GOLauncher1 (GO1) hypersonic flight research vehicle as X-60A. The vehicle...

Articles

Unmanned Systems

New 2019 Yamaha Niken Steers a Radical Path

When Yamaha debuted the MWT-9 concept three-wheeler at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2015, many were impressed by its technology and almost unnerving, mantis-like visual presence. Yamaha has...

News

Test & Measurement

ACM President and Michigan DOT Director Steudle Keynote Kicks off SAE ADAS Event

Michigan’s Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle’s keynote address kicked off SAE’s 2018 “From ADAS to Automated Driving” event in...

News

Aerospace

New, Clean-Sheet Military Aircraft Design Beats Upgrades to Win US Air Force T-X Contract

Boeing won the long-running battle to provide a new jet trainer for the US Air Force T-X program. The search for a replacement for the 1960s era...

News

Unmanned Systems

Lockheed Martin Will Merge Machine Learning with 3D Printing

Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md. and the Office of Naval Research are exploring how to apply artificial intelligence to train robots to independently oversee and optimize...

News

Power

2018 Toyota Prius Four Touring

Toyota’s seminal Prius and its twin-motor hybrid-electric drivetrain are largely unchanged this year except for the addition of an 11.6-in (295-mm) touchscreen display for the top Prius Four and Four...

News

Design

New Design Wins over Upgrades for Next US Air Force Military Jet Trainer Aircraft

Boeing won a $9.2 billion contract to deliver a new jet trainer for the US Air Force T-X program, replacing the 1960s era Northrop T-38 Talon. An initial...

News

Weapons Systems

L3 Technologies Expands Training Facility in Response to Pilot Shortage

To address widespread pilot shortages, L3 Technologies of Arlington, Texas has expanded its state-of-the-at L3 Arlington Training Center facility near the Dallas...

News

Energy

Disruptive Tech Promotes Paradigm Shift at Traditional Manufacturers

Add one more role to Troy Clarke’s already-extensive title at Navistar: Chairman, President, CEO—and Chief Business Anthropologist. “I see that as one of my most...

News

Robotics, Automation & Control

Soyuz MS-10 Launch Abort Prompts Investigation into Booster Anomaly

NASA officials in Washington are pledging to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of an anomaly with a rocket booster on the Soyuz MS-10 manned spacecraft,...

News

Defense

Northrop Grumman Wins $792M to Deliver Intermediate, Heavy Versions of OmegA Space Launch Vehicle

Northrop Grumman Corporation of Falls Church, Va. received a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) worth approximately $792 million of...

What We’re Driving

Power

Volvo XC40 3-Cylinder

Can any vehicle with a three-cylinder engine really regard itself as “premium?”

INSIDER

Transportation

Army Developing Next Generation Combat Vehicles

While the Army's current combat fleet is composed of very capable vehicles, they have been in the inventory for decades and their ability to overmatch peer capabilities in close combat is...

INSIDER

Research Lab

Unique Chamber Gives Air Force Real-World Corrosion Test Capabilities

Aircraft corrosion is a multi-faceted issue that requires more than a simple, one-dimensional approach. To enable Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel to...

INSIDER

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Blast Tube Tests Simulate Shock Waves Nuclear Weapons Could Face

You can learn a lot from a blast tube when you couple blast experiments with computer modeling. Sandia National Laboratories researchers are using a blast tube configurable...

Technology Report

Test & Measurement

Atlas Copco Takes Smart-Manufacturing Tools and Systems on Tour

Wireless tools and production systems intertwined to the Industry 4.0 manufacturing revolution are featured in Atlas Copco’s recently-launched traveling roadshow.

Technology Report

Unmanned Systems

Nexteer Readies Steering Technologies for Autonomous and Mixed-Mode Driving

Steering-technology engineers continue to consider different solutions to the issue of whether a driver will be prepared to instantly take control from an...

News

Test & Measurement

Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Seek Simplified, Portable, Fast Aviation Eddy Current Testing

In aircraft maintenance and repair, eddy current devices have long been used to nondestructively test (NDT) wheels, struts, propellers,...

News

AR/AI

Industry Loses Tech Titan Paul G. Allen

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our founder Paul G. Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and noted technologist, philanthropist, community builder, conservationist, musician, and...

News

Communications

Detecting Battery Leaks at Production Speeds

Inficon has launched what it said is an industry-first, robotic-compatible leak-detection system that can use either helium or hydrogen-forming gas to ferret out minuscule cracks in the...

News

Connectivity

Aerospace Materials Testing Could Have Medical-Grade Digital Traceability Through ZwickRoell

The future of the aerospace industry relies on innovative materials to improve aircraft performance, weight, and strength. Beyond the materials...

News

Motion Control

Lexus Soups-Up Seventh-Generation ES Sedan

Sedans and any configuration of a “car” might be a tough sell at the moment, but Toyota’s upscale Lexus division certainly wasn’t going to let that stop it from launching a new, seventh...

News

Test & Measurement

Barker Approaches Aircraft as System of Systems in Latest SAE International Book

Today’s airframe manufacturers have taken on more of the role of systems integrators, putting the focus on the aircraft as a system-of-many-systems. Sean...

News

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Fokker Uses ZwickRoell Creep Testing Machines to Test for Hydrogen Embrittlement on Landing Gear Components

Aerospace manufacturers walk a metaphorical balance beam to continually develop and produce stronger, more efficient materials...

INSIDER

Aerospace

NASA Tests Next-Generation Composite Wing

Two series of structural tests on a uniquely designed, high-aspect-ratio, lightweight experimental test article could demonstrate a new method of wing design and fabrication. The Passive...

INSIDER

Materials

Smart Materials Boost Jet Engine Efficiency and Reduce Noise

A group of new smart materials has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of jet engines, cutting the cost of flying. The materials, which could also reduce...

News

AR/AI

Airbus Aerial Harnesses Satellites, UAS, Helicopters, Data Analytics, and AI to Support Hurricane Recovery Efforts

As the third strongest storm in the U.S. was striking the East Coast, Airbus Aerial technology was providing...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Ensuring Aircraft Safety Requires Right Wheel Inspection Equipment

To ensure safe aircraft takeoffs and landings, one of the most vital areas to inspect for possible fatigue cracking and heat damage is the wheel bead seat. Comprehensive...

News

Automotive

Harley-Davidson Electrics Up

In July, American motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson (H-D) made a nearly unprecedented announcement about its future products. Part of a global investment strategy to help create a new generation of...

News

Aerospace

Curtiss-Wright Upgrades AVDU Rugged LCD Touchscreen Display Software for Greater Flexibility, Reliability

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division in Ashburn, Va., has enhanced its range of Advanced Video Display Units (AVDU)...

News

Manned Systems

SES to Outfit Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk Helicopters with Unitech Composites Weapons Pylons

Unitech Composites, a Unitech Aerospace company in Hayden, Idaho, is providing its Lightweight Armament Support Structure (LASS) composite...

News

Manned Systems

Zwick Roell Provides Flexible Materials Testing over a Wide Temperature Range

Materials research and development frequently require materials to be tested at different temperatures, in line with their eventual area of use. For aerospace...

News

Test & Measurement

Airbus, U.S. Airline Flight Test GKN Aerospace Hydrophobic Coating for Cockpit Windows

Officials at an as-yet-unnamed airline in the U.S. is assessing a new hydrophobic coating developed by GKN Aerospace materials science and engineering...

News

Energy

ULA Selects Blue Origin Advanced Booster Engine for Vulcan Centaur Rocket System

Engineers at United Launch Alliance (ULA), provider of spacecraft launch services to the US government, in Centennial, Colo., have selected the BE-4 engine...

News

Propulsion

Maintaining the Data-Rich Pratt & Whitney GTF Engine

While telemetry has always played a crucial role in aviation, the volume of data that engine makers used to collect was relatively small. When Pratt & Whitney debuted its first...

News

Software

2050 Aircraft Engine Designs Go Radical, Part 1

The search for ever-lower emission technology for future generations of aircraft engines is actively progressing on both sides of the Atlantic. Tucked away on a modest-size stand at this...

News

Design

2050 Aircraft Engine Designs Go Radical, Part 2

The search for ever-lower emission technology for future generations of aircraft engines is actively progressing on both sides of the Atlantic. Tucked away on a modest-size stand at this...

News

Propulsion

Researchers Work to Uncover Turboelectric Propulsion’s Unknown Challenges

The NASA STARC-ABL – or “single-aisle turboelectric aircraft with an aft boundary-layer propulsor” – concept is under consideration as one of the...

News

Connectivity

Intel’s New U.S. Study Claims Autonomous Vehicles Expected to Be Common in 50 Years

A new U.S. consumer study published by Intel claims most Americans expect a self-driving future, even if many currently harbor fear and uncertainty...

News

Energy

Air- or Water-Cooling Resistors for EVs: The Case for H2O

The choice between water cooling and air cooling for internal-combustion engines was for decades a very real debate in the auto industry, with Volkswagen and Porsche for years...

Technology Report

Software

Siemens Software Gets Weekly NASCAR Workout with Hendrick Motorsports

For round 23 of the 2018 NASCAR Cup series championship at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in August, Siemens invited members of the media to attend the race in...

Technology Report

Propulsion

New Four-Chamber Rotary Engine Could Supplant Wankel and Piston Engines for UAV Applications

The Wankel rotary engine has been an ideal choice for many owners and operators of small, propeller-driven aircraft. Compared to conventional...

News

Propulsion

What Does NASA Do with a Space Station Originally Developed for a Now-Cancelled Mission?

Present day space human space operations are limited to Earth-reliant excursions to the International Space Station (ISS) where – if needed –...

News

Defense

Early Growing Pains Have Not Stopped Pratt & Whitney’s GTF Engine Orders

Qingdao Airlines, a Chinese airline startup based out of Qingdao Liuting International Airport, is the latest airline to received aircraft powered by Pratt &...

News

Propulsion

Aerion AS2 Supersonic Bizjet on Track for Trans-Atlantic Crossing in 2023

The AS2 industry team – comprising Aerion in Reno, Nevada; Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Maryland; GE Aviation in Evendale, Ohio; and Honeywell in Morris Plains,...

Road Ready

Power

The 2019 Nissan Altima Is a Competent Player in a Shrinking Sedan Segment

The Altima sedan is an important product for Nissan, what it calls its “brand ambassador.” Long a solid choice in the mid-size sedan segment, its typically...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Gordon Murray Calls New IStream Superlight Chassis Concept a Paradigm Shift

High-profile automotive engineer and designer Prof. Gordon Murray is utterly confident of the potential for his company’s latest iStream Superlight...

News

Aerospace

Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Satellites Receive Thermal Blankets, Ready for Launch

After five years of development and testing, the Canadian Space Agency’s three-satellite RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) is awaiting launch...

News

Design

GE Aviation Debuts Affinity, First Civil Supersonic Engine in 55 Years

GE Aviation engineers have completed the initial design of the first supersonic engine purpose-built for business jets. GE’s Affinity turbofan engine class integrates...

News

Test & Measurement

MBSE Is Transforming Aerospace Engineering, Systems Integration

Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is taking off in aerospace engineering and systems integration workflows worldwide. Editors in SAE International’s Aerospace Product...

News

Defense

Japan’s IBUKI-2 (GOSAT-2) Satellite Launches, Powers Up, Completes Critical Phase

The IBUKI-2 (GOSAT-2) greenhouse gas observation satellite co-developed by the Japanese Ministry of Environment, National Institute of Environmental Studies...

News

Unmanned Systems

Phase Three of DARPA’s ALIAS Aircraft Automation System Continues

United States Army pilots directed an optionally-piloted helicopter (OPV) through a series of missions to demonstrate technology developed by Lockheed Martin Corporation...

Articles

Energy

Beyond the EV Technology Horizon: Now It’s All About Speed

Speed is absolutely essential for electric vehicles (EVs). Not speed in terms of acceleration and maximum velocity, but the time it takes to conceive, develop and produce...

News

Automotive

New Zealand Will Become a Testbed for Airbus Unmanned Aircraft and Space Technology

Airbus has entered into an agreement with New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to develop capability in the country’s...

News

Robotics, Automation & Control

Aerion and Honeywell Collaborate on Revolutionary Flight Deck for Supersonic Bizjet

Aerion Supersonic in Reno, Nevada, and Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix are collaborating on a revolutionary, connected cockpit for the Aerion AS2,...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Optimizing Winglets for More Efficient Flight

Airplane winglets reduce drag, which can translate to higher speed or to allow a pilot to throttle back and save fuel. It also helps to reduce wingtip vortices that can be problematic for...