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Defense

New Products

Rate Indicator/Totalizer

The Hoffer (Elizabeth City, NC) HIT-4U Rate Indicator/Totalizer is being offered with additional options providing the user with enhanced functionality and flexibility in a compact enclosure....

Application Briefs

Defense

Submarine Radar Technology

Kelvin Hughes
Enfield, UK
+44 19 9280 5200
www.kelvinhughes.com

Kelvin Hughes recently announced that it has developed a way to bring all the benefits of its innovative SharpEye™ radar...

News

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Refining Ride Quality at Lower Cost

Achieving product differentiation without adding significant cost is on the wish list of all automakers.

News

Propulsion

The Upside of Downsizing: Senior Auto Executives Give Their Views

To downsize or not to downsize? That’s the engine-development question facing all OEMs. In an initial move to be seen to be more environmentally responsible, for many,...

Technical Innovation

RF & Microwave Electronics

Military System Designers Aren’t Resting on COTS Deployment

As ground vehicles employ more electronic sensing, control and communication systems, design engineers are increasingly utilizing more commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) modules....

Product Briefs

Propulsion

One-Piece Fully Molded Fan

The Truflo SDS39 molded fan from Phillips & Temro Industries (Eden Prairie, MN) is a one-piece, fully molded fan for engines in the off-road and power generation markets. With a diameter range of 500 mm to...

Road Ready

Propulsion

New Lexus LC Brings New Platform, Hybrid System

For Chief Engineer Koji Sato, the greatest engineering achievement on the 2018 Lexus LC is the coupe’s sharp and refined driving dynamics.

News

Connectivity

Ricardo’s Prof. Neville Jackson Elected an SAE Fellow

Recently elected an SAE Fellow, Prof. Neville Jackson is Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Ricardo plc. He is also a member of the Boards of Ricardo Innovations and Ricardo...

Technical Innovation

Green Design & Manufacturing

Faurecia Targets NOx Reduction at Lower Exhaust Temps with Lightweight Cartridges

The Ammonia Storage and Delivery System (ASDS), developed by Amminex, has demonstrated an ability to nearly eliminate nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollutants from...

Road Ready

RF & Microwave Electronics

805-Hp Mercedes-AMG GT Concept Hybrid Heralds Production Model

The 600-kW (805-hp) hybrid 4-door Mercedes-AMG GT unveiled at the 2017 Geneva motor show may be a concept now, but its production line is being readied.

Technical Innovation

Software

Estimation of Excavator Manipulator Position in Real Time

Automation of hydraulic excavators is valuable due to their potential applications in hazardous environments or remote locations, such as radioactive-contaminated areas....

Product Briefs

Aerospace

Light-Curable Black Adhesive

DELO-DUALBOND GE4949 from DELO Adhesives (Sudbury, MA) is a black adhesive that is light-curable. The black-dyed, multi-purpose, modified acrylate can be used for bonding most metals, plastics and glass....

Briefs

Nanotechnology

Luminescence Materials as Nanoparticle Thermal Sensors

The purpose of this research program was to create and study novel luminescence particles (phosphors} capable of sensing and retaining the time-temperature information to which they were...

Articles

Data Acquisition

Pulse Analysis Techniques for Radar and Electronic Warfare

Pulsed signals are widespread in radar and other electronic warfare (EW) applications, and they must be accurately measured for manufacturing, design of countermeasures, and threat...

Articles

Aerospace

Flat Cable Technology for Aerospace Applications

There are those who think all cables are created equal. Well, they're not.

Briefs

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Using Dempster-Shafer Fusion for Personnel Intrusion Detection

The Dempster-Shafer (D-S) mass function is used in effect as a common representation of heterogeneous sensor data. In order to cast each data source in this form, first the raw...

Application Briefs

Aerospace

Reconfigurable Radio Tracks Flights Worldwide

When Malaysia Air Flight 370 disappeared somewhere over the Indian Ocean in 2014, it had flown far beyond radar range. Under a new space-based air tracking system — starting with a...

Briefs

Aerospace

Using Fisher Information Criteria for Chemical Sensor Selection via Convex Optimization Methods

The design of chemical sensor arrays from the standpoint of chemical sensor selection and error quantification has historically proceeded as an ad hoc process. Frequently, chemical sensors are developed not as general purpose sensing devices, but as...

Briefs

Aerospace

Development of an Optically Modulated Scatterer Probe for a Near-Field Measurement System

Near-field radiation patterns are useful in diagnosing antenna array defects, measuring far-field antenna patterns where the far-field is prohibitively...

Articles

Aerospace

Electric Rockets and the Future of Satellite Propulsion

Humans have been using rocket propulsion for almost a millennium, starting with Chinese rockets and “fire arrows” in the 13th century and continuing to the modern era's powerful...

Articles

Aerospace

Designing Electronic Warfare to Regain Airborne Military Dominance

For decades, military aircraft have relied on electronic warfare (EW) solutions to protect assets and dominate airspace. The ability of the United States to detect and track...

Articles

Aerospace

Certifying Composite Designs for Aerospace and Defense

Wherever you find newer and particularly larger aircraft these days, you're seeing the use of composite materials. The latest commercial planes, as well as innovative defense prototypes,...

Briefs

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Angular Random Walk Estimation of a Time-Domain Switching Micromachined Gyroscope

The primary metrics that prohibit the use of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) gyroscopes for navigation-grade inertial navigation units (IMUs) are angle...

Articles

Unmanned Systems

AuVSI™ XPONENTIAL: ALL THINGS UNMANNED

After a very successful trade show and conference in New Orleans last year, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is bringing this year's event, AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2017 to...

Briefs

Motion Control

Exo-Brake Enables Safe Return for Small Spacecraft

Application Briefs

Defense

Aircraft Automation System

Aurora Flight Sciences
Manassas, VA
703-369-3633
www.aurora.aero

Aurora Flight Sciences is breaking ground in the world of automated flight through its work on the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit...

Application Briefs

Defense

M1 Abrams Tank Engine Updates

Honeywell Aerospace
Phoenix, AZ
602-365-3099
https://aerospace.honeywell.com

The Honeywell-powered M1 Abrams tank has been a mainstay of the U.S. military’s heavy armored forces for more...

Application Briefs

Defense

Touchscreen Tablet Mission System

Inzpire
Lincolnshire, UK
+44 1522 688 231
www.inzpire.com

GECO, from UK-based Inzpire, is a military grade rugged touchscreen tablet mission system that is currently in frontline...

Application Briefs

Defense

Commando Helicopter

Leonardo-Finmeccanica
Rome, Italy
+39 06 32473313
www.leonardocompany.com/

Leonardo-Finmeccanica announced recently that the first AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin Mk4 successfully completed its maiden...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

The 3D Printing Landscape: Then and Now

Frequently used as a design validation and prototyping tool in its early days, the 3D printer now supports a much wider range of applications, from shape-conforming electronics to the creation of...

News

Propulsion

EPA: Engine, Transmission Advances Make 2025 CAFE Regs Attainable, Affordable

Although the Trump Administration has indicated intent to roll back the ambitious light-vehicle fuel-economy standards initiated by President Obama in 2012—and many automakers suddenly have reversed their advocacy of the guidelines that shaped product-development...

Technology Report

Green Design & Manufacturing

Overcoming the ‘CO2 Penalty’ of Autonomous Vehicles

What type of propulsion system will power the highly automated (SAE Level 4) and fully autonomous (SAE Level 5) vehicles of the future? Such systems will need to be more efficient...

News

Imaging

WCX17: 3M Enabling Machine Vision for Self-Driving Vehicles

3M is leveraging its 78-year history in lane markings and retroreflective traffic sign material to develop products for the automated driving environment.

Technology Report

Software

New Autonomous-Driving Module Uses Raw Sensor Data to Enhance Speed

The race to gain a foothold in the emerging autonomous vehicle market continues to attract more players. Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division is joining the game,...

News

RF & Microwave Electronics

WCX17: IAV and HPE Showcase Connectivity Via Demo Car

Messages that warn of a nasty pothole ahead or heavy rain falling two miles away are among a myriad of information possibilities for the future connected car.

Articles

Propulsion

WCX17: Delphi Aims for 42% Efficiency with Next-Gen GDCI

Delphi projects that engines employing its coming third-generation gasoline direct-injection compression-ignition (GDCI) combustion system will attain a thermal efficiency of 42%,...

News

RF & Microwave Electronics

As V2I Evolves, Costs, Maintenance Concerns Emerge

The National Traffic & Highway Safety Administration hasn’t yet mandated vehicle to infrastructure communications (V2I), but proponents are pressing forward in a technology that...

News

Electronics & Computers

WCX17: Former Transportation Secretary Warns Against Potential CAFE Pullback

Anthony Foxx, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, told an audience at the SAE WCX17 conference that regressing from the current Corporate Average Fuel...

News

Aerospace

WCX17: Freudenberg Retools R&D, Plans for Next 35 Years

Rather than limit itself to three-year product planning cycles, Freudenberg is also looking 35 years into the future to further drive its R&D work.

News

Green Design & Manufacturing

WCX17: College Students Participate in EV Car Sharing Study

A car sharing study involving college student participants is providing Denso with feedback that could help the supplier develop new products.

Articles

Software

Chilly Prospects for Low Temperature Combustion

Low-temperature combustion (LTC) remains an area of high interest with extensive research, even though many challenges must still be overcome before LTC sees commercial acceptance. Though...

News

Software

WCX17: FCA Reveals ‘Hole-Istic” New Lightweighting Approach

Engineers at FCA revealed at the SAE WCX17 conference in Detroit a new simulation and analysis design tool that can earmark nearly any suitable component for a strategic...

News

RF & Microwave Electronics

WCX17: Vehicle Connectivity Brings Privacy, Redundancy Issues

Connectivity promises to bring a wealth of information to drivers, but it also poses vexing privacy issues. Figuring out where to store all the data related to connectivity is...

News

RF & Microwave Electronics

WCX17: Cybersecurity Fears Soar as Connectivity Escalates

For security experts, connectivity is the gift that keeps on giving. The number of threats will increase rapidly as more vehicles are connected, and vulnerabilities on older...

Technology Report

Electronics & Computers

WCX17: Tech Leaders Talk AI, Cyber and Next-Gen HMI

The role of artificial intelligence, the search for cyber security solutions, and the next level of human-machine interface in vehicles were discussed in a Leadership Roundtable of top...

INSIDER

Defense

Navy Chemists Develop Field-Repairable Transparent Armor

Research chemists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed and patented a transparent thermoplastic elastomer armor to reduce weight, inherent in most...

INSIDER

Communications

Next-Generation Fire Support Systems Boost Lethality

Soldiers view live-stream full-motion video from unmanned aerial vehicles via a smartphone. They access 3-D digital maps to send precision target coordinates. Soldiers are now relying on...

INSIDER

Test & Measurement

Sandia Labs Takes Modern Approach to Evaluating Nuclear Weapons

Sandia National Laboratories is transforming how it assesses nuclear weapons in a stockpile made up of weapons at different stages in their lifecycles — some systems that have...

News

Transportation

T-X down to Two Main Contenders

Although the lightweight, supersonic T-38 has been the staple advanced jet trainer for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School for more than 55 years, the dependable aircraft is expected...

News

Transportation

Ford to Make Pursuit-Rated HEV Police Car in 2018

Ford plans to further expand its role in the police-vehicle market with the availability of a new model in 2018: the Police Responder Hybrid, a sedan based on the standard Fusion Hybrid...

News

Green Design & Manufacturing

R-744 A/C Refrigerant Tries to Make the OE Grade

Is automotive air conditioning with CO₂ as the refrigerant—designated as R-744—an environmental achievement in its infancy, or is it destined to be another unsuccessful...

News

Propulsion

Musclecar Godzilla: Dodge Reveals 840-Hp Challenger SRT Demon

After months of teasing and a high-profile tie-in with the Fast & Furious film franchise, FCA's Dodge division revealed its 2018 Challenger SRT Demon, a drag...

Road Ready

Transportation

New York Auto Show: Lincoln Unveils All-New, Aluminum-Bodied 2018 Navigator

Ford’s Lincoln luxury-vehicle unit revealed the 2018 Navigator fullsize SUV at the 2017 New York auto show by touting its blend of smart basic engineering and...

News

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Report from SPIE 2017: Drones Spot Gas Leaks from the Sky

ANAHEIM, CA. During last week’s SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing 2017 conference, panelists from industry, academia, and government demonstrated how miniaturized sensing platforms,...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Norsk Gives Boeing Manufacturing Edge with First 3D-Printed Titanium Components

Norsk Titanium AS—which has been researching and developing its RPD (rapid plasma deposition) process for over 10 years—says it can produce titanium...

Articles

Unmanned Systems

ZF Chassis Boss Sees On-Board Processor "Bottleneck"

ZF’s takeover of TRW in 2015 sent shockwaves through the industry by over night creating a mega global business with the industrial and financial clout and electronics capability to...

News

Materials

Audi Reveals New A8 Technologies, Tightens Links with Porsche

As Audi recently revealed details of the structural technology—including 14 advanced joining processes—of its all-new A8, Chairman Rupert Stadler and Porsche Chairman...

News

Electronics & Computers

Inner Secrets of the Toyota-Denso Heat Pump Revealed

The loss of winter driving range in electric vehicles equipped with conventional electric heating systems is well-documented—range being reduced by up to 60% and even more in severe...

Product Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Handheld Dual-Laser Infrared Thermometer

OMEGA Engineering’s (Norwalk, CT) new OS758-LS handheld dual-laser infrared thermometer delivers reliable non-contact measurement for instant troubleshooting. The device measures temperatures up to...

Product Briefs

Software

Processing Unit with Eight Processor Cores

dSPACE (Wixom, MI) offers an additional Processing Unit for SCALEXIO hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test systems. Equipped with an octa-core Intel Xeon Processor E5, the new Processing Unit is suitable...

News

Test & Measurement

Mobile Combustion Analysis

With Kistler’s (Amherst, NY) KiBox, information about combustion, injection valve actuation and ignition can be reliably captured, processed and viewed in the familiar INCA environment, among others....

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Laser Marker Series

The MX-Z series of laser markers from Omron (Hoffman Estates, IL) provide high quality, permanent identification with what the company claims is superior flexibility in terms of marking and connectivity with the ability...

Product Briefs

Aerospace

Ultra-Light Gasoline Engine Pistons

KS Kolbenschmidt (Marinette, WI), a division of Rheinmetall Automotive, has refined its Liteks design for ultra-light, durable gasoline pistons. Compared to today’s in-production pistons, the company...

INSIDER

Test & Measurement

NASA Puts Dummies to the Test for Airplane Safety

Ten crash test dummies buckled into seats in a cut-out section of a regional jet fuselage will soon help NASA and the FAA develop new crashworthiness guidelines for future airplane...

INSIDER

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Heated Concrete Could Pave the Way for Ice-Free Runways

Iowa State University tested slabs of electrically conductive concrete at Des Moines International Airport. The test slabs are made up of 1 percent carbon fiber and a special mix of...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Morphing Wings Make Jets More Efficient

University of Michigan engineers have developed improved wing designs capable of burning less fuel, as well as tools that help the aerospace industry build more efficient aircraft. In areas where new...

News

Test & Measurement

More Automation for ECU Testing

Testing safety-related Electronic Control Units (ECUs) is as much about software testing as hardware. Increased intelligence within ECUs to control braking, prevent rollovers and ensure that power is...

Product Briefs

Materials

Mass Flow Meter

The MicroTRICOR TCM-100 Coriolis mass flow meter from AW-Lake Company (Oak Creek, WI) is the smallest TRICOR Coriolis meter designed for the accurate measurement of very low flow rates. It is suitable for dosing, blending...

News

Connectivity

SAE Collaborates on Clean Cars Project

In early 2016, the Washington State Department of Ecology issued a request for proposals for the Puget Sound Clean Cars Stormwater Partnership, a collaborative research project concerning vehicle...

News

Connectivity

VW I.D. CROZZ Makes World Debut at Auto Shanghai 2017

Possibly one of the most significant things to so far come out of Auto Shanghai 2017 was courtesy of Volkswagen with the introduction of the I.D. CROZZ concept—the company’s first...

Articles

Propulsion

Axellent Progress

Traditional beam-type drive axles as used in most pickups and full-size SUVs are simple, robust, relatively inexpensive—and a hefty chunk of cast-iron and steel. Benchmark axles for a typical ½-ton pickup weigh 180...

News

Power

Medium-Duty Engines, Transmissions Shift Focus to Software

New engines and transmissions for medium-duty truck applications are evolving rapidly in response to ongoing demands for improved fuel consumption. Software is playing a major...

News

Electronics & Computers

Preview: SAE Readies New Connect2Car Conference for Fusion of Auto, Tech Sectors

Calling its upcoming Connect2Car Executive Leadership Forum “the perfect opportunity for automotive and technology executives to discover, collaborate,...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Swarms of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles Test New Dogfighting Skills

Aerial dogfighting began more than a century ago in the skies over Europe with propeller-driven fighter aircraft carried aloft on wings of fabric and wood. An event held...

INSIDER

Robotics, Automation & Control

New Robotic System Finds and Destroys Explosive Threats

In combat, land mine and improvised explosive device (IED) clearance is a slow, painstaking, stressful job that physically and mentally drains soldiers and military working dogs....

INSIDER

Robotics, Automation & Control

NASA Tests Robotic Ice Tools

Since 2015, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has been developing new technologies for use on future missions to ocean worlds. That includes a subsurface probe that could burrow...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Engineering Chevy's Lighter, Stronger CUV

Chevrolet’s Equinox has become a serious profit-spinner for General Motors.

News

Imaging

How NASA Tracks the Asteroids Flying by Earth

On Wednesday, April 19, an asteroid missed Earth by 1.1 million miles – a distance closer than you might think. This week, Tech Briefs spoke with NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer about the...

News

Green Design & Manufacturing

Aurora Flight Sciences Partners with Uber in Contested Airspace

Uber announced in late April a partnership with Aurora Flight Sciences to develop electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for its Uber Elevate Network....