Latest Stories

Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fully Stretchable Fabric-Based Lithium-Ion Battery

The future of wearable technology just got a big boost thanks to a team of University of Houston researchers who designed, developed, and delivered a successful prototype of a fully stretchable fabric-based lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.

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Briefs
Materials

A Calcium Rechargeable Battery with Long Cycle Life

A research group has developed a prototype calcium (Ca) metal rechargeable battery capable of 500 cycles of repeated charge-discharge – the benchmark for practical use.

Briefs
Energy

A Solvent-Free Process to Make Better, Cheaper Li-ion Battery Electrodes

A team Led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Yan Wang has developed a solvent-free process to manufacture Li-ion battery electrodes that are greener, cheaper, and charge faster than electrodes currently on the market.

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Briefs
Power

Advancing High-Energy-Density Devices

In critical applications such as electric vehicles, there is a growing demand for a device that can efficiently produce both high power and high energy over a significant number of cycles.

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Briefs
Energy

An Energy-Storing Concrete-Based Supercapacitor

Two of humanity’s most ubiquitous historical materials, cement, and carbon black may form the basis for a novel, low-cost energy storage system, according to a new study by MIT researchers.

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Products
Energy

New Products

See the new products, including a battery tester, battery test solution, a battery monitoring system, battery chargers, and more.

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Articles
Energy

Advanced Electrical Architectures Demand New Developmental Strategies

As the need for sophisticated functionality increases, high-performance computers and zone controllers could be the heart of next-generation vehicle electrical platforms.

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Articles
Communications

Optoelectronic Analog Signal Transmission Takes Center Stage Amidst Aerospace and Defense Innovation

RFoF has emerged as a game-changing technology for A&D communication. Its ability to extend communication ranges, immunity to electromagnetic interference, enhanced security, low latency and high bandwidth make it indispensable for modern A&D operations.

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Articles
Imaging

Shaking Outside the Box to Advance Flight Research

A technique called Shake the Box predicts the positions of already-tracked particles and then corrects errors using image matching. The algorithms triangulate the positions of new particles in the measurement domain, enabling scientists to look at higher-particle densities with greater positional accuracy.

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

An Introduction to Quantum Computing

Quantum computers, like all computers, utilize gates. While a classical computer utilizes NAND gates, built from transistors, quantum computer gates are realized from the electrical pulses with specific frequencies and lengths.

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Articles
Photonics/Optics

How Laser Communications Innovation is Finally Coming of Age and Driving Innovation in Defense

Though laser technology has advantages over radio, and those advantages are growing as innovation accelerates, what is essential to realize is that they need not be in competition.

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Briefs
Photonics/Optics

Spatial Calibration for Accurate Long Distance Measurement Using Infrared Cameras

All commercially available camera systems have lenses (and internal geometries) that cannot perfectly refract light waves and refocus them onto a two-dimensional (2D) image sensor. This means that all digital images contain elements of distortion and thus are not a true representation of the real world.

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News
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Sensing to Solve EV Thermal Challenges

A common criticism of electric vehicles (EVs) is that extremes of heat and cold adversely affect their performance, particularly range. OEMs have been aware of the issue and have innovated and...

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Briefs
Aerospace

Towards Greater Sensitivity: A Brief FTIR and Infrared-Based Cavity Ring Down Spectroscopy Comparative Study

Cavity Ring-Down spectroscopy (CRDS) is a newer IR absorption-based technique made possible by the use of tunable pulsed lasers. Rather than using a broadband (blackbody) emitter as is done with traditional IR techniques, a pulsed laser is tuned across wavelengths into an optical cavity.

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Briefs
Photonics/Optics

Determining Optical Material Parameters With Motion in Structured Illumination

Ellipsometry measures the amplitude ratio and the phase difference between polarized light reflected from the surface of a film and determines the refractive index or thickness by fitting the experimental data to an optical model that represents an approximated sample structure.

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Briefs
Photonics/Optics

Deep Image Prior Amplitude SAR Image Anonymization

Synthetic Aperture Radar images are a powerful tool for studying the Earth’s surface. They are radar signals generated by an imaging system mounted on a platform such as an aircraft or satellite. As the platform moves, the system emits sequentially high-power electromagnetic waves through its antenna.

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Briefs
Photonics/Optics

Free-Space Quantum Communications in Harsh Environments

The project aims to explore the possibility of all-weather secure quantum communication using macroscopic quantum states of light.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

PHASA-35 Stratospheric Flight

British engineers have successfully completed a stratospheric flight trial of BAE Systems’ High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) - PHASA-35.

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Application Briefs
Defense

Boeing T-7A Completes First Flight

The U.S. Air Force’s new pilot training aircraft, Boeing’s T-7A, completed its first flight on June 28, 2023. The aircraft is the first digitally designed tactical aircraft, developed using model-based systems engineering and 3D design tools.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Multispectral Airborne Reconnaissance System

Collins Aerospace has announced the completion of flight testing for the MS-110 Multispectral Airborne Reconnaissance System to enter operational service.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Digital Head-Up Display

Mercury Systems, Inc. has received a five-year contract worth as much as $83 million from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command to deliver high-definition, digital head-up display (HUD) systems for the T-45 Goshawk training aircraft.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Next Generation Airborne Navigation System

Northrop Grumman Corporation has conducted a successful flight test of its advanced airborne navigation solution, Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) / Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization, known as EGI-M.

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Products
Electronics & Computers

New Products

See the new products, including the NDT 1000 inspection system, a PU-5200 certifiable display computer, RJ45 connectors, servers, and more.

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

How Thunderbolt 4 Helps Bring Fault-Tolerant, Distributed Systems to Market

Thunderbolt 4 is more than USB operating at 40 gigabits per second (Gbps). While USB 3.2 Gen 2 is 10 Gbps and USB4 is 20 Gbps, Thunderbolt 4 also provides DisplayPort alt mode, PCI Express 3.0, networking up to 10 Gbps, and Power Delivery up to 100 watts.

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Articles
Energy

Delivering Operational Energy to Enhance Warfighter Capability

As geopolitical threats intensify around the globe, there are several defense-related modernization efforts underway that address the need for improved mission effectiveness while also increasing energy resilience and reducing fossil fuel dependency.

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News
Power

Honda Taps Recycling Firms for Future EV Batteries

Honda says this is the year when sustainability solutions for its future EV business establish a firm foothold. “This includes beginning to build up an infrastructure for EV battery...

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News
Power

2024 Ford F-150 Sports Flashy Tailgate, Better Raptor Ride

To say Ford believes it has lightning in a bottle with the Pro Access tailgate debuting on the refreshed 2024 Ford F-150 would be an understatement. “We’re going to end the...

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Articles
Power

Emerging Plasma FIB-SEM Techniques Advancing Battery Innovation

PFIB-SEM is a valuable technique that neatly complements other analytical and imaging methods, providing high-resolution 2D and 3D information for larger areas, as compared to traditional gallium FIB-SEM.

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Articles
Energy

The Road to Net-Zero EV Development Labs

As the automotive sector continues to transition to a significant portion of their portfolio being electric, they must either build the needed test facilities to support this transition or update their current facilities.

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Articles
Energy

GM Readies Fuel Cells for Commercial Deployment

After decades of concentrated development work, GM’s fuel-cell R&D unit Hydrotec is poised to deploy “the first applications that will be going commercial” of its hydrogen fuel-cell technology.

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Briefs
Energy

Developing High-Energy-Density Batteries Using Aluminum Foil

A team of researchers is using aluminum foil to create batteries with higher energy density and greater stability. The team’s new battery system could enable EVs to run longer on a single charge and would be cheaper to manufacture – all while having a positive impact on the environment.

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Briefs
Materials

New Priming Method for Improving Battery Lifecycle

Scientists at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering have developed a readily scalable method to optimize prelithiation, a process that helps mitigate lithium loss and improves battery life cycles by coating silicon anodes with stabilized lithium metal particles.

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News
Manned Systems

Battery Chemistries for Construction EVs

The success of electric vehicles in the construction industry will largely be determined by battery prices being low enough that the total cost of ownership is cheaper than diesel alternatives....

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INSIDER
AR/AI

Osprey MK III Completes First Autonomous Flight

As part of Eglin Air Force Base's new Autonomy, Data, and AI Experimentation Proving Ground (ADAx) effort , the Osprey MK III unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently completed its first...

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INSIDER
Regulations/Standards

EASA Ready to Adopt Final Regulations for eVTOL Operations

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed rules for safe operations of electric vertical take-off and Landing aircraft (eVTOL), paving the way for these...

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INSIDER
AR/AI

Texas A&M Researchers Developing Algorithm to Automate Aircraft Ship Landings

Landing a helicopter on a ship’s flight deck is one of the most challenging and complex maneuvers demanded of a Navy pilot. Unlike a runway, the landing area of...

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News
Power

Mercedes-Benz Concept CLA Class Updates VISION EQXX Tech for a 466-Mile EV

Over ten years ago, Volkswagen built a small number of ultra-efficient ICE-powered vehicles called XL1. VW never put these sleek teardrops into mass production, but...

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News
Manned Systems

LFP Battery-Cell Production for Electric CVs Planned in U.S.

China remains the clear leader in manufacturing of lithium-ion battery cells for commercial vehicles and passenger cars, but North America will claim some of that share in the...

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News
Manned Systems

IAA Mobility 2023: Munich Engages Mobility in All Forms

New definitions of “mobility” have been floating around in the automotive industry for years. Still, the IAA Mobility 2023 exposition in Munich, Germany, made absolutely clear...

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Articles
Power

Magnet Selection for Cost-Optimized Motor Designs

Isotropic bonded NdFeB magnets, colloquially termed MQ1, offer several unique advantages in various motor applications. These pluses include being free of heavy rare-earth materials,...

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News
Energy

2023 Battery Show North America Opens as Automakers, Suppliers Intensify Battery Investments

As the world’s major auto markets begin an inexorable shift to EVs and hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), any discussion of the engineering behind...

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INSIDER
Energy

Leaders Optimistic North America Lithium Supply Gap Can be Eliminated

At the Battery Show North America, a panel of leaders addressed North America’s lithium supply challenges, and talked about signs that aggressive movement from...

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News
Power

Getting EV Battery Gigafactories Up to Speed

The term “gigafactory” has become common lexicon for a manufacturing facility constructed to produce the almost incalculable number of individual battery cells required for the millions of...

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INSIDER
Energy

EV Battery Recycling Still Being Defined

The efficient and economical recycling of EV batteries is not just possible, but inevitable, said a panel of battery-recycling experts at the 2023 Battery Show North America in Novi, MI, this week....

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News
Materials

Solid-State EV Batteries Project to Low Penetration in 2030

Although the automotive industry sees solid-state batteries as the next game-changer for EV driving range, performance and safety, the technology is projected to penetrate the...

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INSIDER
AR/AI

DoD Replicator Low Cost Autonomy Initiative is Not a New Program of Record, Hicks Says

During an appearance at a Defense News conference last week, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks provided more details about the new...

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INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Army Launches M1E3 Tank Development, Cancels M1 Abrams Upgrade Program

U.S. Army officials are cancelling their current upgrade plans for the M1 Abrams main battle tank in favor of a more significant modernization effort, the service...

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INSIDER
Manned Systems

AI Agents Execute Electronic Attack Using L-29s in ECHOS Demonstration

Lockheed Martin, in conjunction with the University of Iowa's Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL), completed an artificial intelligence (AI) demonstration using two...

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INSIDER
Weapons Systems

British Ministry of Defense Signs £90 Million Contract for New Assault Rifle

British troops will soon be more lethal on the battlefield, as a new £90 million contract delivers modern, high precision rifles.

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INSIDER
Power

Navy Deploys Automated Energy Assessment Tools to the Fleet

Engineers at the Naval Sea Systems Command have achieved an important milestone with the installation of the Global Energy Information System (GENISYS) suite onboard DDG 51 Arleigh...

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News
Lighting

Detroit Three Focus on Customer-Friendly Tech at 2023 NAIAS

Only a first-time North American International Auto Show attendee would think this year’s exhibition in Detroit was a full-fledged affair. Despite the relative emptiness of...

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Q&A
Energy

Managing the Evolution of the EV Charging Standard

SAE International announced in late June, 2023, that it intended to standardize the Tesla-developed North American Charging Standard (NACS) EV charging connector for North America. SAE...

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News
Energy

Battery Education Infrastructure Requires Huge Effort and Wide Coordination

China is stunningly ahead of the United States in the support and education of the future EV battery workforce. That was the stark message at the start of a 2023...

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INSIDER
Electronics & Computers

Eurofighter Typhoons to Receive Touchscreen Cockpit Display Upgrades

BAE Systems has confirmed its selection of Collins Aerospace as the provider of the large area cockpit display upgrade for future Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. According...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Production Ready B-21 Bomber on Track for First Flight This Year

During a panel discussion at the 2023 Air Force Association (AFA) Air, Space and Cyber conference, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics President Tom Jones said the first B-21 stealth...

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INSIDER
Energy

DoD's First Electric Aircraft Charging Station is a BETA Supercharger

The first Department of Defense (DoD) electric aircraft installation will be a Level 3 supercharger provided by Vermont-based electric vertical takeoff and landing...

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Original Equipment
Energy

GM Defense Adapts Hummer EV for Military Concept Vehicle

GM Defense announced in July 2022 that the U.S. Army selected it to provide a battery-electric vehicle for analysis and demonstration. As a subsidiary of General Motors, that vehicle...

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News
Materials

Toyota Still Favors Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries for HEVs

Toyota has no immediate plans to drop its decades-long history of using NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries, a stark contrast to other automakers solely offering electrified...

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Podcasts
Aerospace

The Gripen E Jet's New Li-ion Battery

Frank Puglia, EaglePicher's Director of Research and Development, is the guest on this episode of the Here's an Idea podcast to discuss the Gripen E jet’s new Li-ion battery.

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Q&A
Manned Systems

Volvo’s Ambitious Goal: 50% Zero-Emission Trucks by 2030

Volvo Trucks’ target is to be completely fossil-free by 2040. “If we stop selling products that rely on CO2 by 2040, it means that our running population [of trucks] out in the...

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