Articles
A flexible approach is needed for Australia's electronics industry
Australia's manufacturing industry could be given a welcome boost if it takes advantage of some of the latest research here and overseas to create ultra thin and flexible electronic devices. [ + ]
PLCs and drives propel offshore vessels to new performance levels
ABB's modular liquid-cooled drives and PLCs have been included in Vard Electro's application-specific propulsion and thruster power solutions for offshore supply vessels. The electric motor propulsion technology designed by Vard is used on a series of six platform supply vessels (PSVs) - the first two of which are currently being built in Japan. [ + ]
Graphene-copper sandwich to shrink electronics
A graphene-copper-graphene 'sandwich' strongly enhances the heat-conducting properties of copper and could further help in the downscaling of electronics. [ + ]
Battery-free gesture recognition system
University of Washington computer scientists have built a low-cost gesture recognition system that runs without batteries and lets users control their electronic devices hidden from sight with simple hand movements. [ + ]
The struggle for power and glory
Two names representing two different technologies stand out like beacons among the thousands of names and inventions that were such a feature of the 19th century. These two, like boxers in a ring waiting for the contest to start, sparred and weaved in bids to make their beliefs the one the world would accept. But the two were not the inventors of the technology they so passionately believed in and strangely they are better remembered today as the inventors of the gramophone and the vacuum braking system used on trains throughout the world. [ + ]
Manners maketh man
We've all met 'em. Those blundering, inconsiderate idiots walking our pavements with heads down bent over a small handheld device while they tap and stare at little images on a little screen oblivious to the world going on around them. Forget worry beads, they are passe. The mobile phone has become the new dangerous and antisocial religion and it's much more exciting being in colour and with sound. [ + ]
Nanotechnology key to energy storage
Nanotechnology is expected to bring significant benefits to the energy sector, especially to energy storage and solar energy, finds a recent study by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI. [ + ]
Global server market rebounds
Factory revenue in the worldwide server market increased 3.1% year over year to $14.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker. [ + ]
Location chip for wearables
Broadcom has introduced Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) system-on-chip (SoC) for low-power, mass-market wearable devices such as fitness trackers and smart watches. [ + ]
Researchers develop wirelessly rechargeable cochlear implants
MIT researchers have developed a new, low-power signal-processing chip that could lead to a cochlear implant that requires no external hardware. The implant would be wirelessly recharged and would run for about eight hours on each charge. [ + ]
The future of GaN technology
With benefits such as high switching speeds with low on-resistance and, unlike the bipolar transistors that preceded it, no possibility of thermal runaway, the silicon power MOSFET is the obvious choice in many applications. [ + ]
Chewing gum-like material improves Li-Ion batteries
Washington State University researchers have developed a chewing gum-like battery material that could dramatically improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries. [ + ]
Medical electronics sales to grow to $50.9bn
Medical electronics sales will grow 8% to about $50.9 billion in 2014 from $47.3 billion in 2013, predicts IC Insights. [ + ]
EU's 3D SoC project to use dual-FPGA development platform
Sundance's SMT166 dual-FPGA platform has been chosen as the prototyping platform for the European Union's FP7 FlexTiles 3D SoC project, placing it at the heart of leading research into self-adaptive, high-performance computing. [ + ]
Atlas supplies energy recovery system to semiconductor manufacturer
Atlas Copco's water-cooled, rotary screw compressors are providing semiconductor manufacturer Nanium SA with reliable, high-quality air, while an Atlas Copco ER900 heat recovery system enables the company to substantially reduce CO2 emissions and achieve exceptional energy savings. [ + ]