Comtest has increased its capability by being accredited for testing low-voltage mains power sockets to AS/NZS 3112 and the standard AS/NZS 3105. [ + ]

Researchers at Stanford and MIT have found a new alternative for low-temperature waste-heat conversion into electricity - that is, in cases where temperature differences are less than 100°C. [ + ]

A team at Tohoku University in Japan has created a new type of lithium-ion conductor for future batteries that could be the basis for a new generation of solid-state batteries. [ + ]

In a further move to strengthen its position in the market for LEDs, Osram has opened its LED assembly plant in Wuxi, China. [ + ]

US researchers have developed a supercapacitor that stores electricity by assembling electrically charged ions on the surface of a porous material, instead of storing it in chemical reactions the way batteries do. [ + ]

The Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) has selected Matlab and Matlab distributed computing server as vehicles to enable researchers at all Swedish universities to utilise resources at the national data centres for high-performance computing (HPC). [ + ]

Researchers at KAIST have increased the energy efficiency of a piezoelectric nanogenerator by almost 40%. The development is expected to provide infinite supply of power to wearable and implantable electronic devices. [ + ]

Graphene continues to reign as the next potential superstar material for the electronics industry, a slimmer, stronger and much faster electron conductor than silicon. With no natural energy band-gap, however, graphene's superfast conductance can't be switched off - a serious drawback for transistors and other electronic devices. [ + ]

Toshiba has begun construction of a vegetable plant factory at a facility in Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture. The production management system will be based on that utilised for semiconductor device production. [ + ]

Researchers have developed electronic devices that become soft when implanted inside the body and can deploy to grip 3D objects, such as large tissues, nerves and blood vessels. [ + ]

RECOM is warning customers against counterfeit electronic components. [ + ]

US researchers have demonstrated a new approach that could enable a new generation of fast, robust electronic and photonic devices. [ + ]

element14 has added to its portfolio of tape and reel discretes for electronics design and production over 1000 transistors, MOSFETs and diodes from suppliers such as Fairchild, NXP, ON Semiconductor and Vishay. [ + ]

Mouser Electronics has received the 2013 Catalog Global Distributor of the Year Award from TE Connectivity. This annual Electronic Distributor Award was presented to Mouser executives at TE's recent Global Distribution Summit in Los Angeles, CA. [ + ]

RS Components has signed a global distribution agreement with PR electronics, a manufacturer of signal conditioning solutions for factory automation and process industries. [ + ]