Driven by demand for increased security in computers, authentication and the machine-to-machine (M2M) market, global shipments of cybersecurity microcontrollers (MCUs) are set to nearly double by 2017. [ + ]

An Australian researcher has developed a battery that could allow electric cars to run between cities with fewer stops to recharge. Dr Da-Wei Wang aims to produce a battery for electric cars that has much greater energy storage than the batteries available. [ + ]

The increasing volume of waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) coupled with scarcity of precious metals, high cost of mining and limited landfill capacity have lent momentum to the European WEEE recycling market. [ + ]

Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed carbon nanotube-based gas sensors that rapidly detect and continuously respond to extremely small changes in the concentrations of gases including ammonia, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. [ + ]

Researchers have developed a new technique that allows microprocessors to use light, instead of electrical wires, to communicate with transistors on a single chip. The system could allow for increasingly faster electronics, from supercomputers to laptops to smartphones. [ + ]

National Instruments has opened registrations for its 2013 NI Technical Symposiums. Events will be held in Melbourne on 29 October, Sydney on 31 October and Auckland on 7 November. [ + ]

Physicists at the University of Utah have developed a new organic molecule shaped like rotelle, wagon-wheel pasta that emits light randomly in all directions - a necessary feature for a more efficient organic LED. [ + ]

The emphasis on screening and very early diagnosis is increasing, with healthcare fast focusing on ways to prevent high treatment costs. [ + ]

element14 has launched the Smarter Life Challenge, a global design competition which will encourage participants to develop forward-thinking products. [ + ]

Renesas, Murata and Ubiquitous have formed a technological collaboration for the development of high-speed network connection technology for automotive information devices. [ + ]

Stanford researchers have developed a microbial battery that generates electricity from sewage using naturally occluding ‘wired microbes’ as mini power plants, producing electricity as they digest plant and animal waste. [ + ]

CSIRO and Catapult Sports' program Tracking Elite Athletes, which uses revolutionary ClearSky Technology, has received the President's Award from Engineers Australia, Sydney Division. [ + ]

Scientists at the Vienna University of Technology have now managed to combine a graphene photodetector with a standard silicon chip. It can transform light of all important frequencies used in telecommunications into electrical signals. [ + ]

The combined total minutes spent on activities requiring data connectivity on smartphones now far outpaces talking on these devices, according to the latest research released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). [ + ]

The world market for PCBs reached nearly $60bn in 2012, with 1.7% real growth over 2011, according to IPC's World PCB Production Report for the Year 2012. [ + ]