University of Adelaide researchers are developing low-cost technology that can ‘talk’ to structures like bridges and aeroplanes to monitor their structural health and assess them for damage. [ + ]

Global microprocessor sales are set to reach a record-high $61 billion in 2013 mostly due to strong demand for tablet computers and mobile phones that connect to the internet, according to a research bulletin by IC Insights. [ + ]

MathWorks has announced that MATLAB and Simulink have been deployed to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Synchronised Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) project. [ + ]

element14 has partnered with TE Connectivity to showcase the latest products and technologies for material handling and industrial control applications to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. [ + ]

Siemens plans to build a maintenance and repair facility at Tonsley to service its energy technology business. The Siemens facility, which is expected to be operational in October 2014, will employ about 25 people, with plans to double the workforce as the business grows. [ + ]

A UNSW spin-off company with a promising optical sensor technology has declined a $10 million offer from Chinese investors to move offshore, opting instead to pursue their start-up dream in Australia. [ + ]

Monash University researchers have developed a completely new strategy to engineer graphene-based supercapacitors (SC), making them viable for widespread use in renewable energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles. [ + ]

BICSI, the international association supporting the information technology systems (ITS) industry, has released its latest standard, ANSI/BICSI 005-2013, Electronic Safety and Security (ESS) System Design and Implementation Best Practices. [ + ]

Much effort has gone into facilitating the self-assembly of semiconductors, the basic building blocks of electronics, but until recently, success has been limited. Scientists had developed methods for growing semiconductor nanowires vertically on a surface, but the resultant structures were short and disorganised. [ + ]

Dynamic Controls, an innovator of electronic solutions for people with disabilities, is investing millions in research and development to meet the growing demand for next-generation power wheelchair technology. [ + ]

Businesses in New South Wales have an opportunity to demonstrate how they are helping to build value and improve efficiency and productivity in mining at the 2013 NSW Mining Suppliers Awards in October. [ + ]

The BMW Group has debuted the series version of its electric vehicle BMW i3, simultaneously in New York, London and Beijing. The BMW i3, the group’s first pure electric series produced model, features a number of technological innovations, such as a carbon-fibre passenger cell and a chassis made of aluminium. [ + ]

UC Berkeley researchers have created new electronic skin, or e-skin, that responds to touch by instantly lighting up. The more intense the pressure, the brighter the light it emits. In addition to giving robots a finer sense of touch, the engineers believe the new e-skin technology could also be used to create things like wallpapers that double as touch-screen displays and dashboard laminates that allow drivers to adjust electronic controls with the wave of a hand. [ + ]

Romanian computer scientists have developed a new system that is said to boost phone battery life by booting power-consuming computational tasks to an on-the-fly ad hoc cloud in which smartphones are both clients and computing resources. [ + ]

The global spend of semiconductors by original equipment manufacturers is set to grow by 4.2% to $265.2bn in 2013 from $254.4bn in 2012, according to a Semiconductor Spend Analysis Market Tracker Report from information and analytics provider IHS. [ + ]