A little over a year ago, a Swedish scientist learned the hard way that laptop computers do not quite live up to their name. According to the British medical journal, the Lancet, the mercifully anonymous man spent an evening writing a report, periodically shifting position to avoid heat from the machine. The next day he woke to find himself blistered in a very sensitive place. He'd been well and truly fried.

Victoria's Minister for Manufacturing and Export, Tim Holding, has announced that an Electronics Industry Capability Mission to North Asia will be conducted in October 2004.

Engineers at Oregon State University have created what is claimed to be the world's first transparent transistor, a see-through electronics component that could open the door to many new products.

An improved method for correcting nano- and micro-scale friction measurements has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Farnell InOne has issued the first of what it says will become a regular email newsletter to its customers on issues relating to the RoHS (restriction of certain hazardous substances) and WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) directives.

Future Horizons predicts that robots will become mainstream consumer products within the next decade, providing a significant growth opportunity for the electronics sector.

Deliberate jamming of communications to and from space satellites is being overcome with a system that identifies and locates the source of the jamming in minutes.

Invensys Powerware has partnered with Lightning Protection International to distribute the latter's range of Guardian CAT (controlled area triggering) series air terminals, LPI surge and transient protection products for data, communication and signal lines, and LPI grounding products throughout Australia and New Zealand.

High-speed, reproducible, and reliable processes, such as roll-to-roll display manufacturing, are proving effective in the fabrication of light-emitting polymers (LEPs).

Semiconductor manufacturers will be able to pursue a production method that will enable them to produce new generations of computer chips using existing equipment.

Louisiana State University Assistant Professor David Young and Professors Phil Adams and Roy Goodrich have found a way to synthesise a layer of superconductor directly onto tiny carbon fibres that are five times smaller than a human hair, and the results could lead to advances in space travel and transport.

Transtech has announced Epic Controls as its distributor in NSW for TransTech range of Electrical Controls, Process Controls, and Industrial Electronics.

A team led by the UK’s BAE Systems aerospace and defence group has just achieved a record digital circuit speed as a result of developing next-generation transistor technology.

SBC Communications has announced advances in developing a network capable of delivering a new generation of integrated digital TV, super-high-speed broadband and VoIP services to residential and small business customers.

Austronics 2004 runs concurrently with Electrix 2004 and Automate 2004 from Tuesday 5 October until Thursday 7 October at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Austronics 2004 is a 'trade only' event and persons working in the electrical, electronics or manufacturing industries can register free online. There is a charge for registration at the door.