Some more electronics may stop us all seeing red about traffic lights
30 November, 2012 by Mike Smyth, specialist technical writerWhat is it with traffic lights? They often make me see red and seem to be stuck on that colour. They just don’t seem to have kept up with today’s traffic flow and demands on road space.
Metamaterials manipulate light on a microchip
30 November, 2012Using a combination of the new tools of metamaterials and transformation optics, engineers at Penn State University have developed designs for miniaturised optical devices that can be used in chip-based optical integrated circuits, the equivalent of the integrated electronic circuits that make possible computers and mobile phones.
Flexible, low-voltage circuits using CdSe nanocrystals
28 November, 2012With the combination of flexibility, relatively simple fabrication processes and low power requirements, CdSe nanocrystal circuits could pave the way for new kinds of devices and pervasive sensors.
Development of novel conduction control technique for graphene
23 November, 2012Researchers have developed a novel technique for controlling the electrical conductivity of graphene.
Implanting electronics into the brain
23 November, 2012If you’re thinking about the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’, you’re not entirely off base. University of Utah electrical engineering professor Florian Solzbacher is pushing the boundaries of electrical devices that can be implanted into the brain and used as an interface between neurons and computers.
Making fast transistors from graphene
23 November, 2012 by John ToonBy fabricating graphene structures atop nanometre-scale ‘steps’ etched into silicon carbide, researchers have for the first time created a substantial electronic bandgap in the material suitable for room-temperature electronics. Use of nanoscale topography to control the properties of graphene could facilitate fabrication of transistors and other devices, potentially opening the door for developing all-carbon integrated circuits.
Microelectronic circuit fabrication
16 November, 2012A technique for measuring the stress in chips during production is now available. The resulting information could enable miniature but robust semiconductor devices.
Carbon devices are poised to replace and outperform silicon
16 November, 2012 | Supplied by: IBM Australia LimitedTen thousand working transistors placed on a single chip using standard semiconductor processes.
Surprising findings could influence material choices in nanoelectronics
12 November, 2012To build the computer chips of the future, designers will need to understand how an electrical charge behaves when it is confined to metal wires only a few atom-widths in diameter. A team of physicists has shown that electrical current may be drastically reduced when wires from two dissimilar metals meet.
Reducing robot energy consumption
31 October, 2012Robots could reduce their power consumption by as much as 10-fold by ‘stutter jumping’ - taking a short hop before a big jump.
Faster, smaller electronics
24 October, 2012The dilute magnetic semiconductor gallium manganese arsenide could open up an entirely new class of faster, smaller devices based on ‘spintronics’. Materials of this type might be used to read and write digital information, not by using the electron’s charge, as is the case with today’s electronic devices, but by using its ‘spin’.
Grumpy chats about hybrid cars
22 October, 2012 by Mike Smyth, specialist technical writerI don’t know about you but I am mightily underwhelmed by hybrid cars. True, they are full of sophisticated electronics and true they do go some way towards satisfying the consciences of greenies. But, on the down side, they are expensive, they are complex, they have limited range in their electrical mode and there are few places to charge the batteries other than in your own garage. To me they are bisexual products of a motor industry that has reluctantly pandered to ill-conceived demands from governments intent on being seen to be saving the planet.
Cobham Technical Services on-demand presentation for FEA design
17 October, 2012The presentation outlines how low-frequency electromagnetic simulation software enables designers to improve the performance of motors and generators to meet specific economic, efficiency and operating environment targets.
Ultrafast optical amplifier
11 October, 2012 | Supplied by: University of TwenteSilicon and erbium-doped material offers high optical bandwidth and amplification properties.
RS Components now a distribution partner for Arduino’s educational kit
08 October, 2012 | Supplied by: RSThe Arduino Uno educational kit aids entry-level electronics design and prototyping.
