The drive towards the driverless car seems relentless. One day, it is hoped, every motorway will be effectively managed, with drivers surrendering speed and control to improve safety and congestion. But the British government's recent declaration that it aims...

By Christian Cawley | 26-02-2019

Triboelectrics is the generation of electricity from friction and it could become a new power source for electronic devices. The friction could be as simple as a finger swiping across a smartphone’s glass screen, walking, the friction of shoe upon pavement, or...

By Rob Coppinger | 22-02-2019

In the transport sector, data loggers are used to accompany a cargo during transport as a means to investigate everything from damage events to the various physical parameters of the voyage. The data collector itself consists of a programmable processor, data...

By Nnamdi Anyadike | 21-02-2019

We’ve all had those lively uninhibited pub conversations with a bunch of mates that range from absolute nonsensical drivel through to some real thought-provoking theories. Take inventor Percy Shaw for example. He came up with the brilliant idea of cats-eye roa...

By Paul Whytock | 20-02-2019

The smart home space operates with a patchwork of protocols. Smart home devices communicate with each other as well as smart home hubs via several technologies. While there’s some overlap, the likes of Zigbee and Z-Wave offer different advantages. Plus, since...

By Moe Long | 19-02-2019

You've probably heard of graphene, the carbon-based material that is vital to the development of quantum computing. But did you know that it has other applications? Beyond the world of semiconductors, graphene, and its cylindrical guise of Carbon Nano-tubes (C...

Semiconductors | By Christian Cawley | 18-02-2019

Nanoengineered transition metal oxygen electrodes may be able to boost lithium oxygen battery current output by orders of magnitude and extend electric vehicle ranges to 500 miles. Electric vehicles use lithium ion batteries and have ranges up to 300 miles, bu...

By Rob Coppinger | 15-02-2019

In 2018, the global BLDC motors market was estimated to be worth $6.21 billion, having grown at a CAGR of roughly 9.4% since 2015. BLDC motors also known as electronically commutated motors (ECMs, EC motors), or synchronous DC motors, offer several advantages...

By Nnamdi Anyadike | 13-02-2019

Arduino boards are nifty microcontrollers appropriate for a smattering of uses. Beginners may start with blinking an LED, while more advanced users can use Arduino boards for cosplay, plant watering systems, and more. The Arduino MKR MEM Shield is a fantastic...

By Moe Long | 12-02-2019

Pulses of light only one-quintillionth of a second long are to image the motion of an electron as a first step to understanding electron behaviour to enable petahertz superconducting computing. Computers operate at the speed of gigahertz, a billion cycles a se...

By Rob Coppinger | 11-02-2019

Munich headquartered Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH is launching two new infrared LEDs (IRED), keyless biometric identification devices for automotive use this spring: the Synios SFH 4772S A01 and the Synios SFH 4775S A01. The first device is suitable for use...

By Nnamdi Anyadike | 06-02-2019

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are to be used to develop high definition maps for autonomous driving to avoid the mapping problems caused by bad weather or the loss of satellite navigation. High definition maps are necessary to deliver accurate, real-time i...

By Rob Coppinger | 05-02-2019