Motion Design, and Sensor Technology: Welcome To Your Digital Edition of Tech Briefs

Welcome to your Digital Edition of Tech Briefs
Motion Design, and Sensor Technology
Included in This June Edition:
Tech Briefs Motion Design Sensor Technology

June 2021 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 45 No. 6
June 2021 June 2021
Simulation Linear Bearings:

Streamlines What You Need
EV Motor to Know
Design MEMS Sensors + AI = A Great
Way to Track Your Workout
Think RF for Wireless Charging

Next-Generation MEMS for
Multi-Gas Sensing
Last Chance to Enter! Selecting

See page 8 a Sensor
for Motor
Supercapacitors Feedback SPECIAL SECTION:
Go Hybrid
Technology Leaders
Automated
in Sensors
SPECIAL SECTION: X-Ray Inspection
Technology Leaders
in Power Management Nanosized
Supplement to Tech Briefs Foldable Robots
Supplement to Tech Briefs
Click Here Click Here Click Here
How to Navigate the Magazines:

At the bottom of each page, you will see a navigation bar with the following buttons:
Arrows: Click on the right or left facing arrow to turn the page forward or backward.
Introduction: Click on this icon to quickly turn to this page.
Cover: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the front cover.
Table of Contents: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the table of contents.
Zoom In: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom in on the page.
Zoom Out: Click on this magnifying glass icon to zoom out on the page.
Find: Click on this icon to search the document.
You can also use the standard Acrobat Reader tools to navigate through each magazine.
M E A S U R E M E N T | C O N T R O L | M O N I T O R I N G
The ultimate tool for every test and measurement engineer.
w w w. d e w e s o f t . c o m
sales.us@dewesoft.com
+1-855-339-3669
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-901

Simulation
Streamlines
EV Motor
Design
Last Chance to Enter!

Reach new heights by entering your
bright ideas in the Create the Future
Design Contest. $25,000 top prize.
Entry Deadline:
July 1, 2021
CreateTheFutureContest.com

See page 8
Supercapacitors
Go Hybrid
SPECIAL SECTION:
Technology Leaders
in Power Management
Reach new heights by entering your
bright ideas in the Create the Future
Design Contest. $25,000 top prize.
Entry Deadline:
July 1, 2021
Simulation
Streamlines
EV Motor
Design

See page 8
Supercapacitors
Go Hybrid
SPECIAL SECTION:
Technology Leaders
in Power Management
Get A Handle On Logistics
Material handling components at great prices and in-stock
MATERIAL HANDLING
Get the components needed for
your material handling system from
AutomationDirect, a trusted supplier Barcode Readers
in the industry for over 25 years. Check Starting at $135.00
out our selection of mechanical and (CR950-K301-C298)
pneumatic components, as well as 1D/2D imagers can read
our wide array of right-priced control the most popular non-
and automation products. human-readable barcodes
used in industry such as
Barcode scanners are used extensively Code128 and QR codes.
in material handling applications and • High-speed, omni-
allow a code, such as a 1-dimensional directional reading of
barcode, 2-dimensional QR code or 1D and 2D barcode
other non-human-readable code to symbologies
be read, decoded and converted to a • Reads barcodes on
usable format. This code is then sent mobile device screens
to an intelligent device such as a PLC or
PC over a network. AutomationDirect 1D/2D/DPM imagers add
now offers a selection of Code brand • Reads laser-teched and
code
barcode scanners to easily satisfy your Barcode Readers dot peen markings
material tracking or identification needs. starting at:
• Reads color and
$135.00 low-contrast barcodes
(CR950-K301-C298)
Also Available
AC Photoelectric Safety
Drives Sensors Products
Research, price, buy at:
www.automationdirect.com/barcode-scanners
Order Today, Ships Fast!

* See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2020 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved. 1-800-633-0405 the #1 value in automation

Your Qubits.
Controlled.
Meet the next generation of signal
generators setting new standards for
the control of superconducting qubits.
Your Benefits
∏High-fidelity qubit operation
Get the most out of your quantum
device with the excellent spectral
purity provided by super-heterodyne
signal generation.
∏Efficient workflows
Operate at frequencies up
to 8.5 GHz and free from mixer
calibration to maximize system
up-time.
∏Turnkey feature set
Accelerate quantum computer
tune-up with rapid pulse
reconfiguration and low-latency
feedback.
∏Scalable system approach
Rely on accurate channel
synchronization across your Zurich
Instruments Quantum Computing
Control System.
Zurich Contact us today
Instruments www.zhinst.com

You’ve got the vision.
We’ll deliver the components.
Today’s manufacturing leaders turn

designs into finished products before
their competitors get out of bed.
That’s why MW Components has
streamlined the entire process of
creating, delivering, and managing
the precision parts you need.
Select from one of the thousands of

standard components we hold in
stock—from springs, fasteners, and
shims to bellows and more. Or have a
custom part made to your exact
requirements. Whichever you choose,
we’ll do whatever it takes to deliver
the products you need—fast.
Discover the MW Components

advantage at MWComponents.com.

Custom Engineered Connectivity Solutions
Solve Your Unique Design Challenges with L-com
L-com offers customized solutions across our wired and wireless product lines with short lead times and either
no or low minimum order quantities to meet your project requirements.
&XVWRPSURGXFWFDSDELOLWLHVLQFOXGH¿EHUFRD[DQG(WKHUQHWFDEOHDVVHPEOLHVDVZHOODVFXVWRPDGDSWHUV
DQWHQQDVZHDWKHUSURRI1(0$HQFORVXUHVDQGPRUH/FRP¶VFRPSUHKHQVLYHFXVWRPVHUYLFHVLQFOXGH
&$'GHVLJQDQG'PRGHOLQJ
• Free technical support and application assistance
• Field application support
• 4XLFNDFFHVVWRGDWDVKHHWV'GUDZLQJV'PRGHOVWHFKQLFDOLQIRUPDWLRQ
and resources
)DVWUHVSRQVHWRTXRWHVGHVLJQVSURWRW\SHVDQGPDQXIDFWXULQJUHTXHVWV
• Custom orders are spec controlled and proprietary to the customer to protect
your application
Contact us today at +1 (800) 341-5266 or sales@l-com.com with your

custom product requirements, or visit us at L-com.com/about-us/
custom-product-capabilities
June 2021 • Vol. 45 No. 6
Contents
Features
16
10 Products of Tomorrow
16 Simulation Applications Streamline the Development of

Electric Vehicle Motors
55 Application Briefs
60 Facility Focus
64 NASA Spinoff: Drone Flight Controller
26
Tech Briefs
30 Electrical/Electronics
30 Synapse-Like Phototransistor
30 Biodegradable Displays for Sustainable Electronics
32 Fully Recyclable Printed Electronics
32 Nanowire Could Provide a Stable Superconducting Transistor
34 Polymer-Based Electrical Insulation for Circuits 55

34 Large Integrated Circuits Produced in a Printing Press
35 Nanotransistors Stay Cool at High Voltages
36 Mechanical & Fluid Systems
36 Square Structural Joint with Robotic Assembly Tool
36 Transport of Mechanical Energy, Even Through Damaged

Pathways
38 High Bus Voltage Stepper Motor Systems

Departments
39 New Process Breaks Down Polystyrene
8 UpFront
40 Mode I Fracture Testing Apparatus 12 5 Ws
41 Imaging 14 Q&A
63 Advertisers Index
41 Device Combines Optics and Image Analysis to Count
Biomolecules
41 Using Neural Networks for Faster X-Ray Imaging

New for Design Engineers
42 3D Holographic Head-Up Display Could Improve Road Safety
58 New on the Market
43 Optical Imaging Technology Sheds Light on Tumors
44 Vision System Sees Through Clouds and Fog
45 Optics
Special Section
Technology Leaders in Power Management
45 Monolithic Optical Parametric Oscillator for Laser Spectrometer
22 Supercapacitors Go Hybrid for Increased Performance
45 Diffraction Grating Provides Wider Angles for Light Input and Efficiency
46 High-Capacity Optical Data Storage Disk 26 Machine Control Power Quality and Surge Protection
(Optics continued on page 6)
4 www.techbriefs.com Tech Briefs, June 2021

Contents
46 Quantum-Dot Infrared Cameras for Electronics and

Self-Driving Cars Product of the Month
47 Tiny Light Detectors Record the Incoming Angle of Light Bicker Elektronik (Donauwoerth, Germany)
released the UPSI-2406DP1 24-VDC emergency
47 Optical Device Fine-Tunes the Color of Light power supply.
48 Health & Biotech
48 Tiny Wireless Implant Detects Oxygen Deep Within the Body
49 Heated Facemask Filters and Inactivates Coronaviruses

58
50 Smartphone-Based Medical Tests
50 Radar Enables Touch-Free Monitoring of Heart Sounds On the cover

52 Software
As more consumers express concern for the environ-
ment, electric vehicles (EVs) are on track to outpace
52 LogFire conventional internal combustion engine vehicles as the
transportation mode of choice. In response to this
52 WiFi RSSI Sensor Tracker for the ISS growing demand, leading automakers are doing their
part to pave the way for EVs. Volkswagen is automating
53 AI System Discovers New Material the test process for electric drive rotors by building sim-
ulation applications with COMSOL Multiphysics soft-
54 Software Improves Accuracy of 3D-Printed Parts ware from COMSOL (Burlington, MA). Learn more in
the feature on page 16.
(Image: © 2021 Volkswagen)
Permissions: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or Dr., Danvers, MA 01923). For those organizations that have been granted a photocopy license
personal use of specific clients, is granted by Associated Business Publications, provided that the by CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. The fee code for users of the
flat fee of $3.00 per copy be paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (222 Rose Wood Transactional Reporting Service is: ISSN 0145-319X194 $3.00+ .00
High Tolerance Precision

Machining Since 1947
• Exceptional engineering expertise
• Ability to work with complex shapes
• Extremely high accuracy to meet high
tolerance requirements
• Prototypes and high volume orders welcome
Precision machining and polishing

of sapphire, ceramic, glass and quartz
ITAR and ISO Compliant

215.536.3500 www.insaco.com
6 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-730 Tech Briefs, June 2021

Products in-stock and available for Same-day Shipping
• AC | DC | Data | EMP Surge Protection • Dedicated Customer & Technical Service

• Weatherized NEMA Enclosures • Ecommerce Website Offering
• Wide Range of Product Configurations Same-Day Shipping
Call +1 (208) 635-6400 or go to transtector.com

to keep your power online.

UP
FRONT Linda Bell
Editorial Director
Last Chance to Create Compact Deliveries

the Future! from Space
Researchers from the Uni-
It’s your last chance! versity of Kentucky in Lexing-
The 2021 Create the ton developed a delivery sys-
Future Design Contest tem to carry research samples
closes for entries on and other small payloads from
July 1. Your idea could astronauts on the Interna-
win $25,000 and glob- tional Space Station back to
al recognition. If you Earth. Such delivery systems
haven’t already submitted your idea, could aid NASA’s efforts to
visit www.createthefuturecontest.com. gather data and test instru-
ments to support the agency’s
goal of returning to the Moon.
NASA Welcomes KRUPS, the Kentucky Re- The Near Space Corporation launch team completes pre-flight
New Administrator entry Universal Payload Sys- rigging and checks. (Credit: Near Space Corporation)
tem, uses advanced thermal
Bill Nelson recently was protection system (TPS) materials to pass through Earth’s atmosphere at hyper-
sworn in as NASA’s 14th sonic speeds, generating temperatures of 3,600 F. Such systems could also one
Administrator. Nelson was a day deliver small payloads to Mars or other celestial bodies with harsh atmospheric
member-at-large on NASA’s entry conditions.
advisory council and repre- On April 15, researchers tested KRUPS in Oregon on a high-altitude balloon from
sented Florida in the U.S. Senate for 18 Near Space Corporation, made possible with funding from NASA’s Flight Oppor-
years. He flew aboard Space Shuttle tunities program. Rigged to the balloon system, the 11"-diameter KRUPS capsule
Columbia as a payload specialist in 1986, achieved an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. Although the balloon did not
conducting the first American stress test in expose KRUPS to the temperatures needed to test its thermal protection, it did pro-
space and a cancer research experiment. vide an important step in advance of an upcoming orbital test of the TPS. Later this
Visit www.nasa.gov/nasa-leadership year, three KRUPS units will travel to the ISS.
Learn more about this and other NASA Flight Opportunities at
https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/
What’s New on Techbriefs.com
There has been a lot
happening on Mars! Go Radio Waves Power Wearable
to techbriefs.tv to see Devices
NASA’s Ingenuity heli- From microwave ovens to WiFi connec-
copter in action and tions, radio waves that permeate the environ-
techbriefs.com/blog to ment are not just signals of energy consumed
learn how a rover in- but are also sources of energy themselves.
strument called MOXIE made oxygen Penn State researchers developed a way to
from Martian air. See how close we really harvest energy from radio waves to power
are to living (and breathing!) on Mars. wearable devices.
Send your comments and suggestions to They developed a stretchable wideband
me at bhurley@techbriefs.com. dipole antenna system capable of wirelessly
transmitting data collected from sensors that
Next Month in Tech Briefs track temperature, hydration, and pulse oxy-
gen level. Compared to other sources, less
In the July issue, learn how resolution energy is produced by the new system but it
can affect the quality of 3D parts and how can generate power continuously. The anten-
to choose a high-resolution 3D printer. The stretchable antenna and rectenna sys- na retains its frequency functions even when
tem harvests energy from radio waves in
the ambient environment to power wear- stretched, bent, and twisted.
able devices. (Image: Larry Cheng) Visit https://news.psu.edu/
Connect with Tech Briefs
facebook.com/TechBriefsMagazine linkedin.com/company/tech-briefs-media twitter.com/TechBriefsMag

SIMULATION CASE STUDY
Designing
microspeakers
with maximum
sound quality
Take a look at this industry-scale model of a microspeaker to see
the electromagnetic and vibroacoustic characteristics at play.
By analyzing how these phenomena interact, the speaker can
be optimized for a specific audio product. For highly coupled
simulations like this one, you need multiphysics software.
learn more comsol.blog/microspeakers
The COMSOL Multiphysics® software is used for simulating designs, devices,

and processes in all fields of engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research.
This column presents technologies that have
Products of applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the

products of tomorrow. To learn more about each
technology, see the contact information provided for
Tomorrow that innovation.
3D Holo-
graphic
Head-Up
Display
University of Material
Cambridge (UK) Structural Health
researchers developed a LiDAR-based augmented Monitoring
reality head-up display for use in vehicles that could
improve road safety by “seeing through” objects to NASA Langley Re-
alert of potential hazards without distracting the search Center has de-
driver. The technology uses LiDAR data to create veloped a polymer material that can be used as a
ultra-high-definition holographic representations real-time structural health monitoring sensor. The
of road objects, which are beamed directly to the electroactive material generates a signal in re-
driver’s eyes instead of 2D windscreen projections sponse to a mechanical force. It is also highly elas-
used in most head-up displays. This could be partic- tic, which allows for a large range of measurable
ularly useful where objects such as road signs are strain levels. The material is manufactured into
hidden by large trees or trucks, for example, allow- micro- and/or nanofibers from polyvinylidene fluo-
ing the driver to see through visual obstructions. ride (PVDF) — a thermoplastic fluoropolymer that
is highly piezoelectric when poled. The material
Contact: Sarah Collins has applications in impact sensing, delamination
E-mail: sarah.collins@admin.cam.ac.uk sensing, or fatigue crack sensing.
www.cam.ac.uk/stories/holographicdisplay
Contact: NASA’s Licensing Concierge
Phone: 202-358-7432
E-mail: Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov
https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LAR-TOPS-195
Pollen Sponge Tackles Marine Oil Spills

Nanyang Technological University Singapore created a reusable, biodegradable
sponge that can soak up oil and other organic solvents from contaminated water
sources. Made of sunflower pollen, the sponge is hydrophobic thanks to a coat of nat-
ural fatty acid. It can absorb oil contaminants of various densities, such as gasoline and
motor oil, at a rate comparable to that of commercial oil absorbents. Conventional
cleanup methods — including using chemical dispersants to break oil down into very
small droplets or absorbing it with expensive, unrecyclable materials — may worsen the damage. The sponges,
when scaled up, could be an ecofriendly alternative to tackle marine oil spills.
Contact: Foo Jie Ying, Manager, Corporate Communications Office

E-mail: jieying@ntu.edu.sg

NEW GENERATION
You’ve never seen

a solenoid valve
like this before.
Learn more at
www.theleeco.com/genvi
High Flow, Low Power, Low Leakage

Across an Extensive Cycle Life
The Lee Company is excited to announce a new generation of versatile and innovative 3-port solenoid
valves. In a miniature 10mm package, the genvi® solenoid valve platform features high flow capacity,
low leakage and ultra-low power consumption. Designed using innovative manufacturing techniques, this
new valve offers not only unmatched reliability, but also an economical price point suitable for molecular
diagnostics, respiratory therapy, compression therapy, environmental analyzers, breath analysis and other
applications where performance and reliability are paramount.
When designing portable or stationary instruments, OEMs are often challenged with meeting aggressive
size, power, and weight limitations, all without sacrificing the remaining elements of system-level performance.
Each subcomponent is therefore pushed to offer improved performance within a smaller footprint.
Featuring high flow and low power consumption,

genvi solenoid valves are the solution. An extremely
tight leakage rating reduces compressor demand
and further underscores the valve’s ability to provide
consistent long-term operation across an extensive cycle life.
Custom valve solutions, supported by The Lee Company’s
engineering experience in microfluidics, are also available
to meet specific application requirements.
2 Pettipaug Rd, Westbrook CT 06498-0424

8 6 0 - 3 9 9 - 6 2 8 1 | 1 - 8 0 0 - L E E - P L U G | w w w. t h e l e e c o . c o m
W E S T B R O O K • L O N D O N • P A R I S • F R A N K F U R T • M I L A N • S T O C K H O L M
M c e n e F 2 . d
n
i d l i r s B 2 n 1
5 Who
Ws of the Sunlight-
Powered Water Filter
The invention could help solve
the problem of providing clean
water off the grid or where low-
cost, non-powered water purifi-
cation is needed.
What
The filter uses sunlight to drive
water purification and resem-
bles a large sponge that soaks
up water but leaves contami-
nants — like lead, oil, and
pathogens — behind. To collect
the purified water from the
sponge, one simply places it in
sunlight. At the heart of the
device is a gel that changes de-
Researchers placed the gel in lake water where it absorbed pure water, leaving contaminants
pending on temperature: at behind. Then, they placed the gel in the Sun, where solar energy heated up the gel, causing the
room temperature, it acts as a discharge of the pure water into the container. (Image: Xiaohui Xu)
sponge, soaking up water but
when heated to 91 °F, the gel pushes the water out of its pores. The gel sits inside two other layers that stop contaminants
from reaching the inner gel. The middle layer is a dark-colored material called polydopamine that transforms sunlight
into heat and also keeps out heavy metals and organic molecules. The final external layer is a filtering layer of alginate,
which blocks pathogens and other materials from entering the gel. The gel can purify water contaminated with petro-
leum and other oils, heavy metals such as lead, small molecules, and pathogens such as yeast. The gel maintains its ability
to filter water for at least ten cycles of soaking and discharge with no detectable reduction in performance.
Where
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Why
The device filters water much more quickly than existing methods of passive solar-powered water purification that
use sunlight to evaporate water. Passive filtration via gravity, as with typical household countertop filters, requires reg-
ular replacement of filters as needed.
When
The team is exploring ways to make the technology widely available.
Contact Prabhpreet Gill, Technology Licensing Associate, Office of Technology Licensing, at psgill@princeton.edu,
609-258-3653, or visit https://innovation.princeton.edu

W TO
NE
P
U
K
DS
00
AR
$5
AW
,1129$7(
75$16)250285)8785(
R&D FUNDING PROGRAM
7KH1DWLRQDO5HFRQQDLVVDQFH2IÀFH'LUHFWRU·V,QQRYDWLRQ,QLWLDWLYH',,
3URJUDPIXQGVFXWWLQJHGJHVFLHQWLÀFUHVHDUFKLQDKLJKULVNKLJKSD\RII
environment to discover innovative concepts and creative ideas that transform
RYHUKHDGLQWHOOLJHQFHFDSDELOLWLHVDQGV\VWHPVIRUIXWXUHQDWLRQDOVHFXULW\LQWHOOLJHQFH
QHHGV7KHSURJUDPVHHNVWKHEULJKWHVWPLQGVDQGEUHDNWKURXJKWHFKQRORJLHVIURP
LQGXVWU\DFDGHPLDQDWLRQDOODERUDWRULHVDQG86JRYHUQPHQWDJHQFLHV
9LVLWWKHZHEVLWHIRU%URDG$JHQF\$QQRXQFHPHQWDQG
*RYHUQPHQW6RXUFHV6RXJKW$QQRXQFHPHQWUHTXLUHPHQWV
703.808.2769
www.nro.gov/Business-Innovation-Opportunities
SEAL and
Q
Who’s
& AWho
at NASA
DELIVER Team of Robots Maps Composition of
an Environment
Dr. David Lary of firm what the aerial robot sees looking
the University of Texas down at the water and using machine
at Dallas is leading a learning, maps what our hyperspectral
research group that camera sees to the actual composition of
has developed a team the water.
of autonomous robot-
ic devices that can be Tech Briefs: How would this be used?
used at hazardous or
difficult-to-reach sites to make surveys Dr. Lary: When Hurricane Harvey hit
and collect data — providing more and Houston, processing plants and some
faster insights than human beings are nearby neighborhoods were surrounded
able to deliver. on three sides by contaminated water.
Outgassing caused severe respiratory
Tech Briefs: What inspired you to issues — people didn’t know what they
use multiple autonomous devices were breathing but they knew it was
to collect environmental data? affecting them. Workers going in to clean
Don’t Get Caught In a up were also being affected. With our sys-
Labyrinth of Bad Seals Dr. David Lary: There are two parts to tem, you’d know exactly what you’re deal-
that journey. First, I deeply desire to ing with to tailor a response accordingly.
have holistic sensing to keep people out This type of capability also could be
of harm’s way so there can be appropri- used to characterize ecosystems or do
Our Patented Centrifugal ate actionable insights to make timely surveys of infrastructure; for example,
Pressure Seals: decisions. The journey to this point start- roads, railways, and bridges where au-
Keep lubricants in ed with my Ph.D. work. I had to bring tonomous robots with their sensing can
together many data sources like satel- rapidly take detailed measurements.
& contaminants out
lites, aircraft, ground-based sensors, and
Reduce downtime balloons. Although this was 30 years ago, Tech Briefs: How do you see this
Support horizontal & I came across machine learning and that being commercialized?
vertical applications started me looking into what else we
could do with it. Dr. Lary: My dream going forward is
Prevent friction & to have a store where individuals, mu-
overheating with a Tech Briefs:Could you describe your nicipalities, or companies can have
non-contact design current project? ready access to these types of capabili-
Create a dynamic ties, and not just get the sensors but also
Dr. Lary: For this project, we had two the back-end services. So, when you
pressurized barrier
platforms. The first was a robotic aerial plug and play this stuff together, it just
Support extremely vehicle with a hyperspectral camera, a works and you don’t have to go through
low-viscosity fluids thermal camera, and a few other sen- a long development.
sors. The second platform was a robotic My dream is to be a catalyst for this ho-
boat that had a suite of sensors in the listic sensing to keep people out of
water underneath it including sonar harm’s way. We have many prototypes
and various composition sensors and on that we are trying to bring to the point
top of it, there was an ultrasonic weath- that they are usable. So, we always wel-
er station. come partnerships to help expedite that
A software-defined sensor plus the — from governments, from individuals,
platform form a sentinel. Multiple sen- local municipalities, community groups,
A Carlyle Johnson Company
tinels working together form teams that and companies. We are working with all
centritecseals.com cooperate with each other to provide of these entities.
860-643-1531 more capabilities than any of them has
on their own. The boat measures the in- Read the full transcript of this Q&A at
situ truth of what’s in the water to con- www.techbriefs.com.
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-735 www.techbriefs.com Tech Briefs, June 2021

PROLONG THE LIFE OF YOUR
CRITICAL COMPONENTS WHILE
DECREASING YOUR ENERGY USAGE
ENERGY-EFFICIENT INDUSTRIAL CLIMATE CONTROL SOLUTIONS
Hybrid technology leverages both active and passive cooling
Touch-screen display and options for IoT network connectivity
Remote monitoring and real-time adjustment
Predictive maintenance
Superior reliability and uptime
Find the energy-efficient climate control solution that’s right for you at
INFO.RITTAL.US/CLIMATE-SOLUTIONS-HANDBOOK
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-736 ©2021 Rittal North America LLC
81 5 1 5 Ri t al Te hBri e fs 0 indd 1 5 /7 /21 11 35 AM

Simulation Applications
Streamline the Development of
Electric Vehicle Motors
A
s more consumers ex - leading automakers are doing their duction of electric drives. It has a pro-
press concern for the part to pave the way for EVs, revving duction output of 150 electric and 300
max.ku/Shutterstock.com
environment, electric ve- up the development of electric and hybrid drives daily.
hicles (EVs) are on track hybrid motors alongside the manufac- As essential components in electric
to outpace conventional turers of combustion engines. One drives, rotors need to be tested for
internal combustion engine vehicles such automaker is Volkswagen, whose durability, since they must endure a
as the transportation mode of choice. Kassel plant in Germany specializes in very large number of revolutions at
In response to this growing demand, the development, planning, and pro- varying speed and torque during drive

One Capacitor does
the job of many in a
fraction of the space.
THA: 3,000 hr. life @ 85 ºC Highest energy density in Replaces banks of Uses about 70% less board
THAS: 3,000 hr. life @ 105 ºC low-profile: 1.1 J/CC SMT capacitors space than alternatives!
You can do more with

THA Thinpack on board.
Using the most advanced aluminum electrolytic capacitor technology, type THA and THAS offer the
highest energy density in a low profile. Design-in one component versus banks of alternative SMT
capacitors for incredible size and cost savings. Improve reliability with one component versus many.
For technical information and samples visit cde.com/THA

Simulating Electric Vehicle Motors
Figure 1. Schematic of the MEB, with the optional all-wheel drive (left, front of the vehicle) and the main drive (right, rear of the vehicle).
operation. However, evaluating the tion, autonomous driving, and elec-

strength of rotor laminations is time- tric drives.
consuming. VW Kassel is automating From the very beginning of the
this test process for rotors, as well as re- electric drive development process,
ducing development costs and in - there has been close cooperation
creasing product quality, by building among staff involved in design, simu-
simulation applications with COMSOL lation, and testing at VW Kassel. First,
Multiphysics ® software. the simulation experts review the
perfor mance specifications for an
Balancing Electromagnetic electric drive and use simulation to
and Mechanical investigate how to best approach the
Requirements design. For example, modeling the
In 2015, Volkswagen began develop- drive greatly reduces the number of
ing a modular system — called the variants and distributing a simulation
Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) application based on this model
— to optimize EV design and make the enables the designers to then bench-
manufacturing process more efficient. mark different variants and choose
The MEB accounts for the torque, the best one.
power, and speed for the main rear- This collaboration is vital and bene-
wheel drive and for the optional front- ficial to all, as simulation cannot cov -
wheel drive used in all-wheel drive ver- er all of the real-world issues. Hence,
sions (Figure 1). the test process plays an important
Among other requirements — such role in the development process. In
as the ratios for the axles, drive units, addition, the experimental test proce-
weight, and wheelbases — the design dure helps to improve the simulation
R and placement of the high-voltage models.
R drive battery plays a major role in the “In the development process of
Rotorblech overall MEB concept. While the MEB electrical machines, one has to fulfill
M helps to optimize individual compo- many requirements,” explained Dr.
Rotorwelle
nents and the system as a whole, bal- Steffen Rothe, simulation engineer of
Magnet
ancing these requirements takes care- component development at VW Kas-
ful consideration on the part of the sel. “On one hand, the machine has to
Figure 2. A typical rotor setup with the rotor designer, especially when accounting match electrical requirements for the
plates, shaft, and magnet. for new technologies like digitaliza- torque and power. On the other hand,

Simulating Electric Vehicle Motors
ing the requirements.

“Simulation,” Rothe said,
“plays a major role in
accelerating the design
process. Many industrial
simulation programs are
designed as a black box,
whereas COMSOL Multi-
physics is unique in its
transparency. It enables
users to view and modify
the implemented equa-
tions or even add your
own,” said Rothe. Further-
more, the software is de-
signed as a multiphysics
tool from the beginning
and enables users to simu-
late different physical
fields simultaneously. So,
the user can combine dif-
ferent physical fields to
Figure 3. An example of the simulation application’s user interface. do something completely
new.
the rotor has to possess a certain dura- tures for the electromagnetic require- However, analyzing complex physi-
bility, where the centrifugal force is ments, thicker structures are preferable cal problems such as these can be chal-
the major load for the rotor.” for mechanical durability. It is impor- lenging, even for a simulation expert.
Further, balancing dual require- tant that these requirements are ad- The team needed a way to communi-
ments can be challenging, as they are dressed early on in the development cate with colleagues and enable non-
sometimes at odds. For example, while process. One way to do so efficiently is experts in mechanical simulations to
it is better to use thin, weblike struc- to simulate all of the load cases cover- test certain parameters. The designers
Figure 4. Standardized stress results for the rotor.

were able to meet these needs by using sheet sections and helps to standard- by helping simulation experts and
the Application Builder, a built-in tool ize the report summaries across teams non-experts alike automate the
in COMSOL Multiphysics, to create (Figure 4). lengthy model construction process
simulation applications that predict Through the stress analysis of rotor and standardize models and results,
the stresses in a rotor. laminations using simulation applica- shortening the distance it takes to get
tions, engineers at VW Kassel are able from model to concept vehicle to
Improving EV Production to save time and money during the commercially available EV.
with Specialized development process of electric This article was contributed by COMSOL
Applications drives. The applications also con- (Burlington, MA). For more information,
To design an application for col- tribute to increasing product quality visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-121.
leagues to evaluate the strength and
durability of rotor laminations, simula-
tion experts Marie Hermanns and
Steffen Rothe considered which part Your FPGA development
of the model could be automated,
which model parameters were vari-
begins with Opal Kelly
able, and which results the application
should show.
For a typical rotor setup (Figure 2),
the simulation experts concluded that
they could automate the load testing
to include interference, temperature,
and operating speed. These are pa-
rameters that colleagues in other
departments would benefit from being
able to change themselves. General
variable parameters include geometry,
area, interference, contacts, number
of active magnets, and materials.
These considerations helped Her -
manns put together an intuitive user
interface for the application (Figure
3) that colleagues could use to auto-
mate the calculations needed.
“The idea was to create an applica-
tion for colleagues to enable an easy
and fast way to benchmark different
designs,” Hermanns said. “Additional-
ly, one can create a tool for a specific
problem with an intuitive user inter-
face. In this case, the user does not
have to learn the details of how the
simulation works.”
Standardizing Development
to Serve Company and
Customer Needs
In addition to automating the devel-
opment process among departments at
VW Kassel, specialized simulation appli-
cations help the engineers standardize
their benchmarking process of rotor
laminations.
The application shortens the time it
takes to perform common tasks such
as applying boundary conditions, ma -
terials, and loads and is standardized
and combined into a user interface. A
further benefit is the automatically
generated report, which includes a
strength rating for laminated rotor
Tech Briefs, June 2021

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Power Management
Supercapacitors Go Hybrid for Increased

Performance and Efficiency
S
upercapacitors are devices that
store a dense electrical charge in
an electrical field that provides
electronics or a power grid with a
quick jolt of power on demand. They have
a capacitance value far higher than typical
capacitors but at the cost of lower voltage
limits. Unlike typical capacitors, superca-
pacitors don’t use conventional solid
dielectric (insulator) — they utilize elec-
trostatic double-layer capacitance (typical-
ly made of carbon) and electromechani-
cal pseudo-capacitance (metal oxide or
conducting polymer). Both contribute to
the capacitor’s total capacitance and are
designed for many rapid charge/dis-
charge cycles over long-term energy stor-
age. Hybrid supercapacitors boost that Hybrid capacitors take advantage of electrodes with different characteristics, with one exhibiting electrostatic
capacitance, energy density, and operat- capacitance and the other offering electrochemical capacitance, which provides increased operating voltages
ing voltage (3.8 V maximum) up to 10X and energy density. (Image credit: Yuden)
over symmetric supercapacitors.
High
Capacitor Types
It’s important to note at this point that
there are three types of capacitors, with
the most basic being the electrostatic Multilayer Ceramic
Capacitors
capacitor outfitted with a dry separator.
Power
This type of capacitor features very low density Electrolytic
Capacitors
capacitance and is mainly used to tune Electric Double-Layer
radio frequencies and filtering, and Capacitors
Cylinder-type
ranges from a few pico-farads (pf) to low Lithium Ion

Capacitors
microfarad (μF) in size. Power density Energy volume that can be instantaneously removed
The second capacitor offers electrolyt- Energy density Energy volume that can be stored per unit volume (or weight)
ic qualities and provides a higher capaci- High
tance than the electrostatic capacitor

and is rated in microfarads, which is sig- Energy density
nificantly larger than a pico-farad. These Hybrid capacitors offer greater energy density than EDLCs and bridge a gap between supercapacitors and Li-ion
capacitors deploy a moist separator and battery cells using a medium such as activated carbon immersed in a liquid electrolyte. (Image Credit: Taiyo Yuden)
are used for filtering, buffering, and sig-
nal coupling. As with batteries, the elec- capacitance, stellar power density, and increased wear during the charge/dis-
trostatic capacity has a positive and nega- impressive efficiency, they have some charge cycles and thermal runaway,
tive that must be observed. drawbacks; most notably, “self-dis- which can be catastrophic.
The third type, a supercapacitor, is charge,” meaning the stored energy will Hybrid or Li-ion capacitors are de-
rated in farads, which is thousands of bleed if it hasn’t discharged in a short signed to offer the best features of
times higher than the electrolytic capaci- period, which becomes exacerbated at EDLCs and Li-ion batteries in a single
tor. This type is widely utilized for energy higher temperatures. That problem is package, essentially merging both tech-
storage undergoing frequent charge/ mitigated by coupling the supercapacitor nologies for increased performance and
discharge cycles at high current with with a lithium-ion battery, providing in- safety. Whereas EDLCs store energy using
short durations. creased density with minimal self-dis- an electrostatic charge and Li-ion batteries
Electrical Double-Layer Capacitors charge. While including a battery with use an electrochemical method, hybrid
(EDLCs) are the most common capaci- the capacitor is a great stopgap solution, capacitors use one electrostatic electrode
tors in use today. While they offer high it too comes with its problems including and one electrochemical. The result is an

COMSOL Days
See what is possible

with multiphysics simulation.
Join fellow engineers and simulation specialists online to learn how
COMSOL Multiphysics® is used in all types of engineering applications.
register now comsol.com/comsol-days
topics include
• Heat Transfer in Material Processing
• Optics and Photonics
• Low-Frequency Electromagnetics
• Vehicle Electrification
• Government R&D
• And more!

Comparatively, a hybrid supercapacitor can- design over traditional EDLCs. Pre-doped

not be discharged fully, which could cause electrodes also stabilize their potential,
harm to those who touch it unprotected. mitigating any potential leakage in a sus-
tained stored state. Rather than intercalat-
Hybrid Capacitor Design ing or de-intercalating (insert or extract)
Hybrid capacitors are typically designed the ions into a carbon lattice, like those in
using a positive electrode made of activat- Li-ion batteries, hybrid capacitors absorb/
ed carbon immersed in a liquid electrolyte desorb those ions on the electrode surface
similar to the salt solution found in Li-ion with no crystalline change taking place
batteries. A negative electrode, made of a during the process. This increases the
carbon-based material doped with lithium number of charge/discharge cycles hybrid
Taiyo Yuden’s capacitor components feature a low ions, is also suspended in the electrolyte, capacitors can undergo without losing
ESR with a wide range of operating temperatures that
are suitable for most environments. (Image credit: along with a separator that prevents direct voltage for each cycle.
Taiyo Yuden) contact between the electrodes. Pre-dop- With the onset of the new technology,
ing the negative electrode with lithium more companies and manufacturers are
energy storage solution that provides a ions stifles the capacitors’ electrical poten- turning to hybrid capacitors for their
higher density over EDLCs but without the tial, allowing a higher output voltage than increased densities and efficiencies in-
leakage, thermal runaway, overcharging/ can be achieved without a high potential cluding Li-ion capacitor components
short-circuiting, and other safety issues on the positive electrode, at a maximum of from Taiyo Yuden that feature an internal
that plague rechargeable batteries. 3.8V. Like Li-ion batteries, some hybrid resistance (DCR) as low as 60 m and
Hybrid supercapacitors also have much capacitors contain electrolytes that are come in cylindrical, compact metal enclo-
lower self-discharge and standby current. toxic and highly flammable. sures with the smallest measuring just 30 ×
In contrast, traditional supercapacitors Considering the energy density is pro- 10 mm. They also have an operating tem-
have higher power capability due to lower portional to the square of the voltage, perature range from -25 to +70 °C, which
ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) and the hybrid capacitors are several times more can be extended to +85 °C by reducing
operating temperature range is more energy dense than EDLCs with a similar the voltage from 3.8 to 3.5 V if needed.
extensive. Traditional supercapacitors can power density, meaning the same amount
be discharged to zero volts for safety. of energy can be stored in a more compact Applications
As touched on earlier, the properties of
each type of capacitor denote their ideal
Lithium Ion Capacitors Lithium Ion Batteries
EDLCs applications. Li-ion or hybrid capacitors,
LITHOSION LIB
for example, are best suited for applica-
tions that require high energy and power
density, with low leakage and increased
Electrodes
longevity, durability, and safety. They also

excel in high operating temperatures
beyond typical EDLCs including auxil-
Internal resistance iary, pulse, and hybrid power systems.
Low Medium High Another key application area for Li-
ion (hybrid) capacitors includes power
2.7–0V 3.5–2.5V to 4.3V supplies for energy harvesting devices,
Voltage temperature -40–70°C -30–85°C -20–60°C
such as solar panels, as they can take
range 2.3–0V 3.8–2.2V
-40–85°C -30–70°C advantage of new power conversion
technologies with minimal energy bleed.
Voltage/Volume 1 2 to 3 100 They can also store the energy generat-
ed and release it on demand. Moreover,
Charging/ hybrid capacitors have a long life ex-
100K+ cycles 10K+ cycles 500-1K cycles
discharging cycles
pectancy, which reduces maintenance
costs while maintaining efficiency. We
Self-discharge can expect to see many manufacturers
creating new energy harvesting applica-
tions utilizing this innovative technology
Safety
in the coming months and years.
This article was written by Martin Keenan,
Necessity of voltage Technical Director, Avnet Abacus, Waltham,
None Required Required
monitoring
United Kingdom. For more information, visit
Performance comparison of EDLC and hybrid capacitors against lithium-ion batteries. http://info.hotims.com/79414-122.

Where will your
next idea take you?
Enter the 2021

Create the Future Design Contest
and lift off to new horizons.
Connect with
industry leaders
who can help
bring your idea
to market and
win $25,000 —
our largest prize
ever.
Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com
Visit:
Last Chance: Entry deadline is July 1, 2021
P R I N C I PA L SPONSORS C ATE GORY SUPPORTING

SPONSORS SPONSOR
PRIZE SPONSORS
Machine Control Power Quality

and Surge Protection
Y
ou may not be
able to see them
but power anom-
alies that originate
within your automated
control system are costing
you expensive downtime.
Your automated produc-
tion equipment has a low
tolerance for poor power
quality, especially if it is
controlled by a PLC(s).
Improper grounding
can account for up to 40
percent of power-related
problems including costly
damage and downtime. In
addition, if not adequately
Andrei Kholmov/Shutterstock.com
suppressed, surges (a high
voltage spike or impulse of
very short duration) can
account for another 40
percent.
Surges can be produced
by lightning or utility com -
panies switching feeders or
capacitor banks. The most
common surges are pro- Figure 1. This automotive assembly line is a good example of an environment that has a constant flux of surges.
duced within your facility
by equipment cycling on or off (or significant back current (a common Most systems incorporate AC protec-
speeding up or slowing down). These type of surge) to be induced into the tion on the front end of the control
surges, lasting only a short period of power system. panel but fail to install it on other surge
time (microseconds), are injected onto A variable frequency drive (VFD) paths. PLC input devices (proximity
power and data circuits, causing equip- itself generates disruptive harmonics sensors, photo-eyes, intelligent vision
ment damage and safety hazards. within its internal switch-mode power systems, etc.) offer surges a back-door
Problems like these can be avoided by supply and drive circuits that reflect path to the PLC. Other connections —
implementing a single-point grounding back into the branch circuits. Even such as remote I/O, Fieldbus, RS-
system that follows the National state-of-the-art systems designed to iso- 485/232, Ethernet, ControlNet, and
Electrical Code (NEC) for installation late the VFD from the distribution are DeviceNet — are also paths for surges
and by the use of properly selected and plagued by electromotive force (EMF) to the PLC.
designed surge suppressors. induction surges. These transients in- A surge introduced by any I/O con-
Most people do not think about terrupt data transmissions between the nected component can damage control
power quality issues like surges until PLC and its I/O as well as plant com- equipment or cause system failure.
they have a storm; however, the factory munications. Each connection among PLCs, input
environment itself can be an automated Electronic control components and devices, and each AC motor system
control system’s worst enemy. The auto- data protocols are prone to damage requires protection. Designing a system
motive assembly line depicted in Figure from the very same motors that are that has only front-end surge protec-
1 is an example of an environment that under their control. They are perpetra- tion is like trying to secure your home
has a constant flux of surges. Pro- tors of problems that will potentially by locking the front door while leaving
duction equipment, such as robotic cause your system to be out of sync, pro- other doors and windows open.
welders and conveyor system motors, is duce defective products, or stop your To establish a robust system, adequate
constantly cycling on and off, causing a production line from running. surge protection of all connections is

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Electronics
paramount. Improving power quality essential for the installation. This is

for your sensitive electronic equipment accomplished by connecting all grounds
will decrease the number of seemingly back to the original neutral-ground
inexplicable glitches in your production bond in the building or the secondary
line. You can decrease downtime and neutral-ground bond of an associated
production defects by investing in the step-down or isolation transformer. This
appropriate surge protection. is accomplished by connecting all
A PLC operating in an environment grounds back to the original neutral-
of continuous surges will suffer from ground bond in the building or the sec-
data corruption and premature failure. ondary neutral-ground bond of an asso-
With the proper combination of surge ciated step-down or isolation trans-
protection and filtering, the PLC’s former.
power sources can be effectively protect-
Nightman1965/Shutterstock.com
ed from upset or damage from these Summary

sources. Figure 2 shows a control cabinet With all of these considerations, it is
and incoming power that requires AC beneficial to select a surge protection
surge protection. All suppression prod- partner with appropriate expertise in
ucts should be mounted as close as pos- power and grounding issues. A qualified
sible to the equipment it is designed to supplier will offer a plan for power qual-
protect. ity of the complete system rather than
In addition, a single-point grounding pieces of the whole.
Figure 2. An electrical control cabinet and incoming system, where all connections to the This article was contributed by Transtector,
power that requires AC surge protection. All suppres-
sion products should be mounted as close as possi- ground come to a single point in the Hayden, ID. For more information, visit
ble to the equipment it is designed to protect. facility before referencing the earth, is http://info.hotims.com/79414-124.
New High Voltage Form C Reed Relays

Pickering 67-1-C SPDT Form C reed relays save space and design complexity. Ideal y Rated up to 5kV stand-off,
for high-end cable testers, mixed signal semiconductor testers, medical electronics, 2.5 kV switching at 100 W
electronic vehicles, high voltage instrumentation and more. y Available with 5 V, 12 V
or 24 V coils
For a free working sample go to: pickeringrelay.com/samples
Product
pickeringrelay.com 25+Years 100%
+1 781-897-1710 | sales@pickeringrelay.com Longevity Tested
Tech Briefs, June 2021 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-741 27

Advertisement
Rittal North America

425 N. Martingale Rd., Suite 400 Products/Services Offered
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Phone: (800) 477-4000 From a pioneering role in modular enclosure technologies
E-mail: customerservice@rittal.us and collaboration in developing what has become the standard
rittal.us 19-inch server rack for the IT industry, to the use of nanotech-
nology that drastically improves the efficiency of industrial cli-
mate control products, Rittal has a proven track record of meet-
ing the challenges faced by its customers.
Company Description
Rittal’s end-to-end solutions for fully integrated industrial
automation include:
Rittal North America designs and manufactures the world’s
• Modular industrial enclosures
leading industrial and IT enclosures, racks, and accessories,
• IT network and server racks
including high-efficiency, high-density power management and
• Human machine interface solutions
climate control systems for industrial, data center, outdoor, and
• Reliable power distribution
hybrid applications. Rittal’s off-the-shelf standard, modified
• Energy-efficient cooling units
standard, and custom-engineered products are known through-
PLUS a strategic partnership with EPLAN Software & Ser-
out the world as high-quality, affordable solutions for practical-
vices, which enables 3D design and engineering for enclosure
ly any industrial or IT infrastructure application — from single
modification, panel building, and switchgear systems, with all
enclosures to comprehensive systems.
component information stored in a single location for increased
Rittal North America is the U.S. subsidiary of Rittal GmbH &
efficiency and data consistency across the entire value chain.
Co. KG in Germany and was founded in Springfield, Ohio in 1982.
Its parent company, Rittal, was started in Germany in 1961 and
now has offices in more than 70 countries and manufacturing
facilities on 4 continents. Rittal’s U.S. manufacturing facilities in
Urbana, Ohio and additional modification centers in Houston,
Texas and Sparks, Nevada, along with its global service and sup-
port network, are the reason that companies partner with Rittal
as they automate and grow.
Target Markets
Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Automotive, Retail &

Logistics, Oil & Gas, Alternative Energy, Water & Wastewater,
Transportation
rittal.us

Advertisement

Electrical/Electronics
Synapse-Like Phototransistor
The technology could help computers process visual information more like the human brain.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado
R esearchers developed energy-efficient

phototransistors that could help com-
puters process visual information more
Such behavior is referred to as persis-
tent photoconductivity and is a form of
optical memory where the light energy
morphic computing applications. Visual
perception accounts for the vast majori-
ty of input the brain collects about the
like the human brain and be used as sen- hitting a device can be stored in memory world and these artificial synapses could
sors in things like self-driving vehicles. as an electrical current. The phenome- be integrated into image recognition sys-
The structures rely on a new type of semi- non can also mimic synapses in the brain tems. Such systems could potentially im-
conductor — metal-halide perovskites — that are used to store memories. Often, prove energy efficiency, performance,
that has proven to be highly efficient at however, persistent photoconductivity and reliability in applications such as
converting sunlight into electrical energy requires low temperatures and/or high self-driving vehicles.
and has shown tremendous promise in a operating voltages and the current spike The researchers tried three different
range of other technologies. would only last for small fractions of a types of perovskites — formamidinium
The researchers combined perovskite second. In the new technology, the per- lead bromide, cesium lead iodide, and
nanocrystals with a network of single- sistent photoconductivity produces an cesium lead bromide — and found each
walled carbon nanotubes to create a electrical current at room temperature was able to produce a persistent photo-
material combination for photovoltaics and flows current for more than an hour conductivity. To build a neural network
or detectors. When they shined a laser at after the light is switched off. In addi- requires integrating an array of these
it, they found a surprising electrical tion, only low voltages and low light junctions into more complex architec-
response. Normally, after absorbing the intensities were found to be needed, tures where more complex memory
light, an electrical current would briefly highlighting the low energy needed to applications and image processing appli-
flow for a short period of time. In this store memory. cations can be emulated.
case, however, the current continued to The research provides previously lack- For more information, contact David
flow and did not stop for several minutes, ing design principles that can be incor- Glickson at David.Glickson@nrel.gov; 303-
even when the light was switched off. porated into optical memory and neuro- 275-4097.
Biodegradable Displays for Sustainable Electronics

Thanks to its flexibility and adhesion, the biodegradable display can be worn directly on the hand.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
I ncreasing use of electronic devices in

consumables and new technologies for
the Internet of Things will increase the
amount of electronic scrap. To save
resources and minimize waste volumes, an
eco-friendlier production and more sus-
tainable lifecycle will be needed.
Researchers have demonstrated that it
is possible to produce sustainable displays
that are largely based on natural materi-
als with the help of industrially relevant
production methods. After use, these dis-
plays are not electronic scrap; they can be
composted. In combination with recy- Due to its flexibility and adhesion, the biodegradable display can be worn directly on the hand.
cling and reuse, this could help minimize (Photo: Manuel Pietsch, KIT)
or completely prevent some environmen-
tal impacts of electronic scrap. changes its color. Electrochromic displays tage is that these displays can be produced
The display is based on the elec- have low energy consumption and simple by inkjet printing in a customized, inex-
trochromic effect of the initial organic component architecture compared to pensive, and material-efficient way. More-
material. When voltage is applied, light commercially available displays such as over, this process is suited for scaling with
absorption is modified and the material LED, LCD, and E-paper. Another advan- a high throughput.

BATTERY
+ - + - + - + AND + - + - + - +
SUMMIT
ELECTRIFICATION
June 15-16, 2021

Discover the latest battery and power innovations and
connect with designers on the front lines of the electric
revolution. Covering evolving battery advancements and requirements
Illus_man/Shutterstock.com
across the automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace, and defense sectors,

the Battery and Electrification Summit offers two days of expert insight,
innovation, and emerging applications for design engineers and managers.
Topics include:
• Solid State: No Longer If, but When and How • Critical Battery Materials Procurement and
• Emerging Battery Architectures Supply Security
and Their Applications • Batteries in Space Applications
Hear from these pioneers:

Nima Golsharifi, Ph.D. Dr. Guiliang Xu
Chief Executive Officer, NDB Inc. Argonne National Lab
Ping Liu, Ph.D. Lyle Gold

Professor of Nanoengineering and Director, Ping Liu, Ph.D.
President/CEO, BlueSky Energy USA
Sustainable Power and Energy Center, UCSD Professor of Nanoengineering and Director,
Sustainable Power and Energy Center, UCSD
James Bond Brandon Robinson

Applications Engineering Manager, Chief
NimaExecutive Officer
Golsharifi, and Co-Founder,
Ph.D.
EaglePicher® Technologies Horizon Aircraft Officer, NDB Inc.
Chief Executive
For a complete list of sessions and presenters,

visit www.techbriefs.com/batterysummit
Presented by
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact: Kaitlyn Sommer,
Director of Marketing, SAE Media Group, ksommer@techbriefs.com.
The materials used are mainly of natu- tics, for instance, where hygiene plays an reuse is not permitted. Digital printing
ral origin or are biocompatible. Sealing important role, sensors and their indica- allows the displays to be adapted to persons
with gelatin makes the display adhesive tors have to be cleaned or disposed of after or complex shapes without any expensive
and flexible so that it can be worn direct- use. The newly developed display will not modification of the process. This reduces
ly on the skin. be dumped as electronic scrap but is com- the consumption of resources.
The display is generally suited for short- postable. It can also be used for quality For more information, contact Regina Link
lifecycle applications. In medical diagnos- monitoring in food packaging, where at regina.link@kit.edu; +49 721 608-41158.
Fully Recyclable Printed Electronics

Nearly 100% of all-carbon-based transistors are reclaimed while retaining future
functionality of the materials.
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
T here is an ever-growing pile of dis-

carded electronic devices that
either don’t work anymore or have
applications, even six months after
the initial printing.
By submerging the devices in a
been cast away in favor of a newer series of baths, gently vibrating them
model. Part of the problem is that with sound waves, and centrifuging
electronic devices are difficult to the resulting solution, the carbon
recycle. While scraps of copper, alu- nanotubes and graphene are sequen-
minum, and steel can be recycled, tially recovered with an average yield
the silicon chips at the heart of the of nearly 100%. Both materials can
devices cannot. then be reused in the same printing
Engineers now have developed a process while losing very little of their
completely recyclable, fully function- performance viability. And because
al transistor made out of three car- the nanocellulose is made from
bon-based inks that can be easily wood, it can simply be recycled along
printed onto paper or other flexible, with the paper it was printed on.
environmentally friendly surfaces. Compared to a resistor or capaci-
Carbon nanotubes and graphene tor, a transistor is a relatively complex
inks are used for the semiconductors A 3D rendering of the first fully recyclable printed tran- computer component used in devices
and conductors, respectively. While sistor. (Credit: Duke University) such as power control or logic cir-
these materials are not new to the cuits and various sensors. The tech-
world of printed electronics, the path to with the sprinkling of a little table salt — nology could be used in a large building
recyclability was opened with the devel- yield an ink that performs admirably as needing thousands of simple environ-
opment of a wood-derived insulating an insulator in printed transistors. Using mental sensors to monitor its energy use
dielectric ink called nanocellulose. the three inks in an aerosol jet printer at or customized biosensing patches for
The team developed a method for sus- room temperature, the team showed tracking medical conditions.
pending crystals of nanocellulose that that the all-carbon transistors perform For more information, contact Ken Kin-
were extracted from wood fibers that — well enough for use in a wide variety of gery at ken.kingery@duke.edu; 919-660-8414.
Nanowire Could Provide a Stable Superconducting Transistor

The technology could boost quantum computers and other superconducting electronics.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
S uperconductors — materials that

conduct electricity without resist-
ance — provide a macroscopic glimpse
Researchers are developing a supercon-
ducting nanowire that could enable more
efficient superconducting electronics.
Underlying many of these supercon-
ductors is a device invented in the 1960s
called the Josephson junction, which is
into quantum phenomena, which are Most metals lose resistance and become essentially two superconductors separat-
usually observable only at the atomic superconducting at extremely low tem- ed by a thin insulator — it is what led to
level. Superconductors are found in peratures — usually just a few degrees conventional superconducting electron-
medical imaging, quantum computers, above absolute zero. They are used to ics and then ultimately to the supercon-
and cameras used with telescopes. But sense magnetic fields, especially in highly ducting quantum computer.
often, they are expensive to manufac- sensitive situations like monitoring brain The Josephson junction is costly and
ture and prone to error from environ- activity. They also have applications in complex to manufacture, especially for
mental noise. both quantum and classical computing. the thin insulating later. Josephson junc-

a switch, because when current flows
through the coiled wire, its magnetic
field reduces the current flowing
through the straight wire.
The new device is very much like a cry-
otron in that it doesn’t require Jo-
sephson junctions. The superconducting
nanowire device — called the nano-cry-
otron — uses heat to trigger a switch
rather than a magnetic field. Current
runs through a superconducting, super-
cooled wire called the channel. That
channel is intersected by an even smaller
wire called a choke — like a multilane
highway intersected by a side road. When
current is sent through the choke, its
superconductivity breaks down and it
heats up. Once that heat spreads from
the choke to the main channel, it causes
the main channel to also lose its super-
conducting state.
Researchers are developing a superconducting nanowire that could enable more efficient super- The superconducting nanowire could
conducting electronics. (Image: Christine Daniloff, MIT) one day complement, or perhaps compete
with, Josephson junction-based supercon-
tion-based superconductors also may In 1956, a superconducting computer ducting devices and find a home in super-
not interface with conventional elec- switch called the cryotron was developed. conducting quantum computers and su-
tronics like those in cellphones or com- It was little more than two superconduct- percooled electronics for telescopes.
puters — the noise from those swamps ing wires: One was straight and the other For more information, contact Abby Aba-
the Josephson junction. was coiled around it. The cryotron acts as zorius at abbya@mit.edu; 617-253-2709.
vvvvv
vv
We’re ready for you.

CABIN SYSTEMS FLIGHT DECK
In-Flight Entertainment Control & Display System
AUXILIARY POWER Wi-Fi Communication Navigation and Identification
APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) Video On-Demand on Seats Black Box
SGCU (Starter/Generator Control Unit) Galley Equipment Traffic Collision Avoidance System
Lighting Systems
ENGINE SYSTEMS
ECU (Engine Control Unit) NAVIGATION and FLIGHT CONTROL
Fuel Management System AVIONICS FCU (Flight Control Unit)
IMA (Integrated Modular Avionics) GPS
AFDX E/S (Aircraft Full Duplex End-System) Inertial Guidance System
Our power and signal magnetics

support systems on the world’s
elite platforms - from tip to tail. vwww.inrcore.com/commercial-aerospace/

Polymer-Based Electrical Insulation for Circuits

The new material could help put more power in smaller microchips.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville and Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
A ll of our most-used electronic devices

rely on increasingly smaller micro-
chips. One of the biggest hurdles to put-
possible. Ideally, this material type also
could pull damaging, electrical current-
generated heat away from the circuitry.
The team took sheets of polymer that
are one atom thick — called 2D — and
controlled their properties by layering the
ting more circuits and power onto a But because low-k materials have very sheets in a specific architecture. COFs
smaller chip is managing the heat. As low thermal conductivity, they have been show both low-k properties and thermal
chips become smaller, heat increases previously unable to manage heat. conductivity as a consequence of their 2D
exponentially. Not only are there more Scientists have been in search of a low- layer architectures and porous structures.
transistors in a given area — which gener- k dielectric material that can handle the The researchers are exploring this
ates more heat in a small space — but heat transfer and space issues inherent new class of materials for applications
they also are closer together, making it at much smaller scales. Using two-dimen- such as chemical sensing. The materials
harder for heat to dissipate. sional (2D) covalent organic frameworks can be used to determine (or sense)
A research team explored an emerg- (COFs), the team developed high-quali- what chemicals and how much of those
ing type of material with the potential to ty, porous COF thin films that finally chemicals are in the air. Knowing about
keep chips cool as they continue shrink- solve the heat problem. Not only is the the chemicals in the air, researchers can
ing in size. Called “low-k” dielectrics, material low-k but it also has high ther- optimize food storage, transport, and
electrical insulation materials minimize mal conductivity. The team is currently distribution to reduce global food waste.
electrical crosstalk in chips. By steering applying this new material class to meet For more information, contact Wende
current to eliminate signal interference, the requirements of miniaturizing tran- Whitman at wende@virginia.edu; 434-806-
low-k dielectrics make all electronics sistors on a dense chip. 9326.
Large Integrated Circuits Produced in a Printing Press

Complete integrated circuits with more than 1,000 organic electrochemical transistors
can be screen-printed.
Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
R esearchers have printed

complete integrated cir-
cuits with more than 1,000
components such as sensors
and displays. This results in a
silicon chip with fewer con-
organic electrochemical tran- tacts, which needs a smaller
sistors. Printing electronic area and is less expensive.
circuits with a line width of The development of ink to
approximately 100 microme- print the thin lines and im-
ters places high demands on provements of the screen-
print technology. To solve the printing frames contributed
problem, the team developed not only to the miniaturization
screen-printing frames with process but also to achieving
meshes that can print ex- higher quality. More than
tremely fine lines and print- 1,000 organic electrochemical
ing ink with the right proper- transistors can be placed on an
ties. The material used is the A4-sized plastic substrate and
polymer PEDOT:PSS. can be connected in different
At least three challenges ways to create different types
have been dealt with: reduc- of printed integrated circuits.
ing the circuit size, increasing These large-scale integrated
Large-scale integrated circuits (LSI) can be used, for example, to power an
the quality such that the prob- electrochromic display, itself manufactured as printed electronics. (Credit: circuits (LSI) can be used, for
ability that all transistors in the Thor Balkhed) example, to power an elec-
circuit work lie as close to trochromic display — itself
100% as possible, and solving integration tronic components. Several types of print- manufactured as printed electronics — or
with the silicon-based circuits needed to ed circuits based on organic electrochemi- another part of the online electronic
process signals and communicate with the cal transistors were built. One of these is a world that the Internet of Things brings.
surroundings. shift-register, which can form an interface For more information, contact Magnus
Printed circuits were used to create an and deal with the contact between the sili- Berggren at magnus.berggren@liu.se; +46 11
interface with traditional silicon-based elec- con-based circuit and other electronic 36 36 37.

Nanotransistors Stay Cool at High Voltages
The transistors enable power converters to perform at substantially improved efficiencies,
especially in high-power applications.
EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
P ower converters are the systems that

allow us to plug in our computers,
lamps, and televisions and turn them on
in a snap. Converters transform the alter-
nating current (AC) that comes out of
wall sockets into the exact level of direct
current (DC) that the electronics need.
But they also tend to lose, on average, up
to 20% of their energy in the process.
Power converters work by using power
transistors — tiny semiconductor compo-
nents designed to switch on and off and
withstand high voltages. A new transistor
design — based on the application of
nanoscale structures for high-voltage
applications — means that much less heat
is lost during the conversion process, mak- The transistor can substantially reduce the resistance and cut the amount of heat dissipation in
ing the transistors especially well-suited to high-power systems. (Image © 2021 EPFL)
high-power applications like electric vehi-
cles and solar panels. less than half as much resistance as con- in low-power chips such as those in smart-
The heat dissipation in converters is ventional transistors while holding volt- phones and laptops — not in high-voltage
caused by the high electrical resistance, ages of more than 1,000 V. applications. The researchers demonstrat-
among other factors, which is the biggest The new technology incorporates two ed nanowires with a diameter of 15 nm
challenge in power electronic devices. key innovations. The first involves building and a unique funnel-like structure, en-
This becomes even more of a problem in several conductive channels into the com- abling them to support high electric fields
high-power applications. The higher the ponent to distribute the flow of current — and voltages of more than 1,000 V without
nominal voltage of semiconductor compo- much like new lanes added to a highway to breaking down.
nents, the greater the resistance. Power allow traffic to flow more smoothly and Thanks to the combination of these two
losses shorten the ranges of electric vehi- prevent traffic jams. The multi-channel innovations, the transistors can provide
cles and reduce the efficiency of renew- design splits up the flow of current, reduc- greater conversion efficiencies in high-
able energy systems. ing the resistance and overheating. power systems. The prototype that was
The new transistor can substantially The second innovation involves using built using slanted nanowires performs
reduce the resistance and cut the nanowires made of gallium nitride, a twice as well as the best GaN power devices.
amount of heat dissipation in high- semiconducting material ideal for power For more information, contact Sarah Perrin
power systems. More specifically, it has applications. Nanowires are already used at sarah.perrin@epfl.ch; 41 21 693 21 07.
CST3015 Series
Current Sense Transformers
• Sensed current >80 Amps over a frequency range of
0.2 kHz to 1 MHz
• 5000 Vrms, one minute isolation (hipot) between windings
• Meets reinforced insulation, at least 8 mm creepage/clearance
• Qualified to AEC-Q200 Grade 1 (−40°C to +125°C)
Free Samples @ www.coilcraft.com
Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Square Structural Joint with Robotic Assembly Tool
Applications include portable aerospace structures and terrestrial structures such as
cleanrooms and field hospitals.
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
T he square structural joint design en-

ables robotic assembly and has been
designed for high strength to weight, mul-
been incorporated, enabling greater capa-
bility and a stronger structural design.
Switching to square cross-section joints
unique stop plate in the drive train that can
be designed to default to the assembled
condition without a preload, yet spring
tifunctionality, and reduced manufactur- provides packaging efficiency along with back if forced toward unlocked. After
ing cost. The joint provides increased axial numerous improvements for robotic assembly, preload can be adjusted for secu-
stiffness compared to round tubes of the assembly applications such as providing rity. Designed for robust assembly, the
same width but torsional and bending rotational registration, robotically compati- robotic tools are built to actuate the joint.
strength are increased as well. Electrical ble tool designs, both mechanical and visu- Structural benefits include nearly com-
conductivity and provisions for routing of al indicators to verify locking operation, plete perimeter contact geometry for
wiring or tubing through the joints have preload, and capture spring forces with a improved structural efficiency, improved
cantilever beam response via linear bend-
ing response about the y and z axes, and
linear torsional response about the x axis.
Additionally, there is better linear axial
Assembly Tool
response along the x axis due to simple
geometry and large contact surfaces, high-
er torsional/torque capability (about the x
Camera and Lights
axis), higher bending capability about all
axes, higher axial capability, and is more
Passive Gripper cost effective to manufacture. It also offers
a bonding strap and treated contact sur-
faces that provide electrical conductivity
Lock and Unlock Drive
through the joint.
Grip Visual NASA is actively seeking licensees to com-
Verification
mercialize this technology. Please contact
Active Gripper
NASA’s Licensing Concierge at Agency-
Joint
Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us
a) Conceptual Tool at 202-358-7432 to initiate licensing discus-
b) Operator View of Visual Grip Indicator sions. Follow this link for more information:
https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LAR-
The conceptual installation tool operating on a joint. (NASA) TOPS-316.
Transport of Mechanical Energy, Even Through Damaged

Pathways
This work could lead to much more robust devices that continue to operate in spite of damage.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana
M ost technologies today rely on devices

that transport energy in the form of
light, radio, or mechanical waves; however,
and even if the disorder is a transient phe-
nomenon in time. This work could lead to
much more robust devices that continue to
mechanical, artificial material composed of
springs, masses, and magnets.
The underlying principle is to make
these waveguiding channels are susceptible operate in spite of damage. gradual, periodic modulations to the struc-
to disorder and damage, either in manu- The work demonstrated a topological ture of the chain as a function of time. At
facturing or after they are deployed in pump — a system that produces on- the completion of each period of the
harsh environments. demand, robust transport of mechanical pumping cycle, a single particle must enter
Researchers have experimentally dem- energy when it is periodically driven in the chain on one end and simultaneously,
onstrated a new way to transport energy, time. The researchers built the topological a single particle must exit the other end of
even through waveguides that are defective pump using a one-dimensional, magneto- the chain. This reliably occurs, even if the

Save time for
what matters most.
Get your job done faster on Thomasnet.com®.

Search, evaluate, and connect with over
500,000 North American suppliers for free.
THOMAS is a trademark of Thomas Publishing Company LLC

Mechanical &
Fluid Systems
chain of atoms has some moderate amount mechanical energy, not particles or water, ered their demonstration with a rotating
of disorder. across the entire chain in one period of crank shaft.
This type of system is termed a pump the pumping cycle. Moreover, the pump Ultimately, the team would like to ex-
because its technical description evokes a operates successfully even if the chain has tend the demonstration to produce simi-
vision of an Archimedes Screw, a hand- a significant amount of disorder in space larly resilient waveguides for light, sound,
cranked water pump dating back to ancient or time. To complete the analogy to a and electricity. The goal is to put a signal in
Egypt. The researchers’ pump transports water screw pump, the researchers pow- on one end of a one-dimensional channel
and have guaranteed transport to the
other end in a robust fashion whenever the
of
sport user wants it.
t tran y
Robus ical energ Optical fiber and copper lines form the
an
mech backbone of communication technologies.
Presently, moderate damage along such
communication channels (e.g. anything
but complete disconnection) can reduce
signal strength and even produce undesir-
able reflections that adversely affect the
Rotation
powered amount of data these channels can carry.
pump The team believes that topological pump-
ing could be a solution in these scenarios.
All experiments conducted by the team used an array of four unit-cells. Rotation of the shaft is For more information, contact Michelle
motorized, although in principle, a crank handle (illustrated) could be used to activate the pump. Huls Rice at mhrice@illinois.edu.
High Bus Voltage Stepper Motor Systems

New high bus voltage stepper motor systems avoid the complexity and expense of servo motors.
AutomationDirect, Cumming, Georgia
M any users are familiar with servo

motor systems for motion control
but newer high bus voltage stepper motor
but it is possible and becoming more com-
mon to add sensors and operate stepper
systems as closed-loop. Stepper motors can
Stepper motors are available in a wide
range of sizes but unlike other motors,
they do not have overload capability.
systems can be a better choice for many be the best price/performance fit for many Therefore, a good rule of thumb is sizing
applications. Motion control typically applications; however, stepper motors do so the load uses only 50% of the available
requires execution of precise profiles for have some limitations, so it is important to motor torque. Also, a stepper’s available
position, velocity, and/or acceleration. understand their benefits and constraints. torque declines as speed increases.
Several types of motors are available to Stepper motors are operated with rapid Standard stepper systems are powered
cover a variety of applications (Figure1). pulses that command the motor to move with DC voltage input (often at 70 V or
For many motion control applications, very quickly in small steps. Basic stepper less), introducing speed and force limita-
servo motor systems are considered the motors might only have 200 steps per 360- tions. Newer high bus voltage steppers
best high-performance solution. Servos degree motor revolution but microstep- are powered with AC voltage input (120
perform closed-loop control using an ping drives allow up to 50,000 steps per rev- or 240 V), resulting in 160 VDC or 340
encoder incorporated into the motor, olution. Higher steps per revolution gener- VDC bus levels for greater torque at
allowing the controller to sense how the ally equate to smoother motor motion. much higher speeds. Therefore, high bus
motor is moving and therefore provide
exact position, velocity, and acceleration
movements. Many aspects of robotics and
high-speed machinery are controlled and
coordinated using servos; however, servos
require specific combinations of con-
trollers, drives, and motors. The design,
hardware, installation, and configuration AC Motor DC Motor Stepper Motor Servo Motor
costs are correspondingly high.
Stepper motor systems land in the mid-
dle of the pack regarding motion control
Motion (Position) Control
capability and economics. They offer much
greater precision than AC induction and
DC motors, and the cost to implement Velocity Control
stepper systems is well below that of a servo
Figure 1. Standard AC induction and DC motors work well for simple applications, but stepper and
system. Standard stepper systems operate servo motor systems are needed to provide more advanced and precise motion control. (Image:
as open-loop without any motor sensors AutomationDirect)

NEW!
From
4 AXIS SERVO
Controller
Stepper
Power Supply Microstepping Drive Stepper Motor
from
AC Power
L Enable
N Step
G Direction
DC “Bus”
Voltage A+
A-
2.25”
VDC+ VDC+
VDC- VDC- B+
B-
(one supply
may power
multiple drives)
From
Controller
High Bus Voltage High Bus Voltage

Microstepping Drive Stepper Motor
Enable
Step
Direction
A+
AC Power
L A-
N B+
G B-
- brushed or bldc motors

Figure 2. AutomationDirect offers traditional DC stepper systems (top) and high bus voltage step-
per systems (bottom) that work in more applications due to improved speed and torque capabili-
- 5 amps per axis
ties. (Image: AutomationDirect) - 16 analog inputs
voltage versions of stepper systems can be Stepper motor systems can be the best - 16 on/off drivers
applied in more applications — some- motion control option for low-force ap- - home and limit in
times as an alternate to expensive servo plications and may only be about 25%
systems (Figure 2). the cost of servo systems. The latest high
- live tech support
Because most steppers are operated bus voltage stepper systems provide im- - made in the USA
open-loop, users will need to include proved torque, making steppers suitable
programming provisions for homing for more applications.
the motor to a known location and peri- This article was written by Joe Kimbrell, prod- See the
odically execute position verification to uct manager for motion control products at
confirm the motor has not stalled or AutomationDirect. For more information, visit EZQUAD SERVO
lost synchronization. http://info.hotims.com/79414-123.
in action!
New Process Breaks Down Polystyrene

The green, low-energy process breaks down the plastic that
is widely used in foam packaging, disposable food
containers, and cutlery.
WWW.ALLMOTION.COM
Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa
(510) 471-4000
D ue to the chemical stability and
durability of industrial polymers,
plastic waste does not easily degrade in
to be recycled or converted into new
value-added products.
Currently, recycling of the vast majority
30097 Ahern Avenue
Union City, CA 94587
Te c h n i c a l S u p p o r t
landfills and is often burned, which proof plastics is not economically feasible;
duces carbon dioxide and other haz- their sorting and separation are time- and (408) 460-1345
ardous gases. In order to stop the grow- labor-intensive, while chemical process-
ing flood of polymer waste and reduce ing and remanufacturing requires a sig-
carbon dioxide emissions, plastics have nificant energy input and toxic solvents.
Tech Briefs, June 2021 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-747

Mechanical &
Fluid Systems
Re-processed polymers often show inferi- involving mechanical cutting apart of the into smaller fragments — oligomeric ma-
or performance to that of the freshly macromolecules, which generates free rad- terials — suitable for further processing
manufactured materials. icals detectable in the milled material, even into new value-added products.
Scientists used processing by ball- after its prolonged exposure to air. The This method represents an important
milling to deconstruct commercial poly- metal bearings used for milling and the breakthrough that enables dismantling of
styrene in a single step at room tempera- ambient oxygen act as co-catalysts that a polymer simultaneously with its break-
ture, in ambient atmosphere, and in the enable extraction of the monomeric down under ambient conditions; that is,
absence of harmful solvents. Ball-milling styrene from the oligomeric radical-bear- ~300 °C below the thermal decomposi-
is a technique that places materials in a ing species formed. tion temperature of the pristine material.
milling vial with metal ball bearings that The experiments showed that the tem- The discovery opens new avenues for low-
is then agitated until a desired chemical perature rise in the material during temperature recovery of monomers from
reaction occurs. Called mechanochem- milling is not responsible for the observed multicomponent polymer-based systems
istry, this experimental approach has phenomenon, since the temperature such as composites and laminates. Also,
numerous applications in new materials inside the milled powder does not exceed the technology will allow extracting the
synthesis and attractive features where 50 °C, while the thermal decomposition monomer from crosslinked materials con-
plastics recycling is concerned. of polystyrene in air starts at about 325 °C. taining styrene units in their structures.
The deconstruction of polystyrene pro- The team confirmed the comprehensive For more information, contact Victor Balema
ceeds through a series of chemical events deconstruction of the original polymer at vbalema@ameslab.gov; 515-294-8033.
Mode I Fracture Testing Apparatus

The device uses load frames to test bonded structures in aerospace, automotive, defense,
and energy storage applications.
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
F racture testing drives material selec-

tion and design considerations for vir-
tually all structural components. The con-
ventional method for sample preparation
and Mode I Fracture Testing involves
using bonding hinges or loading blocks
to apply the opening peel force to the
specimen surface. Achieving accurate
and repeatable results can often require
significant re-work, making current meth-
ods expensive and time-consuming for
structural testing labs.
A team developed a new approach to
fracture testing that uses a tabletop drill
hole jig and a rotating pin block to pre-
pare and load the specimen. This ap-
proach eliminates hinges and adhesive
bonding for sample preparation, which
allows for rapid and accurate testing of
samples at a fraction of the cost and time
compared with conventional methods.
The solution for Mode I Fracture
Testing sample preparation has a load
train capable of free rotation during crack
tip opening displacement. Use of high-
strength and corrosion-resistant materials
ensures durability and accuracy for testing
under various environmental conditions.
Multiple configuration options to the
standard base package allow for varied
material construction and different test
ranges to suit most sample testing condi-
tions and applications.
For more information, contact Heather
Clark at hclark@sandia.gov; 505-844-3511. (Left): The drill hole jig and (right) Sandia’s solution for Mode I Fracture Testing.

Imaging
Device Combines Optics and Image Analysis to Count
Biomolecules
The tiny device can count biomolecules one by one in a small sample and determine
their position.
L’Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
T he promise of personalized medicine

involves a simple device that keeps
each person apprised of their level of
ered in millions of nano-sized elements
arranged in a special way. At a certain fre-
quency, these elements are able to
happening on the sensor chip. Smart data
science tools are then used to analyze the
millions of CMOS pixels obtained via this
health, identifies even trace amounts of squeeze light into extremely small vol- process and identify trends. Researchers
undesirable biomarkers in blood or sali- umes, creating ultrasensitive optical “hot- demonstrated the ability to detect and
va, and serves as an early warning system spots.” When light shines on the metasur- image not just individual biomolecules at
for diseases. face and hits a molecule at one of these the hotspots but even a single graphene
A device was developed that consists of hotspots, the molecule is detected imme- sheet only one atom thick.
an ultra-thin and miniaturized optical diately; in fact, the molecule gives itself A second version of the system was
chip that, when coupled with a standard away by changing the wavelength of the developed in which the metasurfaces are
CMOS camera and powered by image light that hits it. programmed to resonate at different wave-
analysis, is able to count biomolecules By using different colored lights on the lengths in different regions. The tech-
one by one in a sample and determine metasurface and taking a picture each nique is simpler yet is also less precise in
their location. time with a CMOS camera, researchers locating the molecules.
The technology is based on metasur- are able to count the number of mole- For more information, contact Hatice Altug
faces — sheets of artificial materials cov- cules in a sample and learn exactly what is at hatice.altug@epfl.ch; +41-216-931-170.
Using Neural Networks for Faster X-Ray Imaging

Artificial intelligence is used to decode X-ray images faster, which could aid innovations in
medicine, materials, and energy.
Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois
S cientists have demonstrated the use of

artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up
the process of reconstructing images
the amount of detail they can provide.
This has led to the development of coher-
ent X-ray imaging methods that are capa-
images without the need for lenses by dif-
fracting or scattering the beam off of sam-
ples and directly onto detectors.
from coherent X-ray scattering data. ble of providing images from deep within The data captured by those detectors
Traditional X-ray imaging techniques materials at a few nanometer resolution has all the information needed to recon-
(like medical X-ray images) are limited in or less. These techniques generate X-ray struct high-fidelity images and computa-
tional scientists can do this with ad-
vanced algorithms. These images can
then help scientists design better batter-
Object
ies, build more durable materials, and
develop better medications and treat-
ments for diseases.
The process of using computers to
Phase assemble images from coherent scat-
tered X-ray data is called ptychography
and the team used a neural network that
learns how to pull that data into a coher-
ent form — hence the name of the inno-
vation: PtychoNN.
Direct inversion When an X-ray beam strikes a sample,
the light is diffracted and scatters and the
sample detectors around the sample collect that
PtychoNN uses AI techniques to reconstruct both the amplitude and the phase from X-ray data, light. It’s then up to scientists to turn that
providing images that scientists can use. (Image: Mathew Cherukara/Argonne National Laboratory.) data into information that can be used.
Tech Briefs, June 2021 www.techbriefs.com 41

Imaging
The challenge, however, is that while the It can be done but the process is slower comes in. Using AI techniques, the re-
photons in the X-ray beam carry two than scientists would like. Part of the chal- searchers demonstrated that computers
pieces of information — the amplitude or lenge is on the data acquisition end. In can be taught to predict and reconstruct
the brightness of the beam, and the phase order to reconstruct the phase data from images from X-ray data and can do it 300
or how much the beam changes when it coherent diffraction imaging experiments, times faster than the traditional method.
passes through the sample — the detec- the current algorithms require scientists to More than that, though, PtychoNN is able
tors only capture one. Because the detec- collect much more amplitude data from to speed up the process on both ends.
tors can only detect amplitude and they their sample, which takes longer. But the For more information, contact Mathew
cannot detect the phase, all that informa- actual reconstruction from that data takes Cherukara at mcherukara@anl.gov; 630-
tion is lost so it must be reconstructed. some time as well. This is where PtychoNN 252-4548.
3D Holographic Head-Up Display Could Improve Road Safety

The LiDAR-based system could “see through” objects to warn of potential hazards without
distracting the driver.
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
R esearchers have developed a LiDAR-

based augmented reality head-up
display for use in vehicles. Tests on a pro-
totype version of the technology suggest
that it could improve road safety by “see-
ing through” objects to alert of potential
hazards without distracting the driver.
The technology uses LiDAR data to
create ultra-high-definition holographic
representations of road objects, which
are beamed directly to the driver’s eyes
instead of 2D windscreen projections
used in most head-up displays.
The holographic images appear in the
driver’s field of view according to their
actual position, creating an augmented
reality. This could be particularly useful
where objects such as road signs are hid-
den by large trees or trucks, for exam-
ple, allowing the driver to see through
visual obstructions. Head-up displays
usually project information, such as
speed or fuel level, directly onto the
windscreen in front of the driver, who
must keep their eyes on the road. The
new system represents real objects as
panoramic 3D projections.
Using LiDAR, the team scanned a
busy street using a technique called ter-
restrial laser scanning. Millions of pulses
were sent out from multiple positions
along the street. The LiDAR data was
then combined with point cloud data, An image based on LiDAR data (left), converted to a hologram (right).
building up a 3D model. The scans were
stitched together, building a whole When the 3D model of the street was ated diffraction patterns. These data
scene that doesn’t just capture trees but completed, the researchers then trans- points were implemented into the opti-
cars, trucks, people, signs, and anything formed various objects on the street into cal setup to project 3D holographic
else seen on a typical city street. Al- holographic projections. The LiDAR objects into the driver’s field of view.
though the data captured was from a sta- data, in the form of point clouds, was The optical setup is capable of pro-
tionary platform, it is similar to the sen- processed by separation algorithms to jecting multiple layers of holograms with
sors that will be in the next generation identify and extract the target objects. the help of advanced algorithms. The
of autonomous or semi-autonomous Another algorithm was used to convert holographic projection can appear at
vehicles. the target objects into computer-gener- different sizes and is aligned with the

position of the represented real object on the street; for exam-
ple, a hidden street sign would appear as a holographic projec-
tion relative to its actual position behind the obstruction, act-
ing as an alert mechanism.
The researchers hope to refine the system by personalizing
the layout of the head-up displays and have created an algo-
rithm capable of projecting several layers of different objects.
These layered holograms can be freely arranged in the driver’s
vision space; for example, in the first layer, a traffic sign at a fur-
ther distance can be projected at a smaller size. In the second
layer, a warning sign at a closer distance can be displayed at a
larger size. This layering technique provides an augmented
reality experience and alerts the driver in a natural way. Each
individual may have different preferences for their display
options; for instance, the driver’s vital health signs could be
projected in a desired location of the head-up display.
The researchers are now working to miniaturize the optical
components used in the holographic setup so they can fit
into a car.
For more information, contact Sarah Collins at sarah.collins@
admin.cam.ac.uk.
Optical Imaging Technology

Sheds Light on Tumors
This tool could help surgeons better treat
tumors and brain diseases. Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-748
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

www.hunterproducts.com
A new tool for medical professionals may help shed more light
on tumors in the body and how the brain operates.
Researchers created technology that uses optical imaging to bet-
ter help surgeons map out tumors in the body and help them
understand how certain diseases affect activity in the brain.
MICRO-METALLIZER PLATING PENS MIL & QQ

Standards GOLD 14K, 18K, 24K, SILVER, RHODIUM,
PALLADIUM, NICKEL, COPPER, TIN, BLACK
NICKEL, AND CHROME COLOR PENS AVAILABLE.
Environmentally friendly, these low-cost disposable applicators

permit instantaneous selection from a variety of plating
possibilities without the preparation of solutions. Specially
formulated compounds and can be used for contact repair,
prototype development work, electronic instrument repair,
medical instrument repair etc.
Hunter Products, Inc.

36 Madison Ave
Flemington, NJ 08822
)D[
Light travels through tissue like gas from a leaky pipe diffuses to fill a room. hunter@hunterproducts.com
This allows illumination and interrogation of structures within the tissue.
Through modeling and inversion algorithms, the size, shape, and location
of tumors and blood vessels can be determined. (Image: Brian Bentz)

Imaging
Light is used to extract new informa- agents that are introduced into the body The technology overcomes one of the
tion from tissue to inform doctors and to find tumors and/or blood vessels with- major challenges with fluorescence
assist them in designing and carrying in the tissue. This allows illumination imaging — the light becomes highly scat-
out surgeries to remove tumors. The and interrogation of structures within tered and limits the information that a
localization method helps the surgeon the tissue. Through modeling and inver- surgeon receives. The new method pro-
pinpoint precise information about the sion algorithms, the size, shape, and loca- vides more detailed information about
depth and location of tumors. Such tion of tumors and blood vessels can be tumors and neuron activity in the brain,
information is not easily accessible with determined. The same technology can both of which can improve outcomes for
current technologies. be used to study neuron activation in the patients.
The technology uses contrast in the brain, which can help doctors detect dis- For more information, contact Chris Adam
absorption of light and fluorescent eases such as Parkinson’s. at cladam@prf.org; 765-588-3341.
Vision System Sees Through Clouds and Fog

Movements of individual particles of light are reconstructed to see through clouds, fog,
and other obstructions.
Stanford University, Stanford, California
U sing hardware similar to what en-

ables autonomous cars to “see” the
world around them, researchers have
developed a system that can see through
clouds and fog. They enhanced the sys-
tem with an algorithm that can recon-
struct three-dimensional hidden scenes
based on the movement of individual
particles of light, or photons. In tests, the
system successfully reconstructed shapes
obscured by 1"-thick foam. To the
human eye, it’s like seeing through walls.
This technique complements other
vision systems that can see through bar-
riers on the microscopic scale — for
applications in medicine — because it’s
more focused on large-scale situations
such as navigating self-driving cars in fog
or heavy rain and satellite imaging of the
surface of Earth and other planets
through hazy atmosphere.
In order to see through environments
that scatter light, the system pairs a laser
with a super-sensitive photon detector
that records every bit of laser light that A three-dimensional reconstruction of the reflective letter “S” as seen through the 1”-thick foam.
hits it. As the laser scans an obstruction (Image credit: Stanford Computational Imaging Lab)
like a wall of foam, an occasional photon
will manage to pass through the foam, that these systems only use information minute to one hour but the algorithm
hit the objects hidden behind it, and from ballistic photons, which are pho- reconstructed the obscured scene in real
pass back through the foam to reach the tons that travel to and from the hidden time and could be run on a laptop.
detector. The algorithm-supported soft- object through the scattering field but Someday, a descendant of this system
ware then uses those few photons — and without actually scattering along the way. could be sent through space to other
information about where and when they In order to make their algorithm planets and moons to help see through
hit the detector — to reconstruct the amenable to the complexities of scatter- icy clouds to deeper layers and surfaces.
hidden objects in 3D. ing, the researchers had to closely co- In the nearer term, the researchers
This is not the first system with the design their hardware and software, would like to experiment with different
ability to reveal hidden objects through although the hardware components they scattering environments to simulate
scattering environments but it circum- used are only slightly more advanced other circumstances where this technol-
vents limitations associated with other than what is currently found in auton- ogy could be useful.
techniques; for example, some require omous cars. Depending on the bright- For more information, contact Taylor
knowledge about how far away the ness of the hidden objects, scanning in Kubota at tkubota@stanford.edu; 650-724-
object of interest is. It is also common their tests took anywhere from one 7707.

Optics
Monolithic Optical Parametric Oscillator for
Laser Spectrometer
Applications include remote sensing, laser spectroscopy, and gas analysis.
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
F or remote sensing spectrometers,

wavelength-scanned laser emissions
are used to capture the absorption spec-
NASA Goddard developed a faster and
widely tunable monolithic optical para-
metric oscillator for use in laser spec-
simpler and faster tunable laser without
losing alignment.
NASA is actively seeking licensees to com-
trum of targets to perform measurement trometers. This technology provides a mercialize this technology. Please contact
of soil and/or gas. Previous techniques continuously tunable spectrum across NASA’s Licensing Concierge at Agency-
to accomplish these measurements have any target, adding flexibility to the overall Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us
involved combining multiple fixed-wave- instrument. In addition, only one nonlin- at 202-358-7432 to initiate licensing discus-
length lasers to detect a single species, ear crystal and oscillator pump source is sions. Follow this link for more information:
limiting the scope and effectiveness of used, greatly simplifying the spectrome- https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/GSC-
the instruments. ter system. This technology provides a TOPS-208.
Diffraction Grating Provides Wider Angles for Light Input

This technology bends light more efficiently, enabling more immersive augmented reality
display systems.
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
D iffraction gratings are used to

manipulate light in everything from
electronic displays to fiber-optic commu-
nication technologies. Until now, state-
of-the-art diffraction gratings configured
to steer visible light to large angles have
had an angular acceptance range, or
bandwidth, of about 20 degrees, mean-
ing that the light source has to be direct-
ed into the grating within an arc of 20
degrees. A new grating was developed
that expands that window to 40 degrees,
allowing light to enter the grating from
a wider range of input angles.
The liquid crystal (LC) polymer Bragg
polarization grating (PG) for steering light
allows for more light input and greater
efficiency — a development that holds A 1"-diameter Bragg polarization grating diffracts white light from an LED flashlight onto a screen
promise for creating more immersive aug- placed nearby. Even though the difference between the light’s input and output direction is very
large, the grating is highly efficient for a wide set of input angles. The extremely large color sepa-
mented-reality display systems in which ration occurs because the grating structure has a nanoscale periodic structure smaller than the
users would have a greater field of view. wavelength of visible light.
In previous gratings in a comparable
configuration, an average of 30 percent layers that are superimposed in a way The higher efficiency stems from a
of the light input is being diffracted in that allows their optical responses to smoothly varying pattern in the orienta-
the desired direction. The new grating work together. One layer contains mol- tion of the liquid crystal molecules in the
diffracts about 75 percent of the light ecules that are arranged at a “slant” grating. The pattern affects the phase of
in the desired direction. This advance that allows it to capture 20 degrees of the light, which is the mechanism re-
could also make fiber-optic networks angular bandwidth. The second layer sponsible for redirecting the light.
more energy-efficient. is arranged at a different slant, which For more information, contact Matt
The grating achieves the advance in captures an adjacent 20 degrees of Shipman at matt_shipman@ncsu.edu; 919-
angular bandwidth by integrating two angular bandwidth. 515-6386.

Optics
High-Capacity Optical Data Storage Disk

Using gold nanomaterials, this disk can hold data securely for more than 600 years.
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
R esearchers have used gold nanoma-

terials to demonstrate a next-genera-
tion optical disk with up to 10 TB capac-
and centuries. The new technology
could expand horizons for research by
helping to advance the rise of Long Data.
the nanoplasmonic hybrid glass matrix,
gold nanorods were incorporated into a
hybrid glass composite known as organic
ity — a storage leap of 400 percent — The novel technique combines gold modified ceramic.
and a six-century lifespan. The technolo- nanomaterials with a hybrid glass materi- Gold was chosen because like glass, it
gy could radically improve the energy al that has outstanding mechanical is robust and highly durable. Gold
efficiency of data centers by using 1,000 strength. The researchers demonstrated nanoparticles allow information to be
times less power than a hard disk center. optical long data memory in a novel recorded in five dimensions — the three
It requires far less cooling and elimi- nanoplasmonic hybrid glass matrix, dif- dimensions in space, plus color and
nates the energy-intensive task of data ferent to the conventional materials polarization.
migration every two years. Optical disks used in optical discs. Glass is a highly The technique relies on a sol-gel
are also inherently far more secure than durable material that can last up to process, which uses chemical precursors
hard disks. 1,000 years and can be used to hold to produce ceramics and glasses with
The world is shifting from Big Data data, but has limited storage capacity better purity and homogeneity than con-
towards Long Data, which enables new because of its inflexibility. ventional processes.
insights to be discovered through the The team combined glass with an For more information, contact Gosia
mining of massive datasets that capture organic material, halving its lifespan but Kaszubska at gosia.kaszubska@rmit.edu.au;
changes in the real world over decades radically increasing capacity. To create +61 3 9925 3176.
Quantum-Dot Infrared Cameras for Electronics and

Self-Driving Cars
The inexpensive cameras are easy to produce.
University of Chicago, Illinois
I nfrared cameras can pick up light

emitted as plants photosynthesize, as
cool stars burn, and as batteries get hot.
They can also see through smoke, fog,
and plastic. But infrared cameras are
much more expensive than visible-light
cameras; the energy of infrared light is
smaller than visible light, making it
harder to capture.
A new method could lead to much
more cost-effective infrared cameras,
which in turn could enable infrared
cameras for common consumer elec-
tronics like phones as well as sensors to
help autonomous cars see their sur-
roundings more accurately.
Today’s infrared cameras are made by
successively laying down multiple layers
of semiconductors — a complicated and Photos taken by researchers testing a new method to make an infrared camera that could be much
error-prone process that makes them less expensive to manufacture. (Photo courtesy of Xin Tang)
too expensive to go into most consumer
electronics. The new method uses quan- be tuned to pick up wavelengths of in- information — like adding color to
tum dots — tiny nanoparticles just a few frared light. black-and-white TV. Short-wave provides
nanometers in size. At that scale, they This tunability is important for cam- textural and chemical composition infor-
have odd properties that change de- eras because they need to pick up differ- mation; mid-wave provides temperature.
pending on their size, which scientists ent parts of the infrared spectrum. The quantum dots were tweaked to
can control by tuning the particle to the Collecting multiple wavelengths within obtain a formula to detect short-wave
right size. In this case, quantum dots can the infrared provides more spectral infrared and one for mid-wave infrared.

Both were placed together on top of a tion can be easily fabricated into a func- Infrared can detect heat signatures from
silicon wafer. The resulting camera per- tional device. living beings and see through fog or
forms extremely well and is much easier There are many potential uses for haze, so car engineers would include
to produce. The process involves inject- inexpensive infrared cameras including them if the cost was not prohibitive.
ing two solutions into a beaker and wait- autonomous vehicles that rely on sen- For more information, contact Louise
ing 5 to 10 minutes. The resulting solu- sors to scan the road and surroundings. Lerner at louise@uchicago.edu; 773-702-8366.
Tiny Light Detectors Record the Incoming Angle of Light

These tiny detectors could record characteristics of light such as color, polarity, and angle.
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
G eckos and many other animals have

heads that are too small to triangu-
late the location of noises the way hu-
acteristics of light such as color, polari-
ty, and angle of light. More detailed
light detection could support advances
about 100 nanometers in diameter —
lined up next to each other like the
gecko’s eardrums. They are positioned
mans do: with widely spaced ears. In- in lens-less cameras, augmented reality, so closely that when a light wave comes
stead, they have a tiny tunnel through and robotic vision, which is important in at an angle, the wire closest to the
their heads that measures the way incom- for autonomous cars. light source interferes with the waves,
ing sound waves bounce around to figure If a sound isn’t coming from directly hitting its neighbor and basically cast-
out which direction they came from. over a gecko’s head, one eardrum ing a shadow. The first wire to detect
A similar system for detecting the essentially steals some of the sound the light would then send the strongest
angle of incoming light was developed wave energy that would otherwise tun- current. By comparing the current in
that could let tiny cameras detect where nel through to the other. This infer- both wires, the researchers can map the
light is coming from but without the ence helps the gecko understand where angle of incoming light waves.
bulk of a large lens, which is the typical a sound is coming from. This structure For more information, contact Taylor
way to determine the direction of light. was mimicked in the photodetector by Kubota at tkubota@stanford.edu; 650-724-
These tiny detectors could record char- having two silicon nanowires — each 7707.
Optical Device Fine-Tunes the Color of Light

The new photonic architecture could transform digital communications, artificial
intelligence, and quantum computing.
Stanford University, Stanford, California
W hite light is not white at all but

rather a composite of many pho-
tons — droplets of energy that make up
light instead of electrons. Existing meth-
ods that accomplish optical neural net-
works do not actually change the frequen-
For an example, an incoming light
stream is comprised of 20 percent pho-
tons in the 500-namometer range and
light from every color of the rainbow. cies of the photons but simply reroute 80 percent at 510 nanometers. Using
Researchers have developed an optical photons of a single frequency. Performing the new device, an engineer could fine-
device that allows engineers to change such neural computations through fre- tune that ratio to 73 percent at 500
and fine-tune the frequencies of each quency manipulation could lead to much nanometers and 27 percent at 510
individual photon in a stream of light to more compact devices. nanometers, all while preserving the
virtually any mixture of colors. The color of a photon is determined by total number of photons. In the quan-
The structure consists of a low-loss the frequency at which the photon res- tum world, a single photon can have
wire for light carrying a stream of pho- onates, which in turn is a factor of its multiple colors. In that circumstance,
tons that passes by like cars on a busy wavelength. A red photon has a relatively the new device actually allows changing
throughway. The photons then enter a slow frequency and a wavelength of about of the ratio of different colors for a sin-
series of rings like the off-ramps in a 650 nanometers. At the other end of the gle photon.
highway cloverleaf. Each ring has a mod- spectrum, blue light has a much faster The device allows for “arbitrary”
ulator that transforms the frequency of frequency with a wavelength of about 450 transformation but that does not mean
the passing photons — frequencies that nanometers. random. Instead, it means that it can
our eyes see as color. There can be as A simple transformation may involve achieve any linear transformation that
many rings as necessary and engineers shifting a photon from a frequency of the engineer requires. The engineer
can finely control the modulators to dial 500 nanometers to 510 nanometers or, can control the frequencies and propor-
in the desired frequency transformation. as the human eye would register it, a tions very accurately and a wide variety
Among the applications are optical change from cyan to green. The new of transformations are possible.
neural networks for artificial intelligence architecture can perform these simple For more information, contact Tom Abate
that perform neural computations using transformations with fine control. at tabate@stanford.edu; 650-736-2245.

Health & Biotech
Tiny Wireless Implant Detects Oxygen Deep Within the Body
The device, powered by ultrasound waves, could help doctors monitor the health of
transplanted organs and provide early warning of potential transplant failure.
University of California, Berkeley
E ngineers have created a tiny wire-

less implant that can provide real-
time measurements of tissue oxygen
levels deep underneath the skin. The
device, which is smaller than the aver-
age ladybug and powered by ultra-
sound waves, paves the way for the cre-
ation of a variety of miniaturized sen-
sors that could track key biochemical
markers in the body such as pH or car-
bon dioxide. These sensors could one
day provide doctors with minimally
invasive methods for monitoring the
biochemistry inside functioning organs
and tissues.
Oxygen is a key component to cells’
ability to harness energy from the food
that we eat and nearly all tissues in the
body require a steady supply in order
to survive. Most methods for measur-
ing tissue oxygenation can only pro- A schematic of the oxygen-detecting implant, which measures 4.5 by 3 millimeters. The μLED, O2-
sensing film, and optical filter make up the oxygen sensor and are controlled by an integrated cir-
vide information about what is hap- cuit (IC). The piezocrystal converts an electronic signal from the IC into ultrasonic waves that can
pening near the surface of the body. be transmitted safely through living tissue. (UC Berkeley image: Soner Sonmezoglu)
That is because these methods rely on
electromagnetic waves, such as infrared
light, which can only penetrate a few
centimeters into skin or organ tissue.
While there are types of magnetic res-
onance imaging that can provide in-
formation about deep tissue oxygena-
tion, they require long scanning times
and so are unable to provide data in
real time.
Ultrasonic waves, which are a form of
sound too high in frequency to be
detected by the human ear, can travel
harmlessly through the body at much
longer distances than electromagnetic
waves and are already the basis of ultra-
sound imaging technology in medicine.
Incorporating the oxygen sensor in-
volved integrating both an LED light
source and an optical detector into the
tiny device as well as designing a more The wireless implant can measure the oxygenation of living tissue deep below the surface of the
complicated set of electronic controls skin. (UC Berkeley photo: Soner Sonmezoglu)
to operate and read out the sensor.
This type of oxygen sensor differs from blood that is oxygenated, the new device because in the months after organ trans-
the pulse oximeters that are used to is able to directly measure the amount of plantation, vascular complications can
measure oxygen saturation in the oxygen in tissue. occur and these complications may
blood. While pulse oximeters measure One potential application of the lead to graft dysfunction. It could be
the proportion of hemoglobin in the device is to monitor organ transplants used to measure tumor hypoxia as well,

which can help doctors guide cancer oxygen exposure such as retinopathy of changing the platform that was built for
radiation therapy. prematurity or chronic lung disease. the oxygen sensor, the device can be mod-
In premature infants, supplemental The technology could be further ified to measure, for example, pH, reac-
oxygen may be required but doctors improved by housing the sensor so that it tive oxygen species, glucose, or carbon
don’t have a reliable tissue readout of could survive long term in the body. dioxide. If the packaging could be made
oxygen concentration. Further miniatur- Further miniaturizing the device would smaller, the device could be injected into
ized versions of this device could help also simplify the implantation process, the body with a needle, or through laparo-
better manage oxygen exposure in which currently requires surgery. In addi- scopic surgery, making the implantation
preterm infants in the intensive care tion, the optical platform in the sensor even easier.
nursery setting and help minimize some could be readily adapted to measure For more information, contact Kara Manke
of the negative consequences of excessive other biochemistry in the body. By just at kjmanke@berkeley.edu; 510-643-7741.
Heated Facemask Filters and Inactivates Coronaviruses

The reusable mask would include a heated copper mesh powered by a battery and
surrounded by insulating neoprene.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
F acemasks have been shown effective

at filtering out viruses such as the
SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby reducing the
risk of infection. Researchers hope to go
one step further and create a mask that
inactivates viruses using heat. The aim is
to build masks that incorporate a heated
copper mesh. As the person wearing the
mask breathes in and out, air flows
repeatedly across the mesh and any viral
particles in the air are slowed and inacti-
vated by the mesh and high tempera-
tures. Such a mask could be useful for
healthcare professionals as well as mem-
bers of the public in situations where
social distancing would be difficult to
achieve such as a crowded bus.
The mask does not primarily block the
virus. It actually lets the virus go through
the mask but slows and inactivates it.
Masks commonly worn are designed to
capture some of the virus and while they The new masks inactivate viruses using heat. (Image: Courtesy of the researchers)
do offer protection, they do not inacti-
vate the virus and sterilize the air. The tric heater powered by a small battery. N95 respirators, surgical masks, and
team set out to design a mask that would The current prototypes include a 9-volt cloth masks are effective and should be
kill viruses using heat. They used copper battery, which would provide enough used during the pandemic as directed
mesh as the heating and capture element power to heat the mask for a few hours but one potential advantage of heated
and performed some mathematical mod- and would cool the air before it is inhaled. masks is that because they kill the virus,
eling to determine the optimal tempera- The team enhanced the efficiency of they don’t need to be decontaminated or
ture range they would need to achieve to virus deactivation by taking advantage of thrown away after use. Additionally, they
kill coronaviruses flowing inward or out- the breath to create a type of reactor may offer extra protection by eliminating
ward from natural breathing. known as a reverse-flow reactor. As the the virus rather than only filtering it. The
The researchers calculated how rapidly person wearing the mask breathes in and new mask enables the wearer to breathe
coronaviruses degrade at different tem- out, the airflow continually reverses, in medically sterile air and breathe out
peratures and trapping conditions and allowing any viruses in the mask to pass medically sterile air, protecting people
found that a temperature of about 90 °C over the mesh many times and making it nearby. Heated masks would be more
could achieve between a thousandfold more likely that they will be deactivated. expensive than cloth masks or surgical
and millionfold reduction in viral parti- Purified air flows out of vents on both masks but they may be useful in situa-
cles, depending on the final mask size. sides of the mask. The copper mesh is tions where exposure risk is high and
The temperature can be achieved by run- surrounded by neoprene, an insulating cost is less of a concern.
ning an electrical current across a 0.1- material that prevents the outside of the For more information, contact Abby
mm-thick copper mesh or thermoelec- mask from becoming too hot to wear. Abazorius at abbya@mit.edu; 617-253-2709.

Health & Biotech
Smartphone-Based Medical Tests

A smartphone, combined with nanoscale porous silicon, enables inexpensive, simple,
home diagnostics.
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
S imple home medical tests consist of

a deck of various silicon chips coated
in special film — one that could detect
drugs in the blood, another for proteins
in the urine indicating infection, and
another for bacteria in water and the
like. Add the bodily fluid to be tested,
take a picture with a smartphone, and a
special app shows if there’s a problem
or not.
Low-cost, nanostructured thin films of
silicon feature nanoscale holes that are a
thousand times smaller than a strand of
hair. They selectively capture molecules
when pre-treated with the appropriate
surface coating, darkening the silicon,
which the app detects.
Similar technology being developed
relies on expensive hardware that com-
pliments the smartphone. The new sys-
tem uses the phone’s flash as a light
source and the researchers plans to
develop an app that could handle all
data processing necessary to confirm
that the film simply darkened when
fluid was added.
In the future, such a phone could
replace a mass spectrometry system that These silicon chips are similar to those that would be used in the detection process. (Vanderbilt
costs thousands of dollars. The Trans- University/Heidi Hall)
portation Security Administration (TSA)
uses mass spectrometers at airports reaction that introduces more room for top measurement systems. A 3D-printed
across the country where they are used error. In the new system, a biotin-strep- box stabilized the phone to get stan-
to detect gunpowder on hand swabs. tavidin protein assay was used with an dardized measurements.
Other home tests rely on a color iPhone SE to test the silicon films. For more information, contact Heidi Hall at
change, which is a separate chemical Accuracy was similar to that of bench- heidi.hall@vanderbilt.edu; 615-322-NEWS.
Radar Enables Touch-Free Monitoring of Heart Sounds

Mobile radar devices could replace standard stethoscopes.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
S tethoscopes are used to diagnose the

noises produced by the heart and
lungs. Used in the conventional way, vibra-
function, is carried out subjectively and is
directly dependent on the experience of
the doctor conducting the examination.
by the heartbeat were measured. During
this process, a radar wave is aimed at the
surface of an object and reflected. If the
tions from the surface of the body are A procedure was developed for reli- object moves, the phase of the reflecting
transmitted to a membrane in the chest ably detecting and diagnosing heart wave changes. This is used to calculate
piece and then to the user’s eardrum sounds using radar. Mobile radar devices the strength and frequency of the move-
where they are perceived as sounds. could replace conventional stethoscopes ment of the chest. In contrast to radar
Acoustic stethoscopes are comparatively and permanent, touch-free monitoring systems for traffic monitoring, the bio-
inexpensive and have been used reliably of patients’ vital functions could be pos- medical radar system can detect changes
for several decades but they have one sible using stationary radar devices. in movement that measure a few
drawback. The diagnosis of heart mur- Using a six-port continuous-wave ra- micrometers, which is an important pre-
murs, such as the assessment of heart valve dar system, vibrations on the skin caused requisite to diagnosing even the smallest

M AT E R I A L S C H A N N E L
Sponsored by
FEATURED SPONSOR VIDEO:

How Do You Use an EFD Syringe with a Manual
Plunger for a One Part Epoxy?
Although EFD syringes are mostly used for automatic dispensing, they
are capable of being used for manual application by hand. Learn how
in this video.
www.techbriefs.com/tv/EFD-syringe
Intelligent Soft
Material Curls Under
Pressure
Researchers have printed liquid
metal circuits onto a single piece
of soft polymer, creating an
intelligent material that curls under
mechanical pressure or stretching.
A radar system enables touch-free monitoring of heart sounds. (Image: www.techbriefs.com/tv/

LM-curl
FAU/Kilin Shi)
anomalies such as insufficiency, stenoses, or heart valves that Manufacturing

do not close properly. Biomass-Based Plastics
Test patients were examined in various states of activity With technology developed at
such as while resting and after sports, and their heart sounds EPFL, plant materials can be used
as an alternative to petroleum
were detected. A direct comparison between the radar system derivatives for producing bio-
and conventional standard instruments with a digital stetho- plastics, textiles, and cosmetics.
scope and an electrocardiograph (ECG) showed a very high
correlation — 83 percent in a direct comparison of the signal
shapes with the digital stethoscope. The slight deviations are www.techbriefs.com/tv/
EPFL-biomass
caused by the fact that measurements using the radar system
and the reference systems cannot be carried out simultane-
ously on exactly the same place on the body. In addition, the Next-Generation Liquid
radar system measures a surface area and not a single spot Structures
like the stethoscope, which is also a reason for the varying New findings could help
researchers optimize liquid
measurement values. structures to advance biomedical
A significant advantage offered by radar is the fact that the applications like reconfigurable
values are recorded digitally and are thus not subjective, allow- microfluidics for drug discovery
and all-liquid robotics.
ing human error to be increasingly ruled out during the diag-
nosis of anomalies or diseases. Using biomedical radar systems
www.techbriefs.com/tv/
for automated prophylactic examinations — for example, in liquid-structures
doctors’ waiting rooms, at work, or at home — is also feasible.
For more information, contact Kilin Shi at kilin.shi@fau.de;
+49 9131 8567733. www.techbriefs.tv
Tech Briefs, June 2021 51
Software
LogFire
The software automatically checks mission operations logs.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
R ule-based systems seem natural for

runtime verification (RV)/program
monitoring. From a specification nota-
telemetry stream is essentially a sequence
of events that is stored on the ground as a
log in persistent memory. Mission opera-
known RETE algorithm, has in addi-
tion been augmented with the notion
of events, which are instantaneous in
tion point of view, rule-based systems tions need to produce automated checks contrast to long-living facts with which
appear quite suitable for expressing the that these logs are correct. LogFire can rule engines normally work. Finally, an
kind of properties the runtime verifica- be used for checking these logs. LogFire, indexing method has optimized the en-
tion community normally writes. for example, allows operations engineers gine to handle events that carry data.
Specifications written in a rule system to automatically ensure that a rover per- LogFire furthermore allows specifica-
have an operational flavor, which can forms the correct steps. tion patterns to be easily encoded to gen-
be seen as a disadvantage or an advan- LogFire reads in a log file and checks erate rules. It is relatively straightforward
tage, depending on the viewpoint. The it against a formal specification. The to define specification patterns as frag-
operational flavor makes specifications specification can be formulated in a ments of temporal logic and time lines
longer than in declarative temporal rule-based language. The rule-based — instances of which are translated to
logic or regular expressions; however, specification language is implemented rules. An interesting nuance is that these
they are natural to write. Once the core as an API in the Scala programming templates allow data-parameterized
idea is mastered, writing rules is language. This results in a very power- events. Experiments have been per-
straightforward, like programming. ful specification language since one can formed comparing the resulting imple-
More declarative specifications can be mix rules and traditional program- mentation with six other runtime verifi-
trickier to get right. This observation is ming. cation and rule-based systems.
similar to the observation that it may be The definition of the rule-based lan- NASA seeks to freely license this software
easier to formulate a nontrivial proper- guage as an API in Scala has the appear- and make it available for general use for
ty as a state machine than as a temporal ance of a DSL (Domain-Specific Lan- open source projects. Please contact NASA’s
logic formula or a regular expression. guage) due to Scala’s support for defi- Licensing Concierge at Agency-Patent-
JPL’s rovers and spacecraft produce nition of such (internal) DSLs. The Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us at 202-
telemetry streams when operating. A rule engine, which is based on the well 358-7432 to initiate licensing discussions.
WiFi RSSI Sensor Tracker for the ISS

This software could also be used for indoor navigation assistance for the visually impaired.
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
S ensors aboard the International

Space Station (ISS), including per-
sonal CO2 monitors, require location
format and protocol for recording WiFi
signal strength information so that it
could later be used to locate sensors
was developed. A pipeline of techniques
was constructed that gives highly accu-
rate performance for the data sets col-
tracking in order to correlate their time- onboard the ISS. Google and Apple have lected. With a simple moving-window fil-
stamped data with positional informa- proprietary solutions for location services ter, the predictor can correctly identify
tion. Labeling of data based on visual that combine GPS data with WiFi which module a sensor is in with >95%
inspection is expensive and impractical strength readings to give an accurate esti- accuracy. Further improvements will be
for tracking many sensors. A cheap and mate of a cellphone’s position; however, able to bring this much closer to 100%.
efficient solution is to utilize the one no such method exists for tracking WiFi- The software program consists of two
additional measurement device these enabled devices on the ISS. operating modes: training and runtime.
sensors have; namely, their WiFi or Blue- Support-vector machines (SVM) were For training, WiFi RSSI data is collected
tooth signal strength readings. chosen as the algorithm to pursue. The using standard Linux command line utili-
Using these signal strength readings, main motivation is the high accuracy rel- ties and is stored in a csv format. The RSSI
this software aims to provide approxi- ative to the number of samples required readings at each time step are correlated
mate location information in time for for training, as training data is the main to a numbered location; in this case, the
individual sensor units. The purpose of cost aboard the ISS. A Python applica- ISS module. This data is run through a set
the Module-level ISS Sensor Tracker tion and library for both logging WiFi of preprocessing functions that strips away
(MIST) project is to set a standard data information and predicting positions bad/sparse readings and arranges the

data into a format ready for the SVM algo- its tuned parameters as to which mod- The developers are looking to test the
rithm. The SVM is then trained against ule/location the sample was collected in. system with training data collected on
the training data set in accordance with a By using a moving window average over the ISS, allowing them to tune the sys-
hand-tuned set of parameters. five to ten samples, upwards of 95% track- tem parameters and ascertain the value
In the runtime operating mode, data is ing accuracy can be achieved. of SVM WiFi tracking in a truly high-
collected much like in the training mode None of the individual aspects of the reflection environment.
but serially. This data is run through the algorithm are known to be fully novel, NASA seeks to freely license this software
same preprocessor as the training data, so although the specific pipeline of subrou- and make it available for general use for
that both training and runtime data are tines may be. Other similar commercial open source projects. Please contact NASA’s
scaled to the same mean and variance. projects exist but none that clearly pro- Licensing Concierge at Agency-Patent-
The SVM then takes this preprocessed vide the flexibility to work without GPS Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us at 202-
data and makes a best guess based on information. 358-7432 to initiate licensing discussions.
AI System Discovers New Material

The algorithm identified a new compound potentially useful for photonic devices and
biologically inspired computers.
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland
R esearchers have developed an artifi-

cial intelligence (AI) algorithm called
Closed-Loop Autonomous System for DECIDE EXECUTE ANALYZE
Materials Exploration and Optimization
(CAMEO) that discovered a potentially
useful new material without requiring
additional training from scientists. The
AI system could help reduce the amount
of trial-and-error time scientists spend in
the lab, while maximizing productivity Make Measure Database
Active learning with physics
and efficiency in their research. to choose next experiment
In the field of materials science, scien-
tists seek to discover new materials that
can be used in specific applications such
as metals that are light but also strong or
one that can withstand high stresses and Ask an expert Simulate & download Bayesian statistical analysis with
physics-informed machine learning
temperatures for a jet engine. Finding
such new materials usually takes a large
number of coordinated experiments and
time-consuming theoretical searches. If a
CAMEO is capable of searching for new materials by operating in a closed loop. The AI determines
researcher is interested in how a material’s which experiment to run on a material, does the experiment, and collects the data. One cycle
properties vary with different tempera- through the experiment can take from seconds to tens of minutes. (Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST)
tures, then the researcher may need to run
10 experiments at 10 different tempera- CAMEO looks for a useful new materi- cal composition and temperature. Un-
tures. But temperature is just one parame- al by operating in a closed loop: It deter- derstanding how atoms are arranged in a
ter. If there are five parameters, each with mines which experiment to run on a material is important in determining its
10 values, then that researcher must run material, does the experiment, and col- properties such as how hard or how elec-
the experiment 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 lects the data. It can also ask for more trically insulating it is and how well it is
times — a total of 100,000 experiments. information, such as the crystal structure suited for a specific application.
CAMEO can ensure that each experiment of the desired material, from the scien- CAMEO discovered the material
maximizes the scientist’s knowledge and tist before running the next experiment, Ge4Sb6Te7, which the group shortened to
understanding, skipping over experiments which is informed by all past experi- GST467. CAMEO was given 177 potential
that would give redundant information. ments performed in the loop. materials to investigate, covering a large
Machine learning is a process in which The AI is also designed to contain range of compositional recipes. To arrive
computer programs can access data and knowledge of key principles including at this material, CAMEO performed 19
process it themselves, automatically im- knowledge of past simulations and lab different experimental cycles, which took
proving on their own instead of relying experiments, how the equipment works, 10 hours, compared with the estimated
on repeated training. This is the basis for and physical concepts. CAMEO is armed 90 hours it would have taken a scientist
CAMEO, a self-learning AI that uses pre- with the knowledge of phase mapping, with the full set of 177 materials.
diction and uncertainty to determine which describes how the arrangement of The material is composed of three dif-
which experiment to try next. atoms in a material changes with chemi- ferent elements (germanium, antimony

Software
and tellurium, Ge-Sb-Te) and is a phase- GST467 also has applications for pho- such as extracting useful data from com-
change memory material that changes its tonic switching devices that control the plex images.
atomic structure from crystalline (solid direction of light in a circuit. They can CAMEO can be used for many other
material with atoms in designated, regular also be applied in neuromorphic com- materials applications. The code for
positions) to amorphous (solid material puting, a field of study focused on devel- CAMEO is open source and will be
with atoms in random positions) when oping devices that emulate the structure freely available for use by scientists and
quickly melted by applying heat. This type and function of neurons in the brain, researchers.
of material is used in electronic memory opening possibilities for new kinds of For more information, contact Alex Boss
applications such as data storage. computers as well as other applications at alexandra.boss@nist.gov; 301-975-3611.
Software Improves Accuracy of 3D-Printed Parts

The software could help reduce cost and waste for companies using additive manufacturing
to mass-produce parts in factories.
University of Illinois, Urbana
A dditive manufacturing offers tremen-

dous benefits but consistency and
accuracy on mass-produced 3D-printed
and provides a practical tool to account
for manufacturing variability in an AM
production environment.
depends on which printer made the
part and where the part was located in
the printer. This process works by
parts can be an issue. As with any produc- The software allows for the rapid measuring parts using optical scan-
tion technology, parts built should be as and automatic measurement of addi- ning technology and analysis of the
close to identical as possible, whether it is tively manufactured parts — a process scan data. This analysis allows a user to
10 parts or 10 million. that is typically time-consuming and determine which parts are accurate
Researchers developed a generalized costly. The software helps ensure pro- and identifies which printers and set-
linear model (GLM) to model the vari- duction is consistent, accurate, and tings produce the most accurate parts.
ability and to predict defects. The frame- cost-effective. For more information, contact the Grainger
work can be extended to analyze addi- The software tracks how the accura- School of Engineering at engineering@
tional machines and process parameters cy of an additively manufactured part illinois.edu.
1 2-3 4
Scan Part and Automated Measurements
Condition Image Feature Extraction and Analysis
DFT Wall Thickness Across Build Area [μm]

52
23
t -7 118 mm
2 l -36
1 Height
3 h = 12.5 mm -65
189 mm
X t = 0.5 mm l = 2.5 mm
300
ø x t
Y
200
ρ
y
Count
Extracted
100
Feature
Measured Edge
0
-100 -50 0 50 100
10 mm DFT Wall Thickness (t - tCAD [μm]
(1) The 3D-printed part is scanned and a cross-sectional image is collected. (2, 3) The software automatically isolates part edges and individual wall
segments and collects feature measurements such as wall thickness and length. (4) Data are statistically analyzed and visualized.

APPLICATION
BRIEFS
Airless Alloy Tire Has NASA Roots
The SMART Tire Company
Los Angeles, CA
www.smarttirecompany.com
S hape memory alloy (SMA) tires will empower the

next generation of Mars rovers and other extrater-
restrial vehicles to carry heavier loads over longer dis-
tances. Since the original Apollo missions, aluminum
and steel tires have taken a beating from the terrain.
Starting in 2026 with the Fetch rover using advanced
materials like SMA, tire problems will be a thing of the
past on NASA missions.
The SuperElastic Tire was originally developed by
NASA for Moon and Mars Rover missions. Past rovers
used thin aluminum tires that eventually developed
cracks and holes due to the tough Mars terrain. While
the Perseverance Mars rover’s aluminum tires are a bit
stronger than previous rovers, future tires made from
shape memory alloys will enable larger, longer lasting
rovers that will no longer need six wheels, but only
four.
The SuperElastic Tire — a NASA Glenn innovation
— comprises a non-pneumatic, compliant tire utilizing
SMAs (mainly NiTinol and derivatives) as load-bearing
components. These SMAs are capable of undergoing
phase transitions at the molecular level with significant
reversible strain (an order of magnitude more than
ordinary materials) before undergoing permanent
deformation. Commonly used elastic-plastic materials,
such as spring steels and composites, can only be sub-
jected to strains on the order of ~0.3 to 0.5% before suf-
fering plastic deformation.
The utilization of shape memory alloys provides
enhanced control over the effective stiffness as a func-
tion of the deformation, providing increased design ver-
satility. The tire can be made to soften with increased
deflection, reducing the amount of energy transferred
to the vehicle during high-deformation events. In addi-
tion, the use of SMAs in the form of radial stiffeners, as
opposed to springs, provides even more load-carrying
potential and improved design flexibility.
The SMART Tire Company is developing the first con-
sumer application of NASA’s SMA tire technology.
Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology (SMART)
superelastic tires are airless, durable, and will never go
flat. The tire is made from NiTinol+, a shape memory
alloy that’s elastic like rubber, yet strong like titanium.
This SMART Tire was born out of the extreme chal-
lenges NASA faces on Mars, where there are no roads,
temperatures can reach -200 C, and tire performance is
mission-critical. The SMART Tire has a patented load-
bearing design that takes advantage of the unique prop-
erties of SMAs. These special metals can expand, con-
tract, bend, or unbend at a very rapid rate (like rubber)

Application Briefs
and with so much force that it can move heavy objects. Even The tire will last the life of the bicycle with no leaks, tears,
with extreme deformation, the tire regains 100% of its shape punctures, or sealants.
through phase transitions at the molecular level. SMART Tire Company has been developing shape memory
The first commercial product based on the NASA alloy tires for traditional bicycles and is conducting R&D for e-
SuperElastic Tire is an eco-friendly pneumatic bicycle tire scooters at Spin, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co. The airless
called METL™, an airless, lighter-weight tire for commuter, solution could minimize environmental impacts of traditional
road, gravel, and eBikes. The final product will be rubber tires.
coated/encased in a new, formulated poly-rubber material. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-116
Robotic Arm Will Head to the Moon

Motiv Space Systems
Pasadena, CA
https://motivss.com/
T he Artemis pro-
gram is NASA’s
continuation of Apollo
and will establish a
robust human-robot-
ic presence on and
around the Moon. A
big part of enabling
the success of the
Artemis program is
In-Situ Resource Util-
ization (ISRU) —
“living off the land”
by extracting what is
necessary from the
environment. Accord-
ing to NASA, advanc-
ing ISRU technolo-
gies could lead to
future production of
fuel, water, and/or
oxygen from local
materials, decreasing
supply needs from
Earth.
Many of the ex tra -
planetary re sources
will be found at the poles. The polar regions of the Moon and resources for longer periods of time. The robotic arm will be
Mars are where materials like water tend to accumulate. equipped with a scoop and penetrometer to gather and
Water, for example, might be mined and recycled. So, in inspect the regolith — that layer of loose rock that covers the
order to be successful at ISRU, NASA will need the ability to harder bedrock of the Moon’s surface.
work in cold areas for long periods of time. Any missions to extreme cold environments like the Moon
The Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm (COLDArm) and Mars’ North and South Poles have been short in duration
is the first-of-its-kind robotic arm currently under develop- because it gets so cold that batteries quickly run out of power
ment by Motiv Space Systems in partnership with NASA’s Jet and the mechanical interfaces can’t handle the huge temper-
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Prospecting, extraction, and ature swings. This has limited the length and capabilities of
mining initiatives are advancing capabilities to find and har- previous lunar missions. COLDArm will extend the ability to
ness resources from lunar regolith. Chemical and thermal explore extreme cold regions of space for longer periods of
process developments may provide options to break down time with more activity.
naturally occurring minerals and compounds found on the During COLDArm’s first mission to the Moon, it will be
Moon and convert them to human consumables or even thoroughly tested in order to determine if it performs well in
propellant. extremely low temperatures — down to -180 °C. Not only will
Many of these processes will not be possible without the the COLDArm be capable of operating at such low tempera-
reach of COLDArm, which can withstand the extreme cold tures but will do so without a heating source.
and enable the further exploration of the Moon’s regolith and For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-117

Upcoming...
Webinars Next-Generation Specialty Fluids

for Industrial Critical Cleaning:
What You Need to Know
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 11:00 am U.S. EDT
As the world transitions to environmentally preferred solutions to achieve net zero carbon emissions, regulatory pressure is starting
to grow around the use of TCE (trichloroethylene) and nPB (n-propyl bromide) for vapor degreaser cleaning. In this 30-minute Webinar,
experts discuss today’s changing standards and provide suggestions for the most effective, affordable, and environmentally sustain-
able replacements. They outline the evolution of precision cleaning fluids and explain the safety, performance, and environmental ben-
efits of switching to a modern HFO-based cleaning fluid.
Speakers:
David Ferguson Michael Fraser Emily Peck
Senior Technical Manager, Technical Service Chemist, Senior Chemist,
Precision Cleaners, Chemours MicroCare
MicroCare
Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar165
Best Practices for Quality Assurance

in Automotive
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT
Quality Assurance in Automotive SPICE or SUP1 may appear to be a throwback to the old days of assessing standards in Quality. In fact,
reading the Automotive SPICE standard and understanding the language is the first challenge for those trying to learn ASPICE. What do
you mean by verification? Does a work product need to be verified or checked by another team member? What is a work product?
This 30-minute Webinar examines best practices for conducting and managing QA in an Automotive SPICE Project. It discusses how
to plan your process and your audit activities. It also covers how to conduct work product quality checks versus ensuring processes
are running well. What are some high-quality measures for this process? How do you automate this metric?
Speakers:
Micael Edvarsson Chad Kymal
Consultant, CTO,
Omnex Inc. Omnex Inc.
Component-Level Test Methodology for

Phased Array Antennas
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT
Antenna complexity continues to increase in satellite applications due to higher frequencies, wider bandwidth, and beamforming require-
ments. This 60-minute Webinar examines component testing in phased array systems, which has become increasingly challenging.
Topics include: Speaker:
• Antenna types used in satellite applications
Joe Mallon
• Measurement instruments and methods for testing individual and system-level components Business Development Manager,
• Beamforming methods and measurements Rohde & Schwarz USA
• Conducted vs. radiated measurements

New on the
MARKET
Product of the Month
Bicker Elektronik, Donauwoerth, Germany, released the UPSI-2406DP1 24-VDC emergency power supply with inte-
grated lithium-ion backup battery that bridges power failures, brownouts, and flicker. DC loads of up to 100 Watts can
be safely bridged. The system is suited for continuous operation in switch cabinets and decentralized solutions for
Industry 4.0, automation, robotics, image processing, medical, transportation, process and safety technology, and ener-
gy applications. Features include high energy density, intelligent input current detection, power sharing between
charger and load, regulated output voltage in backup mode, and relay contact for power fail. The system has USB and RS-232 interfaces,
and HID Control Center software.
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-120
Vision System PLM File Sharing

Cognex Corp., Natick, MA, introduced the CLOVER CollectIT from Razorleaf
In-Sight® 3D-L4000 embedded vision system Corp., Stow, OH, is a Web-based file
that features 3D laser displacement technology. management application that allows
It combines patented speckle-free blue laser users to extract, package, and securely distribute any type of product
optics and 3D vision tools to capture and lifecycle management (PLM) file and data across an organization.
process 3D images during inline inspection, guidance, and gauging Users can share part and BOM representations, 2D drawings, 3D CAD
applications. It includes traditional 3D measurement tools, such as plane files, and other technical documents associated with the creation of a
and height finding, and comes in three factory-calibrated fields of view. project, product, or part.
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-100 For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-106
Signal Generator Embedded Vision Processing Kit

The SHFSG Signal Generator from Basler, Ahrensburg, Germany, offers an em-
Zurich Instruments, Zurich, Switzerland, bedded vision processing kit with various inter-
controls superconducting and spin qubits faces for image processing, allowing the connection of
and operates directly at qubit frequencies without mixer calibration. It different camera types. It includes the pylon Camera Software
generates freely programmable pulse sequences on up to eight outputs Suite that provides certified drivers for all types of camera interfaces,
with a signal bandwidth of 1 GHz and a variable carrier frequency up simple programming interfaces, and tools for camera setup. BCON for
to 8.5 GHz. The instrument comes in 4- and 8-channel versions. MIPI, GigE Vision, and USB3 Vision are available as interfaces.
AC-DC Converter Data Acquisition System

Power Integrations, San Jose, CA, announced SIRIUS XHS from Dewesoft,
the LNK3207 LinkSwitch™-TN2 AC-DC convert- Whitehouse, OH, is a high-speed
er that increases available output current from data acquisition system with Hy-
360 mA to 575 mA. Each monolithic IC incorpo- brid ADC technology capable of high-bandwidth transient recording
rates a 725 V power MOSFET, oscillator, on/off control for high efficiency and alias-free data acquisition. Users can stream eight analog channels
at light load, a high-voltage switched current source for self-biasing, fre- at 15 MS/s per channel continuously to disk across USB 3.0. Each
quency jittering, fast (cycle-by-cycle) current limit, hysteretic thermal shut- channel can be set individually to any of three modes and each chan-
down, and output and input overvoltage protection circuitry. nel can be set to a different sample rate. Multiple systems can be time-
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-102 synchronized to each other and to a master clock.
Solenoid Valves
Solenoid Solutions, Erie, PA, released Watti- Data Scanning Device
mizer series solenoid valves with a plastic body for DENSO ADC, Long Beach, CA, offers the BHT-M80
air, gas, and corrosive media. The valve body is automatic data collection system. The scanner reads 2D
about 1" in diameter, comes with integral ¼" OD codes from less than 2" away to up to 5' or more. It
tube push-to-connect port fittings, and has a includes an angled scan head, a screen that automatical-
maximum pressure rating of 125 psig at room temperature. The minia- ly adjusts to most gloves, and both screen and targeting
ture, electric, 12V, 2-way and 3-way solenoid valves are offered in a range markers optimized for indoor or outdoor use. Con-
of .65 to 9 watts of continuous power with operating pressure capacities tinuous mode allows users to read up to 30 labels per second including
of up to 1200 psi (85 bar) with machined metal bodies. damaged, poor quality, or defaced codes.

Portable 3D Scanner Image Sensor
Creaform, Lévis, Canada, introduced the HandySCAN OmniVision Technologies, Santa Clara, CA,
3D™ SILVER series portable, metrology-grade scanner announced the OV50A image sensor that com-
that captures repeatable 3D measurements of any combines 50-MP resolution, 1.0-micron pixel size, selec-
plex surface in any location. Features include scan quali- tive conversion gain, and a 1/1.5" optical format
ty with an accuracy of up to 0.030 mm (0.0015"); the ability to scan var- with quad phase detection autofocus and on-chip remosaic. It provides
ious objects regardless of the part size, complexity, material, or color; HDR through 2- and 3-exposure staggered HDR timing. The sensor
and a choice of two models. can use near-pixel binning to output a 12.5-MP image for 4K2K video.
Magnetic Coded Switches PCB Socket

IDEM non-contact magnetic coded switches avail- Smiths Interconnect, Stuart, FL, introduced the
able from AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA, use Joule 20 test socket for peripheral IC test. Its design
force-guided contacts and have an internal monitor- allows for the housing to be disassembled without
ing system, eliminating a separate safety relay. Features removing the socket from the PCB. The drop-in socket
include a 14-mm sensing range, automatic or manual reset, and external matches existing PCB socket footprints, provides bandwidth to 20 GHz
reset monitoring that allows each switch to act as its own safety system. and very low contact resistance between the chip and the PCB, and is
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-111 suitable for use from -40 °C to +125 °C.
Power Supply
COSEL U.S.A., San Jose, CA, announced the Multiplexer Module
PCA1500F, a 1500-W power supply with a built-in Pickering Interfaces, Essex, United Kingdom,
extended-UART interface supporting more than introduced the 40-619-204 PXI 2A multiplexer mod-
80 commands to monitor and control power sup- ule in quad 32-channel configuration using electro-
ply parameters. It offers a universal input voltage mechanical signal relays. Each channel can switch
of 85 to 264 VAC. Output can be operated in constant voltage or concurrent up to 2 A and voltage up to 250 VAC/DC. It
stant current mode with either analog or digital control. It is suited for is suitable for signal routing in ATE and data acquisition systems.
use at temperatures from -20 to +70 °C. Connections are made via a front-panel 160-pin DIN 41612 connector.
30, 50, & 100 MULTIPHYSICS 2D AMPLIVAR

VOLT PULSERS MODELING AND SPLICES
Avtech’s AV-1010-B series SIMULATION TE Connectivity’s innovative 2D
of user-friendly 30, 50, & APPLICATIONS technology simplifies manufac-
100 Volt pulsers features turing processes and improves
rise times in the range of COMSOL Multiphysics® is a soft- operating efficiency by elimi-
0.5 to 10 ns and output ware environment for creating nating the need for soldering
currents to 8 Amps using available accessory transform- physics-based models and simula- or welding, providing applied cost savings. 2D
ers. We can provide an alternative for the discontinued tion applications. Add-on products provide tools for AMPLIVAR splices are offered in pigtail and thru
Agilent 8114A or HP214! www.avtechpulse.com electromagnetics, structural, acoustics, fluid flow, heat types that can be used with stranded or solid copper
transfer, and chemical simulations. Interfacing prod- or aluminum magnet wires (3 magnet wires max.)
ucts offer a unified workflow with all major technical of various sizes and combinations. 800-400-7041.
computing and CAD tools. COMSOL Compiler™ and www.techbriefs.com/heilind202106
COMSOL Server™ are used for deploying simulation
Avtech Electrosystems Ltd. applications to colleagues and customers.
https://www.comsol.com/products
Heilind Electronics
COMSOL, Inc.
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-750 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-751 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-752
Become an INSIDER EPOXY SYSTEM PF-1U-FA MULTI-CHANNEL

Start your free subscription RESISTS HARSH PROGRAMMABLE FILTER/
to Tech Briefs’ INSIDER CHEMICALS AMPLIFIER SYSTEM
e-mail newsletter to keep
pace with the latest tech- Master Bond EP42-2LV
nology advances and licens- Black is a two-part epoxy
ing opportunities in aero- with low viscosity and good flow. It withstands pro-
space, electronics, photon- longed immersion in many acids, bases, solvents,
ics, manufacturing, and fuels, and oils. This versatile system can be used for
other key fields. bonding, sealing, coating, and casting, where a The PF-1UA-16FA is a fully programmable, 16-channel
strong chemical resistance profile is required. EP42- filter/amplifier system available in 4- or 8-pole low-pass
2LV Black meets NASA low outgassing specifications. or band-pass configurations with cutoffs from 5 Hz to
https://www.masterbond.com/tds/ep42-2lv-black 127 kHz and gain programmable to x8192. Choose
from BNC or Lemo I/O with optional IEPE trans-
ducer support. http://www.pfinc.com/products/filter-
amplifiers/pf-1u-fa-filter_amplifier.html
Master Bond
www.techbriefs.com/insider Precision Filters, Inc.
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-753 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-754
Tech Briefs, June

November
2021 2020 www.techbriefs.com 59
FACILITY FOCUS
University of California, Berkeley
T he University of California, Berkeley was founded in 1868.

A public university, Berkeley’s academic research reflects
pressing global challenges in the areas of health, energy, and
the environment.
In 1931, the College of Engineering was established but even
prior to that, a number of technology milestones were
achieved.
• 1887: Earth sciences professors set up the Western
Hemisphere’s first string of seismographic stations to system-
atically record seismic activity and publish earthquake
records.
• 1907: Chemistry professor Frederick G. Cottrell developed
an electrical precipitation device to clean smokestack emis-
sions. It is still in use today.
• 1924: Chemist Joel H. Hildebrand formulates a mixture of
helium and oxygen for deep-sea diving, enabling divers to A new device combines wearable biosensors with artificial intelligence
explore deeper into the sea than ever before without experi- software to help recognize what hand gesture a person intends to make
based on electrical signal patterns in the forearm. The device paves the
encing “the bends.” way for better prosthetic control and seamless interaction with electron-
• 1952: Physicist Hugh Bradner invents the first wetsuit that ic devices. (Image courtesy of the Rabaey Lab)
transforms commercial, military, and recreational deep-sea
diving and understanding of oceans.
• 1961: Charles Dalziel, electrical engineering and computer Engineering Departments
sciences professor, invents a ground-fault interrupter, a Berkeley Engineering encompasses eight focus areas:
device now found in virtually every home and building to
protect people from electrical shocks caused by defects in Bioengineering
appliances or grounding systems. Bioengineering applies engineering principles of design and
• 1972: A team develops the Simulation Program with In- analysis to biological systems and biomedical technologies.
tegrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) — a tool that, along with Bioinstrumentation – This focus is the measurement and
its derivatives, has been used in the design of almost every manipulation of parameters within biological systems; for
integrated circuit since its invention. example, instrumentation for imaging, disease diagnosis, and
• 2011: Neuroscientists led by Jack Gallant are the first to use therapeutics.
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to reconstruct from Biomaterials – This includes living tissue and artificial mate-
brain waves what a person is seeing, opening the door to pos- rials used for the repair, replacement, and stimulation of bio-
sibly watching other people’s dreams or visual memories. logical systems.
Cell & Tissue Engineering – Cell and tissue engineering cen-
ters on the application of physical and engineering principles
to understand and control cell and tissue behavior. Two areas
in which the department has established leadership are cellu-
lar mechanobiology — which focuses on understanding the
interaction and conversion between force-based and biochem-
ical information in living systems — and stem cell engineering,
which includes platforms to expand, implant, and mobilize
stem cells for tissue repair and replacement.
Computational Biology – This area focuses on the applica-
tion of computational techniques to problems in molecular
biology, genomics, and biophysics. Using tools adapted
from computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics,
chemistry, and other quantitative disciplines, computational
biologists address a wide variety of problems ranging from
The handheld CRISPR-SNP-Chip device, based on CRISPR gene editing tech-
nology, could lead to faster, portable genetic testing for diagnostics and analysis of protein structure and function, to management
research. (Photo courtesy of Cardea Bio). of clinical data.

FACILITY FOCUS
A new way to reinforce concrete with a polymer lattice was developed

— an advance that could improve concrete’s ductility while reducing
the material’s carbon emissions. A 3D printer created the polymer lat- A device makes 3D printing of biomaterials, like organs and food,
tice reinforced beams. This image shows that when tested under bend- more viable. The device uses identical printers to create multiple layers
ing, the beams are highly flexible and most of the cracks are blunted simultaneously and then stacks them one on top of the other to form
by the lattice. the 3D structure. (Photo: Gideon Ukpai, UC Berkeley)
Systems & Synthetic Biology – Systems biology approaches liv- Materials Science & Engineering
ing systems as interactive, multifaceted networks rather than as Materials Science and Engineering encompasses all natural
a collection of individual units. Synthetic biology seeks to build and synthetic materials — their extraction, synthesis, process-
parts, devices, and systems from biological components. The ing, properties, characterization, and development for techno-
goals of these efforts can include using microorganisms to syn- logical applications. Optimized materials are utilized in med-
thesize materials of medical or industrial value and even to ical device and healthcare industries, the energy industries,
repurpose bacteria to fight disease. electronics and photonics, transportation, advanced batteries
and fuel cells, and nanotechnology.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) conducts Mechanical Engineering
research in evolving and vital areas that address societal Mechanical Engineering includes biomechanical engineer-
needs for well-designed and well-operated buildings, energy, ing, controls, design, dynamics, energy science, fluids, manu-
transportation, and water systems. These critical systems facturing, mechanics, MEMS and nano, and robotics.
must be reliable and resilient in the face of hazards such as
earthquakes and flooding. Nuclear Engineering
The field of nuclear engineering, including clean fusion
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science energy and nuclear medicine, can alleviate the adverse envi-
Research areas include artificial intelligence, robotics, ronmental effects of other energy sources and greatly improve
cyber-physical systems, energy, human-computer interaction, human health and welfare. Focus areas here include nuclear
integrated circuits, MEMS, physical electronics, security, and physics, computational methods, fuel cycles and radioactive
signal processing. waste, and laser technologies.
Engineering Science UC Berkeley Engineering Technologies

Engineering Science consists of closely related fields in the While many cities and eight states have banned single-use
natural sciences, mathematics, physics, and engineering. plastics, bags and other polyethylene packaging still clog land-
fills and pollute rivers and oceans. A new chemical process
Industrial Engineering & Operations Research developed at UC Berkeley converts polyethylene plastic into a
Optimization, stochastics, and data science are combined to strong and more valuable adhesive. The chemical process
enable transformative decision analytics and technologies. Re- keeps many of the original properties of polyethylene but adds
searchers investigate mathematical tools, approaches, and a chemical group to the polymer that makes it stick to metal —
methodologies to make new theoretical discoveries and inno- something polyethylene normally does poorly. The modified
vations that touch nearly every industry, making them more polyethylene can even be painted with water-based latex. Other
efficient and profitable in areas such as supply chain, logistics, catalysts could work with other types of plastics, such as the
manufacturing, data science, energy systems, robotics, and polypropylene found in recycled plastic bottles, to produce
management. higher-value products that are economically attractive.

Facility Focus
www.techbriefs.com
Publisher ........................................................Joseph T. Pramberger

Editorial Director............................................................Linda L. Bell
way to reinforce concrete with a polymer
Editor, Photonics & Imaging Technology.................Bruce A. Bennett
lattice, which could both improve con-
Digital Editorial Manager ................................................Billy Hurley
crete’s ductility and reduce the materi- Associate Editor ........................................................Edward Brown
al’s carbon emissions. The team used a Content Strategist, Audience Development..................Kendra Smith
3D printer to construct octet lattices from Production Manager.................................................Adam Santiago
polymer, then filled them with ultra-high- Production Coordinator ..........................................James Rodriguez
performance concrete (UHPC). The re- Creative Director ...........................................................Lois Erlacher
sult is a material that is four times Graphic Designer ....................................................Annette Murphy
Marketing Director ..................................................Kaitlyn Sommer
stronger than conventional concrete.
Senior Marketing Coordinator............................................Sam Mills
A research team created a new flexible
Event Coordinator .......................................................Briar Gibbons
An instrument captures carbon dioxide from the armband that combines wearable bio- Audience Development Director .....................Christine Oldenbrook
air and converts it to useful organic products. At sensors with artificial intelligence soft- Audience Development Coordinator ...........................Stacey Nelson
left is the chamber containing the nanowire/bac- ware to help recognize what hand ges- Audience Development/Circulation Assistant................Erykah Davis
teria hybrid that reduces CO2 to form acetate; at
right is the chamber where oxygen is produced. ture a person intends to make based on Subscription Changes/Cancellations ...................TEB@OMEDA.COM
(UC Berkeley photo by Peidong Yang) electrical signal patterns in the forearm. .............................................................................(866) 354-1125
The device can read the electrical signals
SAE MEDIA GROUP
More than 75 million people world- at 64 different points on the forearm. 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016
wide suffer from glaucoma — the lead- These signals are then fed into an electri- (212) 490-3999
ing cause of irreversible blindness. The cal chip programmed with an AI algo- Executive Vice President ...........................................Luke Schnirring
majority of these patients lack a proper rithm capable of associating these signal Technology Director .................................................Oliver Rockwell
and consistent medication routine. The patterns in the forearm with 21 specific Director of Digital Products ............................................Howard Ng
UC Berkeley team developed a smart hand gestures including a thumbs-up, a Digital Media Associate..........................................Md Jaliluzzaman
Digital Media Assistant.......................................Rowena Pagarigan
device to track patients’ eye drop med- fist, a flat hand, holding up individual
Digital Production Associate...............................Andrew Greenberg
ication adherence. The smart eye drop fingers, and counting numbers. The
Digital Production Associate ........................................Symba Wong
bottle holder incorporates multiple device paves the way for better prosthetic Credit & Collection Manager.......................................Stacie Pointek
onboard sensors paired with an algo- control and seamless interaction with Budget & Forecasting ..................................................Felecia Lahey
rithm to actively monitor the timing of electronic devices. Accounting/Human Resources Manager.......................Sylvia Bonilla
medication administration. The data is An ultrathin, compact, flat optical lens A/R Clerk .......................................................................Crystal Ortiz
collected via an integrated patient-physi- spans wavelengths from the visible to the Office Manager .......................................................Alfredo Vasquez
cian smartphone application. infrared with record-breaking efficien-
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Scientists developed a CRISPR-based cies. The photonic system with the entire
MA, NH, ME, VT, RI, Eastern Canada ...............................Ed Marecki
COVID-19 diagnostic test that, with a rainbow has been proposed and demon-
.................................................................................(401) 351-0274
smartphone camera, provides a positive strated with efficiencies greater than 70%
CT ............................................................................Stan Greenfield
or negative result in 15 to 30 minutes. in the visible-infrared region of the spec- ..............................................................................(203) 938-2418
Unlike many other available tests, this test trum. The Fishnet-Achromatic-Metalens NJ, PA, DE.....................................................................John Murray
also gives an estimate of viral load, or the (FAM) utilizes a complex “fishnet” of tiny, ................................................................................ (973) 409-4685
number of virus particles in a sample, connected waveguides with a gradient in Southeast, TX .............................................................Ray Tompkins
which can help doctors monitor the pro- dimensions, which focuses light on a sin- .................................................................................(281) 313-1004
gression of a COVID-19 infection and esti- gle point on the other side of the lens, NY, OH.......................................................................Ryan Beckman
mate how contagious a patient might be. regardless of the incident wavelength. It .................................................................................(973) 409-4687
Concrete is cheap, abundant, and has use in applications like solar energy, MI, IN, WI ..........................................................................Chris Kennedy
.........................................................................(847) 498-4520 ext. 3008
strong under compression but notorious- medical imaging, and virtual reality.
MN, ND, SD, IL, KY, MO, KS, IA, NE, Central Canada................Bob Casey
ly weak under tension. To address con-
................................................................................ (847) 223-5225
crete’s brittleness, a team developed a Technology Transfer
Northwest, N. Calif., Western Canada.........................Twyla Sulesky
The Office of Intellectual Property and
(408) 779-0005
Industry Research Alliances (IPIRA)
S. Calif., AZ, NM, Rocky Mountain States........................Tim Powers
establishes multifaceted collaborations .................................................................................(908) 892-2838
with companies. The Office of Tech- Europe ........................................................................Sven Anacker
nology Licensing (OTL) maximizes the ..............................................................................49-202-27169-11
commercialization of UC Berkeley inno- Integrated Media Consultants....................................Patrick Harvey
vations by establishing relationships and ................................................................................ (973) 409-4686
contractual agreements. More than 600 Scott Williams
products and 240 startup companies .................................................................................(973) 545-2464
have been born out of technology li- Rick Rosenberg

.................................................................................(973) 545-2565
censed by the OTL.
An ultrathin metalens uses an array of tiny, con- Todd Holtz
nected titanium waveguides that resembles a To license UC Berkeley technologies,
................................................................................ (973) 545-2566
fishnet to focus light at wavelengths spanning contact Laleh Shayestech, Senior Li-
from the visible to the infrared with record- Christian DeLalla
censing Officer, at lalehs@berkeley.edu; (973) 841-6035
breaking efficiencies. On the right is a schemat-
ic of a single waveguide. (UC Berkeley graphic 510-642-4537. Learn more at https:// Reprints...........................................................................Jill Kaletha
courtesy Boubacar Kanté) ipira.berkeley.edu/. .................................................................................(219) 878-6068

For free product literature, enter advertisers’ reader service
numbers at www.techbriefs.com/rs, or visit the Web site listed
Advertisers beneath their ad in this issue.

Advertisers listed in bold-face type have banner ads on the NASA Tech Briefs
Index
Advertisers listed in bold-face type have banner ads on the Tech Briefs Web site — www.techbriefs.com
Web site — www.techbriefs.com
Advertiser Page Web Link Advertiser Page Web Link
AllMotion, Inc. ..............................................39 ........................................................allmotion.com

Motion Design
AutomationDirect..........................................Cover 2 ....................................automationdirect.com
Actuonix Motion Devices ............................11........................................................actuonix.com
Avtech Electrosystems Ltd. ............................59 ....................................................avtechpulse.com
Aerotech, Inc...............................................7..........................................................aerotech.com
Battery & Electrification Summit ....................31 ................................techbriefs.com/batterysummit
AutomationDirect........................................Cover 2 ..................................automationdirect.com
Carl Stahl Sava Industries ..............................19 ......................................................savacable.com
Create the Future Design Contest ................Cover 4 ..........................createthefuturecontest.com
Centritec Seals -
A Carlyle Johnson Company ........................14 ..................................................centritecseals.com Fluid Line Products, Inc. ..............................19............................................fluidlineproducts.com
Coilcraft ......................................................35 ..........................................................coilcraft.com Master Bond Inc. ................................24 ........................................masterbond.com
COMSOL, Inc. ........................................9, 23, 59 ........................................comsol.com MOCAP ......................................................11 ..........................................................mocap.com
Cornell Dubilier ............................................17 ................................................................cde.com Pyramid Incorporated ..................................1 ..................................................pyramidbelts.com
Create the Future Design Contest ..................25 ..........................createthefuturedesigncontest.com Tech Briefs TV..............................................21 ..................................................techbriefs.com/tv
Heilind Electronics ........................................59 ............................................................heilind.com
Hunter Products, Inc. ....................................43 ..............................................hunterproducts.com

Sensor Technology
iNRCORE ......................................................33 ............................................................inrcore.com
AIRMAR Technology Corporation ................15, 34 ....................................................airmar.com
Insaco Inc. ....................................................6 ..............................................................insaco.com
Alluxa ........................................................1..............................................................alluxa.com
Keystone Electronics Corp.....................29 ..................................................keyelco.com
ATI Industrial Automation............................17....................................................www.ati-ia.com
L-com ..........................................................3................................................................l-com.com
Excelitas Technologies ................................35, Cover 4 ..........................................excelitas.com
Master Bond Inc. ..................................59 ..........................................masterbond.com
Kaman Precision Measuring Systems ..........2, 34 ..........................................kamansensors.com
MW Components ........................................2................................................mwcomponents.com
Master Bond Inc. ................................33 ........................................masterbond.com
National Reconnaissance Office............13 ................................................www.nro.gov
Micro-Epsilon..............................................Cover 2, 36 ..................................micro-epsilon.com
New England Wire Technologies ..................Cover 3 ....................................newenglandwire.com
OFS ............................................................23 ......................................................ofsoptics.com
Novotechnik U.S., Inc. ..........................5 ............................................novotechnik.com
PCB Piezotronics Endevco............................7..........................................................endevco.com
Opal Kelly ....................................................21 ........................................................opalkelly.com
Pickering Electronics......................................27..................................................pickeringrelay.com Renishaw Inc. ............................................3, 37 ..................................................renishaw.com
Pickering Interfaces ......................................Cover 4............................................pickeringtest.com Tadiran Batteries..........................................9 ......................................................tadiranbat.com
Precision Filters, Inc.......................................59 ..............................................................pfinc.com Technologic Systems....................................29 ..............................................embeddedarm.com
Rittal North America......................................15, 28 ............................................................rittal.us

Supplement to Tech Briefs: 2, 3, 4
Santest Co., Ltd.............................................43 ..........................................................santest.co.jp
Tech Briefs, ISSN 0145-319X, USPS 750-070, copyright © 2021 in U.S. is published monthly
Tech Briefs TV................................................51 ....................................................techbriefs.com/tv by Tech Briefs Media Group, an SAE International Company, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite
1901, New York, NY 10016. The copyright information does not include the (U.S. rights
to) individual tech briefs that are supplied by NASA. Editorial, sales, production, and cir-
The Lee Company ........................................11..........................................................theleeco.com
culation offices at 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Subscription for non-
qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, $100.00 for 1 year. Single copies $30.00.
Thomasnet Industrial Network ......................37 ......................................................thomasnet.com Foreign subscriptions one-year U.S. Funds $195.00. Digital Copies, $24.00 for 1 year sub-
scription. Remit by check, draft, postal, express orders or VISA, MasterCard, and
Transtector....................................................7 ........................................................transtector.com American Express. Other remittances at sender’s risk. Address all communications for sub-
scriptions or circulation to Tech Briefs, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016.
Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices.
Zurich Instruments AG ..................................1 ..............................................................zhinst.com
POSTMASTER: Send address changes and cancellations to Tech Briefs, P.O. Box 3525,
Northbrook, Il 60062.

Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring
successfully commercialized NASA technology. This
commercialization has contributed to the development
SPINOFF
of products and services in the fields of health and
medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety,
computer technology, and environmental resources.
Astronaut Experience Inspires Single-Handed Drone

Flight Controller
The interface enables one person to accomplish tasks that previously required two sets of hands.
S cott Parazynski’s 17 years of

experience as an astronaut and
spacewalker helped inspire a joy-
The FT Aviator is currently com-
patible with a number of models
from drone-maker DJI, which of-
stick that puts all the primary drone fers a software developer kit de-
fight controls into a single hand signed to enable third-party acces-
and will one day, he hopes, revolu- sories. Parazynski received interest
tionize robotic surgery. from other companies who want to
Moving through zero gravity partner with Fluidity Tech to inte-
allowed maneuvering that isn’t grate the new controller including
possible when gravity is a factor: helicopter manufacturers and sur-
you can manipulate your direction gical and medical manufacturing
not just moving back and forth, companies.
sideways, and up and down but The biggest advantage of the new
through rotations (pitch, yaw, and controller is that it is far more intu-
Astronaut Scott Parazynski photographed by a crewmate
roll). He spent hours training in a inside the Space Shuttle Endeavour during extravehicular itive than the industry-standard,
virtual trainer getting ready for activity (EVA). two-thumb joystick models. With FT
flight, using the translational hand Aviator, the pilot grips the con-
controller and rotational hand troller with the whole hand, resting
controller for the robotic arm and the thumb at the top. That means
simulator. the thumb tip movement correlates
Parazynski took all the experi- to the movement of the aircraft: lift-
ence he had with astronaut robotics ing the thumb makes the aircraft
controllers as well as aircraft joy- climb; pushing forward moves it
sticks into his next venture as an forward.
entrepreneur. But it was his experi- The other main benefit is that the
ence as a physician that first gave single joystick frees up the other
him the idea. After he retired from hand to do non-flight-related tasks.
NASA, Parazynski took a position as The FT Aviator builds in camera
the chief technology officer at a controls to the base of the unit as
hospital in Houston. When he start- well as a mount for a smartphone or
ed to look at robotic surgical tools, tablet to view the camera feed or
he was not impressed. manipulate any other relevant app.
The tools are clunky, he noticed, That means a single person can
and require a lot of hands-on train- accomplish tasks that previously
ing on fundamental maneuvers. He required two sets of hands, which
saw an opportunity to use his space could provide significant cost savings
and piloting experience with hand in businesses where drone imagery is
controllers to build something bet- Unlike most standard drone controllers that use two-thumb becoming increasingly important,
ter. He teamed up with George joystick models, the FT Aviator puts all the primary drone from cinematography to real estate,
Guerrero and founded a company, flight controls in one hand, freeing up the other hand to roofing, and utilities inspections.
complete other tasks, such as controlling an onboard cam-
Fluidity Technologies, to create a era. The controller also has a mount for a smartphone, The same benefits apply beyond
better controller for robotic surgery. allowing the operator to easily see the “drone’s-eye view.” drones. Parazynski sees his one-
In 2018, Fluidity Tech launched handed controller taking on new
the FT Aviator, which allows movement gery. Surgery is still the ultimate goal but industries in the near future as a smart
in up to six degrees of motion with a sin- the process of getting FDA approval is human-machine interface that other
gle hand. But as the name suggests, it’s a long and arduous, so in the meantime, providers could then build around.
controller for aviation (specifically for the company decided to apply its con- Visit https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2020/
flying drones) rather than robotic sur- troller to the drone market. cg_1.html.

RF & Microwave Switching
for Signal Routing between
Instrumentation & Devices-Under-Test
Design, Deploy & Sustain
your automated test system
more effectively...
...by taking advantage of Pickering’s deep
portfolio of 1,000+ PXI, PCI, LXI & USB
products, services & expertise.
Reduce your PXI test system

switching cost 30-40% and
design what you need.
pickeringtest.com/pxisavings
Application Software
& Software Drivers
400+ RF/Microwave Switching Modules

with Bandwidths from DC to 67Ghz
pickeringtest.com/rf Diagnostic Test Tools
& Expert-level Support
pickeringtest.com
781-897-1710 | ussales@pickeringtest.com
June 2021
Linear Bearings:
What You Need
to Know
Selecting
a Sensor
for Motor
Feedback
Automated
X-Ray Inspection
Nanosized
Supplement to Tech Briefs Foldable Robots
The Common Sense Way
to buy sensors
AutomationDirect carries a full line of sensors from
photoelectric to limit switches, proximity and ul-
trasonic - we’ve got them. Our sensors have the
best pricing available and are in stock for fast
shipment, with FREE shipping on orders over
$49*. When it comes to buying sensors, it
makes sense to choose AutomationDirect.
NEW! ProSense PB Series
Inductive Proximity Sensors
Starting at $9.75
(PBM6-AP-1A)
Starting at
• Available in 8, 12, 18 and 30mm
$9.75 • Standard sensing distance
v)OXVKDQGQRQpXVKPRXQWLQJ
PBM6-AP-1A
• High-quality sensors at an incredible price
• Lifetime warranty
M A DE I N
NEW! Contrinex DW Series
Proximity Sensors NEW! Dark and Shiny Object
U S A made in the USA Photoelectric Sensors
Starting at $15.50 (DW-AS-614-M12) Starting at $91.00 (OPT2151)
• Available in 8, 12, 18 and 30mm round • Available in 50 x 50 x 20mm and
• Standard and extended sensing distances 32 x 12 x 16mm sizes
• Flush and non-fush mounting • Blue light for detecting dark objects
• IO-Link available in PNP models that other sensors won’t detect and
shiny objects that other sensors detect
• Lifetime warranty multiple times
• Proudly made in the USA • Sensing distance up to 400mm
• LO/DO complementary N.O./N.C. outputs
Wenglor OPT Series • IO-Link V1.1 compatible
Photoelectric Sensors
Starting at $63.00 (OPT2130) NEW! Schmersal IEC
v'LçXVHZLWKEDFNJURXQG Limit Switches
VXSSUHVVLRQUHWURUHpHFWLYH
UHWURUHpHFWLYHIRUWUDQVSDUHQW Starting at $14.00 (ZS-236-02Z)
objects, and through-beam models • Available in 30mm and 40mm
• LO/DO, NO/NC outputs body widths
• IO-Link compatibility v=LQFDOOR\DOXPLQXPRUJODVVoEHU
• Visible light spot allows easy thermoplastic bodies
target set-up
• 90-degree adjustable head, with levers
• IP67/IP68 rated adjustable to any angle
• Snap-action contacts in a variety of
Also Available 121&FRQoJXUDWLRQV
Linear IP69K Rated Ultrasonic
Transducers Photoelectric Sensors Sensors
Research, price, buy at:

www.automationdirect.com/sensors
Order Today, Ships Fast!

* See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2020 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved. 1-800-633-0405 the #1 value in automation

FEATURES 21 3D Motion Tracking System for Autonomous Technology
2 Automated X-Ray Inspection 22 AI and Wearable Cameras Combined in Self-Walking
Robotic Exoskeletons
8 Options Abound When Selecting a Sensor for Motor Feedback
13 Linear Bearings: What You Need to Know
DEPARTMENTS
APPLICATIONS 23 New Products
15 New Hybrid Concept for Actuating Subsea Valves
ON THE COVER
Linear bearings reduce friction in motion systems
TECH BRIEFS where the motion acts along a straight — or
17 Chemically Driven Wheels “Morph” Into Gears sometimes curved — pathway. The distinct forms
that linear bearings take vary by design applica-
17 Air-Powered Robot Needs No Electronics tion and range from simple to extreme precision.
So, how does an engineer determine the best type
18 Soft Tactile Sensor with Skin-Comparable Characteristics of linear bearing or bushing for an application
for Robots and what other specifications are necessary to
19 Nanosized Foldable Robots know before selecting bearings? Find out in the
feature on page 13.
20 Swimming Living Robots Can Self-Train
(Image by Rick Kessinger/Shutterstock)
POWER TRANSMISSION-PART CONVEYING
PYRATHANE® BELTS
Using O-rings Lifetime Warranty Against
SAMPLES
as drive belts? Manufacturing Defects
Try Pyrathane®
AVAILABLE
Round Belts
for improved
performance! CUSTOM MADE IN INCH,
METRIC & O-RING SIZES
Round, Flat and Connectable
Polyurethane Belts
s Very Clean Operation
s Eliminates Tensioning Devices
s Exceptional Abrasion Resistance
AN ISO 9001
CERTIFIED
COMPANY
pyramidbelts.com s 641.792.2405 s sales@pyramidbelts.com
Motion Design, June 2021 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-702 1

Automated
X-Ray Inspection
I
n the circuit board industry, an computed tomography (CT) X-ray auto- PCBs have visually inaccessible soldered
increasing number of parts and matic inspection equipment. For con- joints that cause difficulties in visual
boards are proving to be difficult to tinuous imaging technology, highly ac- inspection. Typical examples of these
inspect with automated optical curate positioning control and high- include fillet-less chips and ball grid ar-
inspection (AOI) because the solder is speed image sensing are required. rays (BGAs) with solder joints arranged
invisible. Furthermore, high-quality re- on the underside of the package.
quirements such as bonding strength of The Case for a New The automotive industry imposes par-
the automobile industry and full surface Inspection Method ticularly stringent quality assurance
inspection of the solder are increasing. In recent years, remarkable techno- requirements to protect consumers, and
To address these needs, Omron has logical advancements have been made suppliers are often required to perform
introduced new technology for accom- in electric vehicles (EVs), advanced driv- inline full-surface circuit board inspec-
plishing inspections within the required er-assistance systems (ADASs) and tions (rather than sampling inspections)
inline takt time (the rate at which a even automated driving. For the world and measure solder shapes and inspect
product must be completed to meet cus- of circuit board mounting, this means a down to bonding strength. Com -
tomer demand). This has been one of move towards further densification, pounding this is the problem of line
the most challenging requirements for while an increasing number of parts and worker shortages, which is partly
responsible for the current rapid
increase in demand for high-preci-
sion, high-quality automated in-
spections.
Hence, events in the mounting
industry like circuit board quality issues
and production line stoppages can pose
serious risks to customers. An outflow of
defective circuit boards would immedi-
ately lead to a crisis that could threaten
the safety of people and society. For this
reason, it is more important than ever to
provide a mechanism that prevents any
outflow of defective circuit boards to the
market.
In response to these trends, Omron
developed its AXI (automated X-ray
inspection) system, which has become
widely used in surface mount technology
(SMT) production lines thanks to its
ability to inspect visually inaccessible
items like solder joints on the underside
of parts. Because of the problem with
takt time, however, a conventional
model has been used mainly for offline
sampling inspections or for inline
inspections of key parts only.
This article presents an outline of the
technologies employed for the VT-X750
Series automated inline CT X-ray inspec-
tion system (Figure 1) to improve this
Figure 1. The VT-X750. problem and achieve speeds sufficient
for inline use in automotive circuit
2 Motion Design, June 2021

board mounting pro- 2D Tomosynthesis CT
cesses, thereby allow-
ing quality assurance of X-Ray
circuit boards in large

quantities.
Achieving High
Image Quality with
CT-Based AXI
The major types of X-ray-
Detector
based diagnostic imaging meth-
ods include two-dimensional (2D)
X-ray, tomosynthesis, and computed
tomography. The 2D X-ray method is
used to obtain one image per shot with Take 1 picture (Within a limited Rotate 360 degrees
an X-ray source, a workpiece, and an X- angular range) Take N images
Change the angle
ray camera arranged vertically (Figure Take N images
2). The image projected by this method
is recorded as two-dimensional data. Figure 2. X-ray image acquisition methods.
Motion Design, June 2021 3

X-ray camera, a tomographic image
2D Tomosynthesis CT
using this method will have a clear, low-
blur image quality. On the other hand,
B this method takes more time for image
A
acquisition and usually delivers a higher
dose to the workpiece.
A
B
The AXI Solution
Omron adopted a new inspection
method that can identify the desired
points in 3D data and perform image-
Any height Image cut out from based diagnosis to accurately inspect the
Projected image Emphasized image reconstructed 3D data
shape of each solder joint surface. The
Dose: Dose: Dose: Omron AXI solution takes advantage of
0.01~1 mSv 0.1~30 mSv 1~100 mSv the CT method and enables high-preci-
sion inspections that are free from cir-
It is difficult to Easy to separate It is easy to separate the
separate background background and cross background and the sectional cuit board underside restrictions. Its
and cross-section section images. image of interest. major technical components consist of
images. hardware that is capable of safe, high-
The more it deviates from Even if it deviates from the
the focus position, the focus position, there is little blur. precision sensing, along with software
greater the blurring. that allows for high-speed control with
Figure 3. Characteristics of each X-ray image acquisition method. excellent responsiveness.
The hardware consists largely of
While capable of image acquisition in a that if tomographic images are captured mechanical, electrical, and imaging com-
shorter time, this method is inferior to at a far enough distance from the focus ponents. Therefore, the design parame-
the other methods in terms of image position of the X-ray source or camera, ters — such as electromechanical safety,
quality because the amount of data that they tend to be blurrier than CT images. shielding, axis motion accuracy, control
it handles is small. The CT method is used to obtain a responsiveness, image quality, and imag-
The tomosynthesis method is used to number of images of a workpiece in a rel- ing rate — play an important role in
obtain a certain number of images of a ative position to an X-ray source or cam- ensuring system performance. The soft-
workpiece in a relative position to an X- era during a 360-degree rotation and ware part of the system consists of assem-
ray source or X-ray camera within a limit- reconstruct them into three-dimensional bly optimizer for machine difference cor-
ed angular range. This method allows for (3D) data. This method handles a larger rections, a main application for inspec-
the acquisition of tomographic images volume of data than the other methods tion program development, a reconstruc-
with the desired heights highlighted and therefore provides the best image tion process for turning captured images
(Figure 3). Although it is more time-con- quality. Its strength is that it enables the into 3D data, and an algorithm used to
suming than the 2D X-ray method, extraction and use of not only horizontal perform the inspections of the obtained
tomosynthesis enables faster image planar direction data, but also height 3D data. These technical components are
acquisition than the CT method and is direction data from the restructured 3D related to each other in a complex man-
superior to the 2D X-ray method in data. Even when captured far from the ner and must work together seamlessly
terms of image quality. It must be noted focus position of the X-ray source or the within each function module for high-
precision, high-speed inspections. This is
particularly important for high-quality
X-ray camera CT image acquisition, which is the core
(Fixed) of this technology and provides the basic
X-ray performance of the imaging devices,
camera high-precision geometry design and con-
(Fixed)
trol, and robust correction processing
and inspection algorithms.
The following sections take a look at
each of these capabilities.
Stage 1. Basic Performance of Imaging De-
XY axis
vices (FPD and X-ray Source)
The flat panel detector (FPD) is a cam-
X-ray source
era that first converts X-rays into light via
X-ray source
(Fixed) (Fixed) a fluorescent emitter called a scintillator.
The light is then converted into electrical
signals to obtain digital images, which
Rotary table type Concurrent table type
can acquire high sharpness and sensitivity
Figure 4. Principles of the two CT imaging systems. via pixel-by-pixel loading. The AXI system

is equipped with a complementary metal
Parameters caused
oxide semiconductor (CMOS) type of Parameters caused by machine elements
FPD to help obtain high-definition by image quality
images of the object. Each parameter is
designed to optimize the images’ contrast FPD
to suit the part or object that is being iso- CCD XYZ
lated for inspection purposes. Z displacement sensor
X-ray sources can be generally catego-
rized into two types: open tube and Z
closed tube. An open-type X-ray source
has a few disadvantages: (a) it must be X-ray focal diameter
Blur
installed along with a vacuum pump and Pix size
other associated equipment outside it, XYZ
S/N etc.
(b) it has a high running cost due to
such factors as a short-life filament, and
(c) the radiation source itself has a large X-ray source
weight. Meanwhile, in the case of a
closed tube, the X-ray generator is con- Z axis positioning accuracy
XY axis positioning accuracy
stantly kept in a vacuum in a hermetic
(Turning accuracy)
glass container. Therefore, this type of
radiation source features a compact body Figure 5. Parameters associated with image quality and with mechanical components.
and does not need a pump installed out-
side its tube. The system makes use of a required degree of parallelism/straight- 3. Robust Correction Processing and
micro-focus closed-tube radiation source ness and the control technology based Algorithm
featuring a lightweight body and a small on the programmable logic controller The AXI performs rapid processing
focal diameter. (PLC) or servomotor that enables high- and control of sensed information — not
2. High-Precision Geometry Design precision synchronous driving. In addi- only in its hardware but also in its soft-
and Control tion, the imaging devices are each sup- ware application developed from propri-
For the geometry design of the inline ported with a high-rigidity frame and etary reconstruction processes and algo-
AXI system, a parallel table type has designed with a ruggedized architecture rithms and a deep knowledge of visual
been adopted instead of a rotary table to keep all terminal parts unaffected by inspection systems — to achieve a high
type (Figure 4), since the former type vibrations. degree of solder shape reproducibility
can obtain CT images by changing the Thus, to obtain clear CT images, it is and improve the inspection of solder
physical position of the X-ray source or important not only to pursue the above- joint surfaces. Whenever a workpiece is
X-ray camera (FPD) with respect to the mentioned basic performance of the brought into the system for inspection,
object. A rotary table type has a round, imaging devices or parameters associated there will be variations in the stopping
narrow field of view for 3D data imaging, with image quality, but also to develop a position. For this reason, the AXI system
which can lead to images being blurred design that takes into consideration is equipped with a visible light source and
at their edges and limitations on high- parameters associated with the mechani- a camera as well as a means of correcting
speed imaging due to the rotation speed cal components (Figure 5). These pa- variations or rotational shifts of the feed
limit1. What is of particular importance rameters relate to the mechanical rigidi- stop position on the workpiece conveyor
about this parallel table type is the posi- ty or weight balance of the system, the using images obtained in visible light.
tioning accuracy of the XY-axis rotation geometry design specifying how to turn To accurately perform algorithmic pro-
trajectory. That said, the Z-direction axis the imaging devices, and the system cessing, sufficiently high precision is
positioning accuracy also matters be- architecture for realizing high-precision required to extract the correct tomo-
cause this system is driven in the Z-axis axis positioning control. graphic positions in a reconstructed
direction when switching the inspection
resolution or when tracing the bow of Tomographic position extraction accuracy
the workpiece under measurement by a
I PJ Reconstructed image Tomographic image
displacement gauge.
A high-precision guide is provided for
each axis to achieve a positioning accu-
racy on the order of micrometers using
proprietary motor control technology.
The XY-axis rotation accuracy in partic-
ular helps to obtain increasingly better
CT images with the increase in round-
ness of the rotation trajectory. Serving
as the foundation are high-quality
mechanical parts mounted at the Figure 6. Images of extracted tomographic positions.

(Conventional technology) Stop & Go (New technology) Continuous imaging tainer or the availability of a carry-in route
and a sufficiently durable floor must be
taken into consideration with regards to
Imaging delivery and installation onto the cus-
Move tomer’s production line. If the weight and
Imaging without
Imaging stopping
size of a unit increase as a result of the
Move increased rigidity of mechanical parts, the
system will become even heavier and bulki-
er, leading to an increase in transportation
Stop at each point and take an image Imaging without stopping and installation workloads and costs. This
poses an obstacle to the introduction of
Figure 7. Difference between continuous imaging and the conventional method. the capital investment that must be
addressed when intending to introduce
image. The AXI system is therefore The so-called “stop-and-go” method to any system as inline equipment onto the
equipped with a displacement sensor and obtain images with the axes held production lines in the SMT market.
controller that serve the purpose of meas- stopped during rotation on a 1PJ basis 3. Dose Reduction Issues for Work-
uring the bow of the workpiece or the (1PJ = projection: a single, pre-recon- piece Inspection
amount of deflection thereof and correct- struction-phase image obtained at an An increase in the number of large cir-
ing the Z-axis height position (Figure 6). angle during rotation). Hence, it needs cuit boards or parts to be inspected will
a large takt time per rotation. This stop- lead to a longer irradiation time, thereby
Inline Full-Surface Inspection and-go method is resistant to image blur- resulting in a higher dosage to the circuit
Among the major challenges for the ring because image acquisition occurs board as a whole. In addition, there is also
realization of inline full-surface inspec- only after the complete cessation of the a tendency for more circuit boards to be
tions are improving the takt time and sys- axes’ motion. The rotating hardware mounted with semiconductor devices and
tem hardware reliability. The latter relates unit, however, experiences strong vibra- other parts that are vulnerable to radia-
to the weight and size of the enclosure, the tions and impacts, so the X-ray source tion exposure. Continuous efforts must
dose to a workpiece under inspection, and must be of a fixed type. Therefore, be made to explore technologies for
the ease of maintaining it. The following Omron adopted a configuration in reducing the dosage on circuit boards.
sections describe each of these challenges. which the stage and the FPD rotate 4. Maintainability Issues
1. Takt Time Problems instead. This resulted in an FPD with a The conventional model had several
While capable of providing high-preci- large rotation radius and hence in a problems with maintainability. Both the
sion image quality, the CT imaging mechanism that took a large amount of inspection space and the device housing
method must perform imaging during a CT image acquisition time per rotation. unit were in the same shielded space,
360-degree rotation and takes a large 2. Enclosure Size and Weight Issues and the individual devices were vertically
amount of takt time to do so. As a result, For actual inline use, consideration arranged in a way that was poorly acces-
this method has a drawback of failing to must be given to the size and weight of the sible by hand, invisible from a standing
meet the inline takt time. As the result of system’s enclosure, because the X-ray position, and unable to easily allow tools
many engineering validation tests, it inspection system is relatively bulky and in. Inline operation of a system in a cus-
turned out that mechanical moving weighty with respect to the other SMT tomer’s production line meant an
speeds, and especially the XY-axis rotation equipment. This means that the trans- increase in the availability rate of the sys-
speed, needed a major improvement. portability in a standard-size shipping con- tem. In addition, because the system was
between other pieces of equipment, the
FPD FPD downtime required for maintenance or
the like had to be reduced to the very
minimum. Moreover, the system had to
be improved so that maintenance of all
its components and parts could be per-
formed from both the front and back.
Solving the Takt Time

Stage Stage Problem with Continuous
(Fixed)
Imaging
The first characteristic to note is that the
mechanism keeps running without stop-
ping during rotational imaging. To reduce
X-ray source the image acquisition time per field of
(fixed) X-ray source
view (FOV), Omron developed a technol-
ogy that allows the mechanism to rotate
Conventional machine type VT-X750
without stopping and obtain one FOV’s
Figure 8. Imaging device arrangement and axis of rotation. worth of all images rather than repeat the

cycle of moving, stopping, and acquiring circuit boards than in conventional References
each image as in the conventional model’s offline sampling inspections. This helps 1. Sugita, S. High-speed CT inspection
stop-and-go method (Figure 7). The improve product quality in a wider range technology for wider coverage of mounting
quality assurance (in Japanese). Proceed-
mechanism repeats rotary motion at a of customers’ circuit board production ings of the 52nd Soldering Breakout
constant speed. The key is to synchronize lines in preparation for the day when Session, Japan Welding Society, 2011, p.4.
the axes’ motion and make the rotation automated driving will become prevalent. 2. Japanese Society of Radiological Technol-
trajectory as close to a perfect circle as pos- This article was contributed by Omron ogy (Supervising Ed.). Ichikawa, K.; Mura-
matsu, Y. eds., Standard X-Ray CT Image
sible. This is supported by a synchronous Americas, Hoffman Estates, IL. For more infor- Measurement (in Japanese). Ohmsha,
complete circular trajectory control tech- mation, visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-280. 2009, pp.27-28.
nology based on the PLC NJ controller
and the 1S servo system. This technology
supports not only simple high-speed rota-
tion but also dynamic and high-precision

synchronous control.
The second characteristic to note is
that this system performs image acquisi-
tion and data processing at high speed. Then stop using complicated controllers for precision motion.
This system is built in such a manner as You shouldn’t need a Ph.D. in control systems to program your
to obtain one image after another — controller.
even in the middle of mechanical action With Automation1, you
— on the basis of image acquisition trig- can now reduce your set
gers issued by a proprietary circuit net- up time — in many cases,
work. It is known that high-speed image from days down to minutes
acquisition during movement of the — thanks to an intuitive
mechanism tends to result in blurred interface and machine
images2. Therefore, the system records setup wizard. Automation1
the image acquisition start time on a 1PJ- is the most user-friendly
by-1PJ basis and then reduces blur using precision motion control
its image reconstruction capability that platform available.
takes into consideration the relative posi-
tions of the FPD and the X-ray source at
that time. Moreover, with the addition of
a graphics processing unit (GPU) for
processing speed improvement, the sys-
tem has successfully achieved a speed
that is fast enough to process a series of
images transmitted at high speed.
The advantage of this technology is
that axis actions proceed at a constant
speed and thereby help to reduce vibra-
tions and impacts on the rotating hard-
ware units. This led Omron engineers to
adopt a geometry structure in which the
X-ray source rotates with the stage unit —
a heavy object — fixed in place. As a
result, the rotation radius of the FPD and
that of the X-ray source were reduced to
approximately 60 percent of their respec-
tive corresponding conventional values
and contributed to a significant reduc-
tion in the speed required for a full rota-
tion (Figure 8). These reduced rotation
radii also helped to minimize image blur.
Summary
A sophisticated architecture can maxi- See how we make
mize the advantage of continuous imag- your motion easier.
ing technology. Moreover, the availability
of faster inline CT inspections makes it AT0520A-CSG
possible to inspect far greater numbers of

Options Abound
When Selecting a Sensor
for Motor Feedback
I
n many motion control applications, it tion is the derivative of speed, it is possi-
is necessary to know the position, MOSFETs/
ble to determine all three factors, even
IGBTs
speed, and perhaps even acceleration when knowing just one of them (also
of a motor’s rotor or its load. Depending Processor &
note the complement: speed is the inte-
Interface Drivers
on the application and design specifics, Algorithms
gral of acceleration and position is the
the motor controller might need to integral of speed).
know these parameters precisely, approx- However, in practice, this method of
imately, or perhaps not at all. By know- Feedback sensor
determining associated parameters is
& Interface
ing the motor situation and rotor status, often (but not always) inadequate be-
the motor controller has a closed-loop cause of resolution and noise. For exam-
scenario (Figure 1). Figure 1. In many motor management and control ple, knowing the rotor has completed
Of course, a motor’s speed, position, applications, real-time details of the position and/or another revolution tells you about all
and acceleration are closely linked. speed of the rotor, provided by a sensor assembly, three variables but with very low and usu-
are critical for effective closed-loop feedback and
Because speed is the derivative (time thus accurate performance on the objectives. ally unacceptable resolution. Depending
rate of change) of position and accelera- (Source: Bill Schweber) on the application, the resolution and

accuracy needed in practice. Too
can range from much of an apparently
rough to moderate good thing — resolution — can slow
to precise. A CNC a system by requiring extra processing of
machine tool needs precise rotor infor- information that is not needed or useful,
mation, an automobile power-window each so limiting resolution to the minimum
controller can accept approximate data, position, so needed is a good idea.
and a clothes washer or dryer will be satis- shaft position is ab-
fied with only coarse information. solutely determined — are Resolvers
often paired with permanent-magnet Resolvers are extremely accurate,
Closing the Loop brushless motors in servo applications. The rugged, absolute transducers of position.
For sensing the rotor position or application, of course, is the primary factor They are based on fundamental trans-
motion, the most common options are that determines whether incremental or former principles, with one primary
resolvers, optical or capacitive encoders, absolute information is needed. winding plus two secondary windings,
and Hall-effect devices, in roughly Although most motor control is now which are oriented in quadrature (90°)
descending order of precision, resolu- done via a digital control loop, the sensor with respect to each other (Figure 2).
tion, and cost. These sensors are very dif- signal itself is either all-analog and needs The effective turns ratio and polarity
ferent in their physical design, imple- to be digitized or is a digital signal but between the primary and secondary
mentation, and electrical interface, so with voltages and other attributes that windings varies, depending on the angle
users must understand what is needed, make it incompatible with standard digi- of the shaft. The primary is excited with
what the best choice is in a given applica- tal circuitry. Although some of the feed- a reference AC waveform at constant fre-
tion, and how they will interface the sen- back sensors are offered with raw outputs quency, which can range from 50 Hz/60
sor to the circuitry of the controller. that can be tailored as preferred, many Hz to several hundred kHz, and the out-
Incremental encoders — used when also have conditioned, ready-to-interface puts of the secondary windings will be
only relative position is needed or cost is an outputs that are compatible with stan- out of phase because of their physical
issue — are typically used with AC induc- dard I/O ports, formats, and protocols. placement. The peak voltages of the sec-
tion motors. In contrast, absolute encoders Although more resolution might ondaries will vary as the shaft rotates and
— which give a different binary output at seem like a good idea, it might not be so will be proportional to the shaft angle. By

VR = E0 SIN(ωt)
Light emitters Light detectors
R1 S2
Phase A
VC = T ×
E0 SIN(ωt) × Phase B
COS(Ѳ) Reference
Ѳ S4
Shaft
R2 rotates
S1 S3 Disc
VS = T × E0 SIN (ωt) × SIN(Ѳ)
LED Light sensor
(A) CLASSICAL RESOLVER Outer track
Figure 2. The resolver uses a primary winding and a Middle track

pair of secondary windings in quadrature to assess Inner track
the angle. It requires AC excitation and demodula-
tion but is accurate, rugged, and provides absolute
position information on power up. (Image: Analog Shaft
Devices, Inc.)
Disc
Figure 3. The optical encoder has a light source, quadrature light sensors, and an interposed disk with lines. It is
I small, low-power, very easy to interface to circuitry, and can provide excellent performance. (Image: National
Programme on Technology Enhanced Lea Learning (NPTEL), a project funded by the Government of India)
impediment with modern ICs. They pro- bit streams indicating both motion and
A vide absolute position indication on direction (Figure 4).
power up and do not require any motion The encoder is an incremental, not
to index or determine the initial angle. absolute, indicator of motion. To deter-
This feature is a must-have in some situa- mine absolute position, most encoders
B
tions and a don’t-care in others. add a third track and photosensor as an
1 2 3 4 indicator zero reference track; the shaft
Encoding for Position, Not must rotate enough to pass the zero ref-
Figure 4. The A/B quadrature and index outputs of Data erence position for this to signal. True
the optical encoder are compatible with many inter-
faces and motion control processor I/O ports. An optical encoder (the term encoder relative position readout can be added to
(Source: Bill Schweber) here is unrelated to encoding of digital an optical encoder but these add com-
data) in an incremental position readout plexity to the unit.
demodulating these outputs using the uses a light source (LED), two photosen- Optical encoders offer very good reso-
primary signal as a reference, the re- sors in quadrature, and a glass or plastic lution but they are not as rugged as
solver circuitry can provide a high-resolu- disk between them (Figure 3). The disk resolvers. Dirt can interfere with the
tion readout of the shaft angle. has fine etched lines radiating from its optical path and the encoder disk can
The resolver is not only accurate but is center and as it rotates, the sensors see get dirty. However, their performance
also rugged. Resolvers have no physical patterns of light and dark. is more than adequate for
contact between primary and secondary The number of lines on the disk, many applications and
sides, no separate brushes or bearings in and some other techniques, deter- they are small, light-
addition to those at the motor itself, no mines the resolution, which is typical- weight,
points of friction that will cause parts to ly 1,024, 2,048, or even as high as low-
wear out, and no opportunity for con- 4,096 counts per revolution. Unlike
taminants (such as oil) to interfere with the transformer-like resolver, the
operating. Resolvers are used extensively optical encoder was not a
in extremely challenging situations, mass-market device until
such as angle measurement in military the development of long-
guns, because of their mechanical rug- life LEDs and efficient
gedness and performance. photosensors.
However, resolvers tend to be large and The physical arrange-
relatively costly compared to alternatives ment of the sensors lets
and require a relatively large amount of the encoder determine
power, which is often unacceptable in the direction of rotation.
low-power applications. They also require A basic circuit translates
relatively complex circuitry for genera- the pulse trains from the Figure 5. The Avago HEDS-9000 and HEDS-9100 two-channel modules
offer small size and mounting flexibility; the interposed optical disk is
tion and demodulation of the AC wave- two sensors (called A/B ordered separately with the desired resolution of counts per revolution.
forms, although this is much less of an outputs) into a pair of (Image: Avago Technologies/Broadcom)

power, easy to interface,
and low-cost. Make your machine
ma move
Typical optical encoders
for motor and rotation
applications are the simi-
lar HEDS-9000 and HEDS-
9100 two-channel mod-
ules from Avago Technol-
ogies (Broadcom). These
high-performance, low-
cost modules consist of an
LED source with lens and
a detector integrated cir-
cuit enclosed in a small, C-
Figure 6. The CUI AMT10 capacitive encoder
shaped plastic package, might look like an optical encoder from the
along with drive and inter- outside but the underlying operating princi-
face electronics (Figure ple is very different. (Image: CUI, Inc.)
5). They have a highly col-
limated light source and special photodetector physical arrange-
ment, so they are very tolerant of mounting misalignment. (The MICRO LINEAR ACTU
ACTUATORS
disk, called the code wheel, is purchased separately, with resolu- · 10mm-300mm stroke · 25kg+ available force
tion of 500 CPR and 1,000 CPR for the HEDS-9000 and between · 6v-12v power supply · 15g-100g net weight
96 CPR and 512 CPR for the HEDS-9100. The modules provide
two channels of TTL-compatible A and B digital outputs and
require a single 5-V supply.)
ACTUONIX . COM
CUI AMT10 Series is an alternative to the optical encoder,
based on capacitive principles instead of optical ones (Figure 6).
These encoders offer a range of rugged, high-accuracy, modular Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-704
units available in incremental and absolute versions, with up to

12-bit (4,096-count) resolution selectable by the user from
among 16 values via a four-position, dual in-line package (DIP)
switch. The complementary metal oxide semiconductor
(CMOS)-compatible A/B quadrature outputs of these units are
reported via a standard serial peripheral interface (SPI).
Unlike optical encoders, the CUI AMT devices use a repeat-
ing, etched pattern of conductors on the moving and non-mov-
Magnet
Magnetic field
Hall voltage
Constant
current flow
DC supply
Figure 7. The principle of the Hall-effect device involves current, voltage, and mag-
netic fields orthogonal to each other. (Image: National Programme on Technology
Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), a project funded by the Government of India)

VDIG
sired phase shifts, and absolute sensor IC sensitive to the flux
other factors. How- density applied orthogonally and paral-
ever, vendors of these lel to the IC surface. It is sensitive to
DSP
Rev.Pol.
units have devised the three components of the flux den-
Reg & VDD
OverVolt ways to eliminate, can- sity, which allows the MLX90367 (with
M VSS
U G
A
μC cel, or compensate for the correct magnetic circuit) to decode
X D
many of these short- the absolute position of any moving
comings, often by us- magnet (such as a rotary position from
R
O
M
RAM
Out (Sent) ing IC-based circuitry 0 to 360°).
- EEP
F/W ROM between the raw sen- Internally, this 12-bit-resolution device
sor output and the includes on-chip signal processing, with
conditioned output a microcontroller and DSP (Figure 8),
Figure 8. The Melexis MLX90367 is much more than just a Hall-effect sen-
sor; it includes an amplifier, digitizer, processor, firmware, and I/O. (Image: that goes to the system so it can perform needed calculations
Melexis N.V) controller. plus corrections for inherent nonlinear-
ities and more (Figure 9). It also sup-
ing parts of the encoder. As the encoder Hall-Effect Devices Come on ports a wide range of user-selectable
rotates, the relative capacitance between Strong functions, features, and various output
the two parts increases and decreases and Another class of encoding or sensor formats including an advanced format
this change in capacitance is sensed, device is also based on a time-worn prin- with built-in error correction called
somewhat analogous to the outputs of ciple that requires modern semiconduc- SENT (SAE J2716-2010), which is widely
the phototransistors in an optical en- tor electronics and packaging to become used in automotive applications.
coder. Dirt and other contaminants have widely affordable, available, and effec- Most Hall-effect magnetic encoders
little detrimental effect here. tive. Further, the critical interface cir- use a wheel attached to the motor shaft
Keep in mind that a resolver or cuitry, which can make use of the min- and the wheel has a set of magnetized
encoder is also a mechanical device with iscule voltage and easily interface it to a north and south poles around its pe-
mounting considerations as well as elec- system, is now available on-chip, further rimeter; it is the magnetic analogy to the
trical compatibility requirements. To simplifying the use of this technology. optical encoder slotted wheel. The
minimize stocking and inventory issues, Hall-effect devices can be used to sense wheel is usually made from an injection-
CUI offers the AMT10 series with a broad current flow through a conductor that is molded ferrite embedded with the pole
range of sleeves, covers, and mounting part of the sensor, or the presence or array. A typical wheel is magnetized with
bases, so the same basic encoder can be absence of a nearby magnetic field. 32 poles (16 north and 16 south), so the
used across a wide range of shaft diame- What we know as the Hall effect was resolution is far less than for an optical
ters and installations. discovered by Edwin Hall in 1879; a encoder or resolver but is often enough
Resolvers and encoders can produce potential difference — the Hall voltage for many situations. A typical installation
basic readouts with resolution as high as — is produced across an electrical con- has three Hall-effect sensors, spaced
1/100 of a degree (0.6 arc minutes) or ductor at right angles to an electric cur- 120° apart electrically, to sense commu-
better but accuracy is not the same as rent in the conductor and a magnetic tation of the wheel.
the resolution (again, some applications field perpendicular to the current
are more concerned with one of these (Figure 7). Summary
than the other). Regardless of whether Some Hall-effect sensors go far be- Designers who must sense motor posi-
the design uses a resolver or encoder, yond incorporating only the sensor ele- tion, speed, or acceleration have a wide
error sources occur because of tempera- ment itself. The Melexis MLX90367 variety of options covering the many key
ture, speed of tracking of changes, unde- Triaxis position sensor is a monolithic parameters and performance attributes.
Resolvers, optical and capacitive encoders,
4095 Clamping
and Hall-effect devices all have long and
High
CLAMPHIGH proven track records, plus extensive sup-
C Slope port via applications know-how.
LNR_C_S
LNR_C_Y The choice can be driven by one over-
riding factor — such as ruggedness or
B Slope
low power — or by traditional and cus-
LNR_B_S
LNR_B_Y
tomary use in a given situation. Once
A Slope the basic technology to be used is decid-
LNR_A_S
LNR_A_Y ed, many viable vendors and parts from
Slope each are available, so the decision on a
LNR_S0
Clamping
Low
specific device might take some research
CLAMPLOW
0 to better understand the tradeoffs.
LNR_A_X LNR_B_X LNR_C_X
0 360 This article was written by Bill Schweber for
(Deg.)
Mouser Electronics, Mansfield, TX. For more
Figure 9. The processing capabilities in the MLX90367 allow it to significantly improve performance by cor- information, visit http://info.hotims.com/
recting some avoidable errors in the linearity of the basic Hall-effect transducer. (Image: Melexis N.V) 79414-283.

Linear
Bearings:
What You Need to Know
L
inear bearings are rolling-ele- tered aluminum bronze, metal/polymer can run on unhardened shafts having
ment and fluid-film devices that composites, carbon insert styles, polymer- high corrosion resistance. Because poly-
reduce friction in motion sys- lined sleeves, etc. and rely on a lubricat- mers are subject to cold flow at high
tems where the motion acts ing film to form between the bearing and loads and do not dissipate heat well, poly-
along a straight — or sometimes the shaft while the two are in relative mer is often bonded in thin sections to
curved — pathway. They are dis- motion. Powdered-metal bronze bush- metal backers in the construction of
tinguished from radial bearings in which ings have been used for many years as die- these bearings.
motion is rotary. Linear bearings are post bushings. Their porous construc- Linear bushings can be crowned slight-
used in machine tool applications such tions, often with carbon plug inserts, are ly to permit some angular adjustment of
as sliding doors, 3D printers, and vacuum impregnated with oil that flows the bushing relative to the housing to
automation settings where reducing fric- to and from the bearing under the fric- adapt to shaft deflection. In more ex-
tion and guiding linear motion is need- tional heat developed as the shaft moves treme cases, the bushing is supported in
ed. They can be loosely grouped as ball and stops, providing a film of oil between the housing by O-rings. Linear bushings
and roller types that use the rolling the bearing and the shaft. are available as naked units or housed in
motion of rolling elements and sliding Polymer, self-lubricating linear bush- pillow blocks and flanged units.
types that rely on lubricant and low-fric- ings have captured some of the market Bushings can be arranged as tandem
tion surfaces. This article will discuss the that had been dominated by sintered installations in common housings to pro-
asharkyu/Shutterstock.com
distinct forms that linear bearings take metal bushings. The polymer itself — vide higher axial spread for the bearing
and highlight some general applications. typically PTFE — provides slipperiness surfaces. They are available as open and
for the running shaft. These are popular closed varieties, with the selection
Slide-Type Bearings in food packaging for their ability to run depending on how the shaft is support-
Sometimes called linear bushings, lin- without lubricants and their ability to ed. Shafts supported continuously over
ear bearings are manufactured in sin- withstand washdown chemicals. They their lengths require open bushings that

Other roller-type forms include V-
groove rollers and rails capable of nego-
tiating curved tracks, recirculating
roller-chain bearings used for heavy
loads on round rails, and bearings that
employ ceramic elements as a means of
reducing system weight. There also exist
linear bearings that use air as the lubri-
cating medium.
Selection
Most linear bearing suppliers offer
selection guides that step the user
through the design problem. Consider-
ations include the precision of the appli-
cation, from lowbrow operations such as
drawer slides to semi-precision opera-
tions such as saw guides, to exacting
applications such as machine tools.
Bronze bushings might be appropriate
where loads are high and smooth mo-
tion is required but neither speed nor
can clear the rod rails. Shafts supported Recirculating ball bushings are per- accuracy is important. On the other
on their ends can use closed bushings. haps the most familiar as they are direct hand, where loads are high and accuracy
Linear bushings are tolerant of dirt as a descendants of sliding bushings. As with is necessary, a recirculating roller bear-
result of having no moving elements. the sliding varieties, recirculating ball ing and profile rail might be the pre-
bushings can be open or closed based on ferred choice.
Rolling-Type Bearings the support of the linear rails; they can Ball bushings are easily contaminated
Open ball cages — sometimes called be mounted in pillow blocks, flanged by particulates — the sealing problem
guidepost or leader-pins — are used with units, etc. and they are often sized to being somewhat more difficult than that
die posts for guided, precise motion of directly correspond to the dimensions of of radial bearings because of the long
the upper and lower dies as they close. sliding bearings. lengths of exposed shafting involved. As
These bushings are close-toleranced to Care must be taken in dirty environ- was suggested, seals, wipers, and way cov-
provide accurate location for mating dies. ments to protect the many moving balls ers all offer means of minimizing con-
For linear motion control, both recir- within the bearing. In some instances, tamination but in very dirty environ-
culating and non-recirculating ball and the entire rod is covered. Manufacturers ments, sometimes a sliding bushing
roller bearings are available. They both will often supply seals, wipers, etc. as stan- makes a better fit. The friction of these
provide low starting friction as com- dard or optional with these bearings. can be quite high when compared with
pared with slide-type bushings. Non- Ball bushings are stiffer than linear rolling-element linear bearings.
recirculating types sandwich the balls or bushings and consequently less compli- In addition to offering the compo-
rollers along the complete lengths of ant with regards to shaft misalignment. nents to piece together linear-bearing
paired rails or ways. The rails move rela- Ball bushings can run on hardened systems, many manufacturers sell assem-
tive to each other as the rolling elements round rails. Recirculating roller bush- bled systems under various names such
rotate between them. These designs can ings usually run along profiled tracks as linear slides, linear tables, etc. Many
provide very accurate linear motion and that have flat ways. Ball bushings are manufacturers can supply systems with a
some designs use crossed rollers for sometimes available with different levels variety of actuating options.
even higher accuracies. The stroke of precision with the looser versions able In sizing a system, engineers will need
length is fixed by the number of ele- to compensate for misalignment of the to have some information at hand
ments, however, making long strokes shaft. Self-aligning ball bushings also are including the maximum expected speed
somewhat impractical. available. Ball bushings have some ability and acceleration, the maximum force
Recirculating ball and roller bearings to rotate on the shafts, so if used with the system will see, and the length of
have no theoretical limits on travel dis- parallel shafts, one shaft can sit lower stroke. Repeatability is a concern. Mo-
tance because the rolling elements trav- than the other without noticeably affect- ment loads acting on the system along
DimiSotirov/Shutterstock.com
el the length of the bearing as it moves ing operation. the x, y, and z axes also must be consid-
along the rod but then double back Ball bushing rails can be end-mounted ered. Maintenance plays a part in system
through the carrier, creating an endless successfully and can span some distance selection, as do vibration and noise con-
loop of load-bearing elements. These between supports. Mounting of profile straints.
designs operate on round rails or pro- rails usually requires support over the This article was contributed by Thomasnet,
filed tracks, depending on the design of full length of the rail, demanding careful New York, NY. For more information, visit
the bearing. preparation of the mounting surface. http://info.hotims.com/79414-282.

New Hybrid Concept for Actuating Subsea Valves
I n oil and gas subsea production sys-

tems, a subsea “Christmas tree” is
mounted on the wellheads. Each tree
externally by an underwater ro-
bot via an override. All key com-
ponents of the drive train are
Figure 1. A new concept for a hy-
brid subsea valve actuator com-
bines electromechanics and elec-
trohydraulics in a compact unit for
controls the oil and gas production of its installed redundantly. Altogether, deep-sea applications.
respective well via multiple process valves. SVAs provide safety on different
Each process valve is actuated by a subsea levels with the redundant con-
valve actuator (SVA) that must be able to trols, the failsafe spring, and the tions are at a critical disad-
safely close the valve in every operating intervention options from outside. vantage for subsea applica-
state, even during power failure. The benefits of a hybrid SVA are tions when a failsafe emer-
The requirements for subsea produc- evident when the solution is com- gency closure is needed.
tion systems are extremely high. Oper- pared with the current state of actu-
ational availability and safety are espe- ator technology. The vast majority Up to 75 Percent
cially important for underwater systems of underwater actuators used glob- Less Energy
that produce oil and gas to protect peo- ally are still based on conventional Consumption
ple and environments. Additionally, pro- hydraulics. This common structure The hybrid SVA com-
tecting the sea from pollution caused by has proven its durability and long- bines the benefits of both
the disposal of hydraulic fluid used in term safety over the past 50 years. hydraulic and electrome -
conventional SVAs is now also becoming However, operators want to reduce chanical solutions and
a key priority. the effort needed to manage the eliminates existing dis-
A new concept for a hybrid SVA com- well valve because conventional advantages. The
bines electromechanics and electrohy- hydraulics typically require big, cen- decentralized
draulics in a compact unit for deep-sea tral hydraulic power units (HPUs) self-contained
applications such as the operation of 2" on the topside. These supply the fluid circuit
gate valves (Figure 1). This hybrid SVA is well valve actuators with fluid via means the top-
designed to meet safety requirements up lines, known as umbilicals, and side HPU, sub -
to SIL3, withstand an external pressure jumpers that can be kilometers sea hydraul -
of up to 300 bar in a saltwater environ- long. At a working depth of 3,000 ic control mod -
ment, consume up to 75 percent less meters, several hundred liters of ule and kilometer-
energy, and operate 24 hours per day fluid can accumulate in the lines long umbilical lines are
over a 25-year lifetime with limited main- alone. Furthermore, that conven- no longer required f o r
tenance possibilities. tional setup requires additional the fluid. The SVA re-
hydraulic accumulators and quires a pow e r
Self-Contained Axes with a directional valves to s u p ply
Hydrostatic Drive control and com- and data
The recently developed SVA provides mand the actua- line as
an energy-efficient and safe alternative tion. speci-
to the previously used traditional hy- As an alter- fied by
draulic or electromechanical actuators native, equip- the Subsea In-
that open and close the gate valve ment suppliers try strumentation Inter-
(Figure 2). Hybrid SVAs are self-con- to design purely electromechani- face Standardization (SIIS)
tained modules with their own closed cal solutions. These only need to be — similar to the electro-
fluid circuit containing just a few liters supplied via power cables and connect- mechanical actuators.
of environmentally friendly hydraulic ed via a data line to an actuator control During operation, a
fluid. A variable-speed electric motor module (ACM) located either topside or high-efficiency fixed dis-
drives a durable hydraulic pump, which on the seabed. However, because they placement/variable rotating hydraulic
generates the flow required to actuate a have no options for external mechanical pump generates flow to drive the low-
hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder’s rod is intervention for adjustments, electro- friction cylinder. The hydraulic system is
mechanically coupled with the well’s mechanical solutions have safety-related simplified because proportional valves
gate valve stem to open or close it as disadvantages. And due to their lower are not required, which significantly
needed. power density vs. hydraulic systems, they increases energy efficiency. Compared
A safety valve with a mechanical spring also require bigger housings and electri- with purely electromechanical actuators,
inside the SVA ensures the cylinder also cal batteries. The design results in high SVAs consume up to 75 percent less pow-
retracts safely into the failsafe position if friction, causing mechanical wear on the er at peak performance.
the power fails, without the need for power transmission and reducing the Considering all the actuators used to
external power supply or batteries. required 25-year operating period. For operate a subsea field, a huge cost saver
Additionally, the cylinder can be driven these reasons, electromechanical solu- for the electric infrastructure alone

Figure 2. The recently developed subsea valve actuator provides an energy-efficient and safe alternative to the previously used traditional hydraulic or electro-
mechanical actuators that open and close gate valves, for example.
(power cable, transformer, frequency be analyzed, allowing deviations to be sea use at depths up to 6,000 meters.
converters, etc.) can be obtained vs. identified and solved early. The system and core components also
using electromechanical actuators, for meet special requirements of the differ-
example (Figure 3). The electric motor Proven Technology from ent classification societies for marine,
driving the hydraulic pump can then be Industrial Applications offshore, and subsea use.
configured considerably smaller but The operating principle for the SVA Within the SVA, there are two bars of
with the same adjustment force of the comes from the accepted use of self-con- overpressure at every depth because of
actuators, which in turn saves installa- tained axes often found in industrial the redundant pressure compensation
tion space and costs. More cost savings applications. Individual components for system. This prevents the penetration of
can also be realized from substituting the SVA are manufactured in large-scale saltwater and the need for large hous-
the hydraulic umbilical with an electric series under quality management sys- ings with a pressure-neutral design. In
umbilical, and there’s no need to dis- tems such as the ones used in industrial addition to the standard requirements,
pose of hydraulic fluid that’s required machines. This standardization reduces only subsea-rated wiring and connec-
for conventional hydraulic actuators. costs and creates long-term availability tions are used within the axis. All electri-
In addition, the SVA offers condition- for production. In addition, the sensors cal components that are not subsea-
monitoring capabilities, with built-in and electronics used in the SVA have rated are also mechanically and electri-
sensor technology that continuously proven reliability from use in automo- cally encapsulated with pressure-resis-
records the operating states within the tive vehicle applications. Where re- tant parts.
actuator and reports them to the higher- quired, modifications have been made Working closely with leading equip-
level master controller. Trends can then to the components to qualify for deep- ment suppliers and operators, the latest
simulation technolo-
gy was used to create
the proof of concept
and prototypes for
field trials. This inno-
vative drive technolo-
gy combines the best
of electromechanics
and hydraulics to help
ensure safe and reli-
able motion control
on the seafloor, help-
ing to bring the vision
of an “all subsea facto-
ry” into reality.
This article was writ-
ten by Dr. Alexandre
Orth, Head of Marine &
Subsea Technologies, and
Amadeu Placido Neto,
Test Engineer, at Bosch
Subsea factory concept illustration with courtesy of DNV GL Rexroth Corp. (Plymouth,
MI). For more informa-
Figure 3. Considering all the actuators used to operate a subsea field, a huge cost saver for the electric infrastructure alone (power
cable, transformer, frequency converters, etc.) can be obtained using hybrid subsea valve actuators vs. using electromechanical actuation, visit http://info.
tors, for example. hotims.com/79414-281.

Chemically Driven Wheels “Morph” Into Gears
A catalytic reaction causes a two-dimensional, chemically coated sheet to spontaneously
morph into a three-dimensional gear.
University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tchines
he gear is one of the oldest me-
chanical tools and led to ma-
ranging from early irrigation
14
In nature, organisms use chemi-
cal energy to change their shape
and move. For the new chemical
systems and clocks, to modern 12 sheet to move, it also has to spon-
engines and robotics. Researchers taneously morph into a new shape,
have utilized a catalytic reaction that which allows it to catch the fluid
10
causes a two-dimensional, chemical- flow and perform its function.
ly coated sheet to spontaneously The team found that not all the
“morph” into a three-dimensional 8 gear parts needed to be chemically
gear that performs sustained work. active for motion to occur; in fact,
The findings indicate the poten- asymmetry is crucial to create
6
tial to develop chemically driven movement. By determining the
machines that do not rely on exter- design rules for the placement, the
nal power but simply require the 4 researchers could direct the rota-
addition of reactants to the sur- tion to be clockwise or counter-
rounding solution. Computational 2 clockwise. This added “program”
modeling has shown that chemo- enabled the control of indepen-
mechanical transduction (conver- dent rotors to move sequentially or
0
sion of chemical energy into mo- in a cascade effect, with active and
tion) at active sheets presents a passive gear systems. This more
2
novel way to replicate the behavior complex action is controlled by the
of gears in environments without 1 internal structure of the spokes
access to traditional power sources. 0 and the placement within the fluid
0 5 10
In the simulations, catalysts are domain.
placed at various points on a two- In the future, the researchers
Transmission of rotational motion from an active gear to two passive
dimensional sheet resembling a gears. In a fluidic chamber, an active gear can rotate multiple passive will investigate how the relative
wheel with spokes, with heavier gears, which are placed to break the symmetry of the flow field. spatial organization of multiple
nodes on the sheet’s circumfer- gears can lead to greater func-
ence. The flexible sheet, approximate- “wheel,” thereby causing the fluid to tionality, potentially designing a system
ly a millimeter in length, is then spontaneously flow. The inward fluid that appears to act as if it were making
placed in a fluid-filled microchamber. flow drives the lighter sections of the decisions.
A reactant is added to the chamber sheet to pop up, forming an active For more information, contact Paul
that activates the catalysts on the flat rotor that catches the flow and rotates. Kovach at pkovach@pitt.edu.
Air-Powered Robot Needs No Electronics

The walking quadruped is controlled and powered by pressurized air.
University of California, San Diego
Etronics
ngineers have created a four-legged
soft robot that doesn’t need any elec-
to work. The robot only needs a
est because they easily adapt to their
environment and operate safely near
humans.
nervous system, are typically bulky and
expensive. By contrast, the new robot is
controlled by a lightweight, low-cost sys-
constant source of pressurized air for all Most soft robots are powered by pres- tem of pneumatic circuits, made up of
its functions including its controls and surized air and are controlled by elec- tubes and soft valves onboard the robot
locomotion systems. Applications in- tronic circuits. But this approach re- itself. The robot can walk on command
clude robots that can operate in environ- quires complex components like circuit or in response to signals it senses from
ments where electronics cannot func- boards, valves, and pumps, often outside the environment.
tion such as MRI machines or mine the robot’s body. These components, The robot’s computational power
shafts. Soft robots are of particular inter- which constitute the robot’s brains and roughly mimics mammalian reflexes

that are driven by a neural response
from the spine rather than the brain.
The team was inspired by neural circuits
found in animals, called central pattern
generators, made of very simple ele-
ments that can generate rhythmic pat-
terns to control motions like walking
and running. To mimic the generators’
functions, the team built a system of
valves that act as oscillators, controlling
the order in which pressurized air enters
air-powered muscles in the robot’s four
limbs. The researchers built a compo-
nent that coordinates the robot’s gait by
delaying the injection of air into the
robot’s legs. The robot’s gait was
inspired by sideneck turtles.
The robot is also equipped with sim-
ple mechanical sensors — little soft bub-
bles filled with fluid placed at the end of The robot’s walking process is driven by a series of valves.
booms protruding from the robot’s
body. When the bubbles are depressed, chambers of each limb provide multi-axis The researchers want to improve the
the fluid flips a valve in the robot that bending required for walking. The re- robot’s gait so it can walk on natural ter-
causes it to reverse direction. The robot searchers paired chambers from each leg rain and uneven surfaces, allowing it to
is equipped with three valves acting as diagonally across from one another, sim- navigate over a variety of obstacles. This
inverters that cause a high-pressure state plifying the control problem. would require a more sophisticated net-
to spread around the air-powered cir- A soft valve switches the direction of work of sensors and a more complex
cuit, with a delay at each inverter. rotation of the limbs between counter- pneumatic system. The team will also look
Each of the robot’s four legs has three clockwise and clockwise. That valve acts as at how the technology could be used to
degrees of freedom powered by three what’s known as a latching double pole, create robots that are in part controlled
muscles. The legs are angled downward at double throw switch — a switch with two by pneumatic circuits for some functions
45 degrees and composed of three paral- inputs and four outputs, so each input such as walking, while traditional elec-
lel, connected pneumatic cylindrical has two corresponding outputs it is con- tronic circuits handle higher functions.
chambers with bellows. When a chamber nected to. That mechanism is a little like For more information, contact Ioana
is pressurized, the limb bends in the taking two nerves and swapping their Patringenaru at ipatrin@ucsd.edu; 858-822-
opposite direction. As a result, the three connections in the brain. 0899.
Soft Tactile Sensor with Skin-Comparable

Characteristics for Robots
The design could contribute to various applications in the robotics field such as smart
prosthetics and human-robot interaction.
City University of Hong Kong
A research team developed a soft tactile

sensor with skin-comparable charac-
teristics. A robotic gripper with the sensor
the subtle change of shear force, human
skin can act as feedback and allow us to
adjust how to hold an object stably with
exerted on it, it can detect the change of
the magnetic field due to the film’s de-
formation. More importantly, it can de-
mounted at the fingertip could accom- our hands and fingers or how tightly we couple or decompose the external force
plish challenging tasks such as stably grasp- should grasp it. automatically into two components: nor-
ing fragile objects and threading a needle. To mimic this feature of human skin, mal force (the force applied perpendic-
A main characteristic of human skin is the soft tactile sensor is integrated into a ularly to the object) and shear force,
its ability to sense shear force — the force multi-layered structure like human skin providing the accurate measurement of
that makes two objects slip or slide over and includes a flexible and specially these two forces, respectively.
each other when coming into contact. By magnetized film of about 0.5 mm thin as Moreover, the sensor possesses anoth-
sensing the magnitude, direction, and the top layer. When an external force is er human skin-like characteristic: the tac-

Associate Professor Dr. Shen Yajing developed a novel magnetic spray that can transform objects into milliro-
bots for biomedical applications. (Photo source: City University of Hong Kong)
tile “super-resolution” that allows it to electronic skin that covers the whole
locate the stimuli’s position as accurately body of the robot.
as possible. An efficient tactile super-res- The sensitivity and measurement
olution algorithm uses deep learning to range of the sensor can be adjusted by
achieve a 60-fold improvement of the changing the magnetization direction of
localization accuracy for contact posi- the top layer (magnetic film) of the sen-
tion. Such a tactile super-resolution algo- sor without changing the sensor’s thick-
rithm can help improve the physical res- ness. This enables the e-skin to have dif-
olution of a tactile sensor array with the ferent sensitivity and measurement
least number of sensing units, thus re- range in different parts, just like human
ducing the number of wirings and the skin. Also, the sensor has a much shorter
time required for signal transmitting. fabrication and calibration process com-
By mounting the sensor at the finger- pared with other tactile sensors.
tip of a robotic gripper, the team showed The sensor could be beneficial to
that robots can accomplish challenging applications in the robotics field such as
tasks. The robotic gripper stably grasped adaptive grasping, dexterous manipula-
fragile objects like an egg while an exter- tion, texture recognition, smart prosthet-
nal force tried to drag it away, and ics, and human-robot interaction.
threaded a needle via teleoperation. The For more information, contact the Office of
sensor can be easily extended to the the Vice President of Research & Technology
form of sensor arrays or even continuous at vprt@cityu.edu.hk; +852 3442-6847.
Nanosized Foldable Robots

The machines fold themselves within 100 milliseconds and
can flatten and refold thousands of times.
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
A fully functional nanosized robot

requires electronic circuits, photo-
voltaics, sensors, and antennas. But if the
able atomically thin two-dimensional
materials to fold themselves into 3D con-
figurations. All they require is a quick
robot needs to move, it must be able to jolt of voltage. And once the material is
bend. Researchers have created micron- bent, it holds its shape even after the
sized shape memory actuators that en- voltage is removed.
Motion Design, June 2021 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-706

atop those layers. When a positive voltage
is applied to the actuators, oxygen atoms
are driven into the platinum and swap
places with platinum atoms. This process,
called oxidation, causes the platinum to
expand on one side in the seams between
the inert glass panels, which bends the
structure into its predesignated shape.
The machines can hold that shape even
after the voltage is removed because the
embedded oxygen atoms bunch up to
form a barrier, which prevents them
from diffusing out.
By applying a negative voltage to the
device, the researchers can remove the
oxygen atoms and quickly restore the
platinum to its pristine state. And by
varying the pattern of the glass panels —
and whether the platinum is exposed on
the top or bottom — they can create a
range of origami structures actuated by
mountain and valley folds.
The tiny layers are about 30 atoms
thick, compared to a sheet of paper that
might be 100,000 atoms thick. The
machines fold themselves within 100 mil-
Nanosized robots that fold themselves into 3D configurations could enable locomotion, novel metamaterial liseconds. They can also flatten and re-
design, and high-fidelity sensors. (Courtesy Cornell University) fold themselves thousands of times. And
they only need a single volt to be powered
Imagine a million fabricated microscopic robot manufacturing is that the to life.
scopic robots releasing from a wafer that robot size is determined by how small The team is currently working to inte-
fold themselves into shape, crawl free, the various appendages can be made to grate the shape memory actuators with
and go about their tasks, even assem- fold. The tighter the bends, the smaller circuits to make walking robots with fold-
bling into more complicated structures. the folds, and the tinier the footprint for able legs as well as sheet-like robots that
The robots’ shape memory actuator can each machine. It’s also important that move by undulating forward. These inno-
drive with voltage and hold a bent these bends can be held by the robot, vations may someday lead to nanorobots
shape. which minimizes power consumption — that can clean bacterial infection from
The actuators can bend with a radius a feature especially advantageous for human tissue, micro-factories that can
of curvature smaller than a micron — microscopic robots and machines. transform manufacturing, and robotic
the highest curvatures of any voltage- The devices consist of a nanometer- surgical instruments that are ten times
driven actuator by an order of magni- thin layer of platinum capped with a smaller than current devices.
tude. This flexibility is important be- titanium or titanium dioxide film. Several For more information, contact Jeff Tyson
cause one of the basic principles of micro- rigid panels of silicon dioxide glass sit at jeff.tyson@cornell.edu; 607-793-5769.
Swimming Living Robots Can Self-Train

Biobots based on muscle cells can swim at unprecedented velocities.
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
R oboticists aim to mimic what natural

biological entities have achieved —
actions like moving, adapting to the
ciently than rigid ones. With this goal in
mind, scientists have been working in
the field of biohybrid robots or biobots.
emulate the performance of natural en-
tities in terms of mobility and strength.
Researchers have overcome both chal-
environment, or sensing. Beyond tradi- These generally are composed of muscle lenges by using bioengineering tools.
tional rigid robots, the field of soft tissue, either cardiac or skeletal, and an They applied 3D bioprinting and engi-
robotics has recently emerged using artificial scaffold that can achieve crawl- neering design for the development of
compliant, flexible materials capable of ing, grasping, or swimming. Unfortu- biobots at the centimeter range that can
adapting to their environment more effi- nately, current biobots are unable to swim and coast like fish with unprece-

MOTION CONTROL CHANNEL
dented velocities. The key is the use of the spontaneous con-
traction of muscle cell-based materials with a very compliant Sponsored by
skeleton.
Rather than working with stiff or tethered scaffolds to pre-
pare artificial robots, the researchers used biological robots
based on a flexible serpentine spring made of a polymer called
PDMS, which was designed and optimized via simulations and
then printed using 3D printing technology. The advantage of
this innovative scaffold lies in the improved training and devel-
opment of the tissue through mechanical self-stimulation
upon spontaneous contractions, which creates a feedback loop
due to the restoring force of the spring. This self-training event
leads to enhanced actuation and larger contraction force.
Such serpentine springs have not been included before in a
soft robotic living system. Besides the capacity to self-train, the
biohybrid swimmers based on skeletal muscle cells moved at
speeds 791 times faster than current skeletal muscle-based FEATURED SPONSOR VIDEO:
biobots and were comparable with other cardiomyocyte-based Clear Advantages for Window Machine Maker
bioswimmers (based on heart cells). See how Yaskawa servo motors helped the DeMichele Group automate
The new biobots were also able to perform other move- its production of custom window-frame components.
ments. They were able to coast when placed near the bottom www.techbriefs.com/tv/YaskawaServos
surface, resembling the swimming style of certain fish charac-
terized by sporadic bursts followed by coasting phases.
The work also has applications in drug delivery and develop- “LOLA” Robot Uses
ment of bionic prosthetics. Arms for Balance
For more information, contact Josep Samitier Martí at TUM engineers are adding multi-
jsamitier@ibecbarcelona.eu; +34 934 039 706. contact locomotion to their
humanoid robot. Watch how
“LOLA” uses its arms to handle
unexpected disruptions including
a push from a researcher.
3D Motion Tracking www.techbriefs.com/tv/

Lola-robot
System for Autonomous

Technology Simple “BOBbots”
Swarm to Accomplish
Complex Tasks
The system could one day replace LiDAR Who needs sensors, communi-
cation, memory, or computation?
and cameras in automated manufacturing, New “dumb robots” from Georgia
Tech assemble into swarms to
biomedical imaging, and autonomous collectively clear debris.
driving. www.techbriefs.com/tv/
BOBbots
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
A real-time 3D motion tracking system combines transpar-

ent light detectors with advanced neural network methods
to create a system that could one day replace LiDAR and cam-
Bat-Inspired “Ear”
Detects Sound
Locations
eras in autonomous technologies. The imaging system exploits
A bat-like sound tracker being de-
the advantages of transparent, nanoscale, highly sensitive veloped at Virginia Tech could help
graphene photodetectors. robots navigate through complex
The graphene photodetectors were tweaked to absorb only environments. With a simple motor,
the synthetic ear flutters when it
about 10% of the light they’re exposed to, making them nearly receives an incoming sound.
transparent. Because graphene is so sensitive to light, this is suf- www.techbriefs.com/tv/
ficient to generate images that can be reconstructed through bat-ear
computational imaging. The photodetectors are stacked behind
each other, resulting in a compact system, and each layer focuses
on a different focal plane, which enables 3D imaging.
The team also tackled real-time motion tracking, which is criti-
cal to a wide array of autonomous robotic applications. To do this, www.techbriefs.tv
they needed a way to deter- nal processing algorithms
mine the position and orien- used for long-standing im-
tation of an object being aging technologies such as
tracked. Typical approaches X-ray and MRI. The team
involve LiDAR systems and demonstrated success track-
light-field cameras, both of ing a beam of light as well
which suffer from significant as an actual ladybug with a
limitations. Others use meta- stack of two 4×4 (16-pixel)
materials or multiple cam- graphene photodetector ar-
eras. Hardware alone was not rays. They also proved that
enough to produce the de- their technique is scalable:
sired results. it would take as few as 4,000
The team built an optical pixels for some practical
setup and enabled a neural applications and 400×600-
network to decipher the pixel arrays for many more.
positional information. The The technology could be
neural network is trained to used with other materials.
search for specific objects in Focal stack images of a point object are simulated by focusing a green laser beam Additional advantages of
onto a graphene-based transparent photodetector array. Graphene detectors produce
the entire scene and then surprisingly high photo-response while only absorbing a very small portion of light. graphene are that it doesn’t
focus only on the object of (Image: Robert Coelius/Michigan Engineering, Communications and Marketing) require artificial illumina-
interest; for example, a pe- tion and it’s environmentally
destrian in traffic or an object moving ing, or projecting human body struc- friendly. Mass production would require
into your lane on a highway. The tech- tures in 3D for the medical community. a new manufacturing infrastructure.
nology works particularly well for stable The type of algorithms the team For more information, contact Nicole
systems, such as automated manufactur- developed are unlike traditional sig- Casal Moore at ncmoore@umich.edu.
AI and Wearable Cameras Combined in Self-

Walking Robotic Exoskeletons
Exoskeleton legs are capable of thinking and making control decisions on their own using
artificial intelligence technology.
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
R esearchers are developing exoskel-

eton legs capable of thinking and
making control decisions on their own
ted exoskeleton users with wearable cam-
eras and are now optimizing AI comput-
er software to process the video feed to
other features of the surrounding envi-
ronment.
The next phase of the project will
using sophisticated artificial intelligence accurately recognize stairs, doors, and involve sending instructions to motors so
(AI) technology. The ExoNet that robotic exoskeletons can
system combines computer climb stairs, avoid obstacles, or
vision and deep-learning AI to take other appropriate actions
mimic how able-bodied peo- based on analysis of the user’s cur-
ple walk by seeing their sur- rent movement and the upcoming
roundings and adjusting their terrain. The control approach
movements. would not necessarily require
Exoskeleton legs operated human thought. Similar to cars
by motors already exist but that drive themselves, the auton-
they must be manually con- omous exoskeletons would walk
trolled by users via smartphone by themselves.
applications or joysticks. Each The researchers are improving
time the user wants to perform the energy efficiency of the mo-
a new locomotor activity, they tors by using human motion to
have to stop, take out their self-charge the batteries.
smartphone, and select the For more information, contact
desired mode. To address that The self-walking robotic exoskeleton legs can think and make control decisions on Chris Wilson-Smith at chris.ws@
limitation, the researchers fit- their own using artificial intelligence. uwaterloo.ca; 519-888-4451.

Encoders Linear Actuators
Netzer Precision Position Sensors SureStep stepper motor linear
(Misgav, Israel) introduced the actuators from AutomationDirect
VLX-60 Electric Encoders™ that (Cumming, GA) are NEMA 17 or
feature an open frame, two-plate NEMA 23 frame stepper motors
design, and tolerance to tempera- with a stainless-steel lead-screw ex-
ture, shock, EMI, RFI, and magnetic tension of the rotor. In conjunction
fields. Features include a <10-mm pro- with the provided screw nut, the
file, hollow-shaft stator/rotor, no bearings actuators translate motor torque
or other contact elements, digital interfaces for absolute position, into linear thrust. They can provide up to 193 pounds of thrust or
auto-calibration option, and output reading is the averaged outcome speeds up to 18 in/sec. Eight standard leads (travel per rev) are
of the entire area of the rotor. Output is digital serial synchronous with offered with screw lengths of 6", 9", or 12". Triangular screw nuts are
absolute position single turn. included.
Motion and Automation System Multiturn Encoders

PI, L.P. (Auburn, MA) offers POSITAL (Hamilton, NJ) introduced 22-
X-417 pre-configured motion mm multiturn kit encoders for miniature
and automation systems includ- motors and drives. The absolute position feed-
ing EtherCat motion controllers back devices provide full multiturn measure-
and software. The multi-axis mo- ment capabilities without the need for backup
tion subsystem features nano- batteries. The rotation counter system is self-
meter resolution and absolute powered, so in the event of a power failure or
encoders for industrial precision control system outage, the encoder’s counter
motion applications including circuits remain operational, maintaining a
automation, test and inspection, record of any rotations that the motor drive shaft experiences. Once
medical manufacturing, and semiconductor testing. The XY base sys- power is restored, the motor’s complete rotary position, including
tem is made of two 3-phase, motor-powered, V-417 linear stages with rotation count, is forwarded to the central controller. Vendor-neutral
travel ranges from 204 to 407 mm. The XYZ system includes an L-412 SSI and BiSS C communication interfaces are supported.
high-load linear stage mounted vertically, providing 4" (102 mm) travel For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-305
range. The Z-stage is equipped with a synchronous servo motor and a
holding brake. Digital Drives
Performance Motion Devices (West-
ford, MA) announced ION/CME N-
Quick Disconnect Series digital drives that provide
Beswick Engineering (Greenland, motion control, network connectiv-
NH) offers the QDM34L series four-line, ity, and amplification. They feature
dry break quick disconnect. The design a rugged PCB-mountable package
minimizes dead volume to eliminate with three power output levels of 75, 300,
leakage when making or breaking con- and 1,000 Watts. All drives support brushless
nections. Both the internal and external DC, DC brush, and step motors. They provide pro-
ends include shutoff mechanisms that file generation, servo compensation, stall detection, field-oriented con-
remain fully closed during disconnection trol (FOC), and electronic camming. They support Ethernet, CAN,
and remain closed until completely con- serial, and SPI communications.
nected. They are equipped with a keyed For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-306
location pin and are available in 303 stainless steel. Each line has an
M3 threaded port for connecting fluid lines. Extrusion Head
Guill Tool & Engineering (West Warwick, RI) intro-
duced the 500 Series crosshead extrusion head with
Slide Guides mechanically assisted gum space adjustment.
NB Corp. (Hanover Park, IL) re- It is designed for the flow characteristics
leased SEBS-B type slide guides. All and processing challenges of elastomer-
stainless models are suitable for high- ic compounds. The gum space adjust-
temperature applications, clean- ment allows the operator to
rooms, and vacuum environments. make an adjustment from a sin-
They are available in both retained- gle point using a common socket
ball (whose elements allow for easier wrench. The visual indicator on
handling since the guide block may the core tube allows the operator to see how far the
be removed from rail without ball gum space has been moved. A half rotation of the cam nut is
loss) or non-retained ball lines in sizes from 2 mm. Friction-free travel required to loosen and automatically extract the deflector from the
ranges from 104 mm to 1,000 mm. head body.

Automation System Brushless DC Motors
Methods Machine Nanotec (Feldkirchen, Germany) introduced the APBA80 series of brush-
Tools (Sudbury, MA) less DC motors with a rated power of up to 1.000 W. They come standard
offers the JobShop with integrated encoder or with encoder and brake and are rated IP65.
Cell PRO automation They have a peak torque of 9.6 Nm, a rated speed of 3,000 rpm, and a
solution incorporat- rated voltage of 48 V. In addition to the standard version with keyway,
ing a main enclosure individual shaft modifications are possible as are customized windings.
with several different The control electronics can be tailored to specific applications. The
pre-engineered end- motors are suited for battery-powered applications such as AGVs or service
of-arm and infeed/ robots and are safe for use in environments where standard AC servos would
outfeed options. It features an industrial- require additional insulation and safety measures.
grade, articulating FANUC 6-axis robot in an For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-309
aluminum enclosure that allows a RoboDrill
to be placed on the left or right side or in a Magnetic Robotic Gripper
twin cell with two machines. Removable pan- OnRobot (Odense, Denmark) offers the MG10 magnetic gripper for
els on the common enclosure allow for several material handling, assembly, and machine tending applications.
different infeed and outfeed options includ- Compatible with all major robot brands, the gripper provides adjustable
ing conveyors, drawers, lazy susan style pallet force and grip detection. It comes with built-in grip and sensors for part
systems, and interfaces for vibratory and other detection. The gripper enables durable handling of objects with abra-
bulk feeding solutions. The RoboDrill offers sive, uneven, or perforated surfaces for a variety of applications in the
multi-axis simultaneous machining with a manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace sectors. Its multi-magnet
10,000 or 24,000 RPM BBT-30 spindle. Cus- setup enables it to handle a range of sizes, weights, and parts with odd-
tomers may choose from a 3, 4, or 5-axis con- shaped geometries.
figured RoboDrill and an array of standard For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-310
hydraulic or pneumatic workholding options.
For Free Info Visit
Servo Motor Drive
http://info.hotims.com/79414-314
Allied Motion Technologies (Amherst, NY) released the H Series brushless
servo motor drive with Hiperface DSL, multi-feedback device support, and Safe
Torque Off (STO) safety options. The drive features a digital, DSP-based design
for motor control and commissioning. Features include power supply of 110 to
ISOTROPIC 240 VAC, rated output power up to 4800 W, rated output current of 12 continu-
ous Arms and 21 peak Arms, and encoder, resolver, and Hall feedback options.
Silver Conductive Programable digital I/O includes four high-speed discrete I/O EtherCAT,
Silicone Adhesive Ethernet, CAN/CANopen, and ±10V analog communication options.
MasterSil 973S-LO
Features Solenoid Valves
excellent electrical Emerson (Florham Park, NJ) released ASCO™ Series 256/356 two-way
conductivity and three-way solenoid valves with a reduced overall footprint
• NASA low
to enable OEMs to optimize the internal layout of their
outgassing
equipment, supporting more fluid control options to be inte-
approved
grated into a smaller final product. The valves are available in
• Highly flexible body materials including lead-free brass, stainless-steel, and
an engineered composite material. The valves are dust-tight,
• Resists high IP67-rated, and submersible in up to one meter of water, making
temperatures them suitable for harsh environments.
Jaw Couplings
Ruland (Marlborough, MA) introduced zero-backlash jaw couplings that accommodate all
forms of misalignment and are customizable. They are well-suited for servo
motors used in precise positioning applications found in semicon-
ductor, solar, medical, and robotics. The couplings have a three-
piece design comprised of two aluminum hubs and an elastomeric
insert “spider,” which is available in three durometers: 98 Shore A,
92 Shore A, and 85 Shore A. Inch, metric, keyed, and keyless hubs
with clamp or set screw hardware can be combined to fit user shaft
154 Hobart St., Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA requirements. A proprietary curved jaw profile on the hub tenons that press fit with the spi-
+1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com der ensures zero-backlash operation. They are available in bore sizes from 1 ⁄8 " to 1 ⁄4 " and 3
www.masterbond.com mm to 32 mm.
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-707 Motion Design, June 2021

On Demand
Webinars
Creating Custom Multi-Axis Sensors
for Robotics
Robotic and actuator applications most often require sensors that measure force, load, pressure, or torque. However, in many cases,
catalog products or off-the-shelf type sensors are not a suitable option due to space considerations or costly modifications needed to
be made to the existing structure. This Webinar presents the most effective ways to utilize single-axis and multi-axes sensors to create
a custom sensor solution.
Speaker:
Randy Hopkins
Director,
OEM Sensors,
HBK
Implementing Smart Factory Solutions

The smart factory is much more than just an automated facility. It is a fully connected
digital production system that has a constant stream of data coming from sources
including production machinery, pick-and-place equipment, machine vision systems for
inspection, robots of different types, and various sensors. This Webinar from the editors
of Tech Briefs highlights the components and technologies that comprise the smart fac-
tory and helps you determine which ones you need and how to control them.
Speakers:
Sachin Andhare Dan Skulan
Head of Product Marketing, General Manager,
dotData Industrial Metrology,
Renishaw Inc.
Thermostatic Control Valves:

When Precise Thermal Management
Matters Most
Modern technology for ground vehicles and aircraft are placing ever-increasing demands on thermal management systems’ capabilities.
From the need for almost instantaneous warm-up times on equipment to thermal relief requirements to protect delicate components from
overheating, thermal management is evolving to keep up with growing system complexity.
This Webinar discusses how thermostatic mixing and diverting valves are used to meet design demands for efficient and accurate tem-
perature control in aerospace and defense applications where precise thermal management is critical to project success.
Speaker:
Glenn Quinty
Senior Design Engineer,
ThermOmegaTech

Will your creative thinking
win $25,000?
Enter
Enter your
your
brightest
brightest ideas in the
ideas in the
2021
2021 Create
Create the
the Future
Future
Design
Design Contest
Contest for
for aa chance
chance
studiostoks/Shutterstock.com
at
at great prizes and global
great prizes and global
recognition.
recognition.
Visit:
Last Chance: Entry deadline is July 1, 2021
P R I N C I PA L SPONSORS C ATE GORY SUPPORTING

SPONSORS SPONSOR
PRIZE SPONSORS
June 2021
MEMS Sensors + AI = A Great

Way to Track Your Workout
Think RF for Wireless Charging
Next-Generation MEMS for

Multi-Gas Sensing
SPECIAL SECTION:
Technology Leaders
in Sensors
Supplement to Tech Briefs

The Authority in Measurement
displacement · distance · length · position · profile · thickness · color · temperature
Contact Measurement Eddy Current Sensors 2D/3D Sensors

Draw Wire Sensors High precision and nanometer Laser-Line Scanner
Easy, fast and flexible mounting resolution True profile measurement and 3D imaging
High reliability and long life time Non contact and wear-free Maximum resolution and accuracy
Suitable for fast applications Wear-free
Inductive Sensors (LVDT) Reliable in harsh applications High speed measurement
Wear-free and maintenance-free Custom sensors with Embedded

Compact sensor design Coil Technology (ECT) Optical Micrometers with fixed optic
Environmentally immune (dirt / moisture)
moistu Maximum resolution and accuracy
p
Ideal for process control
Optical Displacement
ement Sensors IR Temp
Temperature Sensors Color Sensors
Confocal Sensors Compact cameras for R&D, test For various objects and surfaces
Nano-meter resolution and process control applications Fiber color sensors
For high precision on specular Widest range of sensor head styles Fixed lens color sensors for special targets
and diffuse targets and outputs from stock High Speed Photospectrometer
Durable, robust and low cost colorCONTROL ACS 7000
Laser Triangulation Sensors OEM designs S
Sensor

ensor systems for LED color
Low-cost and high-end sensors and intensity tests
High resolution at long distance
Advanced Real-Time-Surface-
Compensation
www.micro-epsilon.com
o-epsilon.com
CONTACT US
Raleigh, NC
R C 27617 / USA · Phone +1/919
919 787 9707 · me-usa@micro-epsilon.com
YOUR OPTICAL FILTER
PARTNER FOR LIDAR
alluxa.com
Contents
FEATURES 29 Experimental Hearing Implant Succeeds in Registering Brain
Waves
4 What’s New in MEMS Sensors for Wearables 30 New Sensor Paves Way to Low-Cost Sensitive Methane
Measurements
31 Tattoo Made of Gold Nanoparticles Revolutionizes Medical
TECHNOLOGY LEADERS IN SENSORS Diagnostics
8 Innovative IoT Sensor Applications Pave the Way to the Future

12 Smart Batteries Include Force and Pressure Sensing DEPARTMENT
16 RF Wireless Power Unleashes the Ubiquity of Sensor Networks 32 New Products
APPLICATIONS
ON THE COVER
19 Next Generation MEMS IMUs — High Performance, Scalable
Two innovations in MEMS sensors are ideal for fitness
21 Next -Generation MEMS Multi-Gas Sensing routines. A gel-filled sensor, extremely sensitive to
24 Smart Sensors Are Improving Medical Care changes in altitude, is safe to use in harsh environ-
ments — even submerged in water. And a six degree
of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), with an
imbedded 32-bit programmable microcontroller and AI
software, can learn and track your routine on land or
TECH BRIEFS while swimming. To learn more, see page 4.
27 A Better Way to Measure Acceleration (Image courtesy of Bosch Sensortec)
28 Sensors Eliminate Sparking Risk in Hydrogen Vehicles
AMS-3000
Advanced Ferro-Magnetic Sensing through Non-Magnetic Barriers
-LH[\YLZ )LULÄ[Z
࠮Sensors rated up to 22.5 kpsi environments
࠮1 Micron resolution at 3mm range
࠮Extended range to 10mm with 9/16” sensor
࠮Easily customizable to your application
࠮35mm DIN rail electronics module available
Applications
࠮Condition Monitoring
࠮Non-contact speed sensing
࠮Shaft runout
࠮Gear tooth wear monitoring
࠮Abrasive environments
Industries
࠮Energy – Oil, Gas, Subsea
࠮General Industrial position/speed sensing
࠮;OPUÄSTJVH[PUN WSH[PUN
from
࠮Turbomachinery
New AN ࠮Aerospace/Defense
KAM

2 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-711 Sensor Technology, June 2021

NEW
™
QUANTIC
incremental encoder series
Analogue
output available
Easy
installation
High speed
Optional ADT
(Advanced
Diagnostic Tool)
Made for manufacturing

For information
For more more information visit www.renishaw.com/quantic
visit www.renishaw.com/quantic
Renishaw Inc 1001 Wesemann Drive West Dundee, IL, 60118

T 847-286-9953 F 847-286-9974 E usa@renishaw.com
www.renishaw.com
What’s New
in
MEMS
Sensors for
Wearables
M
EMS sensors have been 384 robust barometric pressure sensor into micron thick membrane in a silicon die.
around for a long time, the wearables market. It has been ruggedi- There are four piezoresistive elements
but requests from the zed with a gel-filled package, which is an in the membrane so that when it bends
market for new appli- innovation for a barometric pressure sen- in response to pressure, the change of
cations are driving sor. This makes it resistant to water and var- resistance of the piezoresistors varies the
upgrades in the tech- ious harsh environments. In addition, output of a Wheatstone bridge, thereby
nology. Because of their small size, their because of its small size — 2.0 × 2.0 × 1.0 producing the pressure signal.
accuracy, and reliability, MEMS sensors mm — it is easy to integrate into smart- This is a well-proven technology, which
are a good fit for wearable devices. phones, wearables, and hearables. has been used in the automotive market
Barometric pressure sensors, for exam- Bosch has also introduced the for more than 20 years and has been
ple, are ideal for embedding in watches, fit- BHI260AP self-learning AI sensor, which shown to be quite stable even under
ness bands, earphones, or smartphones to can be taught to track individualized rugged conditions. It is now entering the
support fitness parameters that can sense workout routines that include a variety of consumer electronics industry with a suc-
whether you are walking on a flat area, up different movements. And since it has a cessful track record behind it. Our latest
an incline, or on stairs. They add a third water-resistant case, it can also track laps, entry to this market is the model BMP384,
(Z) dimension to standard two-dimension- strokes, and rest times for a swim workout. which is not only robust, but is media-
al (X, Y) navigation devices. In fact, some resistant due to its gel-filled package
are sensitive and accurate enough so an Inside a MEMS Barometric Pressure
emergency call can signal to a rescuer what Sensor Accuracy
floor you are on in a skyscraper. Bosch The mechanism of the Bosch BMP Relative accuracy is a function of the
Sensortec has now introduced the BMP series of pressure sensors, is a 10-to-20- slope of the output curve; it is the accu-
4 www.techbriefs.com Sensor Technology, June 2021

Figure 2. The water-resistant BMP 384 baromet-
ric pressure sensor can be used to track swim-
ming. (Image courtesy of Bosch Sensortec)
racy of changes in altitude, rather than

an absolute reading. For the high-per-
formance Bosch BMP 390, it is +/- 0.03
1.0 mm hPa., which is equivalent to +/- 25 cm.
Absolute accuracy is a measure of the
mm
maximum error in the readout of the
2.0 mm
2.0 exact pressure. For the high-perfor-
mance BMP390, it is +/- 0.50 hPa.
Other specifications relevant to
BMP384: absolute accuracy include RMS noise:
The robust barometric pressure sensor
is designed to use in harsh environments. +/- 0.02 hPa; temperature coefficient
offset: (25 °C – 40°C, at 900Pa); 12-
month stability: +/- 0.16 hPa; and sol-
der drift: <+/- 0.8 hPa.
(Solder drift, although not often men-
tioned, can be a significant factor. When
soldering a device to a printed circuit
board, you create a temperature gradi-
ent, which can cause a mechanical stress,
including bending. This kind of stress
Figure 1. The BMP 384 robust barometric pressure sensor is media resistant and designed to be on the MEMS sensor can cause changes
embedded in wearables for use in harsh environments. (Image courtesy of Bosch Sensortec) in the electrical output.)
Sensor Technology, June 2021 www.techbriefs.com 5

MEMS Sensors
Navigation it is necessary to bring in an external cor- ness bands; or hearables. It not only con-
MEMS barometric pressure sensors rective signal. That can be achieved with tains a six-degree-of-freedom IMU with a
can be optimized for different applica- sensor fusion, combining information 16-bit 3-axis accelerometer and a 16-bit
tions. For example, the BMP390, from several different types of sensors, 3-axis gyroscope, but also a 32-bit cus-
designed for accurate elevation meas- such as inertial and magnetic. tomer programmable microcontroller.
urement, has good enough resolution to This combination of hardware plus
measure height changes of less than 10 Fitness — Pressure Sensing included self-learning AI software sup-
cm. With a case size of 2 mm × 2 mm × For tracking workout routines, rela- ports a very sophisticated fitness device.
0.75 mm, it can be easily integrated into tive accuracy is fine — you’re only inter- Swimming. Bosch Sensortec has devel-
a smartphone or watch. Bosch, in con- ested in the change in altitude, not the oped swimming tracker software for the
junction with NextNav LLC (Sunnyvale, absolute value. Environmental factors, BHI260AP. Using real-time sensor data
CA), has developed an indoor naviga- however, are significant for fitness track- from the IMU and the floating-point
tion system that uses the BMP390 to pro- ers, especially for wearables, such as microcontroller, it can provide both raw
vide the indoor z-axis location compo- smart watches, especially if you want to sensor data as well as run AI functions
nent for three-dimensional location and track swimming. that generate relevant results for direct
positioning, good enough to be used for The gel filled BMP384 can be used for use by an application processor. The
enhanced emergency calls (E911). fitness tracking, especially when it comes built-in motion sensor determines when
For an emergency call, absolute accu- to changes in altitude or fitness in harsh the user has started swimming, without
racy is critical. Let's say you live in an environments like water. requiring any action from the swimmer.
apartment on the 14th floor, for first In order for the sensor to operate in It then classifies the stroke type from
responders to find you quickly, the z axis harsh environments, the sensing mecha- four possible categories — backstroke,
information, as well as the x and y, all nism as well as the embedded ASIC has freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke —
have to be precise and accurate. to be isolated. In the BMP 384 this is and records the number of strokes, laps,
To achieve the most accurate absolute done by applying a layer of gel between and any breaks between the laps.
readings, you would have to start with a the diaphragm and the case. It requires Home workout. This “smart” sensor
calibration that takes into account the special know-how to make and apply a can be trained to be a personal assistant
altitude of your location, for example, gel with the right mechanical and ther- for your home workout — It can recog-
whether you are at the seashore or on a mal properties. The gel has to transmit nize and track the details of your per-
mountain top. Then, there are several pressure to the membrane, while not sonal exercise routine. Although it
additional factors that can affect the blocking it from bending. It also has to comes with 15 pre-programmed fitness
pressure sensor’s absolute accuracy. For conduct heat well enough so that the activities, additional activities can be
example, the correlation between pres- sensor works over a wide temperature uploaded.
sure and altitude varies as the outside range and finally, it must not stiffen over The sensor is smart enough to recog-
barometric pressure changes. This is not the working lifetime of the sensor. nize new exercises and can adapt to
generally significant for rapid changes match your own specific workout. By
in altitude, but for example, if your Fitness — Artificial Intelligence learning from your behavior, it can rec-
phone with its imbedded sensor is in The BHI260AP MEMS sensor, which ognize hundreds of different move-
one particular location for 10 hours, the was introduced by Bosch at CES 2021 is ments and patterns, not just those that
environmental pressure will likely designed to be integrated into wrist the device manufacturer has pre-pro-
change over that period. So that means wearables, such as smart watches and fit- grammed.
Start the learning mode to add exercises Record the exercise that you would like Name your exercise to have it added to
that are not yet supported: to add by performing it: your list. The exercise is learnt.
Learning mode Learning mode
Learn a new exercise Exercise succesfully learnt!

Please name the exercise:
Reverse fly
An ID is
assinged to the
new exercise to
The recording takes only about 30 seconds! identify it when
performing the
next workout.
Learning new exercise

Benefits of learning new fitness exercises: enables users to customize On-device personalization On-device learning helps to optimize
the devices to their helps to keep user’s data private the personal training performance.
individual workouts.
Figure 3. Learning new exercises with the self-learning AI sensor BHI260AP. (Image courtesy of Bosch Sensortec)

For each exercise, you can get There’s also the question of privacy:
detailed and instantaneous feedback, home users, but especially profes-
for example: the type of activity, the sional athletes, do not want others to
time required, and the number of have access to their records. And for
sets and repetitions that need to be rapid motions you do not want the
done. This is then converted to spe- latency caused by sending data else-
cific information about the intensity where rather than processing it right
and frequency of the exercises. When at the sensor.
users follow a predefined workout
plan, they can be informed about Summing it Up
how close they are to achieving their The development of ever more
personal goals such as weight loss, sophisticated MEMS sensors is
toning, or fitness level. enabling applications for wear-
For high intensity workouts, ables limited only by the imagina-
where the user quickly switches tions of designers. Two examples
between different activities, for of key advances at this point in
example, exercising for 20 to 30 sec- time include the Bosch BMP384
onds, followed by 20 to 30 seconds gel-filled barometric pressure sen-
of rest. The AI tracking device can sor, which is highly resistant to liq-
Figure 4. The new self-learning AI sensor is able to learn,
automatically and reliably recognize personalize, auto-track, and enhance workouts. (Image uids and the BHI260AP, which
each new exercise upon transition courtesy of Bosch Sensortec) includes an IMU and an edge
from one to the other. processor for running artificial
Edge Processing. There are several a signal that has already used the data intelligence applications.
advantages to having the data process- to compute a significant output mes- This article was written by Dr. Stefan
ing embedded in the sensor, rather sage. Power can also be reduced if the Finkbeiner, CEO, Bosch Sensortec (Reutlin-
than transmitting raw data to a central local processor can aggregate data and gen, Germany). For more information, con-
processor, perhaps in the cloud. First of just transmit it at fixed intervals rather tact Constantin Schmauder at Constantin.
all, it takes much more power to trans- than continuously. This is especially Schmauder@bosch-sensortec.com or visit
mit large amounts of data, rather than important for maximizing battery life. http://info.hotims.com/79414-160.
HIGH ENDEVCO® 65HTLPF

MINIATURE IEPE ACCELEROMETER
ROMETER
TEMPERATURE Q Triaxial, low-impedance output
SENSORS FOR Q
ZLWKSROHORZSDVVğOWHU
Rated for continuous use
FLIGHT TESTING Q
up to +175 ºC (347 ºF)
Small size (10 mm cube, 5 gram)
endevco.com / Model65HTLPF
AN MTS COMPANY
Sensor Technology, June 2021 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-713 7

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Sensors
Innovative IoT Sensor Applications Pave the

Way to the Future
Sensors play a pivotal role in solving critical business challenges.
Figure 1. The variety of applications for IoT applications is nearly limitless. (Photo courtesy of Monnit Corporation)
I
f you tell people that exterminators Don’t Miss Fast-Evolving IoT Sensor ciency, generating precision irrigation,
use temperature sensors to elimi- Applications keeping vaccines viable, automating fac-
nate bedbugs, it prompts ques- Everyone from engineers to business tory production, and on and on.
tions, and people want to know managers to production line workers Most IoT sensor applications or use
more. You can get the same reaction can turn their innovative sensor applica- cases start with someone simply ques-
when you mention that landfill, ento- tion ideas into powerful IoT solutions. It tioning, “How can we use the IoT to
mology labs, and banana-ripening can be easy to overlook many IoT tech- solve this problem?” Or, more creatively
managers use sensor data to automate nologies because they develop, go to asking, “How can we get this thing to
and optimize their operations. market quickly, and often work behind talk to us?” Then, it’s off to the races to
That’s how it goes when you talk the scenes. engineer the best IoT sensors for data-
about sensors and the whole gamut of Sensors help produce industry-trans- driven solutions. That’s what sensors do
applications where they’re in play — formative innovations and streamline for us — they make things that matter,
from analyzing COVID-19 vaccine business-critical activities, all with a talk. Sensors deliver the actionable data
storage temperature to monitoring favorable ROI. There’s a sensor to meas- that helps us solve a whole range of
water temperatures in exotic fish ure nearly everything — temperature, problems in any industry.
farms. These sometimes strange- humidity, vibration, pressure, air quality,
sounding sensor applications owe power use, motion, water, and many Sensors Make the IoT Work for You
much of their success to the people more. You can see IoT sensors at work You could make a case that sensors
who make the Internet of Things predicting machine maintenance, opti- are the essential (and often overlooked)
(IoT) happen. mizing field services, boosting utility effi- variable in the IoT equation. To make

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? PROVEN
Aliens travel faster
than the speed of
light but have
40
YEAR
not invented BATTERY
clothing OPERATING
LIFE *
DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?

Upstart battery manufacturers
with little experience are claiming
their products can last for
decades. We’ve produced over
2.2 billion industrial grade
lithium cells since 1975. Tadiran Batteries
2001 Marcus Ave.
Don’t use batteries that are alien to you. Suite 125E
Lake Success,
NY 11042
1-800-537-1368
516-621-4980
* Tadiran LiSOCL2 batteries feature the lowest annual self-discharge rate of any competitive battery, less than 1% per year, enabling these
batteries to operate over 40 years depending on device operating usage. However, this is not an expressed or implied warranty, as each
application differs in terms of annual energy consumption and/or operating environment. www.tadiranbat.com

This promising revolution supports

Common and Seemingly Uncommon many new IoT sensor applications for busi-
Remote Monitoring Applications Using Sensors nesses ready to reap the combined bene-
Pest Control and Data Center and Water Leak Gas Detection Hospitality and fits of both the ubiquitous IoT and the
Extermination Server Room Detection Lodging Industrial IoT (IIoT). The increasing pop-
Cooling ularity of Industry 4.0 and IIoT applica-
Food Production Manufacturing Greenhouses and Wood Flooring Hospitals and tions and the rising demand for automa-
and Services Machine Grow Houses Installation Clinics tion and robotics are driving exponential
Performance growth in the sensors marketplace.
HVAC and Walk-in Property Cold Chain Morgues and
But Not Just Any Sensor Will Do
Plumbing Refrigerators Management Monitoring Tissue Storage
Maintenance Facilities The sensors making the most signifi-
cant impact are built on agile platforms
Agriculture Facility Shipping and Marine Bilge and Green, Clean, and are effective in multiple environ-
Irrigation Management and Receiving Sump Pumps and Renewable ments — enterprise, commercial, and
Security Energy
industrial. When you have a versatile
Infrared Motion Landfills and Pet, Livestock, Construction and Grocery and sensor platform, you have global inter-
Detection and Recycling Centers and Animal Care Mining Convenience operability. With a long-range, multi-fre-
Counting Stores quency radio and a flexible microcon-
Laboratory and Offshore Oil Rig Aquaculture or Energy Flesh-Eating
troller, you can quickly deploy a sensor
Pharmaceutical Pipe-Tilt Fish Farming Exploration Insect Labs for virtually any industry application.
Freezers Detection As digital control systems advance and
increase overall proficiency, users
the IoT work, you need to sense some- Before we used the term — IoT — in demand advancements in sensor relia-
thing. everyday conversation, we talked about bility, reach, response time, power, sur-
Yes, you need the multiplying effect of embedded systems or machine-to- vivability, ease of integration, and com-
connectivity from a sensor to a gateway machine (M2M) communications and munication capabilities. Ultimately, an
to the cloud for data analytics. But it’s put them to work in many industries. It’s ideal sensor’s main features are:
the sensing, the measuring, the monitor- now the era of Industry 4.0, where we • Ease of installation and use
ing that makes industry applications see amazing automation using ongoing • Low power
intelligent and innovative. Sensors make IoT advancements for rapid data pro- • Versatile form and function
the IoT come alive for business. cessing and analytics. • Inexpensive
Sensors must be easy to install and use
in a wide variety of environments and sit-
uations. It’s ideal for sensor setup to take
about 15 minutes and be as simple as:
• Attach it to or near what you wish to
control or monitor.
• Connect it to a power source and turn
it on.
• Quickly configure it using a smart-
phone or computer.
A sensor that’s only running when it
must communicate requires the least
power. This is how sensors can achieve
10+ years of battery life. Other ways to
extend battery life — even for the most
power-hungry sensors — is to use the lat-
est battery technology or ambient ener-
gy harvesting technologies like solar and
piezoelectricity, or even a combination
of the two.
Far-reaching wireless range and the
Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum
(FHSS) can significantly amplify a sen-
sor’s reliability. It’ll have stronger
impairment immunity from physical
Figure 2. Sensors mounted on machines provide useful feedback. (Photo courtesy of Monnit Corporation) obstructions, external wireless radio fre-

Forecasting the Future: It’s Bright for

Sensors.
The sensors that engineers envision
today will evolve to help create new and
refined ideas for future applications. As
we’ve seen, the once futuristic tech-
nologies like artificial intelligence (AI)
and the spectrum of realities — virtual,
augmented, and mixed — are entering
the mainstream in many facets of our
work and personal lives.
Sensors play a pivotal part in the
applications of these advancements.
And sensors will help feed the near
Figure 3. Valuable data-driven decisions come from an end-to-end remote monitoring platform — from sensor to future’s ultra-fast data processing and
gateway to cloud. (Photo courtesy of Monnit Corporation) analytics fueled by 5G, AI, computer
vision, sensor fusion, and multi-access
quency systems, and electromagnetic ed data verification at the software or edge computing. It’s easy to predict
interference (EMI). application layer. So, when the sensor that sensors will keep evolving for use
A sensor’s physical robustness is criti- sends data, its companion is an automat- in as yet unthought of applications
cal. Is it flexible enough to be placed in ically generated authentication token. because of these innovations and the
multiple environments, handle many And when software receives the data, the growth of everything from smart cities
different industrial applications, man- token gets analyzed through a crypto- to smart factories to smart cars.
age a wide variety of complications, and graphic hash function with a custom sen- • Flexible plug and play sensors will set
still gather, store, and send you the criti- sor secret key. This way, security is sus- new form and function standards
cal data you need? Plus, a robust sensor tained at all communication points, for even beyond a combination sensor
provides the least expensive and best example, between sensor, gateway, net- that just measures two parameters,
kind of insurance — prevention. Sensors work, network controller, and the cloud. for example, soil moisture and tem-
can help prevent problems like facility Ultimately, these encryption and perature.
and product damage or asset downtime. authentication layers combine to create • Innovations will come as we continue
They allow you to detect when a system a strong sensor security platform. If your to sense many conditions with one ver-
or machine is starting to fail and the sensors are all locked up within an end- satile sensor system for many remote
problem is still inexpensive to address. to-end IoT data security platform like monitoring solutions.
this — all the better. • Industrial control automation pow-
Keep Sensor Data Safe By Eliminating ered by sensors and AI will continue to
Risk The Boom Of Sensors Is a Boon to create innovative opportunities to
Are your sensors unhackable? Sensor Data-Driven Decisions advance manufacturing processes.
systems that include encryption functions With the increasing growth of sensors • Satellite communications and GPS
using the Diffie-Hellman key exchange turning into billions of connected devices, advancements will combine to
algorithm and 128-bit Advanced companies could easily get overwhelmed improve how sensors monitor assets in
Encryption Standard (AES-128) Cipher with billions if not more data points. ultra-remote locations.
Block Chaining (CBC) symmetric key Whether your sensors transmit data only • Sensor energy sourcing will improve
encryption can protect transmitted data periodically when parameters change or with battery advancements and self-
from breaches. And to protect web servers in real-time streams for processing in a powered or energy harvesting options.
and browsers connected to a sensor net- data center, the cloud, or at your net- • As sensors go on to be more fully inte-
work, you can use Transport Layer work’s edge, you need a versatile software grated into wireless networks and
Security (TLS) encryption. platform to make sense of the potentially replace hardware configurations, we’ll
On top of these data encryption stan- unprecedented amount of data. see reductions in costs and power con-
dards, sensors need an added security The main benefits of sensors come sumption.
layer. For complete security, you can add not only in their data gathering capabil- You can count on sensors to continu-
an authentication layer for more protec- ities but also in their activation of agile ally transform this Industry 4.0 era and
tion during data generation and all the data analysis. The combination of sensor beyond.
way to its consumption with 256-bit management, data aggregation and stor- This article was written by Brad Walters,
Secure Hash Algorithm 3 (SHA-3). age, and alerts into one cloud-based or Founder and CEO of Monnit. For more infor-
The 256-bit SHA-3 authentication can on-premises platform with customizable mation go to https://www.monnit.com/
safeguard your sensor data with a unique APIs for analytics software integration applications/ or contact Mr. Walters at
global key or fingerprint. This data can be the key to making fast data-driven info@monnit.com or visit http://info.
authentication includes source-generat- decisions. hotims.com/79414-163.

Smart Batteries Include Force and Pressure

Sensing
Ultra-thin piezoresistive sensors can be used in both R&D and as embedded
components to develop safer, longer-lasting lithium-ion battery technologies.
F
rom electronic devices to high-effi- The act of charging and discharging a sensor technology to analyze the effects
ciency vehicles, consumer demand Li-ion battery produces changes in the of charging and discharging Li-ion bat-
continues to grow for more com- temperature, electrochemistry, and teries in long-term lifecycle tests. These
pact, lightweight, quick-charging mechanics of its internal components. same types of sensors can also be embed-
battery technologies with higher energy These dynamics also cause changes in ded within the actual device to help alert
densities. At the same time, batteries interface pressure within the battery end users to potential battery failures.
should also be safe, even in catastrophic housing. Many familiar with the design
events. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) has become of a Li-ion battery will say that these A Single Core Technology Wears Two
a favorite battery technology among changes in pressure give the effect of a Hats: R&D Testing and Embedded
engineers and designers because it satis- battery “breathing.” Over time, this can Component
fies many of these demands, and is cost- affect battery performance, and, in Even between relatively flat surfaces,
efficient. As battery designers continue extreme cases, can lead to potentially one finds that interface pressure distribu-
to push the limits of Li-ion battery capa- dangerous reactions. tion is often not uniform in localized
bilities, however, many of these require- Recently, battery designers have begun regions. Whether as part of a turnkey
ments can conflict with one another. using piezoresistive force and pressure pressure mapping system, or as an embed-
ded component in a final product, thin,
Sensing Area flexible, piezoresistive sensors offer engi-
Matrix Piezoresistive Sensor neers and designers the ability to capture
relative changes in force and pressure.
Piezoresistive sensors consist of a semi-
conductive material contained between
two pieces of thin, flexible polyester.
They are passive elements that act as
force-sensing resistors in an electrical
circuit. When unloaded, the sensor has a
high resistance (about 2M) that drops
when loaded. If you consider the inverse
Piezoresistive
Force Sensor of resistance (conductance), the con-
ductance response of touch sensors is
linear as a function of force within the
Sensing Point sensor’s designated force range.
As shown in Figure 1, piezoresistive
sensors are produced as both single-
point force sensors and as multiple-
Conductive
Layer
point matrix sensors.
Matrix Sensors for Pressure Mapping

Matrix sensors are commonly used in
Flexible
Substrate
R&D applications to dynamically meas-
Pressure-Sensitive
Material
Adhesive & Conductive ure pressure distribution across two mat-
Dielectric Layers Layer Adhesive
Pressure-
Layer
ing surfaces — a process known as pres-
Sensitive
Material sure mapping. Pressure mapping sys-
tems consist of sensors, scanning elec-
tronics, and software.
Flexible
Substrate
As two surfaces come in contact with
the sensor, the scanning electronics col-
Figure 1. Construction of a piezoresistive matrix sensor and force sensor. (Image courtesy of Tekscan) lects the analog signal from the sensor

and converts it into a digital signal. The devices, without adding complexity to stack construction during manufactur-
software displays real-time activity across the design or difficulty for the user. ing, many do not validate stack pressure
the sensing area. This allows the user to as part of their quality procedure, nor
track the center of force, locate regions A Novel Method to Validate Li-ion do they quantify internal stresses on the
of peak pressure, and identify exact Battery Stack Stress battery as it is charged or discharged.
moments of pressure changes in a Although, battery manufacturers pri- However, research has found that
frame-by-frame recording. oritize maintaining constant battery high stack pressures can have a strong
Additional features of matrix sensors
include:
VREF V DD = VSUPPLY
• Sensors typically have about 2000 sens- Square Wave DC
Options Up to 5v, 50% 0.25V - 1.25V
ing points, but some sensors can be Max Duty Cycle
designed with over 16,000 . MCP6004
• Sensing element spacing (pitch) can +

V OUT
as narrow as 0.64 mm (0.025 in.). VREF –
• Sensors can measure pressure ranges
up to 25,000 psi (172 MPa). RSENSOR
• High-temperature sensor options up V SS = Ground
to 200 °C (400 °F).
• Scanning speeds available up to 20,000
Hz. RFEEDBACK = 100kΩ RFEEDBACK
POTENTIOMETER
C1 = 47 pF
Single-Point Sensors for Embedded C1
Sensing Applications Figure 2. Most piezoresistive sensors can be powered with simple circuitry, such as this inverted op-amp (dual
Single-point piezoresistive force sen- source) circuit. (Image courtesy of Tekscan)
sors measure force feedback on a single
sensing area. This sensor type lends
itself well to integration within a prod-
uct or device not only because it is thin
and flexible, but because it can function
as a component of an op-amp circuit or
voltage divider. Depending on the
setup, the force range of the sensor can
be adjusted by changing drive voltage
and resistance of the feedback resistor.
This allows the user to have control over
parameters such as maximum force
range, and measurement resolution
within that range.
Since piezoresistive sensors are pas-
sive components with linear conduc-
tance response and have a wide dynam-
ic range of resistance, engineers inte-
grating them can use simple electron-
ics that do not require a lot of filtering.
An important benefit of this linearity is
that piezoresistive sensors only require
simple calibration. Force-sensing applica-
tions that use load cells or strain gauges,
may need to be factory calibrated after
repeated use, while devices with piezore-
sistive sensors can have their calibration
routine embedded into the device
firmware for on-the-fly recalibration.
Because of the flexibility of this tech-
nology, along with its ability to function
with low-power electronics, piezoresis-
tive force sensors have been successful in Figure 3. Example of a five-hour charge/discharge cycle test. The top two images show the battery placed in the
enhancing many different types of fixture, while the screenshot shows the pressure output. (Image courtesy of Tekscan)

maintain over the charge and discharge

Piezoresistive Force Sensors cycles.
One method to characterize Li-ion
battery swelling in charge/discharge
cycle testing is with a fixture that incor-
porates a load cell to detect swelling.
However, because load cells can only
collect average force feedback across a
battery assembly, and not insights on
the position of excessive pressure
occurring in the battery itself, battery
designers would be missing out on
important data.
More recently, battery designers have
Battery Housing turned to pressure mapping systems to
collect comprehensive data during Li-
ion battery testing. The thin and flexible
array of sensing elements can wrap
around the battery to provide a 360°
view within a testing fixture. These sys-
tems can be used to evaluate pressure
profiles over thousands of charge and
Figure 4. Representative design of a battery prototype. Two piezoresistive sensors placed on either end of the discharge cycles, which can last several
battery cell measure force feedback from the battery while in use. (Image courtesy of Tekscan) months.
Figure 3 shows an example of charge/
discharge characterization data from a
fixture incorporating a piezoresistive
Accomodating Voltage Output Change pressure mapping system.
of a Relative Measurememt Application
Insights from R&D Initiate an Embedded
T
T∝ Battery Safety Feature
Recently, a team of engineers design-
Relative Voltage Output
ry ts ing a new laptop with a high-efficiency

atte
t h e B h Poin Original Li-ion battery found a unique applica-
hin at Bo t
Wit e
Calibration
tion inspired by their R&D efforts. After
s s ure Sam
Pre the characterizing the battery performance
The sing is
Hou using a fixture similar to the one shown
in Figure 3, the team had an idea to
embed the same piezoresistive sensing
technology into their laptop to serve as a
method to monitor abnormal battery
swelling while in use.
To begin, the design team purchased
sample piezoresistive force sensors,
Force specifically selecting a pressure-sensitive
ink variety formulated for high-tempera-
Figure 5. Because this battery safety application only required measuring relative force — not absolute force —
the engineers could easily accommodate for changes in voltage output caused by sensor drift. (Image courtesy ture and high-humidity operating envi-
of Tekscan) ronments. Because piezoresistive sensors
are so thin — only 0.203 mm (0.008 in.)
effect on long-term cell performance, arate, the impedance of the battery — and can function with low-power elec-
with higher levels of stress leading to goes up, derating its capacity. On the tronics, the team did not need to make
higher rates of capacity fade. Over other hand, while lower internal pres- any significant adjustments to their
time, significant internal pressures can sures may provide better long-term per- design.
lead to plastic deformation and delami- formance, there may be too much For their prototype, the team posi-
nation. The mechanical expansion and movement from thermal expansion tioned two sensors on either end of
contraction from temperature changes within the battery housing. Therefore, the battery compartment to detect
causes the anode/cathode layers to sep- battery designers must find a “sweet- localized changes in force, as shown in
arate over time. When those layers sep- spot” for housing pressure that can Figure 4. Based on the characteriza-

tion data the team acquired during the Ultra-thin piezoresistive sensing advanced energy technologies to
design of the battery itself, they were technology, whether as a test and power our lives safely.
able to determine a relative force measurement tool in the design This article was written by Edward
threshold signifying the battery was process, or an embedded component Haidar, Applications Engineer & Embedded
approaching failure. They then devel- in the final product, helps measure Sensing Product Manager, Tekscan, Inc.
oped a feature that would trigger an and identify regions of excessive pres- (South Boston, MA). For more information,
alert to the user’s screen before the sure that can signal complications or contact Mr. Haidar at EHaidar@
battery pressure reaches a critical potential battery failures. This, in Tekscan.com or visit http://info.hotims.com/
threshold. turn, helps battery designers develop 79414-161.
Accounting for Sensor Drift in the

Relative Measurement Application
Because sensor drift will cause the
piezoresistive sensor’s output voltage to
change gradually over time, using
absolute voltage outputs to determine
battery swelling becomes a challenge.
Exceptional Performance.
However, this battery safety application
only required measuring relative
changes in force, which is not affected
by drift since the slope of the Voltage vs
Unparalleled Reliability.
Force curve stays relatively constant
regardless of how much the output has
changed.
When the sensor is powered with the
circuit shown in Figure 2, our piezore-
sistive force sensors typically have an
output drift rate <5% / logarithmic
time. Therefore, for relative measure-
ment applications, the design engi-
neer should look for the differential
voltage output as a function of force
(the slope of the V vs F curve) as
shown in Figure 5.
On the other hand, for an application
requiring measuring an absolute meas-
ure of force to produce some sort of an
ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCERS
action (e.g., an actuator pressing on the AIRMAR is the foremost vertically integrated developer and manufacturer of
sensor at exactly 5 lbs would cause “X” ultrasonic transducers that deliver outstanding performance and reliability.
response, while 10 lbs would produce Our extensive product line includes the widest range of frequencies for industrial use,
“Y” response), then the engineer would and we offer customized designs to bring your innovative products from concept
need to follow a different calibration to production. Contact us at sales@airmar.com to discover the Airmar advantage.
procedure.
Measurement Tools and Embedded Level and Flow | Automation | Proximity Sensing | Inventory Control
Components Help You Understand the
Full Scope of your Battery Design
Decisions
Satisfying consumer demands while
maintaining a safe, repeatable design, is
a difficult balance for battery designers.
Temperature increase during charging
causes lithiation, which leads to gassing.
Internal pressures from the additional
gasses in the battery can cause housing
or separator failures. This can lead to
thermal runaway reactions in extreme AIRMAR.COM
cases.

RF Wireless Power Unleashes the Ubiquity

of Sensor Networks
W
e are in the age of an AI of the global IoT-enabled sensors mar- An Alternative to Traditional Power
(artificial intelligence) ex- ket. Total revenue generated by the A substitute for wires and batteries is
plosion. Everything — from enabled sensors market is estimated to energy harvesting (capturing available
your refrigerator to your reach $56 billion in 2022. energy). Or wireless charging (generat-
dog’s bowl — will become part of the AI Sensor networks need to continue to ing energy to wirelessly power a device),
neuron network. Worldwide revenues for expand in order to be able to truly sup- which is the process where energy is
the AI market, including software, hard- port the adoption and fulfillment of derived from predictable external ener-
ware, and services, are forecast to grow high value AI. However, scalable gy sources, captured, and stored for
16.4 percent year over year in 2021 to expansion of sensor networks is being applications including small wireless
$327.5 billion, and by 2024 the market is stifled by the restrictions of placement autonomous devices like those used in
expected to break the $500 billion mark. due to needing access to power. So how wireless sensor networks.
While these numbers are impressive, can we “keep the lights on and the neu- There are many methods of wireless
AI will only reach its full potential when rons firing?” charging, which we’ll briefly take a
it can be fed with a constant stream of Historically, sensors are powered by look at:
data from a plentitude of diverse wires and/or batteries. However, both • Vibration is the concept of converting
sources. In order to gather data at a rate these options have limitations. Wires vibration energy to electrical energy.
that enables high value AI output, you can be expensive to run and often This method is only ideal for machin-
need a ubiquitous sensor network in restrictive — with limits in cable ery that vibrates.
place. Sensors are the neurons that fire length and potential for breakage • UV/IR energy must have direct line of
the AI synapses. These synergies are points. Batteries have limited life; they sight between the transmitter and the
imperative to the frequency and quality need to be replaced on a regular basis receiver for it to work properly, any
of the output. and are thrown away when spent. In obstructions result in no power reach-
Over the past few years sensors have short, they are not dependable for the ing the receiver.
begun to make their mark as the frame- time cycles required; they are a repeti- • Qi is inductive charging and offers
work of the IoT. In 2022, motion sensors tive cost, and they are environmentally watts of power, but is only for applica-
are expected to account for 8.35 percent unsustainable. tions where the transmitter and receiv-
er are a few millimeters apart; device
alignment is quite restrictive.
• Solar and wind, in most cases, must be
outdoors and therefore can be costly
to build and can also be a bit limited
in its capabilities.
• Radio frequency (RF) does not
require direct line of sight, can deliver
power into waterproof enclosures, is
low power (μW to mW) and is more
versatile than the processes previously
mentioned.
Wireless Sensor Networks

RF wireless power technology is
unique because it uses radio frequency
electromagnetic waves rather than mag-
netic fields to charge a device. An RF
transmitter uses electronics to generate
an RF signal. The RF signal is sent to an
antenna, which transmits the RF waves
to a receiver embedded within a device,
which picks them up using an antenna.
Figure 1. Wireless and battery-less sensor board development kit. The on-board sensors include temperature, They are then converted into usable DC
humidity, and light, and there is a terminal for an external sensor. (Courtesy of Powercast) using an embedded chip. This powers

the device or recharges the battery. The which do not need lights on or the tem- reliable or preferable. But, the introduc-
transfer of RF wireless power can be perature systems to be running at a tion of WSN tech’s ‘cut the cords’ men-
described in the far-field using the well- steady state. The ability to change these tality allows for sensing to take place out
known Friis Equation. The equation conditions (not having lights on in cer- of sight and in hard-to-reach places.
shows us how the transmitted power, tain unoccupied rooms and not having Integrating energy harvesting takes WSN
types of antennas, and frequency of the the AC or heating system kick on or run- versatility a step farther by removing
RF signal impact the received power at ning less often) can create eco-friendly human interaction after installation so
different distances. facilities, enhancing the user experience that these systems can reliably operate
RF wireless power can be implement- and providing significant cost savings. continuously without the need for main-
ed as a charging spot where multiple Typically, sensor networks are only tenance. Furthermore, while energy har-
devices can simultaneously be powered; integrated when the building is vesting does add an initial upfront cost,
as an RF beam that can be sent directly designed, or during a large-scale remod- the economic ROI from greater control
ttoward a particular device several meters el effort, due to the complexity of imple- is rapid, and the freedom from future
away from the transmitter; or as a mentation. However, wireless sensor net- maintenance (battery replacement) and
focused spot directly in front of the trans- works (WSNs) using RF wireless power disposal have a compounding effect.
mitter. Because it is a two-sided system make implementation much easier. No Outside of environmental monitoring
(transmit and receive), a solution can be need to run wires, no need to consider and control, other ways this technology
engineered for most applications. One battery issues. A WSN enables unrestrict- can be applied include battery-free per-
big advantage of RF wireless power is that ed, spatially dispersed, and dedicated sonal temperature scanning systems
it can be implemented in a variety of dif- sensors for monitoring and reporting designed to help with COVID-19 proto-
ferent environments and configurations, the physical conditions of the environ- cols, battery-free sensing in hazardous
for example, large-scale facilities such as ment and organizing the collected data material chambers or storage containers
hotels, office complexes, and campuses. at a centralized location. where it’s dangerous for individuals to be
Most times there are unoccupied areas of Today, WSNs still primarily rely on bat- around, and even vaccine temperature
a hotel, office complex, or campus, tery power, which as noted, is not entirely tracking using existing RFID equipment
ROBOTIC END - EFFECTORS
Measure all six components of force

and torque in a compact, rugged sensor.
r
r.
Interface Structure
high-strength alloy provides IP60, High-Speed Electronics
IP65, and IP68 environmental interfaces for Ethernet, PROFINET,
protection as needed EtherNet/IP, Analog, USB, CAN
EtherCAT, Wireless, and more
Sensing
Sensin
Se
enssi Beams and Flexures
designed
deesign
signed
ned for
fo high stiffness and over- Silicon Strain Gages
load
loaad protection
proteecttion w
prote
protec without compromising provide high noise immunity,
resolution
re utionn
resolutio
resolu accuracy, and high factor-of-safety,
standard on all F/T models
Engineered for high-performance and maximum stiffness,

with the highest resolution and accuracy available, it’s the
ultimate force/torque sensor. Only from ATI.
www.ati-ia.com
919.772.0115

— a common practice in most medical

settings.
Demand for WSNs

As demand for AI increases, so will the
demand for WSNs. Research projects
that the global wireless sensor network
market is expected to grow at a CAGR
(compound annual growth rate)
exceeding 14 percent over the forecast
period. Its size can balloon to $1.5 bil-
lion by 2022. WSNs are beneficial for
many reasons: they are flexible and
adaptable, are scalable, and can accom-
modate new devices at any time, and can
help with cost savings since there are no
wiring costs.
The need for WSNs will be seen
across all areas of business — from
retail to warehouses, manufacturing
facilities and beyond. Even public
spaces are utilizing WSNs in traffic
lights, bus stops, highways, crosswalks,
and so on. Office buildings are using
WSNs to monitor employees’ locations
as well as asset tracking to see where
laptops are located within a building.
From smart thermostats, locks, blinds,
lights, and plugs, it seems as though
everything is connected these days, and
as we see more smart devices pop up
we’ll see even larger inquiries for
WSNs. They will be the backbone of the
smart cities of tomorrow.
RF Wireless Power
Figure 2. PowerSpot transmitter. (Courtesy of Powercast) While there are several options for
over-the-air power, RF is among the most
dependable and scalable forms of wire-
less power transfer for both indoor and
outdoor environments. In general, wire-
less power is more reliable than energy
harvesting, as it’s identifiable and pre-
dictable. It’s also easy to integrate RF
wireless charging technology as it's not
restricted by movement or exact place-
ment, allowing it to accommodate
devices that induction cannot.
Wireless power is the enabling tech-
nology of tomorrow. It will give us the
flexibility to deploy WSNs in a manner
whereby we can make tomorrow
smarter, safer, greener, and better.
This article was written by Charlie Goetz,
Chief Executive Officer, Powercast (Pittsburgh,
PA). For more information, contact Mr. Goetz
at cgoetz@powercastco.com or visit http://
Figure 3. Battery-less RFID temperature scanner. (Courtesy of Powercast) info.hotims.com/79414-164.

Applications
Next Generation MEMS IMUs — High Performance, Scalable
T o find out what’s ahead for MEMS au-

tomobile navigation systems, I inter-
viewed Yang Zhao, CEO, and Teoman
shock immunity. With this latest genera-
tion we also added a triple redundant
architecture, which is extremely impor-
develop a new generation MEMS IMU
technology that can reach navigation
grade performance, which can
Ustun, VP of Marketing and Business De- tant for two reasons. It improves auto- approach fiber optic gyro performance
velopment, ACEINNA, Inc. (Boston, MA). motive level reliability and also increases levels. Unlike others who initially target-
the performance of the IMU. For exam- ed consumer-grade IMUs and now are
Tech Briefs: Why do you call ACEIN- ple, to my knowledge, we have the only trying to shift them to higher perform-
NA IMUs next generation? ASIL-B ISO 26262 (Automotive Safety ance applications, we started with high-
Integrity Level) qualified INS (inertial performance industrial grade applica-
Yang Zhao: In ideal conditions, you navigation system) integrated with triple tions in mind, to set the requirements
can navigate a car with one camera. But redundant IMU on the market. This for our automobile sensor.
to achieve all time safety, and availability, qualification basically gives automotive The most recent automotive products
autonomous vehicles increasingly rely customers the confidence that our sen- that we introduced are cost effective.
on additional sensor technologies. sor will generate data robustly over the They are very much designed and devel-
However, those sensors like Vision, life of the vehicle. oped from the bottom up to have a
Radar, Lidar, GNSS, RTK can all be Our newest IMUs also have open price/performance optimization for
blinded under certain situations. IMU is architecture features that enable our high volume applications. We are aim-
the only sensor that continues to oper- customers to leverage their, know-how ing for a price of less than $500 and
ate even when all the other sensors fail. or to implement their secret sauce in eventually, even less.
Our challenge is to increase the amount our hardware.
of time for which dead reckoning with Tech Briefs: Could you explain some
the IMU will be reliable. The current Zhao: Aerospace grade IMUs have of the features that improve the accuracy,
product we have is more like a high-end excellent stability but are large, heavy, stability, and reliability of your new IMU.
industrial level but designed to be incor- and expensive — see Figure 1 for a com-
porated into passenger cards. parison of the different IMU grades. We Ustun: First of all, our IMU sensors
are aiming to bring to the market an have triple redundancy — there are three
Teoman Ustun: The revolutionary IMU system that will approach naviga- accelerometers and three gyros. We mon-
MEMS technology that we're developing tion grade. Today, you can get naviga- itor all the critical parameters, including
will achieve the performance of a fiber tion grade IMUs, but they all use fiber voltages, currents, and temperatures, as
optic gyro at the price point of a silicon optic gyros and are in the tens of thou- well as the performance of individual
MEMS solution. That is basically a game- sands of dollars price range. They're big, IMUs. Having this triple redundancy
changing technology. heavy, and expensive, but in avionics and enables us to implement continuous self-
With each generation we have been military, that’s not a deal-killing factor. testing. We obtain good confidence
improving the performance of our IMU But when you talk about using an IMU about the gyro and accelerometer per-
in terms of Angular Random Walk in a car, nobody would pay that kind of formance by comparing and contrasting
(ARW), bias instability, and vibration/ money. So, what we’re trying to do is to this triple data stream.
COMPARISON
Application Aerospace/Military Reference/High-end Precise Navigation, Consumer grade

Tactical Navigation Industrial
Bias Stability 0.0001°/hr - 0.1°/hr 0.01°/hr - 1°/hr 0.1°/hr - 3°/hr 10°/hr - 30°/hr
Cost > $100k $100k - $20k $1000 - $100 < $10
Figure 1. Comparison of IMU/INS application, performance, size and cost. (Courtesy of ACEINNA, Inc.)

Applications
+X (Ux)
+Y (Uy)
Roll
GNSS
Pitch
Yaw
+Z (Uz)
Figure 2. The six degrees of freedom. (Courtesy

of ACEINNA, Inc.) CM RTCM
RT
We also have six degrees of freedom: Internet
the three accelerometers and three
CM
gyros measure the XYZ axes. The gyros Base RT
measure rotational speed, which when 4G
integrated, gives change in angular posi- Modem Rover with Integrated IMU,
4G Modem and Dual Antenna
tion. The accelerometer measures accel-
Installed in vehicle
eration, which when integrated gives
velocity and when integrated again, gives Figure 3. Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) is a technique to improve the positional accuracy of a GNSS
position. By processing gyro data and receiver. (Courtesy of ACEINNA, Inc.)
accelerometer data, and using filters
and algorithms optimized for a given
Aceinna CloudRTK
application, we get really accurate angu- OpenIM033 Smart Antenna
Triple redundant Rover Units aggregated
lar data for roll, pitch, and yaw (See 6-DOF IMU @
1.5°/hr Bi corrections Base Station
Figure 2). The most critical data for an RTK
RTK
automotive application is yaw, which

Dual-frequency
indicates the degree the car is drifting. GNSS received
Pitch indicates whether you are going 4G/LTE 4G/LTE
up or down a hill. Hopefully, you will openarc.aceinna.com
never see a roll in your car. RTK Precise op

positioning engine
& sensor fusion
Tech Briefs: What kind of accuracy

could you sustain over what time period?
OPEN SOURCE IDE Sensor fused, open sourced positioning systems
with cm-acurracy
Ustun: That's very difficult to say
because it depends on so many different Figure 4. Complete positioning system. (Courtesy of ACEINNA, Inc.)
scenarios. Currently we have to achieve
lane level accuracy. A lane is about three more. So, GNSS by itself is not good We're providing a solution that's both
meters wide, and a passenger car is enough for the required automobile hardware and software.
about two meters wide. Since you want lane-level accuracy of down to 2 cm. Although we do not provide the serv-
to make sure that you're not going Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) is a tech- ice, we enable our customers to choose
beyond the lane, you have about plus or nique to improve the positional accura- the one that's most suitable to them.
minus half a meter before you’re drift- cy of a GNSS receiver. It uses a network However, we do qualify those services
ing too far. At typical automobile speeds, of base stations that can send correc- first. We make sure that they are compat-
a correction of half a meter could be tions to our vehicle-mounted RTK posi- ible with our hardware and software.
achieved in less than a second. Since, tioning engine, which uses them to And then we put it up on our website to
under dead reckoning, you can keep the recalculate its position more accurately. give customers the flexibility to choose
required accuracy for 60 to 90 seconds, RTK is a service that you can buy or from a list of service providers. Most
our IMU can easily keep a car within its subscribe to from many sources. What commonly, RTK comes as a service over
lane. we're seeing more and more is commu- a 4G LTE network. If there is no 4G LTE
nication infrastructure — even telecom reception, there are alternative ways to
Tech Briefs: So, an IMU gives you rel- service providers like Verizon, Softbank, receive the correction signals, such as
ative accuracy. What about absolute or China Mobile — have started offering satellite-based communication.
accuracy? RTK services. From our product per- For RTK, you put base stations across
spective we are agnostic to the service a network: there's a rule of thumb that
Ustun: Absolute location data is gen- provider — we intend to support any usually you put base stations on a 50-
erally derived from a GNSS signal. and every one of those RTK service mile radius. These base stations are posi-
Historically, the positional accuracy of providers to help our customers achieve tioned so that their locations are known
GNSS receivers has been a meter or the accuracy limits they're looking for. very accurately. Corrections are generat-

ed by measuring the error between the coupled with a dual frequency GNSS you just connect the GPS/GNSS anten-
GNSS signal and the accurately known receiver, in two different form factors. na, and the system will run on CAN bus
location of a base station. One is a module form factor. If the cus- or Ethernet.
So, we have a comprehensive solution: tomer wants to reflow that in their own This article was written by Ed Brown,
An inertial navigation system that Engine Control Unit (ECU) they can do Editor of Sensor Technology. For more
includes our triple redundant high per- that, or otherwise they can use our pack- information, visit http://info.hotims.com/
formance six degrees of freedom IMU aged plug and play solution. Basically, 79414-167.
Next-Generation MEMS Multi-Gas Sensing
S ensing of gases is a critical function

but the technology hasn’t changed
in decades. So, when I heard about a
Pellistor (catalytic bead sensor) and
Nondispersive Infrared Sensor (NDIR).
Most traditional sensors have a coating
degrees Celsius. The source of the heat
is a Joule heater, in which an electric cur-
rent is fed through a resistive element as
brand-new type of sensor from that excites some sort of chemical reac- shown in the inset of Figure 1. The cur-
NevadaNano (Sparks, NV), I decided to tion. The problem is that over time, the rent comes in on one of the tethers,
interview Ben Rogers, their Director of sensing sites that enable the reaction swirls around and comes out on that
Engineering. can be ruined. The MPS, however, is an trace. “We can measure the resistance of
inert silicon-based surface, which does- the hotplate, which gives us its tempera-
Molecular Property Spectrometer n't require any chemical reaction. It ture and also the power it took to reach
They call their sensor, a MEMS-based heats up, measures the thermodynamic that temperature,” said Rogers. The rela-
device, the Molecular Property properties of the air, and then cools tionship between the temperature of the
Spectrometer™ (MPS™). back off again, so it can last for 10 years plate and the power required to reach
The MPS Flammable Gas Sensor can or more without any calibrating, accord- that temperature is a function of the
detect and identify the concentrations of ing to Rogers. thermal conductivity of the air. When
12 of the most common combustible the air has gases in it, its thermal proper-
gases, including hydrogen; the MPS Identifying a Gas ties change. For example, if methane is
Methane Gas Sensor is designed to mon- The MPS is built into about an inch- present in the air and the hotplate is
itor methane leaks for the oil and gas sized package, as shown in Figure 1. Air heated, since the methane is more ther-
industries; the MPS Refrigerant Gas to be tested enters through the mesh mally conductive than the air, it takes
Sensor detects mildly flammable low screen at the top and impinges upon a more power to keep the hotplate at the
global warming refrigerants— all based suspended, tethered micro hotplate, right temperature than it does when
on the same technology. According to which is the same diameter as a human methane is not present.
Rogers, their sensor is far more accurate hair — 100 microns across. The hotplate Key to its unique properties, the MPS
and reliable than the traditional can be heated up to hundreds of is a MEMS device, produced similarly to
MOLECULAR PROP
PERTY SPECTROMETERTM (MPSTM
T )
FLAMMABLE GAS SE
S NSOR
OPERA
AT
TING
G PRINCIPLE
E
"%$#'&&($!'!($#
(
% !'
('%('$$(!(!&$$ Inert surfa
aces: Mechanically
Immune to poisooning robust
$! ( ((($' (!$!
"(
("(('$($$& '&! Rapid hea
ating Low thermal
e
and cooling mass
$&$
$( ( ('(& $& !
!&$('!((#'& #&%'$(#$#$('%(($# #$$(
$(%$$((
$!'!&$(%$# # #$$
'(& # %$(
( !&$('!(# $ ( ((" ('%'(($(
$& !$( $$( (#'$('(
$!$#$!( (%$(%$# #'&( $'$!( (%$
$('!(
#'$
$! (($(
&$!!$(($$'( '% %#!( ($ (
&&$(& &&$' ((&!!'(%$(##$(!!
Software Enabl
E es MPS VVe
ersatility to Acc
curately
Target Specific Applications
Ta
Figure 1. (Courtesy of NevadaNano)

Applications
MPS VERSUS COMPPETING TECHNOLOGIES

REPORTED VS. DEL
LIVERED
MPSTM Delivering
e LTTM
TrueLEL MPS
Based on 3rd Party T
Te
esting and
d Empirical MPS Data
KEY TO THES
SE
PLOTS
LTTM: Accurate
TrueLEL u from 0-100%
% LEL Across all Common Combustible Gases, Includ
ding Hydrogen
silicon chips: in a foundry; and because ture,” said Rogers. “Traditional gas sen- percentage volume) of a gas in air that is
it's a MEMS device it requires very little sors have never had the ability to do capable of producing a flash of fire in
power to operate. “There's never been classification. That's what makes us so the presence of an ignition source.
a combustible sensor before that can accurate: because we can adjust our cal- Since users want to know how close they
tell you the class of gas you're detecting. ibration for whatever gas is there.” are to 50% of the LEL, the ability to
When we make a detection, we also pro- identify which gas is present is impor-
vide a classification. For example, the Concentration tant because the LEL for each gas is dif-
sensor reports the concentration pres- The unit of concentration that mat- ferent.
ent and that it's hydrogen, or a medium ters is the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL), Figure 2 shows plots of concentration
gas like pentane, or a hydrogen mix- which is the lowest concentration (by delivered vs concentration reported. It
FLAMMABLE GAS SENSING

One Calibration to Methane = Sens

S or Inaccurate
to Nearly All Other Gases
Regular Field Calibrations
Sensors Can be Poisoned
Short lifetimes
No Gas Classification
Alarm at 20%LEL
EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES
Typical NDIR
Ty CAT BEAD
(Based on
o typical (Bassed on typica
al
False Positives
datashee
et k-factors) datassheet k-factors)
False Positives to other Requires

e Freqquent
gases Se
ervicing: Bum mp,
Blind to Hydrogen Calibrat
a ion, &
Error prone
p in Transient Drift & poisoning Replac
e ement
Temp/Humidity
Te (all curves) Sh
hort Lifetime - Poisoning

illustrates one of the major problems hydrogen at all, which is becoming an because of how we interrogate the air,
with sensors in this space. A perfect sen- increasingly important gas across the we're actually able to determine which
sor tells you exactly what's reported — it world for a lot of applications. gas is present, which is unprecedented,”
goes right up the middle. A sensor that The catalytic bead (cat bead) is the said Rogers.
over-reports the concentration will trig- other sensor in this space (Figure 3
ger an alarm too early, giving a costly right). When you calibrate it to Algorithms
false positive. Under-reporting gives a methane, it's correct for methane, but if “We’re good at two things,” said
false negative, which is dangerous. you encounter any of these other gases Rogers. “One is building the hotplate
Ideally you would want the curve to be that are typical in these applications it sensor, which took years of develop-
right up the middle. As can be seen in will read low. Furthermore, over time, ment. And two, learning how to talk to
the right-hand plot, the accuracy of the the cat bead, which relies on a catalytic that hotplate.” The basic device is quite
MPS sensor is right on the money for reaction, gets easily poisoned. If some- simple — just a heated resistor and a
seven different gases. one is just in the same room as this sen- temperature measurement. How that
What makes the MPS so accurate is sor wearing hand cream, that's enough information is used is key to the sensor’s
that the calibration is automatically to poison it so it doesn't work anymore. functioning. The data coming from the
adjusted in real time by the sensor soft- Or if you're a firefighter and you wax hotplate along with data coming from
ware for whatever gas is present. the truck that day, all the sensors in your an environmental sensor that measures
building might be poisoned. So, it temperature, pressure, and humidity are
MPS vs Traditional Gas Sensors requires frequent and costly servicing — used to obtain the readings. “Every two
An NDIR sensor is typically calibrated you have to check it on a regular basis — seconds we take the data from the hot-
to methane, so the graph of delivered vs some places check them every day or plate, we take the data from the environ-
reported for methane is one to one every month to keep them from getting mental sensor and we run a bunch of
(Figure 3 left). But for all these other poisoned. algorithms that have taken us 15 years to
gases that you typically encounter in “As shown in Figure 2, our sensor also develop and out comes: ‘it’s this gas, it’s
these applications, it will far over-report follows a trajectory right up the middle, this concentration,’ and that's the trick,”
— it will read way high. And it's also in terms of delivered versus reported said Rogers.
prone to false positives when the humid- concentration. We’re highly accurate to Taking the same data but changing
ity or the temperature changes relatively all these gases, even though the MPS is the algorithms has enabled NevadaNano
quickly. Importantly, it doesn't see only factory calibrated to methane. But to develop dozens of products that are
AcoustiSens®
Wideband Vibration Sensor
Optical Fiber
I M P R O V E D O S N R F O R G R E AT A S N R
Optimal performance for

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) systems
MONITORING: MIDSTREAM BORDER

PERIMETER HIGHWAY
RAIL SMART CITY
www.ofsoptics.com

Applications
based on software changes. For exam- as the calibrant gas at the factory. “Once Firemen and other first responders
ple, there's a new breed of refrigerants we've shown the sensor methane, we running into a building typically wear
that are low global warming. But many don't have to then calibrate it to hydro- what's called a four-gas sensor — a little
of these new refrigerants, used in air gen, butane, propane — it intuitively cell phone-sized device that sort of sits
conditioning units and refrigerators, senses all the other gases as well.” So, for on their shoulder and has four gas sen-
etc., are flammable. Therefore, all resi- example, they don't necessarily have to sors in It, including an MPS.
dential air conditioners are going to use hydrogen at the factory to calibrate a
require flammability sensors to prevent hydrogen-specific sensor. Summing it Up
an unsafe condition. Based on the ther- According to Rogers, the MPS is the
modynamic properties of those refriger- Applications most innovative technology for gas
ant molecules NevadaNano was able to I then asked Rogers about typical detection in over 30 years. It overcomes
come up with a product uniquely suited applications. “We’re just the sensor — the shortcomings of existing technolo-
to that particular species of gas or multi- we're that that little bucket-shaped gies; it is stable across broad operating
ple, just by making a software change. device that gets plugged into a detector ranges, including rapid temperature
So, within about a month they had a new system. For example, if you were to go and humidity changes; it is accurate for
Alpha product and started taking it out to a refinery today and look around on a list of common flammable gases
and showing it to people. the walls, you would see many dozens of (including hydrogen). Furthermore, the
devices that kind of look like utility MPS can be used for environments with
Calibration power meters.” They have multiple sen- multiple or unknown gases present and
I asked Rogers if they needed to cali- sors plugged into them, probably is intrinsically safe, robust, and immune
brate each sensor for a particular gas. including a hydrogen sulfide sensor, an to poisoning.
He replied that it depends upon which oxygen sensor, a carbon monoxide sen- This article was written by Ed Brown, Editor
gas needs to be detected. For the stan- sor, and a flammable gas sensor such as of Sensor Technology. For more information,
dard flammable gases, they use methane the MPS. visit http://info.hotims.com/79414-162.
Smart Sensors Are Improving Medical Care
O ver the last 75 years, sensors have

played an increasingly significant
part in the advancement of medicine.
thermopile is a miniature array of
dozens or hundreds of thermocouple
elements on a silicon chip. The chip is
usable output with an amplitude in the
tens of millivolts.
A cutaway view of a typical ther-
Medical sensors for monitoring peo- designed so the junctions on its topside mopile is shown in Figure 2. The chip is
ple’s vital signs, including temperature, are exposed to the incoming IR radia- mounted so it “looks” through a win-
blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration while the backside is attached to a dow that is transparent only to infrared
tion rate have become increasingly metal header and remains at ambient wavelengths. This helps eliminate inter-
sophisticated. But sensors are also useful temperature. The thermocouples are ference from visible light. As thermal
for measuring the vital signs of medical connected in series so that their outputs energy from a heated (or cooled)
equipment. add. The sum of the signals provides a object enters the window, it impinges
Temperature Monitoring
Glass bulb thermometers have been
used for decades to take body temper-
ature. In the 1970s, they were
replaced by electronic versions with
digital displays. These were minimally
invasive devices and were required to
be inserted somewhere into the
patient’s body.
Today, the most common devices are
thermopile-based non-contact tempera-
ture sensors, which operate like a tiny
infrared camera. They measure the radi-
ated thermal energy of the skin and pro-
vide an output signal proportional to
skin temperature. They can take a read-
ing in just a few seconds, and being non-
contact, can help to avoid the spread of
bacteria and viruses.
Packaged in a small TO-5 or TO-18
hermetically sealed enclosure, they can Figure 1. Today, the most common thermometers are thermopile-based non-contact temperature
easily be mounted on a PC board. The sensors. (Image by Iana Aibazova/Shutterstock)

onto the thermocouple array and
changes its top surface temperature
from ambient. A separate reference
temperature sensor is attached to the
FIELD OF VIEW
metal header to measure ambient, so
the differential signal between the ther-
mopile and the reference can be used
to calculate the actual temperature of
the object being measured. With some APPERATURE
downstream signal processing and com- WINDOW
pensation, accuracies in the ±1% – ±2%
range are easily attainable.
TO-PACKAGE CAP
FOV
Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring
A practical blood pressure cuff was
developed in 1905 and is used to this
day. The modern sphygmomanometer THERMOPILE
is easy to use, but only provides an
indirect measurement with a broad
TO-PACKAGE HEADER
accuracy range. A manual BP cuff in
the hands of a trained operator can
achieve accuracies of nearly 98%. REFERENCE
Electronic and digital blood pressure SENSOR
devices typically achieve a 70% accura-
cy. In both cases they only provide an
average reading. Figure 2. Thermopile cutaway. (Image courtesy of TES)
In recently developed medical proce-
dures, it’s been discovered that a direct has piezo polymer film elements strate- During respiration, the body’s center
BP reading at the site of a surgery pro- gically placed in the seat and back. of gravity moves slightly as the rib cage
vides better data to the surgeon and bet- These sensing elements detect both expands and contracts with each breath.
ter outcomes for the patient. TE heartbeat and breathing. The piezo elements in the chair detect
Connectivity’s Sensors Business Unit has Piezo polymer film is a unique materi- these dynamic changes and provide a
recently introduced their Intrasense al made from polyvinylidene fluoride usable signal to the electronics. For the
micro blood pressure sensor. Its most (PVDF). With special manufacturing heartbeat, the sensors utilize ballistocar-
striking feature is the extremely small techniques, this film can be made piezo- diography, which is the detection of a
size — overall dimensions are 800 m L electric, a property where materials gen- pressure wave normal to the skin that’s
x 270 m W x 70 m H. erate an electric charge when they’re produced by arterial pulsing. Future ver-
The Intrasense is a MEMS-based subjected to mechanical stress. The film sions of this demo will add load cells to
absolute pressure sensor with a clinical is very thin (28m), pliable, and will eas- the feet of the chair, so the occupant can
range of -300 mmHg to +500 mmHg. ily conform to, and detect, the stress be weighed. Adding several more piezo
The half bridge design utilizes two loads inside the seat cushion as someone sensors will also help to detect the phys-
piezoresistive elements on the MEMS sits down. ical size of the occupant. Along with
die that change their resistance values as
pressure is applied. The signal is deliv-
ered to an amplification and compensa-
tion PC board at the proximal end of the
300mm wire leads.
The sensor can be placed at the tip of
a very fine catheter or guidewire, and
then used in remote locations inside the
body, such as heart chambers, inter-cra-
nial arteries, or even inside the kidneys,
during critical surgical procedures.
Heart Rate and Respiration Rate

Monitoring
In collaboration with the Stanford
Research Institute (SRI), TE Connect-
ivity has developed a demonstration
smart chair that can measure both the
heart rate and respiration rate of a per-
son who simply sits still in it. The chair Figure 3. TES Intrasense Micro Pressure Sensor. (Image courtesy of TES)

Applications
tions of the ventilator. The CO2 sensor
is the only one monitoring a function of
the patient.
Home Healthcare
There is a trend in medicine to move
patients out of hospitals and into home
healthcare settings. Patients are more
comfortable at home. They get attention
from familiar caregivers and recover
more quickly from ailments. The sensors
built into home healthcare equipment
make the machines reliable, simple to
operate, and eliminate the need for con-
stant attention from medical profession-
als. The results are improved patient
safety and better medical outcomes.
The Future
Work is underway throughout the
medical industry to incorporate more
sensors into the machines and proce-
Figure 4. TES smart medical chair. (Image courtesy of TES) dures used by doctors and their teams.
The addition of sensors helps keep an
weight data, a body-mass index (BMI) and control loop that measures a eye on the functions and performance
can be calculated. This chair becomes parameter and then makes adjust- of the equipment, which allows the med-
an excellent tool for home healthcare ments to the equipment to keep it ical professionals to turn their eyes
applications because no trained medical operating within specified ranges. The toward the patient and create better
professional is needed, and a mini sensor can also be used as a limit clinical results. Whether being used to
“check-up” can be performed anytime alarm. When a parameter goes out of monitor a patient, or monitor the med-
— just sit down quietly and relax. specification or the machine malfunc- ical machine being used to treat
tions in some way, the sensor alerts the patients, the growing use of sensors will
Medical Equipment Self-Monitoring operator about the fault condition and bring significant benefits to the world of
Therapeutic and surgical medical can even shut down the machine to medicine.
machines must perform with very high protect patient safety. This article was written by Pete Smith, Sr.
levels of accuracy. To ensure the instru- The sensors built into modern med- Manager, Sales and Marketing Support, TE
ment is operating properly, designers ical ventilators are good examples of Connectivity Sensor Solutions — TES
are now adding sensors that keep track this technique. The block diagram in (Schaffhausen, Switzerland/Berwyn, PA).
of critical machine functions. These Figure 5 shows the inner workings of a For more information, contact Mr. Smith at
sensors can operate in one of two ways. typical machine. Note that all but one of pete.smith2@te.com or visit http://info.
They can be made part of a feedback the sensors are monitoring the func- hotims.com/79414-165.
Control Flow
Hospital Regulated Air Valve Sensor
Mixing Humidity Inspiration
Chamber Sensor Valve
Control Flow
Hospital Regulated Oxygen Valve Sensor
Pressure
Sensor
Control Electronics CO2 Sensor
Differential
Pressure
Exhaust to room Expiration

PEEP Valve Filter Valve
Figure 5. Block diagram of a typical medical ventilator. (Image courtesy of TES)

Tech Briefs
A Better Way to Measure Acceleration
Addressing the increasing demand to accurately measure acceleration in smaller
navigation systems and other devices, researchers have developed an accelerometer a
mere millimeter thick.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD
Y ou’re going at the speed limit down a

two-lane road when a car barrels out
of a driveway on your right. You slam on
device. The distance between the proof
mass and the reference point only
changes if the accelerometer slows down,
freely, supports one of the mirrored sur-
faces. The other reflecting surface, which
serves as the accelerometer’s fixed refer-
the brakes, and within a fraction of a sec- speeds up, or switches direction. The ence point, consists of an immovable
ond of the impact an airbag inflates, sav- same is true if you’re a passenger in a car. microfabricated concave mirror.
ing you from serious injury or even death. If the car is either at rest or moving at Together, the two reflecting surfaces
The airbag deploys thanks to an constant velocity, the distance between and the empty space between them
accelerometer — a sensor that detects sud- you and the dashboard stays the same. form a cavity in which infrared light of
den changes in velocity. Accelerometers But if the car suddenly brakes, you’re just the right wavelength can resonate,
keep rockets and airplanes on the correct thrown forward and the distance between or bounce back and forth, between the
flight path, provide navigation for self-dri- you and the dashboard decreases. mirrors, building in intensity. That
ving cars, and rotate images so that they The motion of the proof mass creates a wavelength is determined by the dis-
stay right-side up on cellphones and detectable signal. The accelerometer tance between the two mirrors, much as
tablets, among other essential tasks. developed by NIST researchers relies on the pitch of a plucked guitar depends
Addressing the increasing demand to infrared light to measure the change in on the distance between the instru-
accurately measure acceleration in small- distance between two highly reflective ment’s fret and bridge. If the proof
er navigation systems and other devices, surfaces that bookend a small region of mass moves in response to acceleration,
researchers at the National Institute of empty space. The proof mass, which is changing the separation between the
Standards and Technology (NIST) have suspended by flexible beams one-fifth the mirrors, the resonant wavelength also
developed an accelerometer a mere mil- width of a human hair so that it can move changes.
limeter thick that uses laser light instead
of mechanical strain to produce a signal.
Although a few other accelerometers
also rely on light, the design of the NIST
instrument makes the measuring process
more straightforward, providing higher
accuracy. It also operates over a greater
range of frequencies and has been more
rigorously tested than similar devices.
Not only is the NIST device, known as
an optomechanical accelerometer, much
more precise than the best commercial
accelerometers, it does not need to under-
go the time-consuming process of periodic
calibrations. In fact, because the instru-
ment uses laser light of a known frequency
to measure acceleration, it may ultimately
serve as a portable reference standard to
calibrate other accelerometers now on the
market, making them more accurate.
The accelerometer also has the poten-
tial to improve inertial navigation in
such critical systems as military aircraft,
satellites, and submarines, especially
when a GPS signal is not available.
Accelerometers, including the new
NIST device, record changes in velocity
by tracking the position of a freely mov-
Illustration of an optomechanical accelerometer, which uses light to measure acceleration. The
ing mass, dubbed the “proof mass,” rela- NIST device consists of two silicon chips, with infrared laser light entering at the bottom chip and
tive to a fixed reference point inside the exiting at the top. (Credit: F. Zhou/NIST)

Tech Briefs
To track the changes in the cavity’s reso- accelerometers. However, the team’s researchers have made several improve-
nant wavelength with high sensitivity, a sta- new design ensures that the dynamic ments that should decrease their
ble single- frequency laser is locked to the relationship between the displacement device’s uncertainty to nearly 1%.
cavity. The researchers have also employed of the proof mass and the acceleration is Capable of sensing displacements of
an optical frequency comb — a device that simple and easy to model through first the proof mass that are less than one
can be used as a ruler to measure the wave- principles of physics. In short, the proof hundred-thousandth the diameter of a
length of light — to measure the cavity mass and supporting beams are hydrogen atom, the optomechanical
length with high accuracy. The markings designed so that they behave like a sim- accelerometer detects accelerations as
of the ruler (the teeth of the comb) can be ple spring, or harmonic oscillator, that tiny as 32 billionths of g, where g is the
thought of as a series of lasers with equally vibrates at a single frequency in the acceleration due to Earth’s gravity.
spaced wavelengths. When the proof mass operating range of the accelerometer. That’s a greater sensitivity than all
moves during a period of acceleration, This simple dynamic response accelerometers now on the market with
either shortening or lengthening the cavi- enabled the scientists to achieve low similar size and bandwidth.
ty, the intensity of the reflected light measurement uncertainty over a wide With further improvements, the NIST
changes as the wavelengths associated with range of acceleration frequencies — 1 optomechanical accelerometer could be
the comb’s teeth move in and out of reso- kilohertz to 20 kilohertz — without ever used as a portable, high-accuracy refer-
nance with the cavity. having to calibrate the device. This fea- ence device to calibrate other
Accurately converting the displace- ture is unique because all commercial accelerometers without having to bring
ment of the proof mass into an accelera- accelerometers have to be calibrated, them into a laboratory.
tion is a critical step that has been prob- which is time-consuming and expensive. For more information, contact Jason J.
lematic in most existing optomechanical Since the publication of their study, the Gorman at jason.gorman@nist.gov.
Sensors Eliminate Sparking Risk in Hydrogen Vehicles

Hydrogen vehicles can refuel much more quickly and go farther without refueling than
today’s electric vehicles. But one of the final hurdles to hydrogen power is securing a
safe method for detecting hydrogen leaks.
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
H ydrogen as a clean, renewable alter-

native to fossil fuels is part of a sus-
tainable-energy future, and very much al-
time, sensitivity, and cost. Current main-
stream technology for H2 optical sen-
sors requires an expensive monochro-
ready here. However, lingering concerns mator to record a spectrum, followed by
about flammability have limited the analyzing a spectral shift comparison.
widespread use of hydrogen as a power “With our intensity-based optical nano
source for electric vehicles. Previous ad- sensors, we go from detection of hydro-
vances have minimized the risk, but new gen at around 100 parts-per-million to 2
research from the University of Georgia parts-per-million, at a cost of a few dollars
now puts that risk in the rearview mirror. for a sensing chip,” Tho said. “Our
Hydrogen vehicles can refuel much Hydrogen as a clean, renewable alternative to response time of 0.8 seconds is 20% faster
more quickly and go farther without refu- fossil fuels is a part of a sustainable-energy than the best available optical device
future, and very much already here. (Image
eling than today’s electric vehicles, which courtesy of UGA Franklin College of Arts and reported in the literature right now.”
use battery power. But one of the final Sciences.) The new optical device relies on the
hurdles to hydrogen power is securing a nanofabrication of a nanosphere tem-
safe method for detecting hydrogen leaks. Hydrogen power has many more plate covered with a Palladium Cobalt
A new study documents an inexpen- applications than just powering electric alloy layer. Any hydrogen present is
sive, spark-free, optical-based hydrogen vehicles, so flammability-mitigating tech- quickly absorbed, then detected by an
sensor that is more sensitive — and nologies are critical. Robust sensors for LED. A silicon detector records the
faster — than previous models. hydrogen leak detection and concentra- intensity of the light transmitted.
“Right now, most commercial hydro- tion control are important in all stages All metals tend to absorb hydrogen
gen sensors detect the change of an elec- of the hydrogen-based economy, includ- but finding the suitable elements with a
tronic signal in active materials upon ing production, distribution, storage, right balance in the alloy and engineer-
interaction with hydrogen gas, which can and utilization in petroleum processing ing the nanostructure to amplify subtle
potentially induce hydrogen gas ignition and production, fertilizer, metallurgical changes in light transmission after
by electrical sparking,” said Tho Nguyen, applications, electronics, environmental hydrogen absorption enabled them to
associate professor. “Our spark-free opti- sciences, and in health and safety-relat- set a new benchmark for how fast and
cal-based hydrogen sensors detect the ed fields. sensitive these sensors can be.
presence of hydrogen without electron- The three key problems associated For more information, contact Alan
ics, making the process much safer.” with hydrogen sensors are response Flurry aflurry@uga.edu.

Experimental Hearing Implant Succeeds in Registering
Brain Waves
Researchers at KU Leuven have succeeded for the first time in measuring brain waves directly
via a cochlear implant, which can lead to further development of smart hearing aids.
KU Leuven, Leuven, Flanders, Belgium
A cochlear implant enables people with severe hearing loss

to hear again. An audiologist adjusts the device based on
the user's input, but this is not always easy. Think of children
An implant that can register brain waves and measure hear-
ing quality on its own has various advantages. It provides an
objective measurement that does not depend on the user's
who are born deaf or elderly people with dementia. They have input. In addition, you could measure a person's hearing in
more difficulty assessing and communicating how well they everyday life and monitor it better. So, in the long run, the user
hear the sounds, resulting in an implant that is not optimally would no longer have to undergo testing at a hospital. An audi-
tuned to their situation. ologist could consult the data remotely and adjust the implant
A possible solution is to adjust the implant based on brain where necessary.
waves, which contain information about how the person The researchers believe that in the future, it should even be
processes the sounds that they hear. This kind of objective possible for the hearing implant to adjust itself autonomously
measurement can be made with an electroencephalogram based on the recorded brain waves. There is a long way to go
(EEG), whereby electrodes are placed on the head. However, before that, but this study is a necessary first step. Based on their
it would be more efficient if the implant itself could record the findings, manufacturers can now move forward with developing
brain waves to measure hearing quality. smart hearing devices that improve the quality of life of the peo-
Research by KU Leuven and manufacturer Cochlear on a ple that use them. Besides audiological applications, there are
few human test subjects has shown for the first time that this numerous other possibilities that come with measuring brain
is possible. "We used an experimental implant that works waves. Think of monitoring sleep, attention span, or epilepsy,
exactly the same way as a normal implant, but with easier but also, for example, so-called brain computer interfaces that
access to the electronics," says postdoctoral researcher Ben allow you to control other devices with brainwaves.
Somers. "A cochlear implant contains electrodes that stimu- For more information, contact Bregt Van Hoeyveld at bregt.
late the auditory nerve. This is how sound signals are transmit- vanhoeyveld@kuleuven.be.
ted to the brain. In our research, we have succeeded in using
these implanted electrodes to record the brain waves that
arise in response to sound. An additional advantage is that by www.embeddedARM.com
carefully choosing the right measuring electrodes, we can
measure larger brain responses than the classical EEG with
electrodes on the head.” TS-7100
Our smallest single board computer measuring only
2.4" by 3.6" by 1.7", with optional 2.8" touch LCD
NXP i.MX6 UL 696MHz ARM CPU
Researchers at KU Leuven have succeeded for the first time in measuring

brain waves directly via a cochlear implant. (Image courtesy of KU
Leuven)

Tech Briefs
New Sensor Paves Way to Low-Cost Sensitive Methane

Measurements
Recent advances could make it feasible to deploy networks of methane sensors to detect
this greenhouse gas at large facilities.
The Optical Society (OSA), Washington, DC
R esearchers have developed a new

sensor that could allow practical and
low-cost detection of low concentrations
of methane gas. Measuring methane
emissions and leaks is important to a
variety of industries because the gas con-
tributes to global warming and air pollu-
tion.
Agricultural and waste industries emit
significant amounts of methane, which
is also critical for the oil and gas industry
for both environmental and economic
reasons because natural gas is mainly
composed of methane.
Researchers from Princeton
University and the U.S. Naval Research
Laboratory have demonstrated their
new gas sensor, which uses an interband
cascade light emitting device (ICLED)
to detect methane concentrations as low
as 0.1 parts per million. ICLEDs are a
new type of higher-power LED that
Researchers have developed a new sensor that uses an interband cascade light emitting device
emits light at mid-infrared. The (ICLED) and could allow practical and low-cost detection of low concentrations of methane.
researchers hope that this will eventually (Credit: Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy)
open the door to low-cost, accurate and
sensitive methane measurements. The generated and could potentially be able to detect concentrations as low as
sensors could be used to better under- mass-produced. According to the 0.1 parts per million while showing
stand methane emissions from livestock researchers, this could enable ICLED- excellent agreement with both calibrat-
and dairy farms and to enable more based sensors that cost less than $100 ed standards and the laser-based sensor.
accurate and pervasive monitoring of per sensor. According to the researchers, this
the climate crisis. To measure methane, the new sensor level of precision is sufficient to monitor
Laser-based sensors are currently the measures infrared light transmitted emissions near sources of methane pol-
gold standard for methane detection, through clean air with no methane and lution. An array of these sensors could
but they cost between $10,000 and compares that with transmission be installed to measure methane emis-
$100,000 each. A sensor network that through air that contains methane. To sions at large facilities, allowing opera-
detects leaks across a landfill, petro- boost sensitivity, the researchers sent the tors to detect leaks and mitigate them
chemical facility, wastewater treatment infrared light from the high-power affordably and quickly.
plant, or farm would be prohibitively ICLED through a one-meter-long hol- The researchers plan to improve the
expensive to implement using laser- low-core fiber containing an air sample. design of the sensor to make it practical
based sensors. The inside of the fiber is coated with sil- for long-term field measurements by
Although methane sensing has been ver, which causes the light to reflect off investigating ways to increase the
demonstrated with mid-IR LEDs, per- its surfaces as it travels down the fiber to mechanical stability of the hollow-core
formance has been limited by the low the photodetector at the other end. This fiber. They will also study how extreme
light intensities generated by available allows the light to interact with addition- weather conditions and changes in
devices. To substantially improve the al molecules of methane in the air ambient humidity and temperature
sensitivity and develop a practical system resulting in higher absorption of the might affect the system. Because most
for monitoring methane, the light. greenhouse gases, and many other
researchers used a new ICLED devel- To test the new sensor, the researchers chemicals, can be identified by using
oped at the U.S. Naval Research flowed known concentrations of mid-IR light, the methane sensor could
Laboratory. methane into the hollow core fiber and also be adapted to detect other impor-
The ICLEDs they developed emit compared the infrared transmission of tant gases.
roughly ten times more power than com- the samples with state-of-the-art laser- For more information, contact
mercially available mid-IR LEDs had based sensors. The ICLED sensor was mediarelations@osa.org.

Tattoo Made of Gold Nanoparticles Revolutionizes Medical
Diagnostics
Color changes of gold nanoparticles under the skin reveal concentration changes of substances
in the body.
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany)
T he idea of implantable sensors that

continuously transmit information
on vital values and concentrations of sub-
stances or drugs in the body has fasci-
nated physicians and scientists for a long
time. Such sensors enable the constant
monitoring of disease progression and
therapeutic success. However, until now
implantable sensors have not been suit-
able to remain in the body permanently
but had to be replaced after a few days or
weeks. On the one hand, there is the
problem of implant rejection because
the body recognizes the sensor as a for-
eign object. On the other hand, the sen-
sor's color, which indicates concentra-
tion changes has been unstable so far
and faded over time. Scientists at Jo-
hannes Gutenberg University Mainz
(JGU) have developed a novel type of im-
plantable sensor that can be operated in
the body for several months. The sensor
is based on color-stable gold nanoparti-
cles that are modified with receptors for
specific molecules. Embedded into an ar-
tificial polymeric tissue, the nanogold is
implanted under the skin where it re-
ports changes in drug concentrations by
changing its color.
Professor Carsten Sonnichsen's research
group has been using gold nanoparticles
as sensors to detect tiny amounts of pro- In their study the researchers implanted their gold nanoparticle sensors under the skin of hairless
teins in microscopic flow cells for many rats. (Image ©: Nanobiotechnology Group, JGU)
years. Gold nanoparticles act as small
antennas for light. They strongly absorb the eye. However, a special kind of meas- Colored objects bleach over time.
and scatter it and, therefore, appear color- urement device can detect their color Gold nanoparticles, however, do not
ful. They react to alterations in their sur- noninvasively through the skin. bleach, but keep their color permanent-
roundings by changing color. Sonnich- In their study the researchers ly. As they can be easily coated with dif-
sen's team has exploited this concept for implanted their gold nanoparticle sen- ferent receptors, they are an ideal plat-
implanted medical sensing. sors under the skin of hairless rats. form for implantable sensors.
To prevent the tiny particles from Color changes in these sensors were This concept is generalizable and has
swimming away or being degraded by monitored following the administra- the potential to extend the lifetime of
immune cells, they are embedded in a tion of various doses of an antibiotic. implantable sensors. In the future, gold
porous hydrogel with a tissue-like consis- The drug molecules are transported to nanoparticle-based implantable sensors
tency. Once implanted under the skin, the sensor via the bloodstream. By could be used to observe concentrations of
small blood vessels and cells grow into binding to specific receptors on the sur- different biomarkers or drugs in the body
the pores. The sensor is integrated in face of the gold nanoparticles, they simultaneously. Such sensors could find
the tissue and is not rejected as a foreign induce color change that is dependent application in drug development, medical
body. "Our sensor is like an invisible tat- on drug concentration. Thanks to the research, or personalized medicine, such
too, not much bigger than a penny and color-stable gold nanoparticles and the as the management of chronic diseases.
thinner than one millimeter," said tissue-integrating hydrogel, the sensor For more information, contact Professor
Sonnichsen. Since the gold nanoparti- was found to remain mechanically and Dr. Carsten Sonnichsen at soennichsen@
cles are infrared, they are not visible to optically stable over several months. uni-mainz.de

New Products
9 DoF Inertial Measurement Unit Graphene-based Hall Effect Sensor
Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd (Plymouth, for Mapping of Battery Cells
UK) is launching a new 9 degrees of free- The graphene GHS01AT Hall Effect sensor
dom (DoF) inertial measurement unit from Paragraf (Cambridge, UK) is optimized
(IMU) that extends the performance of its for use in relatively low field environments and
predecessor, the DMU30, while delivering a normal ambient temperatures. It brings mag-
reduction in volume, weight, and power consumption. At 50 × 50 × 50 netic field measurement resolution towards that of more complex
mm, and weighing 200 g, the DMU41 represents a 54% reduction in magnetic sensors; yet with the small size and ease of use of a Hall sen-
volume and a 42% reduction in weight over the DMU30. In addition, sor, it can address monitoring tasks for which conventional technolo-
it has a power consumption 50% lower than DMU30’s typical usage. gies cannot provide an effective solution.
DMU41 is an all-silicon MEMS IMU, which combines excellent It will be of value in battery cell analysis when investigating the valid-
angle random walk and bias stability with exceptional low noise char- ity of different battery cell chemistry derivatives and form factors
acteristics. The unit contains three inductive and three piezoelectric under development. It can provide detailed real-time current density
resonating ring gyroscopes with six capacitive accelerometers, along (local cell internal resistance) mapping — with any variations at differ-
with 3 magnetometers. Data can be provided at variable output rates ent locations in the cell being detected during repeated charge/dis-
up to 2kHz. Outputs can combine angular rate, acceleration, delta charge cycles. If hotspots arise, the local mapping of internal cell resist-
angle, and delta velocity, temperature, and built-in test results. ance in these areas could provide insights into the physical processes
For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/79414-170 occurring in the lead-up to their formation.
For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/79414-173
High-Precision, Low-Profile
Medical Sensors Transportation Data Logger With
TDK Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) presents a GPS, Shock, and Climate
new range of highly accurate differential pres- Recording
sure sensors (part number B58621V), designed
Saelig Company, Inc. (Fairport, NY) has
as printed circuit boards. The sensors are designed for measurement
introduced the MSR 175plus Data Logger,
ranges of 16 mbar full-scale (FS), 100 mbar FS and 7 bar FS, with absolute
which contains two 3-axis-acceleration sensors (±15 g/±200 g), a tem-
accuracy of up to ±1 percent FS at temperatures from -20 ºC to +70 ºC.
perature sensor (-20 to +65 ºC), a humidity sensor (0 to 100% rel.
Their footprint of 24 mm × 26 mm accommodates pressure ports
humidity), air pressure sensing (0 to 2000 mbar), and an ambient light
and inlets (allowing for simple screw fitting and easy maintenance) as
sensor (0 to 65,000 lux). The tamper-proof data logger records poten-
well as two plug connectors for easy implementation of daisy chain sys-
tially damaging shock events as well as the associated ambient condi-
tems. The integrated SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) enables easy inte-
tions with the exact geographical position via its GPS/GNSS receiver.
gration into various digital applications. The sensors are EN ISO 13485-
The two 3-axis-acceleration sensors measure at a rate of up to 6400
certified for use in medical devices. Precise pressure loss measurements
times per second. In addition, the robust mini data logger measures
in the flow lines allow flow rates to be accurately calculated in ventilator
and stores temperature curves, humidity, air pressure, and light. It will
equipment, and they are particularly well suited for mobile ventilators
store 2 million data values and even with active GPS tracking, the
due to their extremely low profile of only 6 mm. The sensors are also
removable, rechargeable 2400 mAh LiPo-battery enables recording for
suitable for monitoring filters and gas admixtures.
up to 8 weeks, and at least one year without GPS tracking.
Signal Conditioner for Digital or

In-Vehicle Prototyping System
Analog Communications
dSPACE (Wixom, MI) offers its
The NewTek Sensor Solutions (Penn-sauken, MicroAutoBox III in-vehicle prototyping sys-
NJ) NTC-6000 Qwik-Calo LVDT Signal tem with a high number of channels and an
Conditioner completes the measurement sys- extended range of bus and network inter-
tem for AC-operated LVDTs by providing the excitation and digital output faces. With the addition of the new DS1521 I/O board variant, the sys-
required by many of today’s laboratory, industrial automation, and process tem is particularly suitable for communication-intensive developments
control applications. Without internal electronics, AC-LVDTs can operate that take into account the centralization of the E/E architecture,
in extreme environments but require the NTC-6000 Signal Conditioner to among other things.
convert position feedback into readable output for use by computers, Typical applications include intelligent gateways, running superviso-
PLCs, data acquisition systems, and data loggers. ry controllers to control other ECUs in real time via buses and net-
The conditioner offers a variety of selectable excitation frequencies, works, and designing central control units with service-based Ethernet
analog output types (0 – 10V, 0 – 5V, 0.5 – 4.5V, +5V, +10V, 4 – 20mA) as well communication. To ideally address these applications, the DS1521 Bus
as digital communications to a host computer via an RS-485 output. The RS- and Network Board provides eight CAN FD channels, three automotive
485 port also supports the hot swapability of sensors by saving set-up param- Ethernet ports (100/1000BASE-T1), two FlexRay connectors (A/B),
eters, and automatic excitation synchronization for multiple unit systems. three LIN channels, and additional UART, digital, and analog inter-
Features include front panel null indicators and pushbuttons to set faces. For particularly communication-intensive applications, the
zero and full-scale output positions along with automatic excitation MicroAutoBox III can also be equipped with two DS1521 boards, which
synchronization for multiple unit systems. results in doubling the number of interfaces.
For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/79414-172 For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/79414-178

Measuring Transformer Terminal Block LVIT Subsea Position
Weidmuller’s (Richmond, VA) TTB measuring transformer termi- Sensors
nal block series is a systematic offering of modular terminals that H. G. Schaevitz LLC, Alliance
meet all the connection requirements of critical transformer (cur- Sensors (Moorestown, NJ)
rent/voltage) protection and measurement functions. The series is announces its SSx-7 series of LVIT
approved according to IEC 60947-7-1 Annex D — safety-relevant compo- subsea position sensors. Available
nents captively connected to the modular terminal block. in full scale ranges from as short as
The terminals have been developed for use in secondary circuits of measuring transformers. 1 inch (25 mm) up to 36 inches (900
For safe application when disconnecting or isolating protection of measuring devices, the termi- mm), these devices are constructed of
nal short-circuits the current transformer and thus prevents high voltages from occurring in the AISI 316 stainless steel to operate at
secondary winding. After short-circuiting the current transformer (CT) side and simultaneously depths of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
disconnecting the primary side, the meter can be easily and safely checked via relay test or The SSx-7 body style easily fits into an SAE O-
replaced. Thanks to the patent-pending Comparative Measurement (CM) lever connection, two- ring port in the end of a hydraulic cylinder
terminal blocks can be selectively disconnected in order to interconnect a calibrated measuring and is terminated with the popular micro-cir-
device. After the measurement, the captive lever is reset to the original position, leaving the cular subsea connector. Offered with com-
"close-before-open" contact active. The switching state of the TTB series instrument transformer mon analog voltage or current loop outputs,
terminals is easily visible in all lighting conditions based on color-coding. The disconnect lever standard SSx-7 series position sensors are
can be operated by hand or with a standard screwdriver. It also facilitates the realization of multi- good solutions for many subsea applications
pole actuations. like: Choke actuators in a PBOF environ-
For Free Info Visit: http://info.hotims.com/79414-175 ment; BOP sealing or shearing ram positions;
annular BOP seal compression piston; ROV
Smart Transmitter with Bluetooth electric and hydraulic actuators; hydraulic
The iTEMP TMT142B from Endress+Hauser (Premstaetten, Austria), cylinder position sensing.
new generation smart temperature transmitter with Bluetooth delivers For Free Info Visit:
measurements using wireless communication via Bluetooth. It’s packaged http://info.hotims.com/79414-171
in a robust single-chamber field housing. The technology offers significant
improvements in process efficiency and plant availability while reducing
costs.
The transmitter features a highly secure integrated Bluetooth interface that enables users to ADHESIVES for
wirelessly visualize measured values and NAMUR NE 017 diagnostic information, as well as to per-
form configuration tasks. The device can be operated using your phone or tablet and the SENSOR
Endress+Hauser SmartBlue app. No special tools required. Access to the device is password-pro-
tected, and provisions for Bluetooth communication complies with the highest standards.
APPLICATIONS
The configurable single-channel device transmits converted signals from resistance sensors
(RTD), thermocouples (TC), resistances (Ω), and voltage transmitters (mV) via the 4 to 20 mA EPOXIES
EPOXIES &
& SILICONES
SILICONES
signal or HART 7 communication.
The transmitter is designed for safe operation in hazardous areas as certified by international
approvals (ATEX, CSA C/US, IECEx).
Interactive Surge Protective Device (SPD) Sizing

Selection Guide
Select compounds offer:
Littelfuse, Inc. (Chicago, IL) announced today the launch of a surge THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
protective device (SPD) selection guide that sizes SPDs to achieve the
best level of protection for a system based on specifications provided. Up to 6.5 W/( m•K)
Surge protective devices need to be sized correctly. If they are sized too low, the system could
be susceptible to temporary overvoltages as well as cause a decrease in the life expectancy of the ELECTRICAL INSULATION
SPD. If they are sized too high, it could damage the equipment. Volume resistivity >101414 ohm-cm
The selection guide offers customers an interactive calculator that quickly provides the right
SPD size to maximize surge protection for their systems. When specifications are entered, the
guide computes the best configuration based on the provided parameters and gives information
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
on the recommended SPD product with links to the data sheet and other technical resources. Volume resistivity <0.001 ohm-cm
The guide will determine the optimal maximum continuous operating voltage (MCOV) size
for your specific system from variables including:
• Line-to-line voltage
• Number of conductors
• Grounded or ungrounded +1.201.343.8983 ∙ main@masterbond.com
• If there is a neutral
www.masterbond.com
Sensor Technology, June 2021 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-719

Advertisement
Target Markets
• OEMs and manufacturers of industrial sensors and systems

that measure level, liquid flow, proximity, and distance.
AIRMAR Technology Corporation • OEMs and manufacturers of electronics for recreational
35 Meadowbrook Drive marine, commercial fishing, underwater survey, agricultural,
Milford, NH 03055 and unmanned equipment systems.
Phone: (603) 673-9570
Fax: (603) 673-4624 Products/Services Offered
Email: tshenk@airmar.com
www.airmar.com • Ultrasonic air ranging transducers
for non-contact level, proximity,
and distance measurement
Company Description • Ultrasonic flow transducers for pre-
cise liquid flow velocity measurement in hostile environments
AIRMAR is a global leader in ultrasonic sensor technology. • Ultrasonic fish-finding transducers for every type of fishing,
We develop and manufacture high-performance ultrasonic including recreational, commercial, freshwater, and saltwater
transducers with a diverse range of applications, including air- • Ultrasonic boating transducers for the measurement of depth,
ranging industrial transducers, underwater scientific and sur- speed, temperature, and other parameters critical for every
vey transducers, weather sensing instruments, and an exten- type of boating
sive line of fish-finding transducers. • Ultrasonic underwater scientific and survey transducers for
gathering data from shallow and deep-water survey, sub-bot-
tom profiling, and aquatic habitat assessment
• Ultrasonic WeatherStation® instruments for accurately meas-
uring up to seven critical weather parameters, including theo-
retical wind speed for mobile applications
• Custom transducer configurations are available
www.airmar.com
Target Markets
• Defense • Semiconductor Equipment

• Aerospace • Energy–Oil, Gas, Subsea
Kaman Precision Measuring Systems • Space Launch Vehicle Propulsion • Industrial
217 Smith Street, Middletown, CT 06457 • Satellite Laser Communication • Condition Monitoring
Phone: (800) 552-6267 & Imaging
Fax: (860) 502-1281
Email: measuring@kaman.com
www.kamansensors.com Products/Services Offered
Kaman Precision Measuring Systems is

Company Description the undisputed leader in the design, produc-
tion, and application of high-performance
Kaman Precision Measuring Systems is a worldwide leader in non-contact position measuring systems.
the design, production, and application of non-contact preci- Our design and application expertise
sion electromagnetic position measuring systems. With more enables our customers to achieve micron to
than 40 years of experience, our high-precision position sen- sub-nanometer measurement resolution in
sors are used in hundreds of applications, addressing the most the most challenging application environments in the world today.
challenging precision measurement needs. Specializing in eddy current and high-range TMR-based sys-
tems, our full line of analog and digital products covers the
gamut of precision measuring requirements. Our General
Purpose, Extreme Environment, Customizable High Precision,
and High-Resolution Differential measuring systems reliably
address measuring needs from the extreme depths of the
ocean to the farthest reaches of space.
www.kamansensors.com

Advertisement
Excelitas Technologies
22001 Dumberry Road
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec J7V 8P7
Canada
Phone: (+1) 450-424-3300
Fax: (+1) 450-424-3345
Email: detection.na@excelitas.com
www.excelitas.com
Company Description Products/Services Offered
Excelitas Technologies® is a photonics technology leader Excelitas’ NEW DigiPyro® PYD 2792 for smart home and city
focused on delivering innovative, market-driven solutions to applications delivers streamlined SMD integration, ultra-com-
meet the high-performance detection, lighting, and optical pact form factor, and the lowest power requirements available
technology needs of today’s emerging markets. today. The reduced 1.8V power requirement extends service life
Excelitas thermal infrared sensors and detectors play a vital in battery-operated applications while offering excellent func-
role in creating a healthier, more convenient and safer tomor- tion and strong signal performance.
row. Excelitas has gained worldwide recognition for the design The Excelitas CaliPile® Infrared Sensing solution represents
and production of high-performance pyroelectric detectors, the first ever intelligent IR sensors capable of motion detection,
thermopile detectors, and sensor module arrays that safeguard presence monitoring, and temperature sensing… all from one
our homes, conserve energy, empower smart technology, and single compact sensor. This versatile IR sensor includes a highly
add convenience and efficiency to our lives. From motion and sensitive Thermopile detector and onboard electronics that
presence detection to gas detection, remote thermometry, and allow the sensors to be set into one of the three distinct multi-
indoor climate control applications, Excelitas’ IR sensing solu- function modes.
tions are the smartest choice for your smart technologies.
Excelitas is also an innovation leader in photon and light
detection technologies with capabilities ranging from Silicon
Detectors, InGaAs Detectors, smoke detection modules, and
Pulsed Laser Diodes to address high-performance and high-vol-
ume applications across a wide range of markets.
Target Markets
• Consumer Electronics • Medical

• Smart Home & City • Manufacturing
• Safety & Security • Sciences
• Automotive • Defense & Aerospace
www.excelitas.com

Advertisement
Micro-Epsilon USA Headquarters

8120 Brownleigh Dr. Target Markets
Raleigh, NC 27617
Phone: (919) 787-9707 Aerospace, Automation, Battery Production, Automotive
Fax: (919) 787-9706 Test Bench & Production Control, Electronics, Energy
Email: me-usa@micro-epsilon.com Technology, Precision Mechanics, Glass Production, Hydraulics,
www.micro-epsilon.com Plastics, Food Industry, Machine Building, Medical Technology,
Metal production and processing, Military, Optical Systems,
Paint Inspection, Semiconductors
Company Description
Micro-Epsilon offers a worldwide unique range of sensors,

measurement systems and customized inspection systems. The
product range includes inductive, confocal chromatic and
capacitive sensors, as well as laser, eddy current, draw wire, and
temperature sensors, interferometers and measurement sys-
tems for automated inline 3D inspection. Continuous develop-
ment efforts, extensive know-how and a broad cooperation net-
work enable the creation of innovative, high-precision products.
Micro-Epsilon’s sensors help to conserve resources, automate
production, and ensure the highest quality in production
processes.
Micro-Epsilon’s customer base includes leading global com-
panies and major brands from the consumer electronics,
smartphone, aerospace, and automotive sectors. An integral
part of the company's philosophy is to always find the best
solution for the customer, which also includes the develop-
ment of customer-specific products for special environments
and installation conditions. More than 1,000 employees world- Products/Services Offered
wide, numerous patents, and extensive know-how enable
Micro-Epsilon to hold a unique market position in more than Micro-Epsilon develops and manufactures high-precision sen-
50 countries. sors, and systems for measuring displacement, distance, thick-
ness, position, dimension, profile, color, and temperature. An
innovative multi-technology company that is dedicated to solv-
ing standard and extraordinary applications with an unrivaled
range of innovative products. Customers around the world rely
on Micro-Epsilon’s state-of-the-art measurement technology.
Micro Epsilon offers:
• Sensors for displacement, distance, thickness, and position
• Interferometers for distance and thickness measurement
• Automated 3D inspection systems
• High-Performance Laser-Profile Scanners for 2D/3D measurements
• Optical Micrometers to measure diameter, gap, edge, or opacity
• Infrared sensors, thermal imagers, and pyrometers for non-
contact temperature measurement
• Rotational speed sensors
• Custom designed sensors
• Color sensors for various objects and surfaces
• Measurement systems for inline quality control
www.micro-epsilon.com

Advertisement
Renishaw, Inc.
1001 Wesemann Drive Products/Services Offered
West Dundee, IL 60118
Phone: (847) 286-9953 Renishaw offers a comprehensive range of encoders used by
Email: usa@renishaw.com OEMs globally for exact positioning, reliability, and superior
www.renishaw.com performance-to-cost value. Three encoder technologies — opti-
cal, magnetic, and laser interferometer — are all engineered to
deliver non-contact, friction-free operation, exceptional ease of
installation, space savings, and application flexibility.
Company Description
Open optical encoders
Robust and high-performance linear and rotary position
Renishaw is a global, high precision metrology and health-
measurement using a finely graduated scale and a compact
care technology group.
optoelectronic readhead that converts motion relative to the
We design, develop, and deliver solutions and systems that
scale into position data.
provide unparalleled precision, control, and reliability.
Enclosed optical encoders
We are also a world leader in the field of additive manufac-
Exceptionally robust design for use in harsh industrial envi-
turing (also referred to as metal 3D printing), where we design
ronments where high performance position measurement is
and produce industrial machines that ‘print’ parts from metal
required.
powder. From transport to agriculture, electronics to health-
Laser encoders
care, our breakthrough technology transforms product per-
Laser encoders combine the measurement and positioning
formance.
performance expected from a displacement interferometer.
We have more than 79 offices in 37 countries, with over
Magnetic encoders
4,400 employees worldwide. Over 2,500 people are employed
Linear and rotary position measurement at low-cost, with
within the UK where we carry out the majority of our research
high reliability and capable of operating in harsh environments.
and development and manufacturing.
Target Markets
Aerospace, Automotive, Power Gen, Medical, Robotics, and

Electronic Manufacturing
www.renishaw.com

Extend the Range
of Your LiDAR Innovation
Excelitas next-generation, high-performance
LiDAR Emitters and Sensors extend your range,
reduce your power requirements and keep your
system on spec and on budget.
From laser levels and surveying equipment, to advanced

robotics, range finders and LiDAR mapping systems, your
products demand enhanced vision components with
innovative performance, robust designs and added value
engineering. Excelitas offers a wide range of Avalanche
Photodiodes and Pulsed Laser Diodes to empower the
vision of tomorrow in your systems.
• Silicon and InGaAs PIN and APD detectors
• Single- and multi-cavity 905 nm laser emitters
• Robust plastic and metal TO packaging as well as
compact SMD designs and complex arrays
• Improved power efficiency for battery operation NEW Excelitas Generation 2
Triple-Cavity Pulsed Laser Diodes and
• Cost-effective engineering for high-volume
C30737MH Avalanche Photodiodes
• Exceptional linearity over broad range combine to optimize performance in
of operating conditions
905 nm, high-volume LiDAR applications.
Contact us today to engage our high-performance LiDAR

Emitter and Sensor technologies and equip your systems
with the vision of tomorrow... today.
Robotic Vision & Guidance LiDAR Imaging & Mapping Range Finding & Metrology
www.excelitas.com
Americas: +1 800-775-6786
Europe: +49 611-492-430
Asia: +65 6304-4260

Motion Design, and Sensor Technology: Welcome To Your Digital Edition of Tech Briefs

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Motion Design, and Sensor Technology: Welcome To Your Digital Edition of Tech Briefs

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Welcome to your Digital Edition of Tech Briefs

Motion Design, and Sensor Technology

Included in This June Edition:

Tech Briefs Motion Design Sensor Technology

June 2021 June 2021

Simulation Linear Bearings:

Think RF for Wireless Charging

Last Chance to Enter! Selecting

Click Here Click Here Click Here

How to Navigate the Magazines:

Introduction: Click on this icon to quickly turn to this page.

Cover: Click on this icon to quickly turn to the front cover.

Find: Click on this icon to search the document.

The ultimate tool for every test and measurement engineer.

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-901

Last Chance to Enter!

Last Chance to Enter!

Last Chance to Enter!

Order Today, Ships Fast!

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-708

Zurich Contact us today

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-726

Today’s manufacturing leaders turn

Select from one of the thousands of

Discover the MW Components

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-727

Contact us today at +1 (800) 341-5266 or sales@l-com.com with your

16 Simulation Applications Streamline the Development of

64 NASA Spinoff: Drone Flight Controller

30 Biodegradable Displays for Sustainable Electronics

32 Fully Recyclable Printed Electronics

32 Nanowire Could Provide a Stable Superconducting Transistor

34 Polymer-Based Electrical Insulation for Circuits 55

35 Nanotransistors Stay Cool at High Voltages

36 Mechanical & Fluid Systems

36 Square Structural Joint with Robotic Assembly Tool

36 Transport of Mechanical Energy, Even Through Damaged

38 High Bus Voltage Stepper Motor Systems

41 Using Neural Networks for Faster X-Ray Imaging

44 Vision System Sees Through Clouds and Fog

(Optics continued on page 6)

4 www.techbriefs.com Tech Briefs, June 2021

46 Quantum-Dot Infrared Cameras for Electronics and

48 Health & Biotech

48 Tiny Wireless Implant Detects Oxygen Deep Within the Body

49 Heated Facemask Filters and Inactivates Coronaviruses

50 Radar Enables Touch-Free Monitoring of Heart Sounds On the cover

High Tolerance Precision

Precision machining and polishing

ITAR and ISO Compliant

6 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-730 Tech Briefs, June 2021

• AC | DC | Data | EMP Surge Protection • Dedicated Customer & Technical Service

Call +1 (208) 635-6400 or go to transtector.com

Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79414-731

Last Chance to Create Compact Deliveries

facebook.com/TechBriefsMagazine linkedin.com/company/tech-briefs-media twitter.com/TechBriefsMag

8 www.techbriefs.com Tech Briefs, June 2021

learn more comsol.blog/microspeakers

The COMSOL Multiphysics® software is used for simulating designs, devices,

Products of applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the

Tomorrow that innovation.

Pollen Sponge Tackles Marine Oil Spills

Contact: Foo Jie Ying, Manager, Corporate Communications Office