Carbon Nanotube Transistors Better Than Silicon [video]

by Alfred Poor | September 9, 2016 | Enabling Tech, General News

If you’re a technology dweeb, you might well recognize the names Shockley, Brattain, and Bardeen. They are the three scientists at Bell Labs who invented the transistor in 1947. This simple device used an electrical signal to control the flow of electricity in a...

Flexible ICs Using Roll-to-Roll Fabrication [video]

by Alfred Poor | September 5, 2016 | Enabling Tech

Gutenberg’s movable type revolutionized the printing process, but it was still a batch-mode production. Individual sheets of paper were placed in the press one at a time, then printed. Eventually, roll-to-roll printing presses took over, printing pages much...

New Hardened Glass Rivals Sapphire

by Alfred Poor | September 2, 2016 | Enabling Tech

Corning’s “Gorilla Glass” has made a name for itself in the smartphone and tablet market, because it resists breaking and scratching better than standard cover glass. The company has upped its game with the release of Gorilla Glass SR+, designed for...

Flexible, Low-Voltage Artificial Muscle Could Have Wide Uses

by Alfred Poor | September 1, 2016 | Enabling Tech

In order to make a robot limb — or powered prosthetic — move, you need to have an actuator of some sort: something to apply force that will create motion. Common solutions rely on hydraulics (liquid pumps), pneumatics (air pumps), or electric motors. These...

Origami Meets Nanotechnology in Stretchy Supercaps

by Alfred Poor | August 31, 2016 | Enabling Tech, General News

Power storage for wearable devices poses problems. The ideal solution would pack a lot of energy in a small package, be flexible, be stretchable, and could discharge or recharge rapidly. Unfortunately, that does not describe your typical battery technology....

Octobot Autonomous Robot Is Soft [video]

by Alfred Poor | August 30, 2016 | Enabling Tech, General News

Take 3D printing technology, add some clever chemistry, and you have the recipe for a “soft” autonomous robot that can move without being tethered to an external power source. In fact, it does not contain any electronics at all. This marvel was created by...