What's New

Sony Electronics is recalling 1,700 Panasonic battery packs that were used in Sony’s VAIO Series laptop computers. The lithium-ion battery packs can overheat, posing burn and fire hazards.

Silicon microchips just got a boost from the power of sound. A team of Yale scientists developed a new waveguide system that can precisely control the way that light and sound waves interact on a chip. This innovation could become the foundation for new lasers, fiber-optic communications, and signal processing technologies.

Graphene is an incredible material for many applications, but it is limited by the fact that it lacks a band gap. Scientists at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed a new technique for nitrogen doping that gives graphene a stable, tunable band gap.

Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab and Harvard University have discovered that mixing solids and liquids enhances the optical properties of both materials. They found that changing the temperature of a solid-liquid mixture dramatically alters the way that light is diffused. The researchers also built a computer model that can be used to design custom liquid-solid mixtures for specific purposes.

Supreme Corporation is recalling 23,238 model year 2011-2014 Signature Van, Iner-City, and Kold King vehicles because they pose a fire hazard. These commercial Box Truck bodies have Truck-Lite Model 21 roof marker lights mounted on composite corner caps. If an electrical short occurs in the light and the light overheats, the corner cap could ignite. If a fire develops, there is a risk of personal injury or property damage.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released a consolidated version of the standard for "Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems - Digital interfaces - Part 450: Multiple talkers and multiple listeners - Ethernet interconnection." Edition 1.1 of IEC 61162-450:2011+AMD1:2016 CSV can now be purchased from the IEC webstore.

On June 12, 2016 the new Radio Equipment Directive (RED), 2014/53/EU replaced the previous...

A new design increases the amount of sunlight that a solar absorber can convert into heat. The novel solar absorber could be used to make solar technology more efficient and affordable. The discovery is the result of a partnership between the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in the United Arab Emirates and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Auldey Toys is recalling 325,000 Sky Rover toys because the USB charging cords can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. There have been 35 reports of charging cords overheating; no injuries were reported.

Dubai, the flashy city in the United Arab Emirates, is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and a place that is known for going over the top (see: gigantic manmade decorative islands). Now the city’s water and electric authority has announced it will build the world’s largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project.