Industry

Soft robotics is a growing field involving flexible robots that have several advantages over their rigid predecessors. Soft robots can squeeze into tight spaces, maneuver uneven terrain, and they are safer around humans. An international team of researchers is now developing artificial muscles to give robots the ability to grasp, stretch, and squish objects.

Spartan Motors USA is recalling 67 model year 2012-2015 Utilimaster Aeromaster vehicles because of a problem with the electrical system. The push-to-trip circuit breaker for the lift gate system may have been installed on the wrong side of the vehicles and not wired into the electrical portion of that system

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has released the first edition of IEC 62788-1-2:2016. This document describes "Measurement procedures for materials used in photovoltaic modules - Part 1-2: Encapsulants - Measurement of volume resistivity of photovoltaic encapsulants and other polymeric materials."

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK are developing inexpensive, high efficiency solar cells made of gold and diamond-like (amorphous) carbon. They created a cell that can potentially reach much higher temperatures than traditional surfaces because it can minimize the emission of thermal radiation.

In May, Nikola Motor Company made its public debut as an electric truck company....

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.

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.

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).

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.

Prolonged exposure to loud sounds like gunshots and explosions can permanently damage a person’s hearing. Soldiers can protect their hearing with ear plugs at a gun range, but they can’t afford to take the risk of drowning out sounds in a battlefield where situational awareness is essential. To solve this dilemma, the U.S. Army has developed a hearing aid that protects the ears, filters out unwanted background noise, and boosts softer sounds.