Electrical Technology News & Analysis

New Radar Scanner Tests Wind Turbine Blades for Defects

Thanks to the innovative radar scanner from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, defects in the material composition of the wind turbine blades can now be detected with far greater accuracy and visualized in a cross-sectional view, thereby saving costs in production and operation.

New Hybrid Inks for Printed, Flexible Electronics Without Sintering

Research scientists at the INM–Leibniz Institute for New Materials have developed a new type of hybrid inks that allow electronic circuits to be applied to paper directly from a pen.

Germany to Host Europe's Largest Battery

This summer will mark construction of Europe’s largest battery system, which will supply sustainable reserve capacity in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Mathematical Model for Energy Storage Material Design

A mathematical model could help researchers design improved materials for storing electricity.

Why Car Factories Now Have High-Quality Electron Microscopes

Powerful electron microscopes are extremely valuable in science laboratories. However, they are used elsewhere as well. For example, SEAT, a Spanish automotive manufacturer, decided to show how this powerful tool is used in the automotive industry.

Jumping Droplets Whisk Away Hotspots in Electronics

Engineers have developed a technology to cool hotspots in high-performance electronics using the same physical phenomenon that cleans the wings of cicadas.

Selective Solar Absorber Takes the Heat

An off-the-shelf silicon wafer has been modified to withstand temperatures approaching 535° C (995° F) without losing stability or performance.

Wrapping Sponges in Graphene Nanoribbons Allows for Joule Heating to Help Clean up Oil Spills

A team of researchers with the University of Science and Technology of China has found a way to make sponges used to clean up oil spills in the ocean work better when soaking up heavy crude oil.

Boeing’s Deep Space Gateway Concept Unveiled

Boeing revealed its concepts for a deep space gateway and transport system that could serve as a platform to send humans into deep space, near the moon and beyond.

Seaweed: From Superfood to Superconductor

Seaweed, the edible algae with a long history in some Asian cuisines, and which has also become part of the Western foodie culture, could turn out to be an essential ingredient in another trend: the development of more sustainable ways to power our devices.

Operating New York’s Electric Grid: Part 1

Part of a tapestry of entities responsible for the reliable operation of North America's electric grid, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) manages the state’s competitive electricity markets and ensures the lights stay on for the state's nearly 20 million residents.

LED-Based Device Predicts Radiation Skin Damage

An imaging device might gauge the severity and type of skin damage caused by radiation therapy administered to breast cancer patients.

‘Glass’ Battery is Fast-Charging and Noncombustible

A safe, low-cost, rechargeable battery with high energy density and long cycle life could substitute for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

Next-Gen Batteries Could Power Microsatellites

The small footprint of a new solid-state battery prototype could benefit NASA’s operation of microsatellites such as CubeSats..

Finland Powers Up the Bat(tery)cave

A lithium-ion battery said to be the biggest in the Nordic countries was installed in conjunction with a biomass-fired power plant in Finland.

Stretching the Boundaries of Neural Implants

Implantable fibers have been an enormous boon to brain research, allowing scientists to stimulate specific targets in the brain and monitor electrical responses. But similar studies in the nerves of the spinal cord, which might ultimately lead to treatments to alleviate spinal cord injuries, have been more difficult to carry out. That's because the spine flexes and stretches as the body moves, and the relatively stiff, brittle fibers used today could damage the delicate spinal cord tissue.

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