Collaborate Disseminate
Scientists at Oxford University have developed a novel sensor made of incredibly thin strands of sapphire that can withstand extreme heat and radiation. The breakthrough is billed as a solution to a 20-year problem in the field, and the scientists behi… Continue reading Sapphire fiber sensor can withstand the rigors of fusion and flight
Input devices consisting of optical readers for punched paper tape have been around since the earliest days of computing, so why stop now? [Jürgen]’s Paper Tape Reader project connects to …read more Continue reading Paper Tape Reader Self-calibrates, Speaks USB
What does it take to make your own integrated circuits at home? It’s a question that relatively few intrepid hackers have tried to answer, and the answer is usually something …read more Continue reading Old Printer Becomes Direct Laser Lithography Machine
No matter how many times 3D displays emerge and fade, the tech refuses to die. Researchers from Soochow University have now developed a glasses-free 3D display prototype, which uses a series of nanostructured lenses to produce more realistic images tha… Continue reading Glasses-free 3D display extends viewing distance for more realistic images
Those of use hailing from the UK may be quite familiar with the Royal Air Force’s Tornado fighter jet, which was designed to fight in a theoretical nuclear war, and …read more Continue reading Beautiful Engineering In This Laser Unit From a Tornado Jet Fighter
A team from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany have developed a novel thumb-shaped touch sensor capable of resolving the force of a contact, as well as …read more Continue reading A Soft Thumb-Sized Vision-Based Touch Sensor
[IMSAI Guy] presents for your viewing pleasure, a nice video on the topic of optical filters and mirrors. (Video, embedded below) The first optical device is a simple absorption filter, …read more Continue reading All About Dichroic Optical Filters
A lamp used to be simple thing: just stick a filament in a glass bulb, pass a current through it and behold! Let there be light. A bigger lamp meant …read more Continue reading Is Your Flashlight a Lumen Liar? Build a DIY Integrating Sphere
It’s an age-old riddle: if you have a perfect sphere with a perfectly reflective inner surface, will light bounce around inside it forever? The answer is pretty obvious when you …read more Continue reading Cannonball Mold Makes a Dandy Integrating Sphere for Laser Measurements
Researchers in China have developed a new type of adaptive liquid lens that changes its focal distance when a voltage is applied. Made using a new electrically responsive fluid, the lens is small, lightweight, and could be easily manufactured for use i… Continue reading Electrically active fluid helps new liquid lens change focus