Researchers have created a new “plasmonic oxide material” that could make possible devices for optical communications that are at least 10 times faster than conventional technologies. In optical communications, laser pulses are used to transmit information along fiber-optic cables for telephone service, the Internet and cable television. Researchers at Purdue University have shown how an…
Tech Helps Aircraft Turbine Engines Stay Cool
High-performance aircraft turbine engine manufacturers are facing unprecedented increases in the amount of heat that must be released in order to maintain acceptable temperatures in supersonic engines that is required for the aircraft to operate at optimum levels. Issam Mudawar, professor in Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a device that could use aircraft…
Advanced Composites May Borrow Designs from Deep-Sea Shrimp
New research is revealing details about how the exoskeleton of a certain type of deep-sea shrimp allows the animal to survive scalding hot waters in hydrothermal vents thousands of feet under water. “A biological species surviving in that kind of extreme environment is a big deal,” said Vikas Tomar, an associate professor in Purdue University’s…
Inkjet-Printed Liquid Metal Could Bring Wearable Tech, Soft Robotics
New research shows how inkjet-printing technology can be used to mass-produce electronic circuits made of liquid-metal alloys for “soft robots” and flexible electronics. Elastic technologies could make possible a new class of pliable robots and stretchable garments that people might wear to interact with computers or for therapeutic purposes. However, new manufacturing techniques must be…
Adhesive Tech Could Work Underwater
A Purdue University chemist has developed an adhesive technology that could help bond items in wet, moist conditions such as human tissue or underwater construction – by studying mussels and oysters. Jonathan Wilker, professor of chemistry and materials engineering, developed the adhesive while studying the environmentally friendly adhesive qualities of mussels and other shellfish. Wilker’s…
Industry Joins Research Effort of Dynamic Energy Systems
Purdue University has formed an industry research consortium as part of a national center to create temperature-control technologies for dynamic energy systems on aerospace vehicles. The Center for Integrated Thermal Management of Aerospace Vehicles (CITMAV), launched in 2014, is funded with $1.5 million over three years from the Aerospace Systems Directorate of the U.S. Air…
Photo of the Day: System Encourages Creativity, Makes Robot-Design Fun
A new cardboard-robotic toolkit allows children to create custom robots they control wirelessly with hand gestures without formal education in programming or electronics. The system, called HandiMate, uses motorized “joint modules” equipped with wireless communicators and micro-controllers. Children create robots by using Velcro strips to attach the modules to any number of everyday materials and objects…
Students to Design, Build, Fly Spaceflight Experiment to Test Green Propellant
Students taking the Zero-Gravity Flight Experiment course at Purdue University will see their creation soar to the upper atmosphere to study a new green propellant, partnering with Aerojet Rocketdyne to demonstrate that the propellant can replace the traditional but highly toxic hydrazine fuel. The students will design and build their experiment at Purdue and then…
‘Ultracold’ Molecules Promising for Quantum Computing, Simulation
West Lafayette, Ind. – Researchers have created a new type of “ultracold” molecule, using lasers to cool atoms nearly to absolute zero and then gluing them together, a technology that might be applied to quantum computing, precise sensors and advanced simulations. “It sounds counterintuitive, but you can use lasers to take away the kinetic energy,…
Controlling Heat Flow with New Tech
Researchers are proposing a new technology that might control the flow of heat the way electronic devices control electrical current, an advance that could have applications in a diverse range of fields from electronics to textiles. The concept uses tiny triangular structures to control “phonons,” quantum-mechanical phenomena that describe how vibrations travel through a material’s…
New Hologram Technology Created with Tiny Nanoantennas
Researchers have created tiny holograms using a “metasurface” capable of the ultra-efficient control of light, representing a potential new technology for advanced sensors, high-resolution displays and information processing. The metasurface, thousands of V-shaped nanoantennas formed into an ultrathin gold foil, could make possible “planar photonics” devices and optical switches small enough to be integrated into…
Steering Tech for Heavy Equipment Saves Fuel, ups Efficiency
Researchers at Purdue University have shown how to reduce fuel consumption while improving the efficiency of hydraulic steering systems in heavy construction equipment. The new approach incorporates several innovations: It eliminates valves now needed to direct the flow of hydraulic fluid in steering systems and uses advanced algorithms and models to precisely control hydraulic pumps.…
‘Temporal Cloaking’ Could Bring More Secure Optical Communications
Researchers have demonstrated a method for “temporal cloaking” of optical communications, representing a potential tool to thwart would-be eavesdroppers and improve security for telecommunications. “More work has to be done before this approach finds practical application, but it does use technology that could integrate smoothly into the existing telecommunications infrastructure,” said Purdue University graduate student…
‘Metasurfaces’ to Usher in New Optical Technologies
New optical technologies using “metasurfaces” capable of the ultra-efficient control of light are nearing commercialization, with potential applications including advanced solar cells, computers, telecommunications, sensors, and microscopes. The metasurfaces could make possible “planar photonics” devices and optical switches small enough to be integrated into computer chips for information processing and telecommunications, said Alexander Kildishev, associate…
Structural Strength for 3D Printed Works
Objects created using 3D printing have a common flaw: They are fragile and often fall apart or lose their shape. “I have an entire zoo of broken 3D printed objects in my office,” said Bedrich Benes, an associate professor of computer graphics at Purdue University. The printed fabrications often fail at points of high stress.…