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Sensors

The latest developments in computer vision, lidar, chemical sensors, and remote sensing
SensorsTopicTypeFeature

Europe Expands Virtual Borders To Thwart Migrants

Our investigation reveals that Europe is turning to remote sensing to detect seafaring migrants so African countries can pull them back

14 min read
A photo of a number of people sitting in a inflatable boat on the water with a patrol ship in the background.
Liquid Salts Bring Pushbutton Lenses Into Focus
SensorsNewsTypeTopic

Liquid Salts Bring Pushbutton Lenses Into Focus

First-ever piezoelectric liquids could spark new technologies in optics and hydraulics

3 min read
screen that shows vital signs reading 12 rpm underneath an illustration of lungs and 72 bpm underneath a heart
The InstituteTopicTypeSensorsProfile

Millimeter Wave Radar System Keeps Drivers Safe on the Road

This startup’s sensor checks vital signs to detect impaired driving

6 min read
Report: Global Patent Renewal Trends—Unpicking What Survives
ComputingTopicWhitepaper

Report: Global Patent Renewal Trends—Unpicking What Survives

Unpicking what survives to better understand maintenance behaviors and unleash annuities' strategic value

a plant with a plastic leaf attached to it on a black background
SensorsTopicEnergyTypeNews

Artificial Leaf Draws Power From Wind and Raindrops

A single drop can produce 40 volts of electricity

3 min read
A gloved hand grips a square of plastic. Two coppery films connect to a sandwich of light and dark layers under the plastic.
EnergyTopicTypeSensorsNews

Why MXenes Matter

These novel nanomaterials tantalize with super-supercapacitance, electromagnetic impermeability, and sensor possibilities

5 min read

Robotics News in your inbox

Subscribe to IEEE Spectrum’s Robotics News.
CAD drawings of a nuclear reactor.
SensorsTopicEnergyTypeNews

Cosmic Rays Can Now 3D-Scan Nuclear Reactors

Harnessing massive, electron-like particles to analyze the safety of aging power plants

3 min read
a small patch is wrapped around a cylinder in front of a dark background
BiomedicalTopicTypeSensorsNews

Wearable Ultrasound Patch Images the Heart in Real Time

The new device can analyze cardiac health even during exercise

5 min read

The Transistor at 75

The past, present, and future of the modern world’s most important invention
See the full collection →
Illustration of a cake with a candle shaped as a transistor symbol
A phot of an outstretched hand with several transistors in the palm of it.
SemiconductorsTopicDecember 2022MagazineTypeFeatureSpecial Reports

How the First Transistor Worked

A chart showing the timeline of when a transistor was invented and when it was commercialized.
SemiconductorsTopicDecember 2022MagazineTypeFeatureHistory of TechnologySpecial Reports

The Ultimate Transistor Timeline

A photo of 3 different transistors.
SemiconductorsTopicDecember 2022MagazineTypeFeatureSpecial Reports

The State of the Transistor in 3 Charts

An image of stacked squares with yellow flat bars through them.
SemiconductorsTopicDecember 2022MagazineTypeFeatureSpecial Reports

3D-Stacked CMOS Takes Moore’s Law to New Heights

Six men and a woman smiling.
SemiconductorsTopicDecember 2022MagazineTypeFeatureSpecial Reports

The Transistor of 2047: Expert Predictions

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Subscribe to IEEE Spectrum’s newsletters by selecting from the list.
Spray-on Smart Skin Reads Typing and Hand Gestures
SensorsTopicArtificial IntelligenceMagazineTypeNewsMarch 2023

Spray-on Smart Skin Reads Typing and Hand Gestures

No cameras, keyboards, sensor gloves, or VR motion trackers required

3 min read
space image of clouds on earth's surface and stars in sky above
SensorsNewsTypeTopic

Monitoring Space Weather From the Ground

Scientists use magneto-impedance sensors to cut costs of space weather reporting

4 min read
pill held in tweezers on a blue background
BiomedicalTopicTypeSensorsNews

Self-Powered Electronic Pill Monitors Gut Chemistry

New device tested on pigs could one day help monitor common gastrointestinal ailments

3 min read

Journal Watch

The latest engineering and computer science advances in context from IEEE Spectrum and the Xplore Digital Library
TelecommunicationsTopicTypeNews

Skywalker Takes to the Sky—and Ground

2 min read
overhead view of drone on a green and yellow gradient
BiomedicalTopicTypeNews

Mini Robot Enters Blood Vessels, Completes Surgery

3 min read
microscopic view of a narrowed blood vessel
Artificial IntelligenceTopicTypeNews

Combating Hate Speech Online With AI

2 min read
speech bubbles with special characters on a red background
Consumer ElectronicsTopicTypeNews

Wireless Chargers Reach for the Megahertz Range

3 min read
an illustration of a blue wireless cell phone above a wireless charger on a purple background
EnergyTopicMagazineTypeNews

Water Heaters Have Battery Potential

3 min read
A water heater in a basement with a fusebox and blue tool box.
TransportationTopicMagazineTypeNewsMarch 2023

3 Ways to Help NASA’s All-Electric Aircraft Take Off

3 min read
illustration of an aircraft in flight among the clouds
SensorsNewsTypeTopic

Entangling Quantum Sensors Can Triple Accuracy

“Spooky sensing at a distance” via one combined device

3 min read
two pieces of light connected to each other
close up image of a chip
SensorsTopicTypeNewsConsumer Electronics

New Pixel Sensors Bring Their Own Compute

Atomically thin devices that combine sensing and computation also save power

2 min read
Dark photograph of gloved hands holding an item that has the letters DMDL, with glowing yellow rectangles in an assortment of spots on the letters.
ComputingTopicTypeSensorsNews

Liquid-Metal Stretchy Circuits, Built With Sound

Encase metallic droplets in plastic for elastic electronics

2 min read
Reuters Events logo
EnergyTopicTypeWhitepaper

Small Modular Reactors: Capital Funding, Financing & Economic Viability

Download the report to learn about advancing financing to support SMRs and advanced reactors deployment

Video still of a man lying down. A box shaped device on a pole sits above his body. To the left, a monitor displays ECG readings.
SensorsTopicMagazineTypeNewsFebruary 2023

New Contactless ECG Continuously Monitors the Heart

Millimeter-wave radar device makes electrode-less cardiovascular health tech possible

3 min read
periodic table with molecule dots
SensorsTopicTypeComputingNews

Quantum Microscopes Could Enable Atom-Scale MRI

Here could be the tools for probing next-gen, 2D electronics

4 min read
computer circuitry in the shape of a tree against a black background
SensorsNewsTypeTopic

Researchers Build Disposable Sensors With Organic Circuitry

The proof-of-concept semiconductor-and-battery combo aims to be biodegradable and nontoxic

3 min read
View from inside a car shows a red bridge in the distance and hands on the steering wheel and a phone in the foreground.
SensorsTopicTypeNewsTransportation

Crowdsourcing Bridge Inspection

Phone accelerometer and GPS data could reveal structural damage

3 min read
drawing of a mushroom cloud with black background on left side and yellow and orange background on the right side
SensorsNewsTypeTopic

Cosmic Muons Can 3D-Scan Hurricanes

Superenergetic cousins of electrons boldly go into the heart of megastorms, where terrestrial tech can’t reach

2 min read
gif of flower and octopus side by side growing larger
SensorsTopicTypeComputingNews

Micro 4D Printing Builds on Programmable Matter

These dynamic microstructures, courtesy of some clever chemistry, can be adapted on demand

4 min read
TopicAerospaceMagazineTypeFeatureSensors

What the Well-Dressed Spacecraft Will Be Wearing

Spacecraft wrapped in sensor-rich electronic textiles could double as scientific instruments

12 min read
Left, a white woven piece of fabric with three thin vertical dark lines on a blue background. Right, a dark-haired woman holds a small blue square in her hands with a piece of the same fabric inside.