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History of Technology

A look back at key moments in the history of cyberspace, electronics, and the space age
History of TechnologyTopicDecember 2023MagazineArticleTypeConsumer Electronics

Why Are We Still Doing What Simon Says?

45 years after its launch, Milton Bradley’s iconic memory game continues to challenge and charm

5 min read
Photo of the box of an electronic game that says “Simon” and shows two hands pressing colorful buttons on a round object.
Who Really Invented the Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery?
History of TechnologyTopicAugust 2023MagazineTypeFeatureConsumer Electronics

Who Really Invented the Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery?

Many dropped the baton before Sony finally took it across the finish line

10 min read
close-up of ethernet cable with clear fibers in the background
The InstituteTopicArticleTypeHistory of Technology

Ethernet is Still Going Strong After 50 Years

The technology has become the standard LAN worldwide

3 min read

Fixing the Future

On IEEE Spectrum’s Fixing the Future podcast, our editors talk with the brightest minds in technology about concrete solutions to big challenges
All Fixing the Future episodes →
Consumer ElectronicsTopicTypePodcastsPodcastFixing the Future

A Watch That Runs For Over A Decade On A Single Battery

New MEMS tech from Silmach is the first major upgrade to quartz movements since the 1970s

A Watch That Runs For Over A Decade On A Single Battery
ComputingTopicTypePodcastsPodcastFixing the Future

A New Enterprise Linux Alliance

SUSE, Oracle, and CIQ team up after Red Hat's strategic changes

Fixing the Future podcast logo
Artificial IntelligenceTopicTypePodcastsPodcastFixing the Future

Justine Bateman's Fight Against Generative AI In Hollywood

SAG-Aftra’s AI advisor warns about the destructive potential of taking actors out of the loop

Justine Bateman's Fight Against Generative AI In Hollywood
a black and white image of an old vintage portrait of a man
History of TechnologyTopicTypeProfile

Lewis H. Latimer: A Life of Lightbulb Moments

Self-taught hidden figure helped electric lighting and air conditioning come to be

8 min read
A photo showing two people in separate cubicles. One is playing a French horn and the other is typing at a computer.
History of TechnologyTopicNovember 2023MagazineArticleType

A Brief History of the Office Cubicle

In the 1960s, Herman Miller popularized the open office. The lead designer lived to regret it

5 min read

Download “The EV Transition Explained” E-book for Free

A 49-page report on the engineering challenges of making and supporting EVs at scale
A color photo of an electronic device with knobs across the bottom and a round display depicting the solar system.
History of TechnologyTopicMagazineOctober 2023ArticleType

The Marimba Virtuoso’s Desktop Planetarium

The inventor of this space-age orrery had a soft spot for Halley’s Comet

7 min read
Black and white photo of smoke rising from buildings, some of which are collapsed.
History of TechnologyTopicMagazineSeptember 2023ArticleType

Taking the Measure of the Earthquake That Destroyed Tokyo

A century on, we’re good at detecting earthquakes, not so good at protecting against them

6 min read

Journal Watch

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

Self-Driven “Vine” Seeks Light and Heat

2 min read
Two long thin robotic objects on a surface, each turned towards a light on the side.
Climate TechTopicTypeNewsTelecommunications

When Waters Rise, Satellites Now Lag

3 min read
black and blue stacked images on top of an aerial view of a lake area
EnergyTopicTypeNewsClimate Tech

Desalination Can Beat Out Batteries for Excess Energy

2 min read
dots connected together in the shape of a water drop with a lightning bolt in the center against a dark blue background
TelecommunicationsTopicTypeNews

A Simpler Means for Visible Light Communication

2 min read
a black panel with different colored lights sitting on top of it with a computer monitor in the background
Artificial IntelligenceTopicTypeNewsConsumer Electronics

Creating Virtual Objects With the Flick of a Finger

3 min read
Four virtual images showing hands making gestures towards objects.

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Black and white illustration of a man with a moustache
History of TechnologyTopicTypeTransportationProfile

Granville T. Woods: Smartest Guy in the Room

Self-taught “Black Edison” is a hidden figure everyone should know about

4 min read
A dark haired man in glasses looks off into the distance. He sits on an outdoor bench with lush green trees behind him. A white cane rests vertically against his chest.
History of TechnologyTopicMagazineOctober 2023TypeInterview

Assistive Tech at the End of Sight

The Country of the Blind advances techniques and technologies for the visually impaired

9 min read
A multiple-exposure black and white photo showing a man flexing a prosthetic arm.
History of TechnologyTopicAugust 2023MagazineBiomedicalArticleType

The Cold War Arms Race Over Prosthetic Arms

The Russian Hand came first, but the Boston Arm was better

7 min read

Black History Month

Acknowledging and honoring the contributions of Black inventors and engineers
See the full collection →
Woman in a red jacket over a black dress standing in a hallway.
CareersTopicMagazineTypeSpectrum CollectionsProfileFebruary 2023

Overcoming Systemic Racism Through System Engineering

Photograph of James West holding the smart stethoscope.
BiomedicalTopicTypeSpectrum CollectionsNews

From the Segregated South to Bell Labs to the AI Frontier

Mrs. Katherine G. Johnson at Work at NASA Langley
The InstituteTopic2019ArticleTypeSpectrum CollectionsSpecial Reports

Katherine Johnson, the Hidden Figures Mathematician Who Got Astronaut John Glenn Into Space

The Woods Building following the Tulsa Massacre in 1921.
CareersTopicTypeSpectrum CollectionsNews

How Violence and Segregation Destroyed African American Innovation

Photo of an electric hot combs from the 1920s.
History of TechnologyTopic2019TypeArticleSpectrum Collections

How the Electric Hot Comb Became an Entrepreneurial Tool

History of TechnologyTopicTypeNews

Franklin’s Franklins Were Freakishly Un-Fakeable

The printer and patriot’s protective tricks promoted Colonial-era paper money

3 min read
A purple gloved hand holds a rectangle of old paper currency on top of lab equipment.
Glowing purple optical fiber curled on a black worktable with a grid of holes in it.
TelecommunicationsTopicTypeHistory of TechnologyNews

The Invention That Let Fiber Optics Span the Globe

In 1985, Robert Mears’s EDFA was just gearing up to interconnect the world

5 min read
drawing of a hand holding out a bar to two squares attached to a pole
The InstituteTopicArticleTypeHistory of Technology

The Pioneer Behind Electromagnetism

Ampère’s theory was fundamental to electronic inventions such as motors and generators

3 min read
Minimize Environmental Impact with Hendrix Covered Systems
EnergyWhitepaper

Minimize Environmental Impact with Hendrix Covered Systems

Protect wildlife and existing foliage with aerial covered conductor

original macintosh computer with keyboard and mouse, screen display says "happy birthday"
History of TechnologyTopicTypeFeatureComputingConsumer Electronics

Designing the First Apple Macintosh: The Engineers’ Story

How a small team of little-known designers changed computing forever

28 min read
This 1920 Chess Automaton Was Wired to Win
History of TechnologyTopicJuly 2023MagazineArticleTypeRobotics

This 1920 Chess Automaton Was Wired to Win

Inventor Leonardo Torres Quevedo aspired to build machines that think

7 min read
a large group of older men standing for a group portrait, some sitting on chairs in front and others standing behind them
The InstituteTopicDecember 2023MagazineArticleTypeHistory of Technology

How the Computer Graphics Industry Got Started at the University of Utah

Adobe and Pixar founders created tech that shaped modern animation

4 min read
A person with long hair wearing white VR googles with a tube connected to the nose area against a white background
Consumer ElectronicsTopicTypeHistory of TechnologyNews

Smellovision Gets a Refresh

VR olfactory generators are just the latest scent across 150 years of aromatic tech history

6 min read
Researchers Aim to Decarbonize Chemical Industry by Electrifying It
EnergyTopicTypeSponsored Article

Researchers Aim to Decarbonize Chemical Industry by Electrifying It

Multi-institution initiative led by NYU Tandon shows how electrification can make chemical manufacturing greener

A photo of an antique contraption having glass disks, a wooden base, and supporting wires.
History of TechnologyTopicMagazineArticleTypeJune 2023

James Wimshurst’s Electrostatic Immortality

Little is known about the man, but his iconic generators live on

4 min read
Historical photo of seven smiling men, sitting on a lawn in front of a tree and a white school building with many windows.
History of TechnologyTopicArtificial IntelligenceTypeGuest Article

The Meeting of the Minds That Launched AI

There’s more to this group photo from a 1956 AI workshop than you’d think

6 min read
CareersTopicMagazineTypeFeatureHistory of TechnologyMay 2023Telecommunications

Meet Mr. Internet: Vint Cerf

Even after 50 years, he’s still extending and evangelizing the Internet

12 min read
Meet Mr. Internet: Vint Cerf