https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/Automobiles, computers, medical devices, a staggering array of consumer electronics—these are just a few of the places you'll find sensor technology. Join the Sensors group and stay current on all the latest developments in this key technology.en-USTelligent Community 12https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/space-race-roundup-the-four-latest-eventsTue, 03 Nov 2026 19:51:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:60cb1a88-276a-43f0-b3af-d2d71cc155abCatwellAstronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover capture images of the lunar surface during the Artemis II mission. (Image Credit: NASA ) On October 7 th , NASA published over 800GB of lunar science data from the Artemis II mission. It has 11,000+ full-resolution images and video, 8.5 hours of audio recording observations of the lunar surface, and crew-annotated images from when they flew by the Moon in April. Images were captured from the crew’s handheld cameras and the Orion’s spacecraft cameras. Some content had not been released earlier. All the content is available on the Planetary Data System. In addition, NASA released the Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Report , the Artemis II Lunar Science Operations Report , and the Artemis II Lunar Science Data User Guide . These three reports are an overview of the mission data and activities, as well as a technical summary detailing the process behind the science plan development and implementation. NASA is using this data for the Artemis III mission and beyond. NASA’s SPEARS batteries could power space-based applications while functioning in the extreme cold and heat. (Image Credit: NASA /Ryan Hill) NASA is developing Solid Power for Extreme Environment Adaptability and Resilience in Space (SPEARS) batteries that operate in heat and extreme cold. These batteries, which have solid ceramic- or polymer-based materials, would be used instead of the standard liquid electrolytes. During thermal vacuum tests, prototypes functioned in temperatures ranging from 176°F to -76°F. However, at -112°F, the performance slightly worsened. NASA even exposed the SPEARS batteries to temperatures as high as 212°F and as low as -274°F without sustaining damage. The team also proposes using small heaters to warm up the batteries before using them again. SPEARS batteries have potential to be used for rovers, astronauts’ emergency power packs, and scientific instruments. www.youtube.com/watch On October 11 th , NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover broke a record for the longest distance traveled by a vehicle on another planet. It reached 28.10 miles, overtaking the 28.06-mile record set by the Opportunity rover in 2018. While Opportunity took nearly 15 years to cover that much ground, Perseverance did it in just five and a half years. This new record was set as the rover drove toward Idubi, an area beyond Jezero Crater’s western rim. Most of the driving is handled by AutoNav, the rover’s self-driving navigation system. While rolling, the rover images the terrain and constructs a 3D map of hazards. It then creates a route between waypoints chosen by planners on Earth. Over 90% of Perseverance’s driving has involved AutoNav. JAXA’s MMX mission will travel to Mars and collect samples from Phobos. (Image Credit: ESA ) JAXA has recently launched the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft to Phobos, Mars’ largest moon, to collect samples of Martian rock and return them to Earth. MMX lifted off on October 20 th and is expected to reach Mars next year. Its mission involves observing Mars, Phobos, and Deimos, deploying a small French-German rover called IDEFIX, and collecting surface material to bring back to Earth in 2031. With those samples, researchers hope to uncover how Mars got both moons. For instance, they may provide clues if they were formed from debris due to a huge impact or captured asteroids. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.hmiesanasaspacebatteryjaxaartimus iipowersensorperseveranceinnovationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151976Tue, 03 Nov 2026 19:51:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:5d9cbe70-aa13-4691-8724-2aaa7dc2a83cCatwellAs of Oct. 11, 2026, NASA’s Perseverance rover has driven 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers), becoming the new off-world record-holder for total distance driven by any vehicle on the surface of another world. The previous record of 28.06 miles (45.16 ...https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57026/batteryless-temperature-sensor/238887Tue, 03 Nov 2026 16:42:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:d2f1fc9b-3992-4e5c-b07c-fdbbc1e68f2bobonesI suddenly remembered that I had enameled copper wire lying around for years after another project, and with a diameter of 0.3mm, it's really thin. So before investing into a truly wireless solution, I decided to cut the existing cable and create an extension made of three strands of that enameled wire. Adding 10 cm to the total length did not change the read temperature and ice build up has not come back in any way that my eye can see. That puts and end to my over engineering idea, but it's nice to be pragmatic at times.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/researchers-develop-a-ring-laser-gyroscope-that-measures-rotational-speeds-as-slow-as-37-degrees-per-hourThu, 22 Oct 2026 19:10:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f29b62b9-233b-4ad4-bf4b-de85967e159cCatwellSchematic of the optical ring-laser gyroscope. (Image Credit: Kerry Vahala, California Institute of Technology) Scientists recently built a chip-scale optical ring-laser gyroscope with slow-rotating measurement capabilities. It’s nearly 2,000 times more sensitive than the team’s earlier silicon nitride Brillouin gyroscope. This device, which records rotations as slow as 37 degrees/hour, could be practical for precision navigation and orientation systems. The optical ring-laser gyroscope is made by combining Brillouin laser technology with a photonic integrated circuit comprised of silicon nitride waveguides. With this technique, the device confines light with low loss within a ring-shaped microresonator. Light can then make multiple passes around the ring, which makes it highly sensitive when slight changes occur due to rotation. The team says the circuit is compatible with standard CMOS chip-production processes. A large optical ring improves the sensitivity of the device. (Image Credit: Daniel J. Blumenthal, University of California, Santa Barbara) The ring-shaped optical circuit, which measures 24 mm across, functions as the sensing mechanism. Two semiconductor lasers direct light through the ring in opposite directions. Interactions between the light and vibrations in the waveguides generate stable Brillouin laser signals. Both lasers’ signals have nearly the same frequency when the device doesn’t rotate. While it turns, the frequencies slightly change relative to each other. The gyroscope then finds that difference and calculates the rotation speed. While the large ring improves the small movement detection capability, the silicon nitride resonator reduces optical losses. Thanks to the quality factor reaching above 163 million, the resonator isolates a 2 MHz bandwidth from a 200 THz optical signal as it retains photons for nearly 100 nanoseconds. They assessed the packaged chip’s performance by mounting it on a piezoelectric rotation stage, moving it at controlled frequencies. An optical interferometer measured the motion, which was then compared to the gyroscope’s readings. It had a linear response and sensed rotations as slow as 37 degrees per hour. The team is improving the device’s stability by reducing pump light scattering in the resonator. They are also working on a compact unit to test the device in the real world before all the optical components are integrated into a chip. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.university of californiaon_campusgpsSanta Barbarauniversitysensorinnovationnavigationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/citizen-scientists-revived-an-old-spacecraftFri, 16 Oct 2026 12:17:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:bff82d2a-4a49-47ba-93b2-ba12e14ebcadCatwellArtist’s illustration of the ISEE-3 spacecraft. (Image Credit: NASA ) In 1978, NASA’s International Sun Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3) was launched to investigate solar wind and how it interacted with the magnetic environment. Eventually, NASA redirected the mission, which was renamed the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), toward the Giacobini-Zinner comet. The spacecraft flew through the comet’s tail in September 1985, and NASA ended the mission support and operations in 1997. It left the spacecraft in solar orbit. In 2014, ISEE-3 returned to Earth’s vicinity for the first time in decades. A crowdfunded team of engineers, radio specialists, and programmers worked with SkyCorp to take control of the spacecraft to redirect it. Before doing so, the initiative got NASA’s permission to rebuild its communication capability, using software-defined radio technology and radio telescopes. Two-way communication was re-established in May 2014. From there, it transmitted commands, and the probe sent telemetry data back. With this capability restored, the team examined the probe’s condition and attempted to redirect it to a practical Earth-Sun orbit. For the first time since 1987, they commanded eleven short thruster pulses on July 2 nd , boosting the revolutions per minute from 19.16 to 19.75. Although the team restored its original spin, a trajectory-altering maneuver failed on July 8 th . The citizen scientists needed to change the velocity by 7.3 meters per second for a trajectory adjustment to achieve a planned lunar flyby. Their goal was to send ISEE-3 toward the Sun-Earth L1 region. However, that burn generated 0.15 meters/second before the thrust rapidly declined. According to telemetry data, an empty fuel tank probably didn’t cause the problem. The probe’s propulsion system used hydrazine as propellant. Pressurized nitrogen forced the liquid hydrazine through fuel lines toward its thrusters. A catalyst then decomposed the hydrazine into hot gases that created thrust. Telemetry indicated that the nitrogen pressurant was depleted. Nitrogen leaking while the ISEE-3 probe drifted in space means the system wouldn’t deliver a sustained supply of propellant. This may explain why the spacecraft was able to short-fire, while the longer maneuver failed. However, since the team couldn’t physically inspect the spacecraft for issues like a leak, the diagnosis remains unconfirmed. Because the velocity didn’t change, the ISEE-3 spacecraft flew 15,600 km from the Moon on August 10, 2014. It could not enter the planned return trajectory and remained in heliocentric orbit. The team still managed to power on scientific instruments and collect scientific data. They lost contact with the spacecraft on September 16, 2014 as if moved away from Earth. Instead of abandoning the mission, the team received telemetry from the activated instruments. They made the resulting observations available online. In August 2014, the Planetary Society announced it had created a public home for the ISEE-3 data. Researchers and the public can access measurements of the spacecraft. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.citizen scientistnasaspacesatellitewirelesstelemetrysensorcommunicationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/researchers-make-bean-plant-roots-conduct-electricityWed, 14 Oct 2026 08:30:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:a36f9ace-7ae3-4d47-8c4c-cdd4af3225cfCatwellThe bean plant with conductive roots (dark roots). (Image Credit: Thor Balkhed/ Linköping University ) Researchers at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, Linköping University, have found a way to turn the roots of a living plant into electronic conductors . They did this by using the plant’s biological system to form a conductive polymer. Their method produces electronic roots that conducts electricity and works as electrodes in a small energy-storage device. The team’s technique uses p(ETE-S), a mixed ionic-electronic conductor that moves electronic charge and ions. Instead of creating the polymer separately, the scientists provided living roots with its molecular precursor, ETE-S. Cell-wall peroxidase enzymes helped drive the ETE-S oxidative polymerization, which produced p(ETE-S) on the root. This allows the plant’s cell-wall structure to act as a blueprint for polymer formation, resulting in a conductive polymer coating formed along the outer cell layers. Young bean plants’ roots were exposed to ETE-S solutions at 1 or 2 milligrams per milliliter for three days. Microscopy revealed that the polymer was concentrated around the epidermis instead of spreading through the internal tissues. There also wasn’t much change during the first hour. Progressive darkening occurred as the polymer formed. It took 300 minutes for the polymer to cover the root surface. The polymer remained confined to the outer cell layers in intact roots. On occasion, the team observed this deeper within wounded samples, suggesting they could provide access to internal tissue. The team also used wide-angle and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering to assess the material’s structure. Measurements indicated that the thiophene rings in the polymer formed an ordered, closely stacked structure. The measurements had a peak of approximately 1.85 Å -1 associated with a stacking distance of 3.4 Å. According to these results, root tissue helped organize the polymer into a more ordered structure instead of producing a disordered coating. Based on electrical measurements, the functionalized roots also work as conductive pathways. The paper says their effective conductivity was on the order of 10 S/cm. Roots treated with 1mg/mL ETE-S reached 12.4 ± 6.1 S/cm. Meanwhile, roots treated with 2 mg/mL ETE-S reached 5.5 ± 1.8 S/cm. The difference between these two wasn’t statistically significant. Over four weeks, the conductivity remained statistically stable as the roots stayed attached to growing plants. To measure resistance, the team used carbon-fibre electrodes positioned at various distances along the conductive area. Those values described the root-and-polymer structure, and not a uniform, freestanding p(ETE-S) film. Two functionalized roots were used as electrodes in a small, proof-of-concept supercapacitor. A 0.01 M KCl solution was the electrolyte. It had a capacitance of 8 mF with a 5 μA charging current, which decreased to 4 mF at 50 μA. The cutoff voltage was around 0.6 V, and the equivalent series resistance was 1.3 to 1.8 kilohms. Meanwhile, the initial xylem-based device had a 0.07 mF capacitance at 0.5 μA with a cutoff voltage of 0.25 V. The team’s root-based design has roughly 100x higher capacitance and about 2.4x the cutoff voltage. However, this is only a demonstration and not a practical power source. According to the paper, even with the polymer treatments, the plant still grew. In a five-day experiment, treated seedlings grew more lateral roots than controls. Then, in a month-long experiment, the researchers functionalized the whole root system with a lower ETE-S concentration of 0.2 mg/mL for three days. The plant grew, formed new roots, and produced bean pods. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.researchLinköping Universityon_campusconductivitybiomimicryuniversityhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/astronomers-detect-radio-signals-originating-from-an-exoplanetThu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b86e6c79-a9a3-458f-9642-5abc7c2901d6CatwellAn April 2010 VLT image showing Beta Pictoris b located 6.5 AU from its star. (Image Credit: ESO ) A gas giant called Beta Pictoris b, located about 63 light-years from Earth, has been emitting strongly circularly polarized bursts . Astronomers recently detected the emissions using MeerKAT, a 64-dish radio telescope array in South Africa. According to the team, this is the first time radio signals were traced to an individual exoplanet rather than a host star. The method could enable scientists to measure the magnetic fields of planets beyond our solar system. This is a key discovery as it’s difficult to directly measure planetary magnetic fields. They may affect a planet’s interaction with stellar winds and how a planet’s atmosphere is protected from energetic particles. Even Earth has this same effect, as the magnetic field shields the atmosphere from the solar wind. Beta Pictoris b’s radio signals are created by a mechanism related to planetary auroras. Charged particles interacting with a planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere can produce radio waves through electron cyclotron maser instability (ECMI). Other planets, like Jupiter, in our Solar System produce similar radio emissions. Between 2025 and 2026, MeerKAT observed Beta Pictoris b four times. It detected radio signals ranging from 0.85 to 3.5 GHz. According to the paper, the signals had rapidly varying bursts that were strongly circularly polarized. This is consistent with coherent auroral radio emissions. Most importantly, the team determined that the radio signals came from the exoplanet and not the star or another planet in the system. Since the host star is magnetically quiet, it was easier to separate Beta Pictoris b’s faint radio emission from stellar activity. The highest radio frequency also provided researchers with data about the planet’s magnetic environment. Based on the researchers’ understanding of the signal as ECMI, 3.5 GHz suggests there is a 1.25 kilogauss magnetic field where those radio waves were produced. The approach could pave the way toward investigating magnetism on planets outside this Solar System. In such cases, astronomers use those radio observations to analyze giant exoplanets’ magnetic environments and get better insight into how planets interact with host stars. This can also contribute to the search for potentially habitable planets. Magnetic fields are capable of preserving a planet’s atmosphere if it gets hit with stellar activity. That makes it a key factor when determining if a distant planet provides ideal conditions for life. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.sensorsspacesensorexoplanetinnovationesohttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/nasa-moves-prima-into-phase-b-developmentFri, 02 Oct 2026 12:21:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:396acbe6-01b1-4f3c-b6cd-22f3a4aa2c9cCatwellArtist’s illustration of the PRIMA observatory. (Image Credit: NASA/JPC-Caltech) NASA recently chose the Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics (PRIMA) to move from Phase A to Phase B, the next development stage. This brings PRIMA closer to becoming flight-ready. It also serves as the first mission in the space agency’s new class of astrophysics missions called Probe Explorers. PRIMA launches in 2033, orbiting Earth-Sun L2 and operating for five years. The probe will study the universe in far-infrared wavelengths. By doing so, it observes cosmic objects and processes that other telescopes may not detect. According to NASA, PRIMA can help investigate how planets form outside our solar system, the evolution of galaxies and their black holes, and how dust and heavy elements built up throughout the cosmic history. Moving into Phase B allows PRIMA’s design and technology development to advance. However, a confirmation review will take place before implementation begins. This involves examining the programmable, technical, and cost performance. NASA put a $1.2 billion project cost cap in place, but this doesn’t account for launch and non-project costs. During its mission, PRIMA will use its 5.9-foot all-aluminum telescope (actively cooled to 4.5 K) to conduct deep far-infrared surveys. The goal is to help cover an observational gap between infrared observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope and radio telescopes. NASA is designing PRIMA with a cryogenically cooled telescope and detectors to reduce thermal noise that may cause observation interference. The mission includes instruments like PRIMAger and FIRESS. PRIMAger (PRIMA Imager) is an imaging polarimeter that combines hyperspectral imaging from 24-84 micrometers with polarimetric imaging across 90-235 micrometers to map large sections of the sky. Meanwhile, the Far-Infrared Enhanced Survey Spectrometer (FIRESS), a high-res spectrometer with four slit-fed grating modules that covers wavelengths from 24 to 235 micrometers, will be used for multimode spectroscopy. The standard mode has a resolving power above 85, while a high-resolution Fourier-transform mode reaches a resolving power of 4,400 at 112 micrometers. Both the PRIMAger and FIRESS instruments use kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), with arrays totaling 11,000 to 12,000 detectors operating at extremely low temperatures (120 millikelvin). With these capabilities, PRIMA can study cold material and phenomena across the universe, such as the formation of planetary systems and exoplanet atmosphere composition. Along with that, the mission aims to offer new observations of molecular outflow from active galaxies and supermassive black holes. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.telescopeprimanasaspacesatellitesensor