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/voyager-1-signal-detected-by-amateursThu, 27 Aug 2026 21:41:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:50101206-c086-435f-a766-644424a04971CatwellArtist’s rendering of Voyager traveling through space. (Image Credit: NASA /JPL-Caltech) In late 2024, skilled radio amateurs with CAMRAS used the Dwingeloo Observatory to detect the carrier signal of Voyager 1 from over 15.5 billion miles away. To pick up the signal, they added more equipment to the dish and made adjustments to remove noise. The team originally detected the space probe in 2006, when it was 9.1 billion miles from Earth. It’s very difficult for astronomers to detect Voyager 1’s signal without relying on NASA’s equipment. Only elite detectors, such as VLBA arrays and the Green Bank Telescope, have achieved it in the past. For their discovery, the CAMRAS team leveraged the observatory’s 25-meter dish. They installed a custom high-frequency feed to handle 8.4 GHz at the telescope’s focus. Adding this turned out to be the right choice as the wire mesh-based dish (optimized for lower frequencies) reflects those waves inefficiently without it. Afterward, they performed pre-observation tuning. The team precisely modeled Voyager’s trajectory using JPL ephemerides (orbital data) and simulated the expected frequency drift over the ~15.5-billion-mile path, adjusting the receiver beforehand. These predictions were used to predict and correct the Doppler shift caused by their relative motion. Making this adjustment in real-time allowed the live carrier signal to emerge from noise during observations. Carrier peak emerging from noise floor. (Image Credit: Radio Telescope Dwingaloo /CAMRAS) The receiver chain details involve cryogenically cooling a low-noise amplifier (LNA) chain to drastically reduce thermal noise. A spectrum analyzer was also used for visualizing the carrier peak ascending from the noise floor in real time. Pulling the very faint signal (10 -16 W/m 2 ) from background noise required approximately two hours of integration per session, cryogenic low-noise amplifiers, and post-processing verification via the telltale Doppler wiggle and spectrograms. Astronomy enthusiasts can’t use home equipment like big amateur dishes or software-based radios without DSN-scale gear to pick up Voyager 1’s signal. After all the traveling, it becomes very weak by the time it reaches Earth. The probe transmits 22W via its 3.7-meter dish antenna at 8.4 GHz, over 15.5 billion miles. When it arrives to Earth, the signal drops down to ~10 -16 watts per m 2 , trillions of times weaker than a cell phone signal. Some demos used linked global arrays like VLBA or the Green Bank Telescope. Even then, the carrier tone is theoretically audible with elite radio astronomy tools. www.youtube.com/watch Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.signalnasadiyspacewirelessvoyagerantennacommunicationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151658Thu, 27 Aug 2026 21:41:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:5a79e144-f763-4f8f-815f-91da0a4940d0CatwellSpeaker: Thomas Telkamp, PA8ZsatellitescubesatseducationhamradioBochum ObservatoryspaceAMSATpocketqubesamateur radiohttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/engineers-develop-living-circuit-boards-using-bacteria-that-work-like-transistorsTue, 25 Aug 2026 20:55:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:4f40dae4-73c4-4fca-b698-98255c823dc2CatwellMIT has engineered bacteria to function like transistors for living circuit boards. (Image Credit: MIT ) Transistors are used in circuitry to control electrical signal flow. But now there is a bio-inspired one. MIT engineers modified bacteria that can be integrated into larger circuits and perform switching similar to transistors. With this technique, computational systems could operate in biological environments, where it’s challenging to deploy electronics. A bacterium called Pantoea agglomerans, found on surfaces like plants, was used as the groundwork for the team’s system. Instead of loading a computational circuit into one cell, they engineered individual bacterial strains for simple switching functionality. They can then connect those components, forming a more complex biological circuit. The team printed bacterial colonies onto plates containing agar, spacing each colony 5 mm apart. This spacing limits signal transmission to nearby colonies, ensuring each one passes information to the next and creates a one-way path throughout the circuit. This system features two types of bacterial transistors along with three additional strains that work like molecular relays (OC-6, OC-12, and OHC-14). These resistors don’t respond to electrical current, but rather chemical signals. The OC-6 molecule acts like the control input, turning the transistor on/off. Meanwhile, OC-12 acts like the signal/input being processed. And finally, OHC-14 is the output signal produced by the transistor. All the relay strains serve as wiring between each component. These turn the output signal into another molecular signal that makes a downstream transistor active. Controlling which bacterial colonies are set beside each other allows the team to modify how data moves through the circuit. This is achieved without the need to genetically redesign the components. Their technique solves an issue with synthetic-biology circuits. Placing various functions within the same cell crowds the molecular machinery. At the same time, interacting genetic components may cause interference with each other. Isolating those functions into specialized strains enables the team to assemble more complex architectures from a small set of building blocks. The researchers showed that the bio circuit performs multiple inputs and several types of logic operations. In addition, they developed a demultiplexer that sends a signal toward one of the outputs, depending on a control input. Transistors were combined into more complex circuits, including one that adds two inputs. The biggest circuit they built connected 24 bacterial colonies. However, these systems aren’t as fast as electronic processors. It takes approximately eight hours to run a calculation. Even then, the top priority isn’t speed. The team believes the system is more ideal for operating where living systems exist. In the future, bacterial circuits could be placed on plant leaves or roots to detect drought and pests, and trigger a biological response. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.researchmiton_campusbiomimicryorganicbio-circuituniversityinnovationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/human-neurons-to-power-data-centers-in-australia-and-scientists-create-virtual-flyFri, 21 Aug 2026 12:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:8c283beb-d42c-473c-aa8f-ca07d74327d3Catwell(Image Credit: TheDigitalArtist/ pixabay ) Something about these developments makes me think we’re living in a dystopian science fiction timeline. Really unsettling. How much brain matter is needed for consciousness? Cortical Labs , an Australian startup, is developing a data center powered by lab-grown human neurons combined with silicon chips. The company has already built its first facility in Melbourne and expects to build a larger one in Singapore. Both sites will feature the CL1 systems containing the neurons connected to electronic components. The goal is to determine if biological processing can work together with silicon for certain computing tasks. Each CL1 has around 200,000 human neurons sourced from stem cells. These are grown on a silicon chip and placed on a microelectrode array, which stimulates and logs activity. Meanwhile, a life-support system maintains temperature, ensures the cells stay alive, feeds them nutrients, and keeps the environment stabilized. Software converts the biological signals into digital inputs and outputs that can be used by a standard computer. This process is called reservoir computing, where a system turns inputs into complex patterns that external software can interpret. Cortical Labs researchers mimicked the capabilities of human neurons in experimental setups. Neurons were grown on a chip and connected to simulated environments. In closed feedback loops, the CL1 systems learned how to play Pong and interacted with other game-like systems like Doom simulations . Game state data is encoded into electrical signals transmitted to the neurons. Their responses are then decoded into actions within the simulation. www.youtube.com/watch It’s not clear how the cells adapt. Researchers say it may involve the free energy principle, in which biological systems minimize uncertainty. They may even rely on Hebbian learning, where neural connections strengthen when neurons activate together. Although these could help explain learning processes, the system still isn’t fully understood. The team says they would like to try to get the neurons to play Pokémon. But they believe future applications for these neurons lie in medicine. Researchers have already looked into using lab-grown neurons for disease modeling and drug testing. For instance, they could study epilepsy by observing how neurons respond to different compounds outside the body. Many have explored using biological computing due to AI’s power consumption, which has increased. Typically, training and running AI systems use lots of computational resources. Large data centers supporting them use up huge amounts of power and water. Growing demand has raised questions about energy use and whether standard chip designs can be efficiently scaled. Instead, we could use biological systems. Human brains require around 20 watts of electricity while learning, recognizing patterns, and making decisions. As a result, scientists have looked into whether neuron systems process data without using up a significant amount of power compared to silicon hardware. Silicon is better for large-scale and precise computation. Meanwhile, biological systems could outperform them in adaptive tasks like pattern recognition and decision-making. According to Cortical Labs, its system doesn’t use a lot of power and is more efficient for computing tasks. However, the technology is still experimental, and the systems are limited in scale and capability. Eon Systems researchers created a virtual fly by scanning a fruit fly’s brain via electron microscopy. (Image Credit: Eon Systems ) Recently, US scientists from biotech company Eon Systems created a virtual fly that walks, flies, grooms, and feeds in a simulated environment without any training or prompting. The team scanned and reconstructed a fruit fly brain using electron microscopy to replicate its neural wiring in software. This suggests that some forms of behavior can be encoded into neural structure rather than learned through experience. A fruit fly’s brain has approximately 140,000 neurons. Meanwhile, the virtual one has 87 joints and can copy a real fly’s basic movements and behavior. However, the simulated environment is still limited in realism. This model can’t mimic sensory detail. Although it represents basic cues like sweet or bitter signals, it doesn’t have real-world taste or smell. And that means the simulation works more like an approximation rather than a full reproduction of a fly’s environment. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.researchhmihumanon_campusbiomimicryuniversitydata centersensorbraininnovationhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151638Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:45:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:1bd911e3-0249-4eea-ba3f-201d945c07a5CatwellCredits: Dr. Alon Loeffler, Dr. Brett Kagan, David Hogan, Dr. Azin Azadi, Frank Yang, Sean Cole A big thank you and acknowledgement to the rest of the Cortical Labs team. Sign up for Cortical Cloud: https://cloud.corticallabs.com Learn more about ...https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/apollo-11-s-software-was-woven-by-handThu, 20 Aug 2026 12:37:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0fb6d6f5-9922-4a44-9935-499e3af42876CatwellLaunch of the Apollo 11 mission. (Image Credit: NASA ) Before launching, the Apollo 11 software had to become physical. It wasn’t electronically written into its computer. After programmers wrote and verified the software, the binary instructions were converted into the physical memory hardware installed in the Apollo Guidance Computer. Developed by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, the computer used flight software written in assembly language and a special interpretive language. Programmers would input their code on punch cards, and it printed an output from the mainframe that handled the assembly and testing. According to MIT , after finalizing a flight version, the binary data was used to produce the computer’s fixed memory. Women encoded that data at a Raytheon facility. They wove thin copper wires through magnetic cores and around others. Passing a wire through a core represented a binary 1. Meanwhile, routing a wire around a core represented a binary 0. They called this core-rope memory. Machinery was controlled by punched paper tape to position the cores according to the program as workers threaded the wires. When they completed the wiring, memory modules underwent testing against the tape-encoded program to confirm whether the physical memory matched the software. The fixed memory featured six modules, each with 512 cores and 192 sense wires. Together, the six modules formed 589,825 bits (73,728 bytes), which is the 72 KB of ROM for the Apollo Guidance Computer. The manufacturing process is called tape-controlled semiautomatic. Thanks to its nonvolatile nature, all stored data remained intact even if the computer wasn’t turned on. Physical wiring ensured the program couldn’t be overwritten during operation. However, any modifications would also require physically rewiring the memory. Those who performed the assembly work were mostly women, including workers who had a background in the region's textile industry. They had to be very precise, as a misplaced wire could change the binary data and produce an incorrect instruction or constant. They had a different role from Margaret Hamilton and the MIT team that wrote and tested the flight software. At Raytheon, the binary code was physically built into the computer’s permanent memory. Additionally, the Apollo Guidance Computer needed storage that could be updated during a mission. Along with the 36,864 words of fixed memory, it had 2,048 words of erasable magnetic-core memory for data changes, including position, intermediate calculations, and velocity. The program and its constants stayed in the fixed core rope. That system design was important during the lunar descent of Apollo 11. Its computer issued 1201 and 1202 alarms after the rendezvous radar processing demands took up too much computation time. Instead of failing, the priority-driven software restarted essential work and dropped low-priority tasks. That way, critical guidance operations would continue while suspending non-critical radar processing. Even though Apollo’s software contained abstract instructions, they had a physical presence. All the finalized bits needed to be represented by wire and magnetic cores before flying the program. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.old techvintageapollohand-madenasawovenhistoryhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/b/blog/posts/two-laser-pulses-steer-an-electron-beamThu, 13 Aug 2026 20:12:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:5019b927-c26b-419a-8670-9a722e0ef8e6CatwellIllustrating showing two colored laser pulses moving an electron beam in different directions. (Image Credit: Yiming Gong/ University of Michigan ) University of Michigan engineers recently developed a device that uses laser light to control electron flow via a semiconductor without a power source. This device is designed to study fundamental physics and reveal a new physical phenomenon. Other technologies that combine optics and electronics could use it for sensors, imaging, and telecommunications. With this technology, signal-to-device transmission could also improve while enabling more data storage in the signals. "This electrical device that we manufactured at the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility has the potential to turn into something that measures different aspects of light," said Yiming Gong, who helped lead the project as a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Physics. "But this originates from a very fundamental level of physics, which is the interference between different optical absorption processes." By beaming two different colors of light on a semiconductor, the team proved it’s possible to control electron flow in a specific direction. Shifting the two phase-coherent optical fields’ polarization enabled the team to direct the electronic current. "This isn't the way things normally work. When you think about electrons moving through a material, they're moving because you've applied an electric field and they actually bounce around and drift across the materials. Here, using light, you can actually sort of squirt the electrons in a specific direction without applying an electric field," said U-M physicist Steven Cundiff, senior author of the team's PRL report. This effect relies on quantum interference, which occurs when two colors of light cause electrons to reach the same final state through different absorption pathways. As the semiconductor absorbs light, its energy excites electrons, setting them in motion. That energy is transferred in discrete packets called photons. In the team’s setup, light is absorbed through two pathways simultaneously. These routes strengthen each other for electrons moving in a certain direction. However, they offset each other when electrons move in different directions. The team says it was challenging to meld the device’s materials together without extraneous electric fields emerging. "That was the biggest puzzle to solve for me, because there isn't a standard way to do that. So I worked with the LNF staff to play around with different recipes and temperatures to come up with a manufacturing process," Gong said. Have a story tip? Message me here at element14.electron flowon_campusUniversity of Michiganuniversitylaserhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237823Thu, 13 Aug 2026 04:10:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:b4835021-c4e9-485a-b6fa-9b4c7f430379arvindsaThe smell means the electrical wire is either seriously under-rated for the load or there is a serious short somewhere. Ideally, You should have a safety element such as Fuse or MCB etc which will ensure that if current goes beyond the capacity of the wires, then current is tripped off. That way we will have a known failure point. Now, specifically answering your question no. There is no sensor that that detect melting of electrical wires for regular home/industrial applications. The best alternative is VOC and AQI or Smoke sensor which can detect the smell. But again, wires can slowly melt without releasing enough gas for the AQI sensors to detect.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237822Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:40:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:56b3ca74-c31c-4692-8995-221c013c348fSensoredHacker0typically, you'd spec your wires to ampacity, and adjust insulation for ampactity, load, service factor, and ambient conditions. ampactity is how much current your wire can cary, determined by cross section insulation type selection depends on environment, and these other factors. service factor: a padding in the calculation depending on load type, and run time, which contribute to conductor heating. ambient contitiosn are how how it is in the areahttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237821Wed, 12 Aug 2026 18:25:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f63c5f21-2082-44f2-b8d3-156835b55180SensoredHacker0maybe. practicly, while running, Im not sure. is that live melting or detecting damage? in 1 wire? all the wires? Megger, and high-pot testers come to mind. principally, melted wires have lower insinuative properties. but running those tests on a live system would be illadvised.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237820Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:25:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:e9df73d4-bbf8-437d-be93-2c25bd7c1270BigGSuggest a Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors tuned for TVOCs. Sensirion SGP40 / SGP41 is a good bet. Otherwise, Bosch BME680. No doubt, other cheaper analog MOS sensors could be used too.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237819Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:53:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c9a92819-5e9a-4065-836c-cb6b53cd2ea9robogaryNice reply, the question itself was pretty vague and generic. There are several things for prevention that you mentioned. Motors and their wires need overload and stalled motor protection. Transformers and their wires need overload and ioc protection. In some places ground fault detection may be needed. To manojroy123: regular maintenance is also important in a factory. Electrical connections need checked for tightness , check for signs of overheating either with a thermal gun or visual check, conductive lubrication on aluminum wires, sharp edges or wires touching metal boxes can chafe and short to ground. Ventilation / air flow maintained around electrical enclosure fans and heat sinks. Avoid issues that cause wires to melt with circuit protection... ......And then a generous distribution of cameras and smoke detectors around the equipment.https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151575Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:14:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:cf3dc226-ed8f-40b6-af83-127aefbca0f4cstantonCheck out the Endorfy Arx 700 in the new White ARGB Edition: https://endorfy.com/en/product/arx-700-white-argb/ --------------------------------------------------------- Pre-Order the WireView Pro II here: https://www.thermal-grizzly.com/en/wirevi...https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151574Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:13:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:61f78d16-99cc-4c9a-ab9c-f6781478dd59cstantonThere are now *13* different products that claim to 'fix' 12vhpwr... or at least, reduce the chances of a melting GPU/12vh-2x6 connector. But which solution is right for you? And which are actually in stock? That's what I wanted to explore in this...https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151573Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:13:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:f2d833e4-a9f3-461d-9fe1-795799f8ce70cstantonShaping a clip from an old drill battery to mount two temp sensors to the sides of the 12VHPWR connector on an ASUS TUF RTX 4090 in an EK Active Backplate waterblockmeleting connector12vhpwrRTX 4090https://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/m/managed-videos/151572Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:03:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:c7abc799-fcbd-4dc6-8e39-426ac050e55ccstantonVisit https://www.squarespace.com/LTT and use offer code LTT for 10% off Get the most out of your graphics card and monitor with Silkland's VESA certified DisplayPort 2.1 cables using our links! Silkland DP80 Cables: https://lmg.gg/L6kCw Silkland ...12vhpwrdon't try thisXT 120XT 6012v2x6meltyrtxbad connector5090gamingGeForce RTX 509050-seriesgpugeforcenvidiaXT 90bad designhttps://community.element14.com/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires/237818Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:02:00 GMT93d5dcb4-84c2-446f-b2cb-99731719e767:0a98bf48-10dc-4407-89ab-5cf8887b312dcstanton[quote userid="414964" url="~/technologies/sensor-technology/f/forum/57172/is-there-any-sensor-that-can-detect-melting-of-electrical-wires"]Is there any sensor that can detect melting of electrical wires[/quote] There are options. Consider the following that would be associated with this happening: - Temperature increase - Resistance change - Particulate matter in the air Also consider: - What is happening to create this scenario in the first place? - Can the issue be prevented with proper requirements analysis and parts used? - What actions do you want to happen when it's detected? The recommended solution is determined by what level of voltage and current you're working with. If we're talking about working with a microcontroller, and voltages between 1.8v and 20v - then maybe you should be looking at using appropriate wiring before putting in a solution that "detects melted wires". Education and prevention is better than detection. If we're talking about reacting to a badly designed graphics card, then yeah, maybe you want to do voltage and current sensing and put some 'smarts' on there: www.youtube.com/watch www.youtube.com/watch www.youtube.com/watch www.youtube.com/watch But if you're talking about 100v+ and mains equipment, well you should definitely be measuring more on prevention, cut off, and appropriate reaction and following electrical standards. With a little bit of what robogary says, like a smoke detector.