Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 28


Pneumatic memory Engineers at the University of California Riverside developed a pneumatic memory that can be used to control soft robots. Pneumatic soft robots use pressurized air to move soft, rubbery limbs and grippers, making them ideal for delicate tasks as well as safer to be around. However, they still require electronic valves and computers to control and maintain positions. The ... » read more

Security Research Bits


A number of hardware security-related technical papers were presented at the August 2021 USENIX Security Symposium. The organization provides open access research, and the presentation slides and papers are free to the public. Topics include side-channel attacks and defenses, embedded security, hardware security tokens, and more. Here are some highlights with associated links:   [tab... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 21


Catching switches in action Researchers from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Hewlett Packard Labs, Penn State University, and Purdue University observed atoms moving inside an electronic switch as it turns on and off, revealing a state they suspect could lead to faster, more energy-efficient devices. "This research is a breakthrough in ultrafast technology and sci... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 14


Probabilistic computers Sandia National Laboratories and others are developing what researchers call a probabilistic computer. Instead of traditional computing, Sandia is developing a system with built-in randomness that computes information differently every time. As part the research program, the Department of Energy awarded the project $6 million over the next three years to develop t... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 14


Thermal management material Engineers at the University of California Los Angeles integrated a new thermal management material, boron arsenide, with a HEMT chip to demonstrate the material's potential. The team developed boron arsenide as a thermal management material in 2018 and found it to be very effective at drawing and dissipating heat. In the latest experiments, they used wide band... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Sept. 8


Calibrating a microphone The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a faster and more accurate way to calibrate a microphone. NIST’s new calibration technique makes use of lasers, a promising technology that could supplant today’s methods. The technology could one day be used to calibrate sensitive microphones in factories, power plants and other settings li... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Sept. 8


Backscatter radios for 5G Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Nokia Bell Labs, and Heriot-Watt University propose using backscatter radios to support high-throughput communication and 5G-speed Gb/sec data transfer using only a single transistor. “Our breakthrough is being able to communicate over 5G/millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies without actually having a full mmWave... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 31


X-ray nanotomography The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed a new method for improving the resolution of hard X-ray nanotomography. In general, tomography involves a system, which takes images or cross sections of a sample using X-rays or ultrasound. The images are then re-created in the form of a 3D model. One common form is called micro-comput... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 31


Securing memory Researchers at Columbia University suggest several ways to make computing more secure without imposing a system performance penalty. The efforts focus on memory security, specifically pointers. "Memory safety has been a problem for nearly 40 years and numerous solutions have been proposed. We believe that memory safety continues to be a problem because it does not distribute... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 24


Panel packaging consortium Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM has provided an update on a consortium that is developing panel-level IC packaging technologies. Fraunhofer IZM is leading the consortium. The R&D organization and its partners, including Intel and others, have made progress in terms of equipment, processes and other technologies in the so-called Pa... » read more

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