Supply chain burst upon the scene as a suddenly familiar topic to the general public with the global COVID-19 pandemic, as illness and lockdowns stymied companies large and small in their efforts to get commodities and parts to make everyday products from toilet paper to cars. But supply chains, with…

Autonomous driving seems far away, but our vehicles already are equipped with some of its enabling technologies. Systems like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance on many new vehicle models greatly relieve human drivers of the burden of tedious driving tasks, such as cruising on an empty freeway or stop-and-go…

Nuclear energy is critical for a sustainable future because it is not only a reliable energy source but also one of the lowest CO2 emitters. A recent report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) indicated that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt of energy generated by…

It is, of course, notoriously hard to make predictions in the field of technology, and many wise men have been made to look silly through their failed tech forecasts. Nevertheless, I sat down to look at my crystal ball to predict what stories are likely to dominate the news in…

Our current political divisiveness is grounded in the separation of haves and have-nots. It stinks to be on the have-not side, and it can happen to anybody. Manufacturing helps to move people to the have side. So, how can we bring offshored manufacturing back to the United States, and how…

It’s a big deal when a child first walks. A similar breakthrough is taking place in robotics, where researchers are working on legged robots, especially those capable of walking on non-stationary rigid surfaces. These robots could aid in a wide range of critical tasks, from fighting a fire on a…

Santokh S. Badesha, recently named distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue, who also is corporate fellow and manager of open innovation at Xerox, is a “Social Impact Hero,” according to Medium’s Authority Magazine. In a Q&A with the magazine, the National Academy of Inventors fellow shares thoughts…

“No man is an island, entire of itself,” the English poet John Donne wrote. The same could be said of robots — they are not ultimately stand-alone solutions. Just as humans need their mechanical and computational assist, robots need the flexibility and safety awareness of humans, as the two increasingly…

Crowded places get hot, and few compare to the inside of a semiconductor, with its multiple levels, 3D metal interconnects, and dense components packed tightly in a small space. If you imagine the soon-coming 3D vertical metal interconnects in the sub-micron range as people — and the dense chip/package as…