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TelecommunicationsVideo

Shape-shifting Liquid-Metal Antennas

Researchers devise antennas that can be lengthened—or shortened—to adjust their frequency

Shape-shifting Liquid-Metal Antennasplay icon
Photo: North Carolina State University
type:videorfantennasliquid metalradio frequenciesnorth carolina state universityradiowireless

Normally, when you want to adjust the resonant frequency of an antenna, you add electronic components like inductors to the circuit. But you can only go so far with that approach; at some point you’ll have to change the physical length of the antenna. That’s fine if you’re designing something, but impractical to do on the fly—until now. Researchers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh used liquid metal to construct an antenna that lengthens or shortens on electronic command.

The Conversation (1)
Eugene Moe
Eugene Moe19 Dec, 2024
M

Maybe the technology can be used to change the skin of the submarines to reduce AI's ability to detect them.

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RoboticsHumanoid RobotsVideo

Unitree Demos New $16k Robot

Unitree's G1 robot is one of the cheapest—if not the cheapest—humanoid around

Unitree Demos New $16k Robotplay icon

IEEE Spectrum

humanoid robotsunitreerobotics

At ICRA 2024, Spectrum editor Evan Ackerman sat down with Unitree founder and CEO Xingxing Wang and Tony Yang, VP of Business Development, to talk about the company’s newest humanoid, the G1 model.

Smaller, more flexible, and elegant, the G1 robot is designed for general use in service and industry, and is one of the cheapest—if not the cheapest—of a new wave of advanced AI humanoid robots.

DIYVideo

DIY: Classic 555 Timer Kit

Follow along as we build and test one of our favorite kits of all time, the Discrete 555 Timer

DIY: Classic 555 Timer Kitplay icon

IEEE Spectrum

555hands onintegrated circuitstimerelectronics kitschip design

Follow along as we build and test one of our favorite kits of all time, the Discrete 555 Timer! Build a huge version of one of the most iconic and surprisingly versatile integrated circuits of all time from transistor and resistors.

The 555 chip has been used at one time or another by nearly every E.E. alive, and you can use it to detect pulses, make lights blink, debounce inputs, trigger alarms, and even make music (terrible music, but music nonetheless!). We first wrote up the kit in our Hands On column in Spectrum, and this is second version, which features some improvements over the original.

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RoboticsSpecial ReportsVideoEast Africa’s Big Bet On Drones

360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startups

Come along for the ride as drones soar over the farms and schools of Tanzania

6:56
360 Video: Zoom Over Zanzibar With Tanzania’s Drone Startupsplay icon
Photo: IEEE Spectrum
type:videodronestanzaniaeast africa dronesgadgetsafricamappingdelivery drones360 video

With 360-degree video, IEEE Spectrum puts you aboard drones that are flying high above the Tanzanian landscape: You’ll ride along as drones soar above farms, towns, and the blue expanse of Lake Victoria. You’ll also meet the local entrepreneurs who are creating a new industry, finding applications for their drones in land surveying and delivery. And you’ll get a close-up view from a bamboo grove as a drone pilot named Bornlove builds a flying machine from bamboo and other materials.

You can follow the action in a 360-degree video in three ways: 1) Watch on your computer, using your mouse to click and drag on the video; 2) watch on your phone, moving the phone around to change your view; or 3) watch on a VR headset for the full immersive experience.

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