Four researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Earth System Science Center (ESSC) have lead and editorial roles in the production of a new open-access NASA edited volume entitled “Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Handbook: Comprehensive Methodologies for Forest Monitoring and Biomass Estimation.” UAH scientists Africa Flores, Leah Kucera, Kelsey Herndon and Emil Cherrington…
Hera’s CubeSat to Perform First Radar Probe of an Asteroid
Small enough to be an aircraft carry-on, the Juventas spacecraft nevertheless has big mission goals. Once in orbit around its target body, Juventas will unfurl an antenna larger than itself, to perform the very first subsurface radar survey of an asteroid. ESA’s proposed Hera mission for planetary defence will explore the twin Didymos asteroids, but…
The 0708N Series Capacitor Offers Ultra-Stable Performance Over Temperature
Passive Plus, Inc. (PPI) is now offering the 0708N (.065” x .080”) series capacitor. With vertical electrodes which increase bandwidth, these Capacitors have Low ESR/ESL, and High Self-Resonance. Uniquely designed for excellent heat transfer in High RF applications, the 0708N offers Ultra-Stable performance over temperature. These capacitors are 100% RoHS compliant and also available in…
Ford Creates a Self-Braking Shopping Cart
Ford has developed a prototype shopping cart that brakes all on its own, called the “Self-Braking Trolley,” which takes a page from vehicle technology that helps drivers avoid obstacles. In particular, the company used their pre-collision assist tech, found in most Ford car models, as inspiration. The system detects other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists while…
Tiny, Fast, Accurate Technology on the Radar
A tiny, portable radar device could allow visually impaired people, or unmanned moving devices to detect objects in real time. Radar technology has been used for decades in aviation, defense and speed-camera technology. Now, a team at KAUST, in collaboration with scientists at the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, have created a compact, low-cost…
NASA’s Cassini Reveals Surprises with Titan’s Lakes
On its final flyby of Saturn’s largest moon in 2017, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft gathered radardata revealing that the small liquid lakes in Titan’s northern hemisphere are surprisingly deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane. The new findings, published April 15 in Nature Astronomy, are the first confirmation of just how deep some of Titan’s lakes…
Starship Technologies Surpasses 50,000 Deliveries with Autonomous Robots
In April 2018, Starship Technologies started transporting groceries to residents in Milton Keynes, U.K., from a co-op food store. A year later, the company has announced it has made more than 50,000 commercial deliveries with its autonomous robots. In total, the robo-deliverers have travelled more than 200,000 miles in more than 100 cities worldwide. Lex…
Drones Gather Intel on Supercell Thunderstorms
Supercell thunderstorms are terrifying natural marvels that carry high risks of lethality and devastation. To improve prediction and reduce “false alarm” tornado warnings, researchers are planning an investigation centered on radar and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) called the Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS). The study will gather intel on the supercell’s…
Volkswagen Tests Level 4 Automated Vehicles in Hamburg, Germany
Among the urban traffic in Hamburg, Germany, will be a fleet of five e-Golf automated test vehicles from Volkswagen Group Research. According to the company, it will be “the first time Volkswagen has begun to test automated driving to Level 4 at real driving conditions in a major German city.” Hamburg is currently undergoing a…
Low-Bandwidth Radar Technology Provides Improved Detection of Objects
Radar technologies were originally designed to identify and track airborne military targets. Today they’re more often used to detect motor vehicles, weather formations and geological terrain. Until now, scientists have believed that radar accuracy and resolution are related to the range of frequencies or radio bandwidth used by the devices. But a new Tel Aviv…