Australian researchers are developing a wearable computer and augmented reality kit to aid Australia's bionic eye research. [ + ]

Agilent Technologies has announced plans to spin off its electronic measurement business into a separate public company. [ + ]

Over the past few years, the Australian electronics industry has endured tough times, but there are glimmers of hope. Last week, when industry professionals and electronics enthusiasts gathered in Melbourne for the annual ElectroneX conference they had wonderful success stories to share and some exciting products and services to sell. [ + ]

As products become more sophisticated, the probability they will experience electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues also increases; both as potential emitters of electrical interference and as victims of interference. In this article, EMC expert Martin O’Hara* provides insights on misconceptions and challenges regarding EMC. [ + ]

Capital expenditure for semiconductor fab equipment spending is expected to increase to US$39.8 billion in 2014, the highest on record, according to the SEMI World Fab Forecast. [ + ]

Graphene has the potential to change the world of electronics in much the same way that transistors and integrated circuits did last century. But use of this wonder material is still very much in the development stage in many laboratories and research centres around the world and, while promises are high, the widespread practical use of graphene is proving elusive. [ + ]

Increasing demand for reliability, continuing miniaturisation and the growing number of faults in electronic components manufactured in no-clean processes have put the focus back on cleaning in electronics manufacturing. This article looks at different solutions that help ensure optimal cleaning of components. [ + ]

Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, have become a disruptive technology that is shaking up the norms of system architecture. Traditional methods of introducing power and managing I/O are undergoing changes that are having major implications for traditional connectors. Read on to find out how. [ + ]

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a foldable, compact electric vehicle that can be used either as a personal car or as part of the public transit system to connect major transportation routes within a city. [ + ]

Infineon Technologies, together with its 40 research partners, has completed a research project for further miniaturisation of microelectronic systems in automobiles, industrial and communications electronics. [ + ]

The competitive future of practically every Australian industry sector is increasingly dependent on the usage and integration of the latest electronics into all aspects of production, assembly, systems development, maintenance and service. Improvements can be more easily achieved by keeping up to date with the latest technologies, products, development tools and industry knowledge base. [ + ]

University of Washington engineers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power. The devices exchange information by reflecting or absorbing pre-existing radio signals. The new communication technique, which the researchers call “ambient backscatter”, takes advantage of the TV and cellular transmissions that already surround us around the clock. [ + ]

The Nano3 cleanroom facility at the Qualcomm Institute in the US now houses a new electron beam writer. But what’s unique about this writer is its ability to write patterns on a large scale - with minimum feature size of less than 8 nanometres on wafers with diameters that can be as large as 8 inches. [ + ]

Scientists have developed a new capacitor that can operate close to normal efficiency at over 200°C, significantly higher than any other capacitor on the market. It also offers a high energy density - the measure of how much energy it can store. [ + ]

Researchers have clocked the fastest-possible electrical switching in magnetite, a naturally magnetic mineral. Their results could drive innovations in the tiny transistors that control the flow of electricity across silicon chips, enabling faster, more powerful computing devices. [ + ]