Industry representatives are to be placed at the heart of scientific innovation - or more specifically, where it all begins - in the laboratory, thanks to an eight-week fellowship program at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES). [ + ]

Australian governments have decided to pursue a voluntary code of practice for businesses that manage, handle or use products containing 11 chemicals identified as having the potential to be used to make homemade explosives. [ + ]

Tektronix has released three oscilloscope applications for use on Android smartphones. [ + ]

Australian scientists have unveiled a new theory which explains the mysterious phenomenon known as ball lightning. [ + ]

A high-voltage vacuum power switch for smart power grids has been developed by a group of Japanese researchers. In the future, this technology may contribute to a new energy strategy through offshore wind energy, efficient power transmission and more. [ + ]

element14 has announced the expansion of its circular connectors offering to over 160,000 for military, commercial and industrial applications. The range for Asia-Pacific comes from manufacturers like Amphenol, ITT Cannon, Cinch, Souriau and TE’s Deutsch brand of products. [ + ]

The University of South Australia’s Thin Film Coatings Group has entered into a strategic alliance with Swedish research and development company Arubedo AB to bring new electronic products to market. [ + ]

Premier Farnell has released guidelines for electronics companies to help them understand the new obligations of RoHS legislation, which comes into force on 2 January 2013. [ + ]

Researchers at RMIT University have created ‘liquid metal marbles’ - droplets of liquid metal coated in nanoparticles - in what is claimed to be a world-first breakthrough that advances research into soft electronics and industrial sensing technologies. [ + ]

Half a million Raspberry Pis have now rolled off the element14 production line and element14 has now signed a new distribution contract with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to sell the credit-card-sized computer around the world. [ + ]

Paul Gray from Adelaide ‘car-to-car’ communications technology company Cohda Wireless has attracted investment from Cisco Systems and semiconductor company NXP B.V. The technology effectively allows cars to ‘talk’ to each other and reduce or eliminate crashes through car-to-car data transmission that provides drivers with an audio or visual alert in the threat of an accident. [ + ]

Australian scientists have produced a new two-dimensional material that could revolutionise the electronics market, making ‘nano’ more than just a marketing term. Made of layers of molybdenum oxides crystals, the new material has unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultrahigh speeds and overcomes the limitations of graphene. [ + ]

RS Components’ 3D CAD microsite adds the capability to locate, view and download models by product type and manufacturer. [ + ]

Yes, Christmas is all over and now we are all back at work doing sensible, work things. But it is still worth considering what gifts you’d like to give yourself in lieu of those useless ties, socks and novelty toilet paper you received for Christmas. [ + ]

Scientists are putting a new spin on their approach to generating electrical current by harnessing a recently identified electromotive force known as spinmotive force, which is related to the field of spintronics that addresses such challenges as improving data storage in computers. [ + ]