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Why a soccer kick bends the ball path: SOLIDWORKS simulation

With SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, you can virtually test a ball's flight path and see the science behind its amazing trajectory. Visualize anything you want to test, including the physics that make a ball curve and dip, to optimize performance and reduce physical testing. See the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation study setup and learn about the Magnus effect where a spinning object moving through a fluid curves away from its straight path. [Credit: Screenshot courtesy of SOLIDWORKS]
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Lightning-fast in-line verification, high-performance barcode reading

The Omron VHV5 Barcode Reader now combines high-performance barcode reading and calibrated ISO verification in one device. Replacing offline sample checks, it delivers 100% inline verification at production speeds up to 1,200 parts per minute. With flexible lighting, the VHV5 easily inspects labels and Direct Part Marks, even on challenging curved or irregular surfaces.
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How to choose the right industrial Ethernet switch

Antaira Technologies breaks down 10 mission-critical capabilities separating industrial-grade switches from commercial compromises. Even if you aren't in IT engineering, you will find valuable networking knowledge in this guide to protect vital infrastructure.
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New CAM software cuts robotic machining deployment

At Automate (Booth #4476), RoboDK will showcase RoboDK CAM, which generates robotic machining programs directly from CAD files. Designed for easy deployment, it cuts setup time by up to 40%. Live demonstrations will show users how to create collision-free robot motion straight from CAD data, eliminating manual line-by-line coding.
Learn more about RoboDK CAM.

AI Tools You Can Use: What is OpenClaw? How do I get it and use it?

OpenClaw is trending big time right now, but what is it? The YouTubers over at Create a Pro Website run through the basics of what you need to know and how to implement it. Basically, OpenClaw is a next-gen 24/7 AI assistant that lives on your computer and can perform actions for you. You talk to it through a chat app. You can set it up to do real work such as alert you to important emails, answer emails for you, manage your calendar and travel, and so much more. There is a great intro video here and also a longer, very thorough step-by-step video to setting up OpenClaw.
View the OpenClaw intro video.
View the OpenClaw setup video.

New! 6-digit programmable display/controller

Bristol Instruments has released the OM 403UNI Series displays/ controllers, allowing users to monitor two or three simultaneous functions. Configured via OM Link software or front-panel buttons, they feature four- or six-digit displays with +/-0.05% of f.s. range accuracy. They function as numeric/bar-graph displays, controllers, data recorders, or accumulators. Additionally, they detect and alert users to error conditions like broken sensor wires.
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Mini edge AI systems for vision, generative AI

As enterprises transition from PoC to real-world edge AI deployment, Aetina has launched its Mini Series Edge AI systems. Powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano and NX modules, these compact, fanless systems deliver high-performance vision and generative AI inference. Engineered for demanding industrial environments, they offer flexible camera connectivity, space-saving designs, and long-term reliability to accelerate smart infrastructure.
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Thermal imaging on the quality control line

On a high-speed food and beverage line, what you can see is not always what is happening. Thermal imaging adds a different layer of control. Instead of relying on surface appearance, it measures heat distribution as seals are formed and products move through the line, providing continuous, 100% in-line inspection instead of just sampling.
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Built for the test bench, ready for the field

FUTEK's IDC150 Signal Conditioner packages high-performance signal conditioning in a rugged aluminum enclosure. Built for engineers needing accurate, synchronized data from strain gauge sensors, it fits prototyping and lab environments. The device connects seamlessly to existing setups and pairs with SENSIT software and Python APIs. It is ideal for compact, high-performance digital sensor evaluation.
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Automotive lighting systems simplified, optimized

The new MLX81119 from Melexis is an 18-channel LIN RGB LED controller with an integrated DC/DC converter, designed to simplify and optimize automotive lighting systems. By generating the LED supply voltage locally on chip, this unit significantly reduces power dissipation, external components, and space requirements in increasingly dense vehicle applications such as door panels, dashboards, and charge-port lighting.
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How healthy is your machine? Moisture-in-Oil Sensor

iST's Moisture-in-Oil Sensor is a compact, digital RH/T module that accurately and continuously monitors the water content in oils and fuels. This sensor does not simply measure the absolute water content -- it measures the relative saturation level in % RH or water activity aw in %. This means you get a direct picture of the current oil quality and can react in time. Applications include: marine engines and gearboxes, commercial and rail vehicles, wind turbines and generators, drilling and paper machines, and more. Eval kit available.
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World's first native color lidar sensors

Ouster Rev8 features the world's first patented native color lidar sensors. For the first time, a single lidar sensor can understand road signs, interpret brake lights, or simply capture the richness of planet Earth in survey-grade, colorized maps. Based on patented Ouster Silicon with embedded Fujifilm color science, the L4 chip boasts 42.9 GMACs of processing power, detection of up to 20 trillion photons per sec, and a 40-kHz measurement rate with picosecond timing precision. Sees up to 200 m.
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Real-world applications: 3D camera ensures precise aircraft cabin drilling

In modern aircraft production, precision is everything. In this application article, learn how an Ensenso 3D camera integrated into an automated process chain ensures accurate detection and alignment of drilling positions in aircraft cabin assembly using the CAD data of the aircraft frame.
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What are Onshape Custom Features?

Certified Onshape Professional Too Tall Toby explains how to supercharge your workflow using community-created tools. In this insightful tutorial, he dives into the world of FeatureScript -- the powerful coding language behind Onshape. Learn where to find new scripts and how to use them. Save time. Learn new skills, shortcuts, and maybe even better ways to do things. Incorporate Custom Features into your everyday work. Very useful.
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What can you do with touchless magnetic angle sensors?

Novotechnik has put together an informative video highlighting real-world applications for their RFC, RFE, and RSA Series touchless magnetic angle sensors. You may be surprised at the variety of off-highway, marine, material handling, and industrial uses. You'll learn how they work (using a Hall effect microprocessor to detect position) and their key advantages, including eliminated wear and tear on these non-mechanical components. We love when manufacturers provide such useful examples.
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How small can semiconductors get? KAIST develops atomic-level prediction tech

As the global semiconductor industry enters the so-called "2-nanometer process" era, the actual size of transistors -- the core components of semiconductor chips -- still remains above 10 nm. How much smaller, then, can transistors actually get? Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a technology to predict that limit through quantum mechanical atom-level calculations.

A research team led by Professor Yong-Hoon Kim of the School of Electrical Engineering has developed a computational design technology that utilizes computer simulations to analyze and predict the scaling limits of transistors, a key challenge in developing next-generation semiconductor devices.

Transistors are ultra-small switches that turn electrical currents on and off, serving as key components that determine the performance and power efficiency of semiconductor chips that power smartphones, artificial intelligence computers, and more. The semiconductor industry has continuously downsized transistors to achieve higher performance and lower power consumption.

However, when the transistor size becomes excessively small, quantum tunneling occurs -- a quantum mechanical phenomenon where electrons pass through energy barriers they normally cannot cross -- making current control difficult. For this reason, identifying how much smaller transistors can be made within the boundaries of quantum tunneling is a critical task in next-generation semiconductor development.

However, it is virtually impossible to experimentally confirm the scaling limits of transistors directly. With current technology, it is difficult to precisely control and quantitatively analyze the contact area where the metal electrode and the semiconductor channel (the pathway through which current flows inside a transistor) meet at the atomic level.

The research team resolved this issue by utilizing ab initio or first-principles calculations, a method that computes material properties based solely on fundamental physics laws without relying on experimental data. The research team had previously developed and reported a new theoretical-computational framework called multi-space constrained-search density functional theory (MS-DFT), which extends the scope of first-principles calculations from materials to devices by precisely analyzing the complex quantum phenomena occurring at the interface where metal electrodes and semiconductors meet and across which electrons flow.

In this study, the team built on this framework to perform computational transfer length method (TLM) experiments, the gold standard experimental technique for extracting contact resistance (the resistance to current flow occurring at the metal electrode-semiconductor interface). Based on the atomic-level TLM calculations results, they identified the quantum tunneling limit (the length at which electrons stop leaking and begin to allow transistor current control).

Analysis of Contact Resistance and Critical Tunneling Length in Two-Dimensional Semiconductors Using the First-Principles Transfer Length Method. See study. [Credit: Image courtesy of KAIST]

 

 

 

 

The research team applied this technology to a monolayer MoS₂ (molybdenum disulfide) device, a representative two-dimensional semiconductor material that can be made as thin as an atomic layer and is a candidate material for next-generation transistor channels. As a result, the researchers were able to quantitatively analyze how deeply electrons penetrate into the channel and how much this hinders current flow control depending on the type of metal electrode and the contact atomic geometry. In other words, they clarified that the limit to how small a transistor can be made varies depending on which metal and contact structure are selected. This implies that the performance and limits of a device can now be predicted in advance solely through computer simulations before the actual transistor fabrication.

According to the research results, the critical tunneling length -- the maximum length at which electrons penetrate into the channel and begin to affect transistor operation -- was found not to be a single fixed value. This length emerged as a design variable that changes depending on the work function of the metal (the minimum energy required to remove an electron from a metal) and the contact structure of the interface where the metal and semiconductor meet. This signifies that the extent to which a transistor can be downsized depends on the combination of materials and structural design.

In particular, among the candidate metal types and contact structures considered, the research team confirmed that the length where electrons stop leaking could be reduced to less than 4 nm. This result demonstrates the possibility of making transistors even smaller than the levels achieved today.

Furthermore, the research team proposed a design strategy for next-generation semiconductor chips that reduce power consumption by combining two-dimensional semiconductors with different properties.

The study, in which Dr. Tae Hyung Kim participated as the first author, was published online on May 28 in the prestigious computational journal npj Computational Materials.

Source: The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Published June 2026

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