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The Comtran patch cable’s 0.145-inch outer diameter “allows twice the amount of space for more cables to be routed through pathways,” the company explained.

For all these applications, the same challenges requiring solutions arise. To begin with, rising raw material prices have been triggering a strong trend towards cutting down the material input as far as possible throughout the entire manufacturing process. In addition, with space being a restriction, the allowable amount and volume of conductors to be incorporated in any of the above devices is limited. At the same time, the processes, which are controlled by means of electric signals, are growing more and more diverse so that an increasing number of functions has to be taken care of by each conductor. In particular when it comes to building automobiles, aircraft or aerospace vehicles, exceptional weight efficiency is requested nowadays in order to minimize fuel consumption. The flexibility of a strand constitutes another property that can only be accomplished by increasing the number of single wires used. Just take the following example: A strand composed of 19 wires with a diameter of 0.20 mm each will end up having the same cross-section (0.6 mm²) as another strand made up of 850 wires with a diameter of 0.03 mm each, with the flexibility of the latter being significantly higher.

With the trend to more and more technology in an increasingly smaller space, the miniaturization of components is steadily increasing. To begin with, rising raw material prices have been triggering a strong trend towards cutting down the material input as far as possible throughout the entire manufacturing process. In addition, with space being a restriction, the allowable amount and volume of conductors to be incorporated in any of the above devices is limited.

Since continuous miniaturization in microelectronics is already starting to reach the physical limits, researchers are seeking new methods for device fabrication. One promising candidate is the DNA origami technique in which individual strands of the biomolecule self-assemble into arbitrarily shaped nanostructures.

The finding is important to such diverse fields as producing energy, recycling Earth's carbon and miniaturizing computers.

Miniature motors and micro-motors can be extremely versatile, and their cost today makes them very attractive for both miniaturisation and for enhancing products by adding new functionality. Jon Severn takes a look at what the latest evolutions of these products can offer design engineers.