NASA Tech Briefs Insider Blog

University of Illinois scientists have fabricated the world’s smallest
chain-mail fabric that consists of a network of small rings about 500
University of Illinois scientists have fabricated the world’s smallest chain-mail fabric that consists of a network of small rings about 500 microns in diameter and even smaller links about 400 microns long. The rings and links are built upon a planar substrate and then released to create a flexible sheet that can bend along two axes and drape over curved surfaces.

Because the rings and links can slide and rotate against each other, the fabric possesses unique mechanical and electrical properties. These properties could prove useful for the development of smart fabric and wearable electronic devices for pervasive computing.

For more information, click here.

Two new 3D navigation devices, SpaceNavigator and SpaceExplorer, from 3Dconnexion(R), a Logitech company, San Jose, CA, have been named NASA Tech Briefs’ Product of the Month for January. SpaceNavigator is an entry-level device that lets users move naturally and fluidly in 3D environments without making repetitive mouse movements or having to type multiple keyboard commands. It features six optical sensors that communicate multiple threads of navigation data to 3D applications. The SpaceExplorer is a mid-range device that features a key console and 15 pre-configured function keys within comfortable reach of the controller cap. It comes with 3DxSoftware, which offers support for Autodesk Design Reviewer and DWF Viewer, and Google Earth
and SketchUp.

For more information, see page 8 of the January issue of NTB, or click here.

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) researchers have combined organic and inorganic materials to produce prototype transparent, high-performance transistors that can be assembled inexpensively on both glass and plastics. To create the thin-film transistors, the Northwestern group combined films of the inorganic semiconductor indium oxide with a multilayer of self-assembling organic molecules that provides insulation. The indium oxide films can be fabricated at room temperature, allowing the transistors to be produced at low cost. In addition to being transparent, the transistors outperform silicon transistors currently used in liquid crystal display (LCD) screens and perform nearly as well as high-end polysilicon transistors.

High-performance, transparent transistors could be combined with existing kinds of light display technologies, such as organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), LCDs, and electroluminescent displays, which are already used in televisions, desktop and laptop computers, and cell phones. Prototype displays using these transistors could be available in 12 to 18 months.

For more information, visit, click here.

Embedded Technology magazine features board-level electronics and COTS solutions for design engineers, as well as a variety of product offerings.

The January issue of Embedded Technology contains a feature story on “Sensor Interface Design Demystified.” In this article, Dr. Kevin A. Shaw, director of business at Sensor Platforms Inc. (San Jose, CA) discusses, in light of the growth of MEMS (mircoelectromechanical systems), the considerations needed to be taken in sensor interface design. The designer must take into account smaller signals and application in order to develop the proper sensor, and the pit-falls involved. This article covers some of the basics of sensor interface design and gives an overview to the challenges and trade-offs of the possible approaches.

See page 2 of the January issue for the full article, or visit:
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20070102A8

The Model M7500 infrared camera from Mikron Infrared (Oakland, NJ) was named PTB Product of the Month for November. The camera is an uncooled microbolometer camera that is configurable for mid-wave or long-wave imaging in four different temperature bands, and provides resolution of 320 x 240.

It uses spectral tuning technology and can image in the mid-wave bands in a temperature range of 400 to 1600 degrees Celsius. It provides temperature measurement accuracy of plus/minus 2 percent for glass, ceramics, food processing, paper, steel, textiles, and electronics applications.

For more information, see page 16a of the November issue of PTB, or
visit http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20061113A7