February 2016

0
0
0
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Development of a Multi-User Modem for Space Telecommunications

Efficient support of planetary surface missions typically requires an orbiting asset that acts as a relay point to/from Earth. Orbital relay passes are normally 5 to 15 minutes in duration over any specific landed site. When multiple landed assets are co-located or near-located in...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Scientific imaging arrays need to have their individual imaging elements arranged in a close-spaced mosaic. The typical single imaging element is a silicon chip mounted on a larger support frame. This...

Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
cFE/CFS Evolution for Multicore Platforms

This effort ports the Core Flight Executive (cFE)/Core Flight System (CFS) flight software architecture to multicore processor platforms, and provides mission developers with a common, flightready, flexible software environment that supports single, multi-processor, and multicore systems. Currently the...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

One of the most common causes of electronics failure is moisture. Because water and electronics do not mix well, several strategies exist to protect mission-critical components from...

Feature Image
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Advanced Spacecraft Navigation and Timing Using Celestial Gamma-Ray Sources

The Advanced Spacecraft Navigation and Timing using Celestial Gamma-Ray Sources concept is a novel relative navigation technology for deep-space exploration using measurements of celestial gamma-ray sources. This new Gamma-ray source Localization-Induced Navigation and...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Generating a Laser Linear Frequency Modulation Waveform for Application in Coherent Doppler Lidar

Frequency modulation of a single-frequency laser with a linear triangular waveform is of great interest to many laser remote sensing and interferometry applications. Linear frequency modulation of a continuous-wave (CW) laser beam can make target...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Outlier Detection Via Estimating Clusters

The Outlier Detection Via Estimating Clusters (ODVEC) software provides an efficient method for real-time or offline analysis of multivariate sensor data for use in anomaly detection, fault detection, and system health monitoring. ODVEC uses models automatically derived from archived system data to...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization

The microgravity conditions of space travel create unique physiological demands on the astronauts’ skeletal structures, resulting in a reduction in bone strength from restructuring of the micro-architecture and loss of key minerals. An ultrasound system was developed that is capable...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Method for Fabricating Metallic Panels with Deep Stiffener Sections

This innovation integrates existing highperformance metallic materials and manufacturing technologies (all of which are now certified and used to produce thinner stiffened panels for launch vehicle structures) in a novel manner to allow fabrication of more structurally efficient...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Robust, High-Temperature Containment Cartridges for Microgravity

Robust, high-temperature containment cartridges are needed for processing materials science experiments in microgravity. In general, the refractory metals (Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Re) possess the chemical inertness and high melting temperatures desired. Of these materials, niobium and...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Method for Insertion of Carbon Fiber Through the Thickness of Dense Dry Fiber Preform

Creation of a structural joint for a heat shield for extreme entry environments requires structural fibers penetrating through the thickness of the shield at joint locations. The structural fibers must be made of carbon to withstand extremely high temperatures,...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Precision shims are used as compensators to absorb tolerances between mating components. They significantly reduce manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for each component to be precision-machined in order to achieve...

Feature Image
Briefs: Materials
Processing and Damage Tolerance of Continuous Carbon Fiber Composites Containing Puncture-Self-Healing Thermoplastic Matrix

The initiation and propagation of damage ultimately results in failure of aircraft structural components. Often, impact damage is difficult to identify in-service, and hence design of continuous carbon fiber reinforced...

Briefs: Materials
Advanced Supported Liquid Membranes for CO‚2 Control in EVA Applications

NASA has a clear need to develop new technology in support of its future goals, including missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the possible development of lunar outposts, and the eventual exploration of Mars. As these missions develop, it is anticipated that crew members will...

Briefs: Materials

Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) and matrix composites (BMGMCs) are a subset of the class of materials known synonymously as amorphous metals, liquid...

Feature Image
Briefs: Materials

An experimental study was conducted in conjunction with the research and development program at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on thermal protection systems (TPS) for aerospace applications, a...

Feature Image
Briefs: Materials
AeroHeating Tools (AHT) Suite

This suite of computer programs, called “tools,” is used to calculate local flow angles over damage sites in the Shuttle Orbiter Thermal Protection System (TPS). It provides a quick and easy way to compute cross flow angles over points of interest on the Shuttle Orbiter TPS.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
NEO Hunter Seeker Micro-Spacecraft and Mission Concept

The area of research known as “Planetary Defense” is largely concerned with identifying and tracking asteroids that could impact Earth. The vast majority of asteroids that pose such a risk are known as “Near Earth Asteroids/Objects” or NEAs and NEOs. Some of them are unknown,...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Multipath, multistage, erosion-resistant flow control valves have been developed that can sustain the extremely high pressure of deep oil wells. Fitting in the...

Feature Image
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The current coring bit and percussive drilling style works very well for strong rocks; however, when coring into weak, crumbling rock, the core tends to break apart and simply...

Feature Image
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Piezoelectric-Actuated Cryogenic Thermodynamic Vent Valve

Cryogenic fluid control valves require actuation that controls the geometric position of the orifice in a thermally stable manner. Traditional actuator devices may have various materials used in their construction that have varying CTEs (coefficients of thermal expansion) and therefore...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The amine swingbed was in development for incorporation into Orion’s environmental control and life support system to remove metabolic carbon dioxide and humidity from the crew atmosphere. The compact, low-power...

Feature Image
Briefs: Medical
Bayesian Sleep Fusion

To ensure mission success, astronauts must maintain a high level of performance, even when work-rest schedules result in chronic sleep restriction and circadian misalignment, both of which can contribute to fatigue and performance deficits unless effective countermeasures are used. The overarching goal of this project is to...

Briefs: Medical
Technique for Reversible Permeabilization of Live Cells for Intracellular Delivery of Quantum Dots

Nanomaterials are comparable in size to various biomolecules (1 to 100 nm), and have unique properties such as enhanced electrical conductivity, increased chemical reactivity, and novel optical properties that make them attractive candidates for...

Briefs: Medical
Introduction of Structural Affinity Handles as a Tool in Selective Nucleic Separations

This invention relates to the general field of bio-chemical separations. Current methods for separating nucleic acids either lack sufficient selectivity or large-capacity production as required for gene therapy or DNA vaccines or other applications. There is a...

Briefs: Medical
Functionalized Patterning of Tissue Engineering Substrates

Tissue engineering (TE) is an emerging field for tissue repair and regeneration compared to conventional techniques including autograft and allograft, through engineering functional implants created from living cells. TE is a highly interdisciplinary research area where material science,...

Briefs: Medical
Hearing Test System Suitable for Self-Administered Hearing Assessment

Astronauts have developed hearing loss in space, so the goal of this project was to provide a robust, self-administered, accurate noise-tolerance hearing test system for astronauts. The device includes Bekesy-like threshold audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emission...

Briefs: Medical
Assessment of Microbial Bioburden Within Aerogel Matrices

A makeshift apparatus has been designed composed of a sealed, hydrophobic 2-propanol/SiO2 aerogel component to filter outside air particles. Following verification and assessment, the apparatus was crafted with a Buchner funnel. Aerogel matrices were tightly fitted into filter...

Briefs: Information Technology
The Advanced Data Analytics Platform (ADAPT): Concept, Design, Architecture, and Operation

NASA scientists are uniquely positioned to research and understand the processes affecting the Earth’s climate. To study these important processes, scientists must address the Big Data challenges posed by working with massive amounts of observational and...

Question of the Week
Will "Antipodes" take off?

This week's Question: Canadian industrial designer Charles Bombardier has developed an aircraft concept that, in theory, could send passengers from London to New York in 11 minutes. The "Antipode" would have a scramjet engine and wings fitted with rocket boosters, propelling the aircraft to 40,000 feet and enabling the...

Briefs: Information Technology
Orion Heat Shield Thermal Mapping Tool

The Orion Heat Shield Mapping Tool collects data from a set of output files from various re-entry thermal response codes, interpolates the data, and maps the analysis code data onto a finely meshed finite element model.

Briefs: Information Technology

The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Smart Firing Room Project aims to create a firing room using cutting-edge technologies of today that...

Feature Image
Briefs: Information Technology

The Design Reference Mission (DRM) tool was developed to support the Exo-Starshade (Exo-S) Science and Technology Definition Team for modeling both the Dedicated (30-m...

Feature Image
Briefs: Information Technology
Data Parallel Line Relaxation Code (DPLR) Version 3.05

The Reacting Flow Environments branch at NASA ARC is interested in characterizing the aerothermal environment of three main classes of problem: planetary entry vehicles, reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), and arc-jet (or other ground test) flow simulations. Each of these problem classes has...

Briefs: Information Technology
Front End Data System (FEDS) Version 10.0

In traditional missions at NASA, ground systems were normally custom-built for each project. Additionally, there would be separate ground systems for each part of the spacecraft as well as a totally separate ground system for mission operations. Each of these generally interfaced through non-standard...

Briefs: Information Technology
Link Complexity Scheduling Algorithm

NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) provides communication and other services for planetary exploration for both NASA and international users. The DSN operates antennas at three complexes in California, Spain, and Australia, with the longitudinal distribution of the complexes enabling full sky coverage and...

Briefs: Information Technology
BUMPER-CEV Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris Risk Assessment Code Rev. A

BUMPER-CEV Version 1.71 is used to perform micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MMOD) risk assessments for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) spacecraft. BUMPER is the primary risk analysis program used by NASA to provide for reliable and safe operations of spacecraft...

Briefs: Software
Advanced Numerical Integration Techniques for High-Fidelity SDE Spacecraft Simulation

Simulation study is an integral part of the validation of navigation algorithms for spacecraft. While it is possible to come up with an estimate of a navigation algorithm’s performance with a low-fidelity system model, the mathematical analysis is intractable...

Briefs: Information Technology

One of the crucial ground structures employed at the launch pad during the Space Shuttle program is the rainbird nozzle system, whose primary objective is to...

Feature Image
Briefs: Information Technology
Seismometer Simulation Software

Seismometer Simulation Software (SEISim) is written to provide a simulation for the seismometer instrument in the Insight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) mission so that flight software developers can use it to develop and test their software applications. It can...

Briefs: Software

Numerical simulations of plume impingement heating to the International Space Station (ISS) and its visiting vehicles require a specific way to...

Feature Image
Briefs: Information Technology
Submersible Phase Change Float Sizing

This software allows sizing of submersibles powered by hydraulic generators that are pressurized by ocean thermal gradients at various depths. The software allows the operator to input the fixed size of the vessels containing the phase change material (PCM). The effective expansion of the PCM is also input,...

Briefs: Software
Method for Evaluating the Pneumatic Hammer Stability of a Fluid-Film Bearing Using CFD

This invention relates to a fluid film bearing and a process for evaluating pneumatic hammer instability. Based on the stability criteria, a method was developed using 3D CFD (computational fluid dynamics) evaluation dynamics to evaluate the onset of pneumatic...

Briefs: Information Technology
DAWN: a Simulation Model for Evaluating Costs and Tradeoffs of Big Data Science Architectures

Data science is emerging as a critical area of research and technology to advance scientific discovery, knowledge, and decision-making through systematic computational approaches to analyzing massive data sets. The sheer volume of data increase, coupled...

Briefs: Information Technology
Auxiliary Payload Sensor System Simulation Software

Auxiliary Payload Sensor System Simulation Software (APSSim) provides a simulation of the seismometer used in the Insight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport) mission. The software takes recorded or simulated APSS data as an input, preprocesses the...

Briefs: Information Technology
Multiphysics Piezoelectric Finite Element Modeling for Designing a Piezoelectric Damping Treatment for Vibration Control of Rotating Blades

The requirements for advanced aircraft engine components lead to designs that are more lightweight and efficient, yet more susceptible to excessive vibration, complex dynamic behavior, and uncertain...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Decelerator System Simulation (DSS)

The Crew Exploration Vehicle Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) project conducts computer simulations to verify that requirements on flight performance, parachute loads, and terminal rate of descent are met. The objective of this work was to obtain a high-fidelity simulation of Orion crew capsule flight test...

Briefs: Information Technology
EXOS Software

An improved version of EXOS software allows for the modeling of fabrics, mixtures, and porous materials, and also provides the ability to accept hex mesh geometries. The code employs a novel numerical method, a hybrid particle finite element approach, as well as particles and elements in tandem, each modeling distinct aspects of...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Wireless Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Microwave Heater System Using RFID-Based Temperature Feedback

This innovation has two main parts — a wireless, flexible film heater containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to convert radiated microwave energy into heat, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) temperature sensor to provide...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Sub-Audible Speech Recognition Based on Electromyographic (EMG) Signals

Sub-audible speech is a new form of human communication that uses tiny neural impulses (EMG signals) in the human vocal tract instead of audible sounds. These EMG signals arise from commands sent by the brain’s speech center to tongue and larynx muscles that enable...

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Precision Detector Conductance Definition via Ballistic Thermal Transport

The characteristics of a thermal detector, such as sensitivity, response time, and saturation power (or energy resolution), are functions of the thermal conductance of the detector to its cryogenic environment. The thermal conductance is specified to achieve a tradeoff...

Podcasts
Dave McNally, Aerospace Engineer, Air Traffic Management, and Kapil Sheth, Aerospace Research Engineer, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

Two NASA-developed tools — the Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) tool and a national implementation of DWR called the National Airspace System Constraint Evaluation and Notification Tool (NASCENT) — will...

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

The technologies NASA develops don’t just blast off into space. They also improve our lives here on Earth. Life-saving search-and-rescue tools, implantable medical devices, advances in commercial aircraft safety,...

Feature Image
Articles: Aerospace

“The sky could become increasingly crowded as personal and commercial uses of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) become more popular,” said Parimal Kopardekar, manager of NASA’s Safe Autonomous...

Feature Image
Articles: Aerospace

Since the early 1990s, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have operated on a limited basis in the National Airspace System (NAS). Until recently, UAS mainly supported public operations, such as military and border security...

Feature Image
Articles: Aerospace
Technology used to capture carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere can save brewers money.

Building on work he and his companies did with Johnson Space Center’s In Situ Resource Utilization...

Feature Image
Application Briefs: Aerospace
Comet software
Comet Solutions
Cincinnati, OH
513-588-2773
www.cometsolutions.com

A Structural-Thermal-Optical-Performance (STOP) analysis is an...

Feature Image
Application Briefs: Aerospace
Apex SLR ICP etch system
Advanced Vacuum, a Plasma-Therm Co.
Saint Petersburg, FL
800-246-2592
www.plasmatherm.com

An Advanced Vacuum inductively...

Feature Image
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

Energy savings are an extremely important topic in virtually every segment of industry today. In general, the largest consumer of power in a converting line or machine is the drive system. As...

Feature Image
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Southern Manufacturing Group (SMG) of Morrison, TN, makes automotive components and industrial valves. In 2012, the automation system for its 175-ton hydraulic forming...

Feature Image
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

NASA Technologist Mahmooda Sultana has been leading the development of tiny graphene sensors. Because of the material’s extreme sensitivity, graphene-based sensors have a wide range of possible...

Feature Image
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The romantic notion of grizzled ranchers out riding the range on horseback to shepherd their herd of cattle may soon be a distant memory, as cloud-based sensor technology now permits real-time...

Feature Image
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Innovations in communications and computing hardware and software have made it easier than ever to collect minute details regarding just about any topic of interest. For technology...

Feature Image
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

RoboSimian, a limbed robot developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is designed to operate in environments too dangerous or difficult for human intervention,...

Feature Image
Application Briefs: Energy

As more connected devices enter the market and see wider adoption by an ever increasing number of industries, the Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly expanding.

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The Standard Power Series from Honeywell (Fort Mill, SC) includes four new sensor ICs. The integrated circuits offer a sensitivity of 11 Gauss max., allowing design engineers to use larger air gaps between the sensor IC...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

SignalFire Wireless Telemetry (Hudson, MA) has added capabilities to its Field Setup and Diagnostic ToolKit. Interfacing with sensors, thermocouples, load cells, pots, and turbine meters, the Signal Fire Wireless...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The CirrusSense™ wireless router from Transducers Direct (Cincinnati, OH) provides remote pressure readings, diagnostics, and immediate email/text alarm alerts transmitted by CirrusSense™ pressure transducers. The device...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Micro-Epsilon (Raleigh, NC) offers optoNCDT 1320 and 1420 optical smart sensors. Electronics for signal processing are housed in each sensor body. Weighing 60 g, the devices are suitable for dynamic acceleration applications,...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The new Komfy™ Switch with camera by D-Link features the iAQcore indoor air quality module from ams (Cupertino, CA). The iAQcore, a miniaturized, low-power gas sensor, uses a MEMS-based VOC component. The device provides...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

OmniVision Technologies (Santa Clara, CA) has released the OV16860, a 16-megapixel PureCel® Plus-S image sensor. A 1.3-micron pixel architecture enables full resolution recording at 45 frames per second. The sensor also...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

TE Connectivity (Berwyn, PA) has announced the 86BC, a 16-mm piezoresistive silicon pressure sensor packaged in a 316L stainless steel housing. O-ring mounting supports integration into industrial applications. The...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

WAGO Corp. (Germantown, WI) has added 3-Phase Power Measurement Modules to its XTR line of harsh environment (-40 °C to 70 °C extreme temperature and 5g vibration resistance) I/O. Varying communication interfaces...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The POSIWIRE® WS21 cable extension sensor from ASM (Elmhurst, IL) is equipped with a non-contact, magnetic multi-turn-encoder that enables long measuring lengths up to 20,000 mm. Typical applications include linear...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Exergen Corp. (Watertown, MA) has announced the Extreme IRt/c non-contact temperature sensor. A custom-designed housing protects the sensor from extreme vibrations, shifts in pressure, and other acute ambient changes. The...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Macro Sensors (Pennsauken, NJ) has introduced submersible LVDT Position Sensors for use as part of subsea measurement systems. The SSIR 937 Series Submersible LVDT Position Sensors withstand deep sea environments...

Feature Image
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Pressure Profile Systems (Los Angeles, CA) has released the SingleTact, a miniature capacitive force sensor. The ultra-thin, single-element device quantifies forces in analog or digital configuration. The SingleTact...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

MSC Software Corp., Newport Beach, CA, announced the release of Marc 2015 nonlinear and multiphysics simulation software. Enhancements include new material models to simulate complex dynamic behavior of elastomers,...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

North Atlantic Industries, Bohemia, NY, announced the VPX57- 31 3U rugged power product that provides up to 400 watts of power with six outputs. It is compliant with MIL-STD-704F, and features current share, remote error...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

Intepro Systems, Tustin, CA, introduced the ELR9000 Series of electronic DC loads that features an integral, grid-synchronized inverter designed to return up to 94% of the load test energy back to the grid. The rack-mounted...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

The ISL94203 3-to-8 cell battery pack monitor from Intersil Corp., Milpitas, CA, supports lithium-ion and other battery chemistries. The device monitors, protects, and cell-balances rechargeable battery packs to maximize...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

Littelfuse, Chicago, IL, offers the SPxx-01WTG-C-HV Series generalpurpose electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection TVS diode arrays (SPA® Diodes). The 0201-size components safeguard data lines on larger touchscreen modules...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

Protek Power North America, Hudson, MA, introduced the PUB200/250/300/400 Series of AC/DC switching power supplies that delivers 200-400 Watts of continuous power at convection cooling. The units are housed in a perforated...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

TDK-Lambda Americas, National City, CA, announced the 12-Ampere iCH series of POL (Point of Load) non-isolated DC-DC converters. Accepting an input range of 4.5 to 14Vdc, the series can operate from either a 5Vdc or 12Vdc...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

OMEGA Engineering, Stamford, CT, offers the PLATINUM™ Series PT-DEMO PID controller that provides an integrated temperature control system suitable as a platform to investigate the use of closed loop (PID) and...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

OKW Enclosures, Bridgeville, PA, offers CONNECT enclosures for wired or USB electronics for applications where the unit is connected to a cable, sits between cables, or where the units are joined with USB connectors....

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Marathon Motors (Wausau, WI) introduced totally enclosed air-over (TEAO) cooling tower motors with Bearing Current Protection (BCP) using AEGIS® Shaft Grounding Rings. The NEMA Premium Severe-Duty motors feature...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Schneider Electric Motion USA (Marlborough, CT) offers Lexium MDrive NEMA size 23 drives with high-torque stepper motors as an alternative to standard motors. Closed loop performance of the drives eliminates possible motor...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

EXSYS Tool (San Antonio, FL) offers pL LEHMANN 500 series ultra-high-precision rotary tables. The modular, multi-axis rotary tables allow users to upgrade a vertical machining center without incurring the expense of a new...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The DCH Series actuator control from American Control Electronics (South Beloit, IL) combines an AC-to-DC switching power supply with a regenerative PWM drive to create an all-in-one solution. The control is suited for...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

PITTMAN® Motors, a business unit of AMETEK Precision Motion Control (Harleysville, PA), announced IDEATM PBL4850E programmable 3-phase brushless motor controllers that let users create distributed standalone motion...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Model 30M low-profile, 30-mm-diameter magnetic encoder module from Encoder Products (Sagle, ID) provides incremental feedback by means of advanced sensing and signal processing technology. It combines a Hall-effect...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

U.S. Tsubaki Power Transmission (Wheeling, IL) introduced Titan Series roller chain for high-speed and harsh environments. The ANSI chain utilizes a “Titan specific” chain construction that includes coated pins and pin...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

maxon precision motors (Fall River, MA) announced the GP 6 S spindle for a variety of linear drive solutions. The maximum feed velocity is 15 mm/s, at a force of 10 N. Integrated ball bearings ensure that the drive stands up to...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

Catalyst Motion Group™, a Haydon Kerk Motion System integrator (Waterbury, CT), offers a Z-Theta system capability that provides a compact package to achieve a rotary axis and a linear axis in a single unit. When operated in...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Soft Servo Systems (Waltham, MA) offers the WMX general motion controller that simultaneously controls up to 64 axes and 64 channels with control functions on the EtherCAT platform. It can run as an EtherCAT master on a...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Profile Guide rail brakes from Nexen Group (Vadnais Heights, MN) are available in a range of sizes from 15 to 45, and provide engagement at 0.049 to 0.080 seconds. They provide static holding force to 2,600 N (585 lbs.), and can...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

The RCP-DELTA robot and control system from Aerotech (Piitsburgh, PA) is available in four models that support payloads up to 3 kg, with X/Y operating ranges of 500/800/1100/1300 mm, and an optional continuous...

Feature Image
Products: Motion Control

Velmex (Bloomfield, NY) offers the Parallel-Coupled BiSlide System for long traverses and larger loads. The system features two identical BiSlide assemblies coupled with a timing belt to drive synchronous operation. It can...

Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

LinTech (Monrovia, CA) offers the 610 series totally enclosed positioning stage in stroke lengths from 6 to 60 inches (150 to 1520 mm). The screwdriven linear positioning systems use a low-friction, preloaded, recirculating...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Green Design & Manufacturing

During natural disasters like high-magnitude earthquakes, areas most in need of assistance must be located as fast as possible. Researchers, led by Sang-Ho Yun at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,...

Feature Image
Question of the Week
Would you like to ride in a Hyperloop?

This week's Question: A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team took top honors this month at a competition to design the Hyperloop, a high-speed transportation concept from Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. In the absence of air or surface friction, the Hyperloop design enables passenger pods...

INSIDER: Energy

A new design for gigantic blades longer than two football fields could help bring offshore 50-megawatt (MW) wind turbines to the United States and the world. Sandia National...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Energy

NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter broke the record to become humanity's most distant solar-powered emissary when Juno was about 493 million miles from the Sun. Launched in 2011, Juno is the...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) researchers have developed a "Proximity Hat" that uses head pressure to inform users about their surroundings. The ultrasonic sensors, batteries,...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Slated for launch in 2018, NASA’s Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) will carry a 3D-printed part made of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), a material that has never been...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

A research group from ITMO University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have invented unique conductive magnetic films that will be applied to transparent data storage, flexible...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Stanford researchers have developed the first lithium-ion battery that shuts down before overheating, then restarts immediately when the temperature cools. The new technology could...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

In an effort to help solve one of the grand challenges of artificial intelligence, the University of Michigan and IBM have launched a $4.5 million collaboration to develop a new class of...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Electronics & Computers

dSPACE’s (Wixom, MI) latest production code generator, TargetLink 4.1, supports the Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) 2.0 and the latest version of the AUTOSAR standard, AUTOSAR 4.2. Moreover, MISRA C compliance...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Electronics & Computers

Barry Industries (Attleboro, MA) and Modelithics, Inc. have published a report detailing the broadband performance of Barry's 5mm high temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC) quad-flat-no-leads (QFN) package to 40GHz. The...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Electronics & Computers

ADLINK Technology, Inc. (San Jose, CA) released its latest industrial ATX motherboard, the IMB-M43, powered by 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processors and providing up to five PCIe slots. The PCIe slots can be...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

UC Berkeley biologists have found robotic inspiration in the creepy ability of cockroaches to squeeze through even the tiniest crack.

Feature Image
Question of the Week
Are wearable health devices effective?

This week's Question: The market for smartwatches and fitness bands is growing, but how effective are today's wearable health devices? A study from Lancaster University, the University of the West of England, and Nottingham Trent says that the technologies are marketed under the premise that they will help...

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are pioneering the use of infrared cameras to image additive manufacturing processes in hopes of better understanding how...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Imaging

A new paradigm for the development of photo-bioelectrochemical cells has been reported by researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics

A NASA team has been tapped to build a new type of communications modem that will employ an emerging, potentially revolutionary technology that could transform everything...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC) , (New Bedford, MA) has announced the addition of ÅngströmLap Ultimas-Pro Final Polishing Lapping Film to their website. The new Ultimas-Pro line offers: positive...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Imaging

The new EyeCheck 9xxx series ready-to-use smart camera by EVT (Karlsruhe, Germany) is available as a complete system with integrated EyeVision image processing software or as an OEM version. The OEM solution is also available in...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics

Resolve Optics Ltd. (Chesham, UK) has expanded its range of fixed focus non-browning lenses for close-up inspection tasks in high radiation environments. Designed to provide uncompromised performance on 2/3-inch cameras,...

Feature Image
INSIDER Product: Software

DolphiTech (Raufoss, Norway) announced that a Software Development Toolkit (SDK) for the DolphiCam Ultrasound Camera System will be released in 1Q 2016. The SDK will enable developers and integrators to create...

Feature Image
Products: Aerospace

PEM® ReelFast® SMTPFLSM™ surfacemount, spring-loaded, captive panel screws from PennEngineering®, Danboro, PA, install permanently on printed circuit boards to provide secure attachment and allow for subsequent...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Energy

An energy-harvesting technology developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers captures the energy of human motion to power mobile electronic devices. The footwear-embedded energy...

Feature Image
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping

The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is all about going digital. But the term – and the basic idea behind it – are not new. First used in 2011 at Hannover Fair in Germany, the term...

Feature Image
News: Aerospace
40th Anniversary Reader Contest Winners

In the 1960s, the newly formed NASA began issuing single-sheet reports on the commercially significant technologies the agency was developing in the course of R&D being conducted for the space program – a mandate from Congress. In 1976, NASA turned those single-sheet reports into a magazine format...

Who's Who: Software
Dave McNally, Aerospace Engineer, Air Traffic Management, and Kapil Sheth, Aerospace Research Engineer, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California

Convective weather, such as severe thunderstorm activity, is the leading cause of delay in the U.S. National Airspace System. Two NASA-developed tools – the Dynamic Weather Routes (DWR) tool...

Question of the Week
Do you want to be a "space tourist"?

This week's Question: After more than three years of construction, Virgin Galactic unveiled its new spaceship at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. Physicist Stephen Hawking named the new vehicle Virgin Spaceship (VSS) Unity. Although the spacecraft faces an extensive testing period, the company...

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Researchers from the University of Bath, Imperial College, and University College London have developed robotic drones designed to "print" emergency shelters. The flying robots will...

Feature Image
News: Energy

Energy efficiency is key to the total cost of ownership of enclosure climate control solutions, and electricity consumption is a major element of operating costs. Hybrid technology, developed and patented by...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Robotics, Automation & Control

The James Webb Space Telescope team is installing telescope mirror segments using a high-precision robotic arm. To precisely install the segments, the robotic arm can move in six...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A new soft robotic gripper made out of rubber and stretchable electrodes can bend and pick up delicate objects like eggs and paper. It uses electroadhesion – flexible electrode flaps that...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Test & Measurement

An artificial intelligence algorithm was developed that greatly increases accuracy in diagnosing the health of complex mechanical systems. Typical vibration analysis searches for...

Feature Image
INSIDER: Imaging

To improve a robot's ability to "see", the fix is in the code.

Feature Image
INSIDER: Imaging

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a chip that allows new radar cameras to fit into the palm of your hand.

Feature Image
News: Aerospace

When astronauts return to Earth in the Orion spacecraft, they will reenter on an extremely hot and fast journey through the atmosphere before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. To protect...

Feature Image
News: Automotive

Two new systems for driverless cars can identify a user’s location and orientation in places where GPS does not function, and identify the various components of a road...

Feature Image
News: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The most important information that is immediately needed for earthquake disasters is the location, depth, and magnitude of the earthquake. The most common method of establishing an earthquake's...

Feature Image

Webcasts

Feature Image
On-Demand Webinars: Defense

From Data to Decision: How AI Enhances Warfighter Readiness

Feature Image
Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

April Battery & Electrification Summit

Feature Image
Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Tech Update: 3D Printing for Transportation in 2024

Feature Image
Upcoming Webinars: Materials

Unleashing Epoxy's Potential: Ensuring Hermetic Sealing in Modern...

Feature Image
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement

Building an Automotive EMC Test Plan

Feature Image
Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace

The Moon and Beyond from a Thermal Perspective

Videos