Articles: Imaging
Optimizing Industrial Embedded Imaging Development
Machine vision systems have traditionally consisted of stand-alone cameras tethered to PC-based boards or frame grabbers using highspeed interfaces such as Camera Link, CoaXPress and...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Imaging System Makes Back Surgery Safer, Faster, Less Expensive
Researchers at Dartmouth have found a way to make back surgery safer, faster, and more cost effective. MRIs and CT scans can help surgeons identify spine problems such as...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Clear Vision for UAVs
The rapidly expanding world-wide use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) — drones — is driving a growing market for specialized imaging technology. According to Chris Yiu, General Manager, High Performance BU at...
Products: Lighting
New Products: January 2019 Photonics & Imaging Technology
Now available from FRAMOS (Ottawa, Canada), the Sony IMX426 Pregius™ 3rd generation Global Shutter CMOS image sensor provides 9μm pixel size and reaches VGA...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
SPIE Photonics West 2019 Preview
The SPIE Photonics West 2019 technical conference and exhibition returns to The Moscone Center in San Francisco, February 2 through February 7, offering attendees the opportunity to explore the latest...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Decoding Multiple Frames From a Single Scattered Exposure
Engineers at Duke University have developed a way to extract a sequence of images from light scattered through a mostly opaque material — or even off a wall — from one long...
Briefs: Medical
New X-Ray Scanning Method Reveals How Particles Move in Solution
A new method of X-ray scanning will allow for the visualization of many more biological molecules, providing critical information about what is inside molecules to scientists...
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Ultrafast Laser Micromachining
Ultrashort pulse (USP) lasers for precision micromachining can minimize or avoid undesirable thermal effects that limit feature resolution, edge quality and, ultimately, product functionality. This is...
Briefs: Imaging
Ultra-Thin “Meta-Lens” Enables Full-Color Imaging
Light of different colors travels at different speeds in different materials and structures. This is why we see white light split into its constituent colors after refracting through a...
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Cleaning or Etching Items with Unique Geometries
Cleaning, an integral part of many manufacturing and maintenance processes, is often critical to the performance of a broad range of technologies in the semiconductor, defense, MEMS, photonics...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Microresonators Offer Simpler Approach to Sensing With Light Pulses
Ultrashort optical pulses are becoming more and more relevant in a number of applications including distance measurement, molecular fingerprinting and ultrafast sampling....
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Portable, Wearable, Ultrasound Transducer
Researchers have developed a new ultrasound transducer that could dramatically lower the cost of ultrasound scanners to as little as $100. Conventional ultrasound scanners use piezoelectric crystals...
Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have designed a superior seal assembly that is durable and highly dependable in extremely harsh environments. This...
Professor Bowles has developed a method to 3D-print cells to produce human tissue. This replacement tissue can greatly improve the recovery of a person with a...
Briefs: Medical
Imaging Technique Detects Skin Cancer Without Invasive Biopsy
Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a non-invasive imaging technique that accurately detects skin cancer...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Aircraft with Vectored Thrust for Control and Continuously Variable Pitch Attitude in Hover
Most fixed-wing VTOL unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) take off vertically, then transition to horizontal flight. This is a new type of UAV that has unique capability. It can vary its hover position from “nose up”...
Briefs: Imaging
Enhanced X-Ray Imaging Determines Molecular Structure
For more than 100 years, X-rays have been used in crystallography to determine the structure of molecules. At the heart of the method are the principles of diffraction and superposition,...
5 Ws: Imaging
5 Ws of the Lead-Detection Smartphone System
Individuals needing or wanting to examine lead content in their drinking water on-demand and in virtually any environmental setting.
The ability to fly at supersonic speed without producing unsettling sonic booms would re-open a path to faster commercial aviation. In pursuit of aerodynamics that...
Briefs: Materials
Microscopy Technique Works at Extreme Heat
A stainless steel alloy — alloy 709 — has potential for elevated-temperature applications such as nuclear reactor structures. It is exceptionally strong and resistant to damage when exposed to...
Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D Printing: The Impact of Post-Processing
The perception and promise of 3D printing are that it offers a digital workflow that is simple, fast, and automated — a process that is complexity-free. That perception is generally correct up to...
Briefs: Materials
Materials Move in Response to Light
In biology, there are many examples where light induces movement or change — think of flowers and leaves turning toward sunlight. Magnetic elastomeric composites were developed that move in different...
Briefs: Aerospace
Computed Tomography Inspection Applications in Additive Manufacturing
The ability of additive manufacturing to manage small volumes, create complex designs, and fabricate lightweight but strong structures makes it a natural fit for aerospace...
Briefs: Medical
Microchip Tracks Smart Pills
Researchers have developed a prototype miniature medical device that could ultimately be used in smart pills to diagnose and treat diseases. A key to the new technology is that its location can be precisely...
Briefs: Transportation
Optically Transparent Polyimide Aerogels
Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have expanded their growing portfolio of aerogels to include a new optically transparent polyimide aerogel. Aerogels — low-density, highly porous,...
Articles: Test & Measurement
Products of Tomorrow: January 2019
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that...
Briefs: Medical
Large-Volume Extruder for 3D Printers
A low-cost 3D bioprinter was built by modifying a standard desktop 3D printer with a syringe-based, large volume extruder (LVE). The extruder works with most open-source fused deposition modeling (FDM)...
Application Briefs: Imaging
High-Res Science Made Possible with 8K Footage from Space
Irvine, CA
www.red.com
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have delivered the first 8K ultra-high-definition (UHD) video of astronauts living, working, and...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
3D Printer Creates Complex Biological Tissues
A technique was developed that uses a specially adapted 3D printer to build therapeutic biomaterials from multiple materials. The advance could be a step toward on-demand printing of complex...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Device Measures Laser Power in Real Time
Lasers play roles in many manufacturing processes, from welding car parts to crafting engine components with 3D printers. To control these tasks, manufacturers must ensure that their lasers fire at...
Briefs: Materials
Composite Material Cools Itself Down Under Extreme Temperatures
A material, inspired by nature, can regulate its own temperature and could be used to treat burns and help space capsules withstand atmospheric forces. The research used a network of multiple microchannels with active flowing fluids (fluidics) as a method and proof-of-concept to...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Exhaust Plume Analyzer
Exhaust plumes emanating from smoke stacks at power plants or other industrial facilities can have adverse impacts on local aviation during periods of calm winds. Adverse impacts can be exacerbated if the temperature is low or the atmosphere is unstable. While low oxygen concentrations and elevated temperatures inside the...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Control of the Diameter and Chiral Angle Distributions During Production of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes
Pulsed laser vaporization (PLV) production of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on traditional Co/Ni catalyst was explored with...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Internal Short Circuit Testing Device to Improve Battery Designs
Batteries, such as lithium-ion, sold for consumer use in portable electronic devices and other applications such as electrical cars, occasionally fail in the field over time. These cells have typically passed a wide variety of safety tests such as those required by governmental...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Rapid Nucleic Acid Isolation Method and Fluid Handling Devices
Gene expression analysis measures the activity of genes and reveals valuable information about the internal states of living cells. NASA Ames has developed a novel system for...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Hybrid, Wide-Range Detector Amplifier
Many applications require detection of both very small and very large signals. High-gain detector amplifiers provide low noise, but are easily swamped by large signals. Logarithmic amplifiers provide a...
Briefs: Materials
New Material Composition Withstands Extreme Impact and Temperature
A super-strong alloy of copper and tantalum was created that can withstand extreme impact and temperature, providing high strength and good electrical conductivity. The alloy is a model system with structure that can be passed on to other alternative material systems. Materials...
Briefs: Medical
Shape-Shifting Material Morphs Using Heat and Light
A controllable material was developed that can transform into complex, pre-programmed shapes via light and temperature stimuli, allowing it to morph into a different shape before fully...
Briefs: Aerospace
Device for Providing Real-Time Rotorcraft Noise Abatement Information
Rotorcraft typically operate near the ground throughout the duration of the operation. For this reason, military rotorcraft are vulnerable to acoustic detection, and public acceptance of civil rotorcraft is limited by annoyance caused by rotor noise radiation. The purpose of...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Contaminant-Free Steel
For many highly stressed engineering applications like bearings and gears, contaminated steel parts can lead to devastating outcomes such as an emergency shutdown or the end of a mission. Ensuring that these critical...
Briefs: Imaging
Computer Detects and Understands Body Language
Detecting the nuances of nonverbal communication between individuals will allow robots to serve in social spaces, enabling them to perceive what people around them are doing, what moods they are...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Gateway Integrates Wireless Sensors with Existing Aircraft Systems
In traditional hardwired avionics systems, sensor integration requires installation of literally tons of physical cable that significantly increases vehicle weight and the...
Briefs: Medical
Compact Device for Detecting Rheumatoid Arthritis
A device that shows the difference between healthy fingers and arthritic fingers has been developed that combines ultrasound and photoacoustics medical imaging techniques. Combining these...
NASA Spinoff: Software
Design Software Transforms How Commercial Jetliners are Built
Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in...
Briefs: Medical
Ricocheting Radio Waves Monitor the Tiniest Movements
Infrared motion detectors can cover only a limited amount of space, a person has to be within the detector's line of sight to be detected, and lights can go off when a person remains...
Briefs: Materials
Spanwise Adaptive Wing
NASA's Glenn Research Center developed a novel means of articulating the outboard portion of an aircraft wing to create the optimal geometry for given flight conditions. The Spanwise Adaptive Wing (SAW) concept employs...
Application Briefs: Transportation
Vehicle Design with System-Level Modeling
Waterloo, ON, Canada
www.maplesoft.com
The demand for innovation is universal across industries, as new products are required to meet higher performance standards without...
Briefs: Medical
Soft Robotic “Sleeve” Fits Around the Heart to Help it Beat
Researchers have developed a customizable soft robot that fits around a heart and helps it beat, potentially opening new treatment options for people suffering from heart...
Briefs: Energy
Ancient Pigment Can Boost Energy Efficiency
Egyptian blue, derived from calcium copper silicate, was routinely used on ancient depictions of gods and royalty. Previous studies have shown that when Egyptian blue absorbs visible light, it then...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Li-ion Cell Calorimeter
Lithium-ion batteries are an integral part of energy storage systems used in NASA's Exploration program, as well as many modern terrestrial industries. NASA Johnson wanted a better way to measure total and fractional heat response of specific types of Li-ion cells when driven into a thermal runaway condition.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Magnetic, 3D-Printed, Moving Structures
Soft, 3D-printed structures have been created whose movements can be controlled with a wave of a magnet, much like marionettes without the strings. The structures that can be magnetically manipulated...
Briefs: Propulsion
Modular, Multi-Mode-Propulsion, Unmanned Aerial Concept
NASA's Langley Research Center has developed an unmanned aerial vehicle concept for long-range, distributed aerial presence and delivery applications. This aircraft concept is capable...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Pilot-Assisted Check Valve for Low-Pressure Applications
Check valves are traditionally designed as a simple poppet/spring system where the spring is designed to equal the force created from the sealing area of the valve seat multiplied by...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Automated Conflict Resolution for Air Traffic Control (AAC) Versions 1 and 2
A conflict resolution algorithm that can provide automated separation assurance for the next-generation air traffic control system has been developed. The algorithm generates resolution trajectories that can be sent to the aircraft from a ground-based system via a data...
Briefs: Medical
Platform Enables Modeling of a Human Heart on an Engineered Chip
Prescription drugs have enabled millions of Americans with chronic medical conditions to live longer and more fulfilling lives, but many promising new drugs never make it to...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Method and Means to Analyze Thermographic Data Acquired During Automated Fiber Placement
Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) machines can be susceptible to tow-tape defects such as gaps and overlaps. These can reduce strength between 7% and 32%....
Facility Focus: Electronics & Computers
Facility Focus: NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) has been a leader in human space exploration for more than half a century. Established in 1961 in Houston, TX as the Manned Spacecraft Center, the center...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Wearable “Microbrewery” Monitors Radiation Exposure
Radiology workers are regularly exposed to low doses of radiation when they obtain patient imagery such as X-rays. While protective gear largely keeps workers within a safe range of...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Membrane-Enhanced Lamina Emergent Torsion (M-LET) Joints
Lamina emergent compliant mechanisms (including origami-adapted compliant mechanisms) are mechanical devices that can be fabricated from a planar material (a lamina) and have motion...
Products: Imaging
Product of the Month: January 2019 Tech Briefs
EFCO, San Diego, CA, introduced the SmartSL Plus embedded box computer with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) capability. Powered by the 3rd Gen (Bay Trail) Intel® Atom™ or...
Briefs: Medical
Dynamic Spine Brace Characterizes Spine Deformities
Spine deformities, such as idiopathic scoliosis and kyphosis (also known as “hunchback”), are characterized by an abnormal curvature in the spine. The children with these spinal...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Large-Scale Robotic Inkjet Printing System
Painting of surfaces having numerous facets and/or curved surfaces is a time-consuming process that requires the application of several coats (layers) of paint. Such surfaces are often found on...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
3D Inks Can Be Erased Selectively
3D printing allows for the efficient manufacture of complex geometries. A very promising method is direct laser writing in which a computer-controlled focused laser beam acts as a pen and produces the...
Products: Imaging
New on the Market: January 2019
Eurocom, Nepean, ON, Canada offers Sky “C” Series laptop computers based on the Z370 Intel chipset and using CPU-upgrade-able, LGA1151 socket-based processors. They support up to...
Special Reports: Aerospace
Rugged Computing - January 2019
From the depths of the ocean to the extreme temperatures of space, computing advances enable applications in the harshest environments. To help you keep pace with the latest developments, we present this...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
‘Levitation’ Leads to More Durable MEMS Switches
Question of the Week: Communications
Do You Expect Successful Cyberattacks on Today’s Connected Cars?
In today’s lead story, Stacy Janes showed optimism regarding the security of connected cars.
Blog: Electronics & Computers
CES 2019: Artificial Intelligence Forecasts Famine
Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control
Can AI Prevent Famine?
Today's INSIDER story demonstrated how artificial intelligence models are being used to mark areas most in need of famine relief and funding. Ed Hsu from the World Bank spoke at CES last week about his collaboration with AI heavyweights Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Blog: Transportation
More from CES 2019: Attack Surfaces Expand as Cars Increasingly Connect
Podcasts: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Here's an Idea: Car Hacking
Question of the Week: Automotive
Do You Feel Safe Behind the Wheel of a Connected Car?
Our Here's an Idea podcast episode led the INSIDER today, and explored how today's auto manufacturers are working to protect connected cars from a range of threats, including ransomware and a remote takeover of the vehicle's controls.
INSIDER: Imaging
Detecting Light in a Different Dimension
Scientists from the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) — a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory — have dramatically improved...
INSIDER Product: Imaging
New Products: January 2019 Photonics & Imaging Insider
Pleora Technologies (Ottawa, Canada) introduced the imaging market’s first external frame grabber that converts Sony FCB-EV7520A block cameras into GigE...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
New Algorithm Can More Quickly Predict LED Materials
Researchers from the University of Houston have devised a new machine learning algorithm that is efficient enough to run on a personal computer and predict the properties of more than...
INSIDER: Materials
NASA Investigates Ultrafast Laser Machining for Spaceflight Applications
An ultrafast laser that fires pulses of light just 100 millionths of a nanosecond in duration could potentially revolutionize the way NASA technicians manufacture...
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Embodied Logic: Researchers Build Artificial Venus Flytrap
White Papers: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Choosing a CM: Find The Best Match by Asking the Right Questions
“Quality is often defined in manufacturing as a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and/or variations. It is brought about by a...
Question of the Week: Electronics & Computers
Will ‘Embodied Logic’ Support New Monitoring Applications?
In today’s lead INSIDER story, Professor Jordan Raney said that the most interesting feature of his embodied-logic system is its ability to monitor an environment for a very long period of time, without needing a continued input of energy.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Answering Your Questions: How to Sell Top Management on Failure Analysis, FMEA
INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping
3D-Printed Soft Mesh Robots Move on Water
North Carolina State created 3D-printed flexible mesh structures that can be controlled with applied magnetic fields while floating on water. The structures can grab small objects and carry water...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Ultraviolet Light Controls Fluid Flow
A simple, inexpensive method uses ultraviolet light to control particle motion and assembly within liquids. The method encourages particles to gather and organize at a specific location within a...
Top Stories
Articles: Automotive

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Blog: Imaging

With A.I., Robotic Exoskeletons Gain Self-Control
Blog: AR/AI

A Warning System for Self-Driving Cars Learns from Failures
INSIDER: Motion Control

Podcasts: Wearables

INSIDER: Semiconductors & ICs

Transistors Built from Ultra-Thin 2D Materials Take a Step Forward

Question of the Week
Will Underwater Exploration Go Battery-Free?
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Aerospace
Future of Military Embedded Systems with an Open Standards-based...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Using Thermoplastics on EV Battery Enclosures/Structures to...
Upcoming Webinars: Photonics/Optics
Optics and Coatings Technology
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Secrets to Efficiently Sustaining Your Automated Test System
Upcoming Webinars: Medical
Designing with Medical Grade Silicone: Considerations for Medical...
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Renishaw Encoder Improves Positional Accuracy for CNC Optical Maker
Articles: Motion Control

The Modern Industrial Workhorse: PID Controllers
Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Current-Signature Sensor for Diagnosing Solenoid Valves
Articles: Photonics/Optics

Hyperspectral Sensing for Defense and Security Applications
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Quality 4.0: How Wireless IoT Sensor Networks are Reshaping Manufacturing
Blog: Imaging
