Articles: Energy
3D-Printed Lab on Wheels
Next-generation manufacturing takes on a 50-year-old icon as ORNL researchers transform the classic Shelby Cobra sports car into a 3D-printed laboratory on wheels. Additive manufacturing enables the seamless...
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Product of the Month: May 2018
ACCES I/O Products, San Diego, CA, announced the USB-AIO family of 12- and 16-bit USB analog I/O modules. The USB-AIO16-16F 16-bit, multifunction analog input/output board is suited for precision...
NASA Spinoff: Aerospace
All-in-One Lab Device Gets New Instruments via Software Update
Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Polymer-Based 2D-to-3D Transformable Surfaces
Technologies using stretchable materials are increasingly important. Yet, in general, it is not possible to control how they stretch with much more sophistication than inflating balloons. A method was developed that allows the calculated transformation of 2D stretchable surfaces into targeted 3D...
Briefs: Materials
Freeform Channel Close-Out for High-Performance Heat Exchangers
Large-scale liquid rocket engines with regeneratively cooled nozzles will enable reliable and reduced-cost access to space. The coolant that circulates through the internal...
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
Advanced Data Acquisition Technology Improves Global Weather Predictions
Azusa, CA
www.northropgrumman.com
Two critical instruments built by Northrop Grumman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
Briefs: Imaging
Large-Area Structural Damage Nondestructive Evaluation
When testing composite structures, it is important to understand the response of the structure to the load. Of significance is the formation of damage and growth of that damage leading...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Compact Science Experiment Module
Crew time on the International Space Station (ISS) is extremely limited for any operations on science payloads. Autonomous science experiments in small, self-contained, cubical payloads are highly desirable...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Laser Technique Detects Toxic Agents in the Atmosphere
A real-time instrument was developed that could scan the atmosphere for toxic agents in order to alert communities to a biological or chemical attack.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Correlation Spectrometer
Correlation spectroscopy is an attractive technique for sensing and analysis applications because it combines the attributes of mechanical and optical simplicity, high selectivity, and good sensitivity. In...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Mobile Instrument Detects and Samples Aerosol Particles
Hazardous airborne particles pose a risk for health and safety in a variety of environments; thus, detection of these small particles is essential. Current particle magnification systems are bulky and require a lot of power for operation, making them unsuitable to easily detect and analyze...
Articles: Aerospace
Products of Tomorrow: May 2018
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: Aerospace
Method for Transferring a Spacecraft from Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit to Lunar Orbit
This novel innovation from Ames Research Center allows spacecraft to share rides with larger spacecraft that are headed to Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). The secondary spacecraft is dropped off Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) at any time during the day...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Freeform Fabrication Using Electrically Conductive Filaments
The use of multifunctional composites such as mechanically reinforced, electrically and thermally conductive parts is of interest in a range of application areas. Especially interesting and important is where tailorability of function is achieved by strategic placement of materials...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A Fast, Non-Destructive Test for Two-Dimensional Materials
Thinning a material down to a single-atom thickness can dramatically change that material’s physical properties. Graphene, the best known two-dimensional (2D) material, has...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Printing Ink Removes Oxygen in Sealed Packages
Oxygen adversely impacts food flavor and nutrition. NASA’s proposed five-year shelf life for astronaut food requires aggressive measures to minimize oxygen. Previously, NASA packaged foods in containers with a high oxygen and moisture barrier. These materials have limiting properties. They contain...
Briefs: Materials
Method for Reducing Broadband Noise
Researchers at NASA’s Glenn and Langley Research Centers have developed a groundbreaking bio-mimicking acoustic liner for quieting noisy environments. Conventional approaches have not been able to absorb...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Novel 3D Printing Method Embeds Sensing Capabilities Within Robotic Actuators
Soft robots inspired by nature can crawl, swim, grasp delicate objects, and even assist a beating heart, but none of them has been able to sense and respond to the...
Briefs: Energy
Fabric Converts Kinetic Energy into Electric Power
A fabric was developed that converts kinetic energy into electric power. The greater the load applied to the textile and the wetter it becomes, the more electricity it generates. The woven fabric generates electricity when it is stretched or exposed to pressure. The fabric can currently generate...
Briefs: Aerospace
Flight Awareness Collaboration Tool (FACT)
Winter weather such as snow, freezing precipitation, and ice can impact airport surface operations. These conditions may result in significant disruptions in arrival and departure rates. To address...
5 Ws: Manufacturing & Prototyping
5 Ws of Invisible Glass
Users of consumer electronics devices and solar cells, and high-power pulsed laser applications.
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Surface-Field-Enhanced Detection of Deep UV Photons in Silicon Carbide Avalanche Photodetectors
While silicon carbide (SiC) is an ideal material for building ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors, the absorbed photons get recombined in the first few nanometers at the surface due to a large absorption coefficient in the 200- to 250-nm wavelength band....
Products: Communications
New on the Market: May 2018
JW Winco, New Berlin, WI, offers GN 2342 RoHS-compliant stainless steel assembly pins with three washer types available that place the bolt in an axial position in its insertion direction. The...
Briefs: Energy
Environmentally Friendly, Rechargeable Proton Battery
A working, rechargeable proton battery was developed that could store more energy than currently available lithium-ion batteries. Potential applications include household storage of...
Briefs: Aerospace
Novel Turboelectric Aircraft Design
NASA Langley Research Center has developed a novel aircraft design that can carry 150+ passengers over a range of 3,500 nautical miles. Key features include a turboelectric propulsion system, twin...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
The Less is More Approach to Robotic Cable Management
In recent years, cable management has come into the limelight because machine reliability has increased dramatically, even though robots have grown more complex. Unfortunately, the...
Technology Leaders: Communications
Understanding Smart Machines: How They Will Shape the Future
Powered by smart machines, the new industrial revolution is changing how machine builders design, and how manufacturers operate today and in the future. To remain competitive and...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Miniature Mass Spectrometer
For decades, mass spectrometers have offered a relatively fast and highly sensitive way to analyze and detect chemical compounds. But their bulky size has been a hindrance, limiting the in-field potential of the...
Q&A: Test & Measurement
Q&A: Brookhaven's Dr. Yimei Zhu Observes How Lithium Moves Inside Batteries
Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have observed how lithium moves inside individual nanoparticles that make up batteries. The finding could help...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Novel Radiation Shielding Material for Dramatically Extending the Orbit Life of CubeSats
NASA Langley Research Center has developed an innovative radiation shield made by layering metal materials in the Z-shielding method. It is a new, low-cost, and easy-to-implement method to protect CubeSat electronic circuits from ionizing radiation found in...
Briefs: Software
Reliable Geo-Limitation System for Unmanned Aircraft
NASA Langley Research Center has developed a breakthrough technology called Safeguard that can alleviate hazards with unmanned aircraft (UA) flying beyond their authorized perimeters and...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Piezomagnetic Material Changes Magnetic Properties When Stretched
Piezoelectric materials, which generate an electric current when compressed or stretched, are familiar and widely used; for example, lighters that spark when a switch is...
Briefs: Software
Technique Measures Temperature of 2D Materials at the Atomic Level
Newly developed two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene — which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms — have the potential to replace traditional microprocessing chips based on silicon, which have reached the limit of how small they can get. But engineers have...
Briefs: Materials
Anti-UV Technology Using Synthetic Biology
This technology uses extracts produced from yeast transformed with a new anti-UV DNA construct to block ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Briefs: Software
Grid Friendly™ Charger Controller
Electric vehicles are growing in popularity, and while they represent a cleaner alternative to fossil-fueled vehicles, their increased use may stress the grid if this growing load is left unmanaged. A need...
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Analysis of Molecules in Liquids on a Chip
Much can be detected in blood or urine — viral illnesses, metabolic disorders, or autoimmune diseases can be diagnosed with laboratory tests, for instance. But such examinations often take a few...
Briefs: Materials
Plastic Material Works as a Heat Conductor
Plastics are excellent insulators, meaning they can efficiently trap heat — a quality that can be an advantage in something like a coffee cup sleeve. But this insulating property is less desirable in products such as plastic casings for laptops and mobile phones that overheat, in part, because the...
Facility Focus: Government
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This year, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) marks 75 years as a research institution. Located in Oak Ridge, TN, ORNL is the largest US Department of Energy science and energy laboratory, conducting basic and...
Briefs: Medical
Technique Enables 3D Printing of Microstructures
Two-photon lithography (TPL), a high-resolution 3D printing technique, is capable of producing nanoscale features smaller than 1/100 the width of a human hair. The technique could enable X-ray...
Briefs: Energy
Thermal Energy Storage and Monitoring
Water heaters and other thermal energy storage devices increase the temperature of a medium above an ambient or normal temperature, and store the warmer medium. Water heaters, in particular, must store...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Variable Bypass Turbofan Engine
Many aircraft need to operate efficiently at more than one flight regime; for example, certain airframes are expected to perform in relatively high-speed cruise modes, as well as slower loitering scenarios. Unfortunately, an engine operates most efficiently when the exit velocity closely matches the speed of the...
Briefs: Aerospace
New Methods in Preparing and Purifying Nanomaterials
Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have made several breakthroughs in treating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanomaterials, improving their properties to supplant carbon nanotubes in many applications. These inventors have greatly enhanced the processes of intercalation and...
Briefs: Materials
3D Printing of Shape-Shifting Smart Gel
A “4D printing” method was developed for a smart gel that could lead to the development of living structures in human organs and tissues, soft robots, and targeted drug delivery.
Briefs: Energy
Nonaqueous Redox Flow Battery
Researchers have created a material that consists of carefully structured molecules designed to be particularly electrochemically stable in order to prevent the battery from losing energy to unwanted reactions....
Articles: Test & Measurement
Essential Principles for Designing and Specifying Laser Optics
Laser engineers are leveraging new materials, unusual gain mechanisms, and innovative cavity designs to push laser performance into new regimes. Pulse lengths are getting...
Application Briefs: Materials
Using Digital Microscopes as Inspection Tools
Digital microscopes are being automated and computerized to make them easier to use, display more data with more detail and precision, and expand their areas of application. With traditional...
Articles: Software
Novel Laser Power Sensor Technology for Process Control
The need to measure laser output characteristics, including average power, pulse energy, and pulse shape, is a common requirement across many industrial and research applications....
Articles: Imaging
High-Speed Multi-Sensor Imaging
Machine vision plays a key role in the automation of production processes. Since the advent of vision in industrial manufacturing, there have been many advances in camera and image sensor technology. Right...
Application Briefs: Lighting
Direct AC LED Engines
As the lighting industry continues to mature, vendors continue to pursue inexpensive lighting solutions that offer universal compatibility and are easy to install. For OEMs and manufacturers, LEDs have proven to be a...
Products: Energy
New Products: May 2018 Photonics & Imaging Technology
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence (North Kingstown, RI) has announced the Leica Absolute Scanner LAS-XL, a new ultralarge scale portable laser scanner. Designed...
Articles: Test & Measurement
3D Imaging in Space
NASA is digging ever more deeply into understanding the makeup of the surfaces of Mars and our Moon. A lot can be learned by sending instruments to land on these places, but vastly more can be discovered by...
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Will 3D Printing Get Past the Plastic?
Blog: Automotive
Answering Your Questions: Will Reducing Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Lead to Increased Particulate?
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
First Hybrid Nanotech Device Mimicking Blood-Brain Barrier
Researchers at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia fabricated an artificial device reproducing a 1:1 scale model of the blood-brain barrier, the anatomical and functional structure...
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Ultra-Thin Optical Fibers Offer New Way to 3-D Print Microstructures
For the first time, researchers have shown that an optical fiber as thin as a human hair can be used to create microscopic structures with laser-based 3D printing. The...
News: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Photoreversible Molecular Switch Changes Thermoresponsive Polymer
Researchers have developed a novel strategy to control the shapes of polymeric materials by utilizing photoresponsive molecular switches. This could aid the development of an...
News: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Shape-Memory Aerogels Created With Rubber-Like Elasticity
Polymeric aerogels are nanoporous structures that combine some of the most desirable characteristics of materials, such as flexibility and mechanical strength. It is nearly impossible...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Tracking X-Ray Laser Pulses at Record Speeds
To catch chemistry in action, scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory use the shortest possible flashes of X-ray light to create “molecular movies”...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Depth-Sensing Imaging System Can Peer Through Fog
MIT researchers have developed a system that can produce images of objects shrouded by fog so thick that human vision can’t penetrate it. It can also gauge the objects’ distance.
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Scientists Create First X-Ray Holographic Images of Viruses
Holography, like photography, is a way to record the world around us. Both use light to make recordings, but instead of two-dimensional photos, holograms reproduce...
INSIDER Product: Photonics/Optics
New Products: June 2018 Photonics & Imaging Insider
Sierra-Olympic Technologies (Hood River, OR) introduced the Tenum™640, a thermal imager with a 640 x 512 array and 10-micron pixel pitch. The new camera, from the...
Question of the Week: Electronics & Computers
Would You Wear a 'Mind-Reading' Headset?
A Tech Briefs TV video this week featured AlterEgo, a “mind-reading” wearable headset from MIT's Media Lab.
The technology allows a user to silently converse with a computing device, AI assistant, or application without any audible voice or discernible movements. The wearable device...
Blog: Green Design & Manufacturing
A New Approach to Solar-Powered Water Purification: Stay Cool
Blog: Data Acquisition
No Map Needed: ‘MapLite’ Sends Self-Driving Cars Off the Beaten Path
Podcasts: Robotics, Automation & Control
Here's an Idea: Listen to the Story of Humanoid Robots
Some conditions are too dangerous, or just too mundane, for people.
Blog: Semiconductors & ICs
When the Battery Runs Out, the ‘BATLESS’ Microchip Keeps Going
Blog: Electronics & Computers
‘Invisibility’ Material Offers Thermal Camouflage
Question of the Week: Green Design & Manufacturing
Can a 'Cool' Strategy Improve Water-Purification Efforts?
Researchers from the University of Buffalo found a counter-intuitive way of improving the water-purification process: keeping things cool.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
‘FingerPing’ Recognizes Micro Motions, Soundly
A new system from the Georgia Institute of Technology has a sound approach to recognizing tiny gestures of the hand.
INSIDER: Software
Software Uses Gaming Technology for Complex Simulations
A PhD student at The University of Manchester has developed a new method and software for using computer game technology to create large-scale simulations of violent fluid flows,...
INSIDER: Medical
Contact Lens Could Prevent Blindness
Diabetic retinopathy destroys cells of the retina, leading to blindness. Existing treatments are painful and invasive, involving lasers and injections into the eyeball. A Caltech graduate student...
News: Automotive
Depth-Sensing Imaging System Can Peer Through Fog
An inability to handle misty driving conditions has been one of the chief obstacles to the development of autonomous vehicular navigation systems that use visible light. These systems are...
Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping
What are your Biggest Manufacturing Challenges?
What parts of the design process are the most difficult? What information are you looking for now to help you with your job? Is there a specific technology area that can be challenging to find out the latest solutions for?
Blog: Materials
Wanted: Uses for a Beetle-Inspired 'Spider-Man' Adhesive
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Memristor Adds Cybersecurity Layer to IoT Devices
The Internet of Things makes our lives more streamlined and convenient, but the cybersecurity risk posed by millions of wirelessly connected devices remains a huge concern. UC Santa...
INSIDER: Internet of Things
“On a Roll” to Smaller Transformers
The future of electronic devices lies partly within the “internet of things” – the network of devices, vehicles and appliances embedded within electronics to enable connectivity and data...
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Answering Your Questions: Beyond Prototyping, How is 3D Metal Printing Being Used in the Automotive Industry?
Products: Electronics & Computers
Product of the Month: June 2018
Teledyne LeCroy, Chestnut Ridge, NY, introduced WaveSurfer 3000z oscilloscopes that feature a 10.1” capacitive touchscreen, a set of debug and analysis tools, multi-instrument capabilities,...
Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping
How Do You Feel About Back-Flipping Robots?
Have you seen the ‘Atlas’ humanoid robot running outside yet? Watch a demo of the Boston Dynamics technology on Tech Briefs TV.
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A ‘Symmetrical’ Approach Improves Wireless Microsensors
INSIDER: Materials
3D-Printed Smart Gel Grabs, Moves Objects
A 3D-printed smart gel that grabs objects and moves them could lead to soft robots that mimic sea animals like the octopus, which can walk underwater and bump into things without damaging them....
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Answering Your Questions: Why Are Companies Holding Back on 'Digital' Product Development?
Top Stories
NASA Spinoff: Transportation
Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Researchers Prove Their Elastic Exosuit Eases Back Stress
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
A Squid-Like Robot Swims, Untethered
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
How to Charge an Underwater Robot? A Mobile Docking Station
Videos: Materials
New Method for Large-Scale 3D Printing of Rocket Engines
Blog: Transportation
Question of the Week
Would You Use a ‘SwingBot?’
Webcasts
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Metal Injection Molding’s Role in Automotive
Upcoming Webinars: Materials
Technical Ceramics: The Powerhouse of Advanced Materials
Upcoming Webinars: Software
PPAP Reviews Using AI and Machine Learning
Upcoming Webinars: Motion Control
Customizing Actuators Using COTS Drive Components for Martian...
Webinars: Medical
2020 Create the Future Contest Awards
Upcoming Webinars: RF & Microwave Electronics
Advancement of Spectrum Analysis Techniques for Tracking,...
Trending Stories
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Using the IoT for Predictive Maintenance
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Better Densification of Cryogenic Liquid Rocket Propellants
Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Smart Sensors for Hazardous Areas
Blog: Electronics & Computers
New Metal-Air Battery Design Offers a Potential Boost to Electric Vehicles
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
