August 2007

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Excerpts

This is the first in a series of excerpts from "Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success" by Dr. Ronald Hollis, President, CEO, and Co-founder of Quickparts.com (Atlanta, GA)....

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Articles: Electronics & Computers

The production of many electronic devices begins with wafer processing. In addition to complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs), this can include such diverse...

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Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control

The semiconductor industry and automation technology increasingly require more precise and faster machines in order to satisfy growing demands on miniaturization, quality, and...

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Application Briefs: Software
Presto Imaging Software
Inmagic
Woburn, MA
781-287-6277
www.inmagic.com

With every space shuttle mission, hundreds of individuals across NASA...

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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Bugatti Veyron is the world’s fastest street-legal motor vehicle, a high-end passenger car that can reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. These high speeds...

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Application Briefs: Motion Control

Complex machines in semiconductor manufacturing often have tough performance requirements for motion control. When traditional PLCor PC-based motion controllers fail to...

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Application Briefs: Software
MSC Nastran and MSC Adams Enterprise
Simulation Software
MSC.Software Corp.
Santa Ana, CA
714-540-8900
www.mscsoftware.com...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Theoretical analysis and some experiments have demonstrated that silicon-on-insulator (SOI) 4-gate transistors of the type known as G4FETs could be efficiently...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

QuickSilver Controls (San Dimas, CA) has released the QuickSilver IGF, a simple servo controller/driver for its line of NEMA 11, 17, and 23 frame high-torque, direct-drive servomotors. The QuickSilver IGF features a...

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Briefs: Electronics & Computers

An architecture, and a method of utilizing the architecture, have been proposed to enable error-free operation of a data bus that includes, and is connected to, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) circuits and...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Nidec Copal USA Corp. (Torrance, CA) has announced its family of brushless DC sub-miniature fans and blowers suitable for use in office automation machines, video cameras, and portable medical and small...

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Briefs: Software
Program Merges SAR Data on Terrain and Vegetation Heights

X/P Merge is a computer program that estimates ground-surface elevations and vegetation heights from multiple sets of data acquired by the GeoSAR instrument [a terrain-mapping synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system that operates in the X and P bands]. X/P Merge software combines data from...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Elmo Motion Control (Westford, MA) has announced the integration of its SimplIQ core servo technology with plug and play capabilities into the Duet series of brushless DC servo motors. The Duet can support resolver feedback,...

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Briefs: Information Technology
Two Algorithms for Processing Electronic Nose Data

Two algorithms for processing the digitized readings of electronic noses, and computer programs to implement the algorithms, have been devised in a continuing effort to increase the utility of electronic noses as means of identifying airborne compounds and measuring their concentrations. One...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Linear Actuator

Bishop-Wisecarver Corp. (Pittsburg, CA) has released the SRX-150, an aluminum profile linear actuator in belt- or ball-screw-driven versions. Both versions are available in 400, 600, 1000, 1500, and 1900 mm stroke lengths. The SRX-150 provides to 66kN dynamic load capacity, roll moment capacity to 3,380 Nm, and speeds to 5 m/s. A...

Briefs: Software
General-Purpose Front End for Real-Time Data Processing

FRONTIER is a computer program that functions as a front end for any of a variety of other software of both the artificial intelligence (AI) and conventional data-processing types. As used here, "front end" signifies interface software needed for acquiring and preprocessing data and making...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

TOPBALL® slide products from NB Corp. (Hanover Park, IL) offer 27 times more travel life to automation equipment, machinery, optical, and measuring instruments. Since the slide products have three times the load...

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Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

It has been proposed to equip future microprocessors with electronic cumulative timers, for essentially the same reasons for which land vehicles are equipped with odometers (total-distance-traveled...

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Products: Motion Control

Midwest Motion Products (Watertown, MN) has released the Model MMP-TM55-12V GPk52-124, a DC gearmotor that accepts any 12-volt DC source including battery power. This gearmotor measures 2.14" in diameter by 7.7" in length, and...

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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Nanocomposite Photoelectrochemical Cells

Improved, solid-state photoelectrochemical cells for converting solar radiation to electricity have been proposed. (In general, photoelectrochemical cells convert incident light to electricity through electrochemical reactions.) It is predicted that in comparison with state-of-the-art photoelectrochemical...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

AMETEK Technical and Industrial Products (Kent, OH) offers the PITTMAN® Series 1300 slotted brushless DC servomotors that are available in three lengths: 1.5", 2", and 2.5". The servomotors are housed in...

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Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Whenever a data acquisition (DAQ) system is moved from the controlled environment of the laboratory to validation testing or the manufacturing floor,...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Vector Fields (Aurora, IL) has announced a design software for rotating electrical machinery that is part of the OPERA electromagnetic design tool. The software combines finite element analysis modeling with a...

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Briefs: Electronics & Computers

The figure depicts a portable, handheld power drill with its attached powersupply unit, in which ultracapacitors, rather than batteries, are used to store energy. This ultracapacitor-powered drill is a...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Kerk Motion Products (Hollis, NH) offers the VHD Series anti-backlash assemblies suitable for eliminating drag and wear associated with high pre-load forces. The VHD assembly uses Kerk’s patented axial take-up mechanism,...

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Briefs: Materials

Photocatalytic/ magnetic composite particles have been invented as improved means of exploiting established methods of photocatalysis for removal of chemical and biological pollutants from air and...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

LM76 (East Longmeadow, MA) offers micro-positioning stages available in travel lengths from 10 mm to 200 mm. The Micro Stage linear positioning stages are available with 6-mm anti-backlash lead screws or 4-mm lead...

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Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

A special double-wall container and a process for utilizing the container are being developed to enable (1) acquisition of a sample of material in a "dirty" environment that may...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The ULT Series of direct-drive frameless motors from Applimotion (Loomis, CA) is available in sizes down to 27 mm in diameter with axial length to 8 mm and up to a 20-mm through hole. They operate from...

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Briefs: Medical

The figure schematically depicts a system of electronic hardware and software that noninvasively tracks the direction of a person’s gaze in real time. Like prior commercial noninvasive...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Helical Products (Santa Maria, CA) offers miniature couplings, u-joints, and machined springs with integrated attachment components. The line includes couplings with an unlimited variety of customized ends. All of these...

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Briefs: Medical
Detergent-Specific Membrane Protein Crystallization Screens

A suite of reagents has been developed for three-dimensional crystallization of integral membranes present in solution as protein-detergent complexes (PDCs). The compositions of these reagents have been determined in part by proximity to the phase boundaries (lower consolute boundaries)...

Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Haydon Switch & Instrument (Waterbury, CT) has added the size 14 hybrid to its line of linear actuators. The devices are available with a 0.9-degree step angle and come in all four designs: captive, non-captive, external...

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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Railguns, which propel a projectile using electromagnetic forces instead of chemical explosions, promise to revolutionize projectile launchers. Such guns have...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Beswick Engineering (Greenland, NH) has released the PCFCD-1N1, an ultra-miniature pressure-compensated flow control valve with low-friction diaphragm. The device is designed to maintain a constant...

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Briefs: Physical Sciences

In a proposed scheme for coupling light into a quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP), an antenna or an array of antennas made of a suitable metal would be fabricated on the face of what would...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

The AEGIS SGR™ Conductive MicroFiber™ Shaft Grounding Ring from Electro Static Technology (Mechanic Falls, ME) is suitable for predictive maintenance programs on VFD-controlled AC and DC motors. By protecting...

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Briefs: Physical Sciences

Suits cooled by evaporation of water have been proposed as improved means of temporary protection against high temperatures near fires. When air temperature exceeds 600 °F (316 °C)...

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Products: Robotics, Automation & Control

Aerotech (Pittsburgh, PA) offers the ABRT series rotary air-bearing stages that provide 360-degree continuous travel with resolution to 0.027 arc sec. Payload capacity is up to 69 kg.

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Briefs: Physical Sciences

Electronic tongue 2 (E-tongue 2) represents the second generation of the apparatus described in "Electronic Tongue for Quantitation of Contaminants in Water" (NPO-30601), NASA Tech...

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Briefs: Information Technology

NASA Dryden presents an improved and automated site-specific algorithm for heat-stress approximation using standard atmospheric measurements routinely obtained from the Edwards Air Force Base weather...

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Briefs: Information Technology

A method of automated testing of software has been developed that provides an alternative to the conventional mostly manual approach for software testing. The method combines (1) automated...

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Who's Who: Sensors/Data Acquisition

NASA recently tested the Nano ChemSensor, the first nanotechnology- based electronic device to fly in space. The test showed that the sensor could monitor trace gases inside a...

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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Rover Wheel-Actuated Tool

A report describes an interface for utilizing some of the mobility features of a mobile robot for general-purpose manipulation of tools and other objects. The robot in question, now undergoing conceptual development for use on the Moon, is the All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) rover, which is...

Briefs: Physical Sciences
Second-Generation Electronic Nose

A report discusses the second generation of the JPL Electronic Nose (ENose), an array of 32 semi-specific chemical sensors used as an event monitor to identify and quantify contaminants released into breathing air by leaks or spills. It is designed to monitor the environment for changes in air quality, and is...

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The recent introduction of uninhabited aerial vehicles [UAVs (basically, remotely piloted or autonomous aircraft)] has spawned new developments in autonomous operation and posed new...

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Products

SolidWorks Corp., Concord, MA, has announced SolidWorks® 2008 3D CAD software that features a new user interface and 3D graphics, an enhancement of the SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT), and...

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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Cobra Probes Containing Replaceable Thermocouples

A modification of the basic design of cobra probes provides for relatively easy replacement of broken thermocouples. [Cobra probes are standard tube-type pressure probes that may also contain thermocouples and that are routinely used in wind tunnels and aeronautical hardware. They are so named...

Tech Needs
High-Birefringence Optical Material

A high-birefringence optical material suitable for implementation in optical systems is sought. This material has several qualities of interest beyond high birefringence: high hardness, making it amenable to standard polishing and manufacturing processes; low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion); low CTRI...

Tech Needs
Freshness Indicator for Consumer Packaging

A technology is sought that indicates that a product packed into a rigid metal container has not been tampered with and/or degraded over time. The solution must incorporate a method of communicating this information to the packager, retailer, or consumer. After packaging, and depending on the product,...

Techs for License
Printable Biosensor for On-Site, Online Measurements

Bioactive Hybrid Materials for Photonic Microsystems It allows samples to be analyzed on site within a few minutes by integrating biotechnology, information technology, electronics, physics, and chemistry to realize small and cost-effective bio-photonic microsystems.

Techs for License
High Performance Single Crystal Piezoelectrics

The new single crystals offered here possess exceptional properties and are poised to revolutionize piezoelectric materials applications. In addition to strain levels exceeding 1% (usable strain: 0.5% at 35 kV/cm), these crystals exhibit five times the strain energy density of conventional...

Techs for License
Novel Nano-Structured Concept for Thermal Protection System

Lightweight carbon-carbon (C/C) composites produced by pressure-assisted co- polymerization of carbon fibers, hydrocarbons and fullerenes have excellent mechanical properties and high thermal stability that make them ideal for thermal protection applications.

Techs for License
Mathematically Lossless Compression for Real-Time Medical Imaging

Qbit’s proprietary line of data compression software offers 100% mathematically lossless data reconstruction that ensures that every bit is reconstructed. It allows for an increase in digital throughput, workflow speed, and acts as an enabling technology for applications that...

Techs for License
Automated, In-Process Method for Surface Contamination Inspection of Panels

This patented surface contamination detection system enables accurate, automated, in-line inspection of metallic and composite panels prior to bonding, coating, painting, or welding operations. This technology is currently used for realtime, in-process panel inspection...

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New! Digital Design Center

NASA Tech Briefs has launched the Digital Design Center, sponsored by Autodesk, that provides a one-stop source for the latest information on digital prototyping, simulation, and analysis tools to help designers and engineers design better products faster.

The site features CAD and CAE software news, design and...

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Tech Needs of the Week

A company seeks a material that will be used to transmissive-polarize 630-nanometer LED emissions. The material will be cut into flat disks no thicker than 2 mm. Diameters range from 9 mm to 72 mm. Temperature ranges are from -40 to 125 degrees Celsius for operation and -55 to 150 degrees Celsius for storage. Click here to...

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Coming Attractions

SolidWorks® 2008 3D CAD software from SolidWorks Corp. (Concord, MA) has been named NASA Tech Briefs' Product of the Month for August. The latest version of the software features a new user interface and 3D graphics, an enhancement of the SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT), and advanced design analysis...

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Create the Future

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Innovative design ideas are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security;...

INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

Dramatic changes are taking place in the way U.S. service men and women prepare for their assignments. Since 9/11, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is moving from a training cycle in which...

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INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Embedded Development and the .NET Micro Framework

The scenario:

You’ve been assigned the task of designing and producing an embedded device. You’ve been given time, cost and size constraints that impact your design. An initial analysis of the requirements leads you to the conclusion that a 32-bit processor with a relatively small...

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Printer Peril

A study by scientists at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia has determined that some laser printers used in offices and homes release tiny particles of toner-like material into the air that people can inhale deep into their lungs, where they may pose a health hazard.

The study team classified 17 out of 62...

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Tech Needs of the Week

A company seeks technologies that will replicate the crunch and taste of batter-dipped, deep-fried food in a convenience food stored in a freezer and rapidly prepared in a microwave. The technology would limit the migration of water molecules during freezer storage and microwaving. All ingredient-based solutions must be...

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Current Attractions

Each month, NTB highlights tech briefs related to a particular area of technology in a special section called Technology Focus. Here are some of the technologies featured in the August issue focus on Data Acquisition.

Two Algorithms for Processing Electronic Nose Data

Kennedy Space Center has developed two...

Blog: Software
Digital Design Center

NASA Tech Briefs' new Digital Design Center, sponsored by Autodesk, provides a one-stop source for the latest information on how to design better products faster. Featured on the site is the first in a series of exclusive excerpts from the new book, "Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success" by Dr. Ronald Hollis,...

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Create the Future

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Innovative design ideas are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security;...

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Novel Hydrogels

Scientists at the University of Delaware (UD) have developed a new biomaterial with antibacterial properties that can be injected as a low-viscosity gel into a wound, where it becomes rigid nearly on contact. The gel could be used to deliver a targeted payload of cells and antibiotics to repair damaged human tissue. Applications...

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Technology Business Briefs

Automatic Sampling for Critical Dimension Measurement

This technology performs inspection of features on randomly selected fields for process control without over sampling or under sampling, thereby obtaining statistically accurate results and increasing production throughput.

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Current Attractions

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California has partnered with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to demonstrate technologies that will expand the capabilities of remotely operated, unmanned aircraft to perform high-altitude Earth science missions. GA-ASI developed a version of its Predator reconnaissance...

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Innovate and Win!

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes. Enter your design idea in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Entries are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and...

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Crime-Busting Tool

A team from Imperial College London's Department of Chemical Engineering has developed a new fingerprinting technique that could detect the diet and sex of a suspected criminal. The technique collects fingerprints along with their chemical residue and keeps them intact for future reference. Chemical residues contain a few...

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Techs of the Week

An infrared web moisture sensor, which is substantially temperature- and basis-weight insensitive comprises a source of infrared radiation for directing an infrared beam through the web, and an infrared detecting unit on the other side of the web that measures the transmission of the beam through the web at three separate...

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Out of Joint

Engineers at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom have developed a new diagnostic test that detects loosened artificial hip implants. The test measures the frequency of sound produced when the femur bone in the leg is vibrated. The method is more sensitive than the conventional method of using x-rays, and can diagnose much...

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Innovate and Win!

The 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs, is open for entries in these categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security; Transportation; and Sustainable Technologies.

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Drive-by-Wire

In an ultimate example of "motion control," a team of Virginia Tech engineering and geography students have will compete in the national Urban Challenge autonomous vehicle competition sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The team was one of only 11 "track A" teams chosen in 2006 to receive $1 million...

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Current Attractions

Automation technology requires more precise and faster machines in order to meet growing demands on manufacturing cost reduction. Linear motors are becoming more important in applications like these with one or more feed axes. In an article in the August issue of Motion Control Technology™, Heidenhain Corporation outlines...

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New Products
LM76 (East Longmeadow, MA) offers micro-positioning stages available in travel lengths from 10 mm to 200 mm. The Micro Stage linear positioning stages are available with 6-mm anti-backlash lead screws or 4-mm lead ball screws. They are suitable for pick-and-place, assembly, sampling, testing, and robotics. The Lead Screw Micro Stage...
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Innovate and Win!

The 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs, is now open for entries in these categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security; Transportation; and Sustainable Technologies.

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Mini Devices

Purdue University researchers have developed tiny devices that are implanted in the brain to predict and prevent epileptic seizures, and a nanotech sensor implanted in the eye to treat glaucoma. The first project is a transmitter three times the width of a human hair that is implanted below the scalp to detect signs of an epileptic...

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Tech Needs of the Week

A company is seeking to increase the efficiency of solar-based hydrogen generation systems. They are seeking technologies to develop a new module with at least 16 percent solar to hydrogen (STH) efficiency. Of particular interest are research organizations such as universities and the venture organizations that work...

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Brain Map

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for Neuroscience has developed and is using translational, interactive 3D technology to map the human brain and guide surgeons during epilepsy surgery, and to help determine the location of brain tumors for removal. The 3D mapping guides surgeons during epilepsy procedures to see exactly where...

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Create the Future

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Innovative design ideas are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security;...

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NASA Tech Briefs Free Webinar
Specialty Lubrication in New Product Design Wednesday, September 19, 2007, 2:00 PM EST

Lubricants are often the forgotten components in the design of moving elements. Last-minute redesign and changes can be avoided by considering lubricant performance needs during the design phase. High-performance equipment...

Excerpts

This is the second in our series of excerpts from "Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success" by Dr. Ronald Hollis, President, CEO, and Co-founder of Quickparts.com (Atlanta,...

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Lab on a Chip

A Florida State University researcher has designed a smart "traffic system" that is small enough to fit on a microchip. The lab-on-a-chip device, when exposed to very low magnetic fields, can be used as a portable tool for diagnosing human illnesses. With the system, doctors would not have to wait days for lab results. It would be...

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Technology Business Briefs
Equipment Anti-Theft Technology

This technology provides a module for preventing unauthorized initiation and operation of equipment. Once the equipment is operating, the key can be removed and the equipment will continue to operate. Click here for more info.

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Innovate and Win!

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes. Enter your design idea in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Entries are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and...

Blog: Electronics & Computers
Beyond Batteries

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers have developed a new energy storage device that resembles a sheet of black paper. The nanoengineered battery is lightweight, ultra-thin, flexible, and geared toward meeting the design and energy requirements of tomorrowís gadgets, implantable medical equipment, and transportation...

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Techs of the Week

METTEX is a new electroplating solution for coating consumable metals that can be used to replace chrome as an industrial and decorative coating. The finished product will have superior coating of industrial-strength hardness, thus achieving a high quality of plating luster and beauty, better wear resistance, lubricity, and...

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Chip-Cooling

Purdue University researchers, in a project funded by Intel, have demonstrated a new technology using tiny "ionic wind engines" that could dramatically improve computer chip cooling. The new technology could help engineers design thinner laptop computers that run cooler than today's machines.

The researchers showed that the...

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Digital Design Center

NASA Tech Briefs has launched the Digital Design Center, sponsored by Autodesk, that provides a one-stop source for the latest information on digital prototyping, simulation, and analysis tools to help designers and engineers design better products faster.

Blog
Innovate and Win!

The 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs, is open for entries in these categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security; Transportation; and Sustainable Technologies.

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Nano CAD

Duke University engineers have adapted a computer-aided design (CAD) method and manufacturing process to reproduce nanosized structures with features on the order of a single molecule. The process used the computing language of macroscale milling machines to guide an atomic force microscope (AFM).

The process produced 3D silicon...

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Got Milk Images?

A computer graphics model created at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) capable of generating realistic milk images based on the fat and protein content could impact the areas of diagnostic medicine, food safety, and atmospheric science. When the graphics model is told how much fat and protein you want in your milk,...

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Digital Design Center

NASA Tech Briefs has launched the Digital Design Center, sponsored by Autodesk, that provides a one-stop source for the latest information on digital prototyping, simulation, and analysis tools to help designers and engineers design better products faster.

Featured on the site are white papers highlighting design...

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Hot CAD/CAE Products
Autodesk (San Rafael, CA) has announced an update to Project Freewheel, a free Web service that enables users to share designs via a built-in messaging tool. Using Project Freewheel, users can share 3D and 2D designs in real-time collaboration sessions. Participants can pan, zoom, and orbit, and everyone sees the same...
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Create the Future

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Innovative design ideas are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security;...

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3D Imaging of Cells

A new imaging technique developed at MIT has allowed scientists to create the first 3D images of a living cell using a method similar to an X-ray CT (computed tomography) scan. The technique could be used to produce the most detailed images yet of what goes on inside a living cell without the use of fluorescent markers or...

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Tech Needs of the Week

A transparent thin coating or film to be applied on cross-linked polystyrene blocks would be in contact with an aqueous couple gel to improve scratch resistance and surface hardness. The coating must be optically transparent or opaque but not colored, and the thickness of the coating must be on the order of 1 micron. Click...

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Metals and Diseases

A team of multi-institutional researchers led by Emory University has defined for the first time how metal ions bind to amyloid fibrils in the brain in a way that appears toxic to neurons. Amyloid fibrils are linked to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and...

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Create the Future

Your unique invention could win you $20,000 or other great prizes in the 2007 Create the Future Design Contest, presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NASA Tech Briefs. Innovative design ideas are being accepted in six categories: Machinery, Equipment, and Component Technology; Consumer Products; Medical; Safety and Security;...

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Fill 'Er Up With Hydrogen?

Widespread use of hydrogen fuel to run auto engines has remained a dream in part because of the high production cost - four times that of gasoline. That could change with a new production process developed at Ohio University and licensed to American Hydrogen Corp., a subsidiary of American Security Resources (Houston,...

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Patents for Sale/License

Physical Presence Digital Authentication System

The interactive authentication system allows a consumer to interact with a base station, such as broadcast media (e.g., television and radio) or PC, to receive coupons, special sales offers, and other information with an electronic card.

Control of Toys and...

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Stereolithography Guide

Among rapid prototyping technologies, stereolithography (SL) - in which a laser is used to produce plastic parts layer by layer from CAD data - is the oldest and most prevalent, representing about 75% of what is known as the additive fabrication market. A new book by the co-founder of

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Create the Future Contest

Have you entered the sixth annual Create the Future Design Contest? You could win $20,000 and gain worldwide publicity for your idea. Presented by SolidWorks Corp. and NTB, the contest recognizes outstanding innovations in product design. Co-sponsors include COMSOL, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Hewlett-...

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Converting Pollution into Products

A new research center set to open in October at the University of Nottingham will investigate ways to trap and store carbon dioxide permanently, converting it into safe commercial products. One promising technology binds CO2 extracted from burning coal to silicate-based rocks such as serpentine,...

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The Amazing Spider Material

Peter Parker, watch out. You have competition from scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), who are seeking to create super-materials based on the dragline silk of the black widow spider. The widow's dragline is much stronger than other spider silks and can absorb enormous amounts of energy. UCR's...

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Techs of the Week

Researchers have developed a thin-film alloy of magnesium and titanium that, when applied to glass, may be easily switched between a reflective and transparent state. When exposed to a hydrogen atmosphere (about 1%) that is devoid of oxygen, the film forms a reflecting mirror. In an oxygen atmosphere of about 20% absent...

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NASA Briefs

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has devised a compact, portable, less-expensive alternative to fMRI machines used to study brain function. Whereas typical fMRI systems fill a large room, this infrared imaging system would fit inside a modified bicycle helmet. Get more info here.

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Event Alert

Bart Riley, founder of A123Systems (Watertown, MA), will be a keynote speaker at the National Nano Engineering Conference (NNEC) on November 14 in Boston, MA. A123Systems produces high-power lithium ion batteries based on a novel nanoscale material developed at MIT. The batteries enable "previously unattainable levels of power,...

Blog: Manned Systems
NASA News

Following severe heat and drought in the West and Southeast this summer, NASA and the U.S. Forest Service are testing technologies developed by NASA and the military to improve wildfire imaging and mapping capabilities. Through September, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is conducting flights of a remotely piloted unmanned aircraft...

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Tech Needs of the Week

An organization wants to reduce magnetron sputtering deposition times from 17 hours to 2-3 hours. They are seeking novel ways to reduce deposition and run times while meeting the same coating performance requirements as it currently does. Approaches would be to develop a novel coating design by using alternative materials,...

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Coming Attractions

This monthly review lets you "meet" the new advertisers appearing in NTB and its supplements. Here's a sneak peek at the products, services, and offers available from September's first-time advertisers.

Craftech Industries (Hudson, NY) offers advanced plastic fasteners and components in high-performance plastics such as...

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Girls and Science

It's back-to-school time again, and the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program is once again seeking to broaden the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education fields by supporting research, the diffusion of...

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