Briefs: Transportation
Electrode Design Boosts Supercapacitor Performance
Supercapacitors are rechargeable energy storage devices that deliver more power for their size than similar-sized batteries. They also recharge quickly, and they last for hundreds to thousands of recharging cycles. Today, they are used in hybrid cars’ regenerative braking systems and for other...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Built-In Temperature Sensing Method in a Microheater
NASA Ames Research Center has developed an innovative built-in temperature sensing method for micro-heaters. The temperature sensing of chip-based microheaters is conventionally done with...
Products: Test & Measurement
New on the Market: August 2018
NK Technologies, San Jose, CA, introduced DT-FD Series DC current transducers that provide a large sensing window and the ability to safely monitor circuits with voltages up to...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Hybrid Optics for Color Imaging
Today's glass-based lenses are bulky and resist miniaturization. To address the problem, two different imaging methods — a type of lens designed for nanoscale interaction with lightwaves, and robust...
Briefs: Data Acquisition
Information Sharing Protocol VCR (ISPVCR)
The Information Sharing Protocol (ISP) VCR (ISPVCR) is a software program written in Tcl/Tk that provides the capability to record and play back ISP data (telemetry, computations, ground system status, etc.) via Source Independent Telemetry Format (SITF) files. The ISPVCR provides a graphical user...
Application Briefs: Test & Measurement
System Tests Dream Chaser's Atmospheric Flight Control System
Owosso, MI
www.sakor.com
SAKOR Technologies supplied a test system to Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI) to be used to test the...
Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
Hyperfine Interpolated Range Finding for CW Lidar, Radar, and Sonar Using Repeating Waveforms and Fourier Transform Reordering
NASA's Langley Research Center has developed a novel fine interpolation technique that is useful in signal processing for applications in lidar, sonar, radar, and similar modalities. The interpolation technique uses...
Briefs: Communications
Location Awareness Algorithm for Internet of Things Devices
Positioning of wireless devices is centralized, depending on “anchors” with known locations such as cell towers or GPS satellites to communicate directly with each device. As the number of devices increases, anchors must be installed at higher density. Centralized positioning can...
Facility Focus: Materials
Air Force Research Laboratory
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, was formed in October 1997 through the consolidation of four former Air Force laboratories and the Air Force...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Modified, 3D-Printable Alloy for Flexible Electronics and Soft Robots
Liquid metal printing is integral to the flexible electronics field. Additive manufacturing enables fast fabrication of intricate designs and circuitry. The field features...
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Product of the Month: August 2018
Pepperl+Fuchs, Twinsburg, OH, introduced the R200 and R201 photoelectric sensors in a design that is suitable for specific mounting situations. Standardized IO-Link connection via smart sensor profiles...
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Conical, Floating-Piston Isolation Valve
A new valve concept consists of a solid piston floating in a medium to control a flowstream. Although the conical shape of the seat is a prominent feature of the valve, especially when the concept was...
Application Briefs: Software
High-Speed Reluctance Machine Design
Silphenix GmbH is an engineering and consulting firm in Switzerland specializing in high-speed electrical machines, magnetic bearings, and electromagnetic field analysis. One project focus is compact...
Briefs: Materials
Fast, Low-Voltage Actuator for Soft and Wearable Robotics
The unique capabilities of soft robots are to bend, deform, stretch, twist, or squeeze in all the ways that conventional rigid robots cannot. Today, it is easy to envision a world in...
Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Drive Technology: The Recipe for Precise Actuator Control
Worldwide, there are only a handful of manufacturers of electrical actuators for the process industry, and the Vienna, Austria-based company Schiebel Antriebstechnik GmbH is the...
Articles: Imaging
Machine Vision Can Do More Than You Think
The ability to automatically extract information from digital images opens many doors for manufacturers striving to cut costs, improve quality, and streamline their processes overall. The primary...
Briefs: Motion Control
Ultra-Thin Capacitive Sensor Has the Least Possible Resistance to Motion
A thin and flexible sensor was developed for sensing sounds, since it can move with the airflow made by even the softest noises. With the least possible resistance to motion, the sensor addresses issues with accelerometers, microphones, and many other similar sensors. The...
Articles: Materials
IMTS2018 Preview
Presented by the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) has been the premier manufacturing technology show in the Northern Hemisphere. IMTS is held every even...
Briefs: Aerospace
Variable-Camber Compliant Wing
In the early years of manned flight, wing warping was used for lateral control of an aircraft. This technique consisted of a system of pulleys and cables used to twist the trailing edges of the wings in...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Using Direct Current with Inverter Technology in Resistance Welding
Resistance welding with direct current (DC) using inverter technology reduces costs by improving quality, reducing maintenance, and increasing productivity. Switching from...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Autonomous Crop-Counting Robot
Today's crop breeders are trying to boost yields while preparing plants to withstand severe weather and changing climates. To succeed, they must locate the genes for high-yielding, hardy traits in crop...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Hydraulic-Based Spherical Robot
Current spherical robots rely upon rotating mechanical weights inside the sphere to change the center of gravity of the sphere, causing the robot to roll. The use of rotating mechanical weights is not optimal due to the reliance upon moving parts, which can present burdensome maintenance issues. It would be...
Products: Sensors/Data Acquisition
New Products: August 2018 Motion Design
TRINAMIC Motion Control (Hamburg, Germany) announced the TMC-4671 fully integrated servo controller IC that provides field-oriented control for BLDC/PMSM and 2-phase...
Briefs: Motion Control
Integrated Inverter for Controlling Multiple Electric Machines
There are applications that require multiple electric machine drives, such as electric or hybrid electric vehicles, where there is a main traction motor and one or more accessory...
Briefs: Energy
Water-Based Battery Stores Solar and Wind Energy
Wind and solar energy generation creates challenges, since the Sun only shines by day, and sometimes the wind doesn't blow. Another variability is surges of demand on the grid. On a hot day when air conditioning is in use, utilities must have load-balancing strategies to meet peak demand. A...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Crystal-Free Formation of Non-Oxide Optical Fiber
Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center have devised a method for the creation of crystal-free non-oxide optical fiber preforms. Non-oxide fiber optics are extensively used in...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Power Outlet Analyzes Electrical Current Usage
Electrical interruptions, or “nuisance trips,” occur when a detector installed behind the wall trips an outlet's electrical circuit when it senses something that could be an arc-fault — a potentially dangerous spark in the electric line. The problem with today's arc-fault detectors is that...
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Products of Tomorrow: August 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: Materials
Method 3D-Prints Marine-Grade Stainless Steel
Marine-grade stainless steel is valued for its performance under corrosive environments, and for its high ductility — the ability to bend without breaking under stress. But conventional...
Briefs: Materials
Artificial “Blubber” Protects Divers in Frigid Water
When Navy SEALs carry out dives in Arctic waters, or when rescue teams are diving under ice-covered rivers or ponds, the survival time even in the best wetsuits is very limited — as...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Thermally Conductive Crystals Dissipate Electronics Heat
The inner workings of high-power electronic devices must remain cool to operate reliably. High internal temperatures can make programs run slower, freeze, or shut down. To address this issue, researchers have optimized the crystal-growing process of boron arsenide — a material that has...
Briefs: Software
Simulation Technique Models Material-Aging Process
The nation's aging infrastructure requires massive investment. Imagine if engineers could build structures with materials that do not degrade over time. A simulation technique was developed that could help engineers do just that.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Ultra-Low Power Consumption for Data Recording
New phase change material was developed that has electrical characteristics that behave differently than those of conventional materials. This new material provides a drastic reduction in power consumption for data recording in nonvolatile random access memory (RAM).
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Microcontroller Altimeter (uCA)
Traditional altitude switch designs for harsh environments are mechanical in nature and operate by means of an inflatable bladder or bellows that mechanically depresses a pushbutton switch. The altitude trip point is set by mechanically adjusting the distance of the switch to the bellows. The mechanical action of...
5 Ws: Defense
5 Ws of the PHADE Addressing System
PHADE could be used by government agencies to enhance public safety; for example, the government can deploy cameras in high-crime or high-accident areas, and warn specific users about potential...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Portable Brain Imaging System
Currently, concussion is measured by the symptoms someone experiences, but it is difficult to know what is happening in the brain in any one person. To address this problem, a portable brain imaging system was...
Briefs: Energy
Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Lithium-Metal Batteries
Lithium-metal batteries — which can hold up to ten times more charge than lithium-ion batteries — haven't been commercialized because of a fatal flaw: as the batteries charge and...
Briefs: Medical
Self-Powered Paper Patch Measures Glucose
The most common methods for glucose self-testing involve monitoring glucose levels in blood. These conventional measurements are not suitable for preventing hypoglycemia during exercise. The...
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Optimized Imager Tracks Cancer and Stem Cells in Medical Research
After earning his doctorate, Debashish Roy set about creating a business from the biological imaging device he'd helped invent as a graduate student. The system held promise...
Briefs: Materials
Printing Flexible, Stretchable Silver Nanowire Circuits
Silver nanowires have drawn significant interest in recent years for use in many applications ranging from prosthetic devices to wearable health sensors due to their flexibility,...
Briefs: Software
Modification of SURFICE Code
As part of the continued thermal support for the Space Launch System (SLS) program, MSFC is constantly developing or modifying software tools to aid in analytical efforts to solve thermal issues and problems posed by the project. In some cases, existing software used by previous heritage programs provides an...
Briefs: Materials
Non-Invasive Diabetes Monitoring Patch
An effective, non-invasive way of monitoring blood glucose could help both diabetics and those at risk of developing diabetes make the right choices to either manage the disease well, or reduce their...
Briefs: Nanotechnology
Supersonic Waves Enable Heat Management in Electronics Devices
Researchers have observed waves of atomic rearrangements, known as phasons, propagating supersonically through a vibrating crystal lattice — a discovery that may dramatically...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Hardface Coating Systems for Wear and Corrosion Resistance
Metal alloys, such as titanium alloys and steels, are known to have a good combination of mechanical properties for many structural applications, but these metal alloys do not meet the wear and corrosion resistance requirements for some structural applications. Titanium alloys, for...
Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Key Technologies Needed to Advance Mission-Critical IoT
By 2028, virtually all major sensing and feedback systems benefiting from continuous monitoring will connect to devices currently known as the Internet of Things (IoT). As that...
Briefs: Materials
Material Brings Optical Communication onto Silicon Chips
An increase in computing performance has been achieved by squeezing ever more transistors into a tighter space on microchips. This downsizing has also meant packing the wiring within...
Briefs: Aerospace
Comprehensive Software Simulation on Ground Special Power at Kennedy Space Center
As the number of channels, or operative sites, increases in present and future ground special power (GSP) development efforts, the amount of hardware required to test development codes becomes substantially expensive. By simulating/emulating the hardware, code...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
3D Printing of All-Liquid 3D Structures
A method was developed for printing 3D structures composed entirely of liquids. Using a modified 3D printer, threads of water were injected into silicone oil, sculpting tubes made of one liquid within...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Linear Resonators Make Electronics More Resistant to Damage and Defects
Mobile phones, tablets, and other portable devices are prone to failure caused by small defects in their complex electronics that can result from regular use. An innovation provides robust protection against circuitry damage that affects signal transmission.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Rubber-Like Adhesive Film Sticks to Highly Deformable Areas
Adhesives used for common pain-relieving bandages often do not stick properly when attached to places that encounter large, inhomogenous bending motion, like elbows and knees. To...
Products: Software
IMTS Product Preview 2018
igus, East Providence, RI, offers the E4.1L general-purpose energy chain (e-chain) cable carrier with high dynamics that includes a honeycomb strain relief block. It also includes separators...
Briefs: Materials
Advances in Spintronic Devices
Spintronic devices promise to solve major problems in today's computers, which use massive amounts of electricity to generate heat. This requires expending even more energy for cooling. By contrast, spintronic...
NASA Spinoff: Materials
Plant Food for Space Grows Crops on Earth
Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health...
Q&A: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Q&A: Carnegie Mellon's Dr. Sara Abdollahi Optimizes Soft-Material 3D Printing
Researchers in Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering have developed a novel approach to optimizing soft-material 3D printing. The Expert-Guided...
Technology Leaders: Photonics/Optics
Auxiliary Power Solutions for 1500 VDC Photovoltaic Systems
Photovoltaic systems are continually evolving to improve their efficiency and financial viability. One trend is to move to larger strings of cells giving higher dc voltages to be...
Briefs: Medical
Ingestible Sensors Powered by Stomach Acid
A small voltaic cell was developed that is sustained by the acidic fluids in the stomach. The system can generate enough power to run small sensors or drug delivery devices that can reside in the...
Briefs: Materials
Water-Repellent Nanotextures Possess Anti-Fogging Capability
Some insect bodies have evolved the ability to repel water and oil, adhere to different surfaces, and eliminate light reflections. Scientists have been studying the physical mechanisms underlying these properties found in nature and mimicking them to design materials for use in...
Application Briefs: Materials
Reducing Weight and Design Time for Dream Chaser Spacecraft
Newport News, VA
www.hypersizer.com
With the go-ahead from NASA for a first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), the Sierra...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Diamond Pellet Grinding Tool
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a numerically controlled grinding tool that eliminates undesirable periodic variations in surface contours in optical and other surfaces — such as mid-spatial...
Briefs: Energy
Chemical Heat Battery Material Releases Energy on Demand
A new chemical composite could be used to store heat from the Sun during the day in a thermal battery, and release the heat when needed. A common approach to thermal storage is to use...
Blog: Automotive
How Soon Will Autonomous Vehicle Fleets Take the Streets?
Question of the Week: Transportation
Will Cities be Ready for Autonomous Vehicle Fleets?
Autonomous vehicle fleets are on the way, according to Chris Heiser, co-founder and CEO of Renovo, a California-based manufacturer of automotive operating systems.
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Autonomous Vehicles are Expensive – Why is Hailing One So Cheap?
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Semiconductor Quantum Transistor Opens the Door for Photon-Based Computing
Transistors, the tiny switches that form the bedrock of modern computing—billions of them — route electrical signals around inside the circuitry of our...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Merging Antenna and Electronics Boosts Energy and Spectrum Efficiency
By integrating the design of antenna and electronics, researchers have boosted the energy and spectrum efficiency for a new class of millimeter wave transmitters,...
INSIDER: Photonics/Optics
Trapping Light that Doesn't Bounce Off Track for Faster Electronics
Replacing traditional computer chip components with light-based counterparts will eventually make electronic devices faster due to the wide bandwidth of light. Because...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Tiny Defects in Semiconductors Created ‘Speed Bumps’ or Electrons. UCLA Researchers Cleared the Path
UCLA scientists and engineers have developed a new process for assembling semiconductor devices. The advance could lead to much more...
News: Medical
Wireless System Can Power Devices Inside the Body
MIT researchers, working with scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital, have developed a new way to power and communicate with devices implanted deep within the human body. Such devices could be used to deliver drugs, monitor conditions inside the body, or treat disease by stimulating the...
News: Medical
Plug-and-Play Diagnostic Devices
Researchers at MIT's Little Devices Lab have developed a set of modular blocks that can be put together in different ways to produce diagnostic devices. These "plug-and-play" devices, which require little expertise to assemble, can test blood glucose levels in diabetic patients or detect viral infection, among...
News: Medical
Device Attaches to Damaged Heart to Restore Cardiac Function
After a patient has a heart attack, a cascade of events leading to heart failure begins. Damage to the area in the heart where a blood vessel was blocked leads to scar tissue. In response to scarring, the heart will remodel to compensate. This process often ends in ventricular or valve...
News: Medical
Repetition Key to Self-Healing, Flexible Medical Devices
Medical devices powered by synthetic proteins created from repeated sequences of proteins may be possible, according to materials science and biotechnology experts, who looked at material inspired by the proteins in squid ring teeth.
Question of the Week: Automotive
Are Robo-Fleets 'Very Economically Viable?'
Robo-taxi fleets are on the way, according to Chris Heiser, co-founder and CEO of Renovo, a California-based manufacturer of automotive operating systems.
Blog: Photonics/Optics
Functional Fabric Brings Semiconductors Directly to the Fiber
Podcasts: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Here's an Idea: Scientists Serve Up New Spins on Whiskey, Wine, and Beer
Blog: Motion Control
How to Power Robots with Popcorn
Cornell researchers have discovered a novel – and delicious – way to power simple robots: Popcorn.
Blog: Software
How to Simulate an Avalanche – And All Its Subtle Mechanics
Simulation is a helpful go-to tool for assessing risk, but what if the event being simulated is an avalanche – a complex event with countless parameters and physical...
Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Are There Limitations in Autonomous-Vehicle Simulation Methods?
Question of the Week: Materials
A New ‘Moore's Law' for Smart Fabrics?
Instead of attaching semiconductors to fabric, an MIT team has found a way to add the technology right into the clothing fiber itself.
Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
How to Authenticate a 3D-Printed Part: ‘Explode’ and Embed a QR Code
Question of the Week: Motion Control
Can Popcorn Power Robots?
In last week's INSIDER, we featured a Q&A with Cornell University researcher Steven Ceron, who is experimenting with a new way — and delicious — way of powering robots: Popcorn.
INSIDER: Motion Control
“Actuated” Paper Bends, Folds, or Flattens on Command
A thin layer of conducting thermoplastic, applied to common paper with an inexpensive 3D printer or even painted by hand, serves as a low-cost, reversible actuator. When an...
INSIDER: Motion Control
Cageless Bearing Design Reduces Friction
A cageless bearing with rolling separator elements was developed for applications including portable medical devices, toys, and robotic applications with medium force requirements. The normal...
White Papers: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
How to Choose a Servo Controller for Your Application
There are many automation factors that should be considered during the design phase of any new application, including what mechanical and electronic components will be used and how they...
News: Robotics, Automation & Control
Intelligent Machines: Can You Build a Robot You Can Trust?
Blog: Imaging
How to Evaluate a Vision System Integrator
Question of the Week: Robotics, Automation & Control
Will Social Robots Enter the Consumer Market?
In today's lead story, neuroscientist Dr. Philipp Kellmeyer told Tech Briefs:
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
On-Demand 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...
Upcoming Webinars: Defense
2020 Create the Future Contest Awards
Upcoming Webinars: RF & Microwave Electronics
Advancement of Spectrum Analysis Techniques for Tracking,...
Trending Stories
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Better Densification of Cryogenic Liquid Rocket Propellants
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Smart Sensors for Hazardous Areas
Blog: Electronics & Computers
New Metal-Air Battery Design Offers a Potential Boost to Electric Vehicles
Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control
