Blog
Sensitive Prosthetic Arms
Advances in limb prostheses have not obscured the fact that these devices still lack a sense of touch. Now, scientists from Northwestern University in Chicago have shown that transplanting the nerves from an amputated hand to the chest allows patients to feel hand sensation there. The findings could pave the way toward...
Blog
Child's Play
Before you run out and buy the latest electronic games and devices for your kids this holiday season, Temple University and University of Delaware psychologists want you to think simple. They say the overarching principle is that children are creative problem-solvers and discoverers, and they are active. Children build their...
Blog
Current Attractions
The MV1000 and MV2000 paperless portable recorders from Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Newnan, GA) have been named NASA Tech Briefs Product of the Month for December. The recorders have integrated display, recording, and communications functions. They record on-site changes in temperature, voltage, current, flow, and pressure.
Blog
Technology Business Briefs
Low Cost Substrate Coating for High-Quality Ink-Based Printing
A novel approach of a coating method and composition of various substrates such as paper, canvas, polymeric films, etc. by utilizing a unique coating composition containing a dye-fixing compound.
Click here for more info.
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
Taking PC/104 CPU Boards to the Next Performance Level
Since their introduction in 1991, PC/104 standard based systems have been widely adopted in various applications. Unmanned aircraft control, onboard vehicle control and navigation...
Blog
Assessing Crash Warnings
Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed and tested a laser-based ranging system to assess the performance of automobile collision warning systems. Industry and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will use the technology to develop safety systems that alert drivers to...
Blog
CO2 Storage
Storing carbon dioxide below the Earth's surface could be a safe, long-term solution to one of the planet's major contributors to climate change. University of Leeds research shows that porous sandstone, drained of oil, could provide a safe reservoir for carbon dioxide. The study found that sandstone reacts with injected fluids more...
Blog
Tech Needs of the Week
RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is a storage architecture that offers data security in case of system failure. A company seeks patented technologies fundamental to the architecture of RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 6, and also in patented technologies that relate to them, such as hot swap, hot spare, RAID level...
Blog
Spacial Students
NASA has selected 18 middle and high school teams across 12 states to fly in the 2007-2008 Student Launch Initiative rocketeering challenge. The annual challenge is designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, math, and technology - fields vital to NASA's ongoing mission in space.
The...
Blog
Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen
Hydrogen as an environmentally friendly fuel source may be closer than we think, according to Penn State researchers. The researchers are employing microbial fuel cells to convert cellulose and other biodegradable organic materials directly into hydrogen, using naturally occurring bacteria in a microbial electrolysis cell...
Excerpts
Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success (part 4)
This is the last 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, GA). Written for business managers, the book focuses on manufacturing processes, tooling choices, and...
Blog
Neutron Scatter Camera
To help solve the problem of identifying smuggled special nuclear material (SNM), researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in California say a neutron scatter camera under development may be able to detect radiation from much greater distances and through more shielding than current detection...
Blog
Techs of the Week
A high-temperature ceramics-based composite exhibits superior heat and oxidation resistance and frictional properties. The material comprises a dense carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC-infiltrated composite or a dense SiC-infiltrated composite with granular carbon dispersed. It shows excellent machineability and frictional properties....
Blog
Smog Chemical Detector
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a tool to quantitatively measure elusive atmospheric chemicals that play a key role in forming photochemical smog. The device measures atmospheric hydroperoxyl radicals - short-lived, highly reactive intermediates involved in...
Blog
Data Conversion Shortcut
Mechdyne Corporation's VRCO Inc. subsidiary has demonstrated real-time interaction with professional 3D design tools in the 100 megapixel C6 Virtual Reality Room at Iowa State University's Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC) – the world's highest-resolution virtual environment. VRCO's Conduit software...
Articles: Research Lab
2007: The Year in Technology
In 2007, we focused on the global climate, and as gas prices soared, more novel technologies emerged in the development of alternative fuel and power sources. Once again, electronics and computers became smaller,...
Application Briefs: Physical Sciences
Strainmeter Helps NASA Identify Continental Drift
TEGAM
Geneva, OH
440-466-6100
www.tegam.com
The EarthScope Project is an undertaking funded by the National Science Foundation in...
Application Briefs: Energy
Advanced Solar Array to Power Electric Propulsion Systems
ENTECH
Keller, TX
817-379-0100
www.entechsolar.com
ENTECH has been awarded a contract from NASA’s Glenn Research Center, which will...
Products
MV1000 and MV2000
Yokogawa Electric Corp., Newnan, GA, has introduced the MV1000 and MV2000 paperless portable recorders with integrated display, recording, and communications functions. The units record on-site changes in temperature,...
Who's Who: Robotics, Automation & Control
Terry Fong, Group Leader, Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG),
The NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group (IRG) is dedicated to enabling humans and robots to explore and learn about extreme environments, remote locations, and uncharted...
Techs for License
Method of Driving a Field Emission Display
This technology makes possible Field Emission Displays (FEDs) and Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Displays (SEDs) that can use a variety of less expensive cathode materials and types. The technology adjusts the output of the cathodes by using a monitoring circuit between the cathode and the anode...
Techs for License
Cost-Effective Wind Turbine Generator
The Cutcher Wind Turbine Generator provides low- and no-cost power by utilizing tall structures such as rural and urban homes, as well as businesses and buildings. Unlike traditional wind-power generators, the Cutcher Wind Turbine Generator utilizes the wind current that is channeled around buildings and...
Tech Needs
Low-Energy-Curing Technology
A company seeks new and/or advanced curing technologies to incorporate into metal packaging protective coating and decoration processes. Systems could include metal containers for aerosols, beverages, food products, and specialty packaging, all of which require external and/or internal protective coatings. Process...
Tech Needs
Inhibit or Deactivate Plant Enzymes
An organization wants to deactivate or otherwise interfere with the action of enzymes pectin methylesterase and polygalacturonase, which interfere with the processing of certain fruits by degrading fruit pectins. Initial processing of the whole fruit releases the enzymes and release continues during further...
Articles: Software
Open Innovation Model Helps P&G “Connect and Develop”
Research Fellow
Procter & Gamble
Cincinnati, OH
For almost 165 of Procter & Gamble’s 170-year history, nearly all growth came from innovating...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Ka-Band TWT High-Efficiency Power Combiner for High-Rate Data Transmission
A four-port magic-T hybrid waveguide junction serves as the central component of a high-efficiency two-way power combiner circuit for transmitting a high-rate...
Briefs: Information Technology
Reusable, Extensible High-Level Data-Distribution Concept
A framework for high-level specification of data distributions in data-parallel application programs has been conceived. [As used here, "distributions" signifies means to express...
Briefs: Information Technology
Monitoring by Use of Clusters of Sensor-Data Vectors
The inductive monitoring system (IMS) is a system of computer hardware and software for automated monitoring of the performance, operational condition, physical integrity, and other...
Briefs: Information Technology
Processing Satellite Imagery To Detect Waste Tire Piles
A methodology for processing commercially available satellite spectral imagery has been developed to enable identification and mapping of waste tire piles in California. The California Integrated Waste Management Board initiated the project and provided funding for the method's development....
Top Stories
Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Nano Diamond Battery Provides Universal Applicability
Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

A Photonic 'Sunflower' Offers New Ideas for Light-Driven Systems
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A Super-Thin Element Offers 'Positive' Potential for Transparent...
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers

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


Question of the Week
Will Robotic Exoskeletons Help the Elderly?
Webcasts
Webinars: Medical
Upcoming Webinars: Test & Measurement
Secrets to Efficiently Sustaining Your Automated Test System
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Designing with Medical Grade Silicone: Considerations for Medical...
Upcoming Webinars: Robotics, Automation & Control
How Critical Are Localization and Perception Technologies for...
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Design Challenges for Ethernet Adoption in Commercial...
Upcoming Webinars: Automotive
Total Appearance Measurement System for Automotive Applications
Trending Stories
Articles: Software

Disrupting the Automobile Design Process
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NASA Spinoff: Materials

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Piezo-Operated Shutter Mechanism Moves 1.5 cm
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Capacitive Sensor for Measuring Level of Liquid Nitrogen
Articles: Electronics & Computers
