Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Invisible Tags Write, Read, and Erase Using Light
A method was developed that enables information to be contained in simple plastic foils with a thickness of less than 50 μm, which is thinner than a human hair. Organic luminescent molecules...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Dynamic Microstructures Move by Light and Temperature
3D printing via direct laser writing involves a computer-controlled focused laser beam that acts as a pen and creates the desired structure in the printer ink — a photoresist. In this...
Technology Leaders: Automotive
Maintaining Data Protection and Security for the Connected Car
5 Ws: Materials
5 Ws of Paper Unprinting
Anyone using standard, coated paper in conventional printers.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Lightweight Sensing and Control System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Monitoring
A new sensing and control system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allows for semi-autonomous flight. Pilots need not leave the ground to conduct routine monitoring and surveillance quickly and cost-effectively. Such systems are particularly useful during long flight...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Manufacturing Process for Aluminum Alloys
An advanced manufacturing process was developed to produce nano-structured rods and tubes directly from high-performance aluminum alloy powder in a single step. Using a Solid Phase Processing...
Q&A: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Q&A: Wearable Motion Sensors Could Save Unborn Babies
Briefs: Energy
Rose-Inspired Device Collects and Purifies Water
A new device, inspired by a rose, inexpensively collects and purifies water. The device is a new approach to solar steaming for water production — a technique that uses energy from sunlight...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
New Airplane Wing Assembled from Tiny Identical Pieces
A radically new kind of airplane wing, assembled from hundreds of tiny identical pieces, can change shape to control the plane’s flight, and could provide a significant boost in...
Briefs: Communications
Technique Locates Robots and Humans in GPS-Challenged Environments
An algorithm enables localization of humans and robots in areas where GPS is unavailable. The Army needs to be able to localize agents operating in physically complex, unknown, and infrastructure-poor environments. This capability is critical to help find dismounted soldiers and...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
3D-Printed Liquid Lab-on-a-Chip
Researchers have 3D-printed an all-liquid device that, with the click of a button, can be repeatedly reconfigured on demand to serve a wide range of applications from making battery materials to screening drug...
Articles: Defense
Mobile Rugged Displays for Situational Awareness
Facility Focus: Propulsion
Facility Focus: NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center
NASA Spinoff: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Deep-Space Food Science Research Improves 3D Printing
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Ultrathin Transistors for Faster Computer Chips
For decades, microchip transistors have become smaller, faster, and cheaper; however, miniaturization has reached a natural limit, as completely new problems arise when a length scale of only a...
Briefs: Aerospace
Aircraft Vertical Takeoff and Landing
NASA’s Langley Research Center developed an inexpensive, long-endurance, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is capable of flying for 24 hours, landing in a 50 × 50...
Products: Test & Measurement
New on the Market: October 2019
Articles: Aerospace
Products of Tomorrow: October 2019
Briefs: Test & Measurement
Compact, Lightweight, CMC-Based Acoustic Liner
In the wake of recent developments that have reduced fan and jet noise contributions to overall jet-engine noise, aircraft designers are turning their attention toward reducing engine core...
Briefs: AR/AI
Neural Lander Uses AI to Land Drones Smoothly
Landing multi-rotor drones smoothly is difficult. Complex turbulence is created by the airflow from each rotor bouncing off the ground during a descent. This turbulence is not well understood nor is it easy to compensate for, particularly for autonomous drones. That is why takeoff and landing are...
Researchers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center are pioneering shape-sensing technologies that seek to maximize structural integrity and efficiency. A new and...
Articles: Test & Measurement
Smart, Hybrid Actuators Combine Nanometer Precision, Large Forces, and Long Travel Ranges with High Dynamics
Articles: Photonics/Optics
How to Use Rotary Encoders to Quickly Convert Mechanical Rotation into Digital Signals
In the digital age, the measurement of rotation of a mechanical shaft on a motor or a rotating instrument knob needs to be done quickly and efficiently....
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Smartphone App Programs Robots
A smartphone app was developed that allows a user to easily program any robot to perform a mundane activity such as picking up parts from one area and delivering them to another. The app, called VRa, uses...
Articles: Automotive
Avoiding Electrical Damage with Conductive Lubrication
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
High-Sensitivity, Low-Noise MEMS Accelerometer
A high-sensitivity and low-noise MEMS accelerometer was developed using multi-layer metal structures composed of multiple metal layers. The accelerometer achieves 1 μG level resolution that has...
Products: Defense
New Products: October 2019 Motion Design
maxon precision motors (Taunton, MA) released the EC-i30 20W brushless servomotor with integrated electronics. With an integrated 4-quadrant speed controller, the motor is...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Miniature Stretchable Pump
Soft robots have a distinct advantage over rigid robots: they can adapt to complex environments, handle fragile objects, and interact safely with humans. Made from silicone, rubber, or other stretchable polymers,...
Briefs: Nanotechnology
Automated System Generates Robotic Parts
An automated system designs and 3D-prints complex robotic parts that are optimized according to an enormous number of specifications. The system fabricates actuators — devices that mechanically...
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Articles: Internet of Things

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Future of Military Embedded Systems with an Open Standards-based...
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Optics and Coatings Technology
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
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The Modern Industrial Workhorse: PID Controllers
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Current-Signature Sensor for Diagnosing Solenoid Valves
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