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Briefs: Software
Real-Time Feature Tracking Using Homography
This software finds feature point correspondences in sequences of images. It is designed for feature matching in aerial imagery. Feature matching is a fundamental step in a number of important image processing operations: calibrating the cameras in a camera array, stabilizing images in aerial movies,...
Briefs: Software
Stereo Imaging Tactical Helper
The Stereo Imaging Tactical Helper (SITH) program displays left and right images in stereo using the display technology made available by the JADIS framework, which was described in “JAVA Stereo Display Toolkit,” NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 4 (April 2008), page 63. An overlay of the surface described by the...
Briefs: Software
XMbodyinfo was designed to evaluate potential reference trajectories, providing a proficient way to assess the quality of all satellite body flybys for a Cassini type mission tour. It is autonomous and will generate a variety of ORS...
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Briefs: Software
Software was developed that automatically detects minerals that are present in each pixel of a hyperspectral image. An algorithm based on sparse spectral unmixing with Bayesian...
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Briefs: Software
Over 150 years ago, Faraday provided the first comprehensive scientific study on the physics of burning candles. Complex combustion driven by the rate at which gases diffuse through each other produces...
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Briefs: Software
Plasmas consist of electrons, ions, and neutral species interacting with each other and with externally imposed electromagnetic fields. Plasma etching and deposition of thin films are critical...
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Briefs: Software
SYNGAS specializes in thermal and micro-thermal technology, and designs and analyzes pre-production heating, cooling, and thermal insulation systems for a...
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Briefs: Software
In 1999, NASA’s Lunar Prospector revealed concentrated hydrogen signatures detected in permanently shadowed craters at the lunar poles. While scientists have long speculated about the source of vast quantities...
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Briefs: Software
TEAMS Model Analyzer
The TEAMS model analyzer is a supporting tool developed to work with models created with TEAMS (Testability, Engineering, and Maintenance System), which was developed by QSI.
Briefs: Energy
Microwave Plasma Hydrogen Recovery System
A microwave plasma reactor was developed for the recovery of hydrogen contained within waste methane produced by Carbon Dioxide Reduction Assembly (CRA), which reclaims oxygen from CO2. Since half of the H2 reductant used by the CRA is lost as CH4, the ability to reclaim this valuable resource will simplify...
Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing
A proposed plant-growth system takes advantage of the highly diffuse reflective surfaces on the interior of a sphere, hemisphere, or other nearly enclosed structure that is coated with highly...
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Briefs: Information Technology
Charge-Spot Model for Electrostatic Forces in Simulation of Fine Particulates
The charge-spot technique for modeling the static electric forces acting between charged fine particles entails treating electric charges on individual particles as small sets of discrete point charges, located near their surfaces. This is in contrast to existing models,...
News: Energy
A team of researchers at MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory have developed Seaswarm, a robot that autonomously navigates the water’s surface and uses nanofibers to absorb 20 times its...
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Blog: Manned Systems
NASA Wants You to Help Rock Space
If you're an astronaut, the last thing you need jarring you awake first thing in the morning out in space is a beeping alarm clock. So, since the Apollo days, NASA has chosen to get its astronauts moving with a wakeup song. Now NASA is giving you two chances to help select wakeup songs that will be played during...
News: Energy
The Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program recently announced a $15 million funding opportunity to research and develop innovative methods to extract heat from geothermal...
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Question of the Week
Should the FDA approve genetically engineered salmon?
This week's Question of the Week concerns the issue of genetically engineered food. A firm in Waltham, MA, has developed a genetically modified salmon that grows during the winter as well as the summer, so it reaches an 8-pound market weight in 18 months instead of 36. Accomplished by inserting...
Question of the Week
Should BP be permitted to continue to drill in the Gulf of Mexico?
This week's Question of the Week concerns the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. According to recent news reports, BP said they may drill a new well in the Macondo reservoir -- the source of one of the world's worst oil spills. Proponents believe that BP's earnings from drilling in...
News: Energy
Innovative paving slabs that are coated in titanium dioxide nanoparticles can reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst; it uses sunlight to accelerate a naturally occurring...
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News: Government
Starting in 2011, energy suppliers in Germany will be required to offer electricity at variable rates under the German Energy Act. A new energy management software platform will enable customers to...
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News: Green Design & Manufacturing
By producing biochar - a charcoal-like substance made from plants and other organic materials - up to 12 percent of the world's human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be sustainably offset,...
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News: Green Design & Manufacturing
By planting switchgrass and using certain agronomic practices, farmers can significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen and nitrates that leach into the soil, according to Iowa State...
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Question of the Week
With the prevalence of e-readers, will e-books eventually replace printed books?
This week's Question of the Week concerns the battle between digital volumes and their printed counterparts. From Amazon's Kindle and Apple's iPad to Sony's e-Reader and Barnes & Noble's Nook, digital reading is obviously here to stay. This is especially true when...
Videos: Energy
Stanford engineers have discovered a process called photon enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity, and could...
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Question of the Week
Is WikiLeaks a threat to national security?
This week's question concerns the recent story about the nearly 92,000 classified U.S. Military documents leaked by the Web site WikiLeaks.org. The organization's Web site claims, "We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government, and stronger...
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Robots are capable of very precise motion, but must be guided with precision in order to fulfill their potential. Consider the task of guiding a robotic surgeon’s arm to suture a wound or...
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Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Robotic devices have been used in the medical industry for more than 40 years. Despite the advantages, researchers have faced unique challenges in developing effective, safe...
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Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Progress has been made in the development of a family of robotic land vehicles having modular and minimalist design features chosen to impart a combination of robustness, reliability, and versatility....
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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Compact, Lightweight Servo-Controllable Brakes
Compact, lightweight servo-controllable brakes capable of high torques are being developed for incorporation into robot joints. A brake of this type is based partly on the capstan effect of tension elements, which is described by the well known equation
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Robotic Arm Manipulator Using Active Control for Sample Acquisition and Transfer, and Passive Mode for Surface Compliance
A robotic arm that consists of three joints with four degrees of freedom (DOF) has been developed. It can carry an end-effector to acquire and transfer samples by using active control and comply with surface topology in a...

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