Stories

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Briefs: Software
Terrain Model Registration
This technology is a method for registration of terrain models created using stereovision on a planetary rover. Most 3D model registration approaches use some variant of iterated closest point (ICP), which minimizes a norm based on the distances between corresponding points on an arbitrary 3D surface where closest points...
Briefs: Software
Error Budget for Pointing at Surface Features From Close Range
Traditional error budgets that characterize pointing capability in terms of a single radial angle lack sufficient information to support analysis of pointing error in terms of distance along a nearby surface.
Briefs: Software
Traceable Automation with Remote Display and Interruptible Scheduler Version 1.04.0
Traceable Automation with Remote Display and Interruptible Scheduler (TARDIS) is a software set designed for use in ground operations. TARDIS is a multi-mission automation framework that supports seamless integration of manual and automatic processing. It was...
Briefs: Software
Java Pathfinder (JPF) Core System
The JPF Core System is a framework to analyze and verify Java bytecode programs. The major component of JPF core is an extensible and runtime-configurable virtual machine (VM) that can be customized with runtime components such as specific instruction sets and plug-ins to observe program execution. The JPF core can...
Briefs: Software
Single Doppler Retrieval Toolkit (SingleDop)
Single-Doppler retrieval of low-level, two-dimensional winds is desired to compare ground radar wind retrievals to satellite scatterometer wind retrievals. This needs to be integrated within the growing collection of open-source radar tools maintained by the Python Atmospheric/Ocean Sciences (PyAOS)...
Briefs: Software
Computing Efficient Onboard Analysis and Re-Scheduling
Prior space missions have not routinely used onboard decision-making. The Autonomous Sciencecraft (ASE), flying onboard the Earth Observing One spacecraft, has been flying autonomous agent software for the past decade that enables it to analyze acquired imagery onboard, and use that analysis to...
Briefs: Software
libSPRITE
libSPRITE is a set of software libraries used in the development of software applications. The libraries provide components for encoding engineering units, math functions, a task scheduler built on top of pthreads, a publish/subscribe data distribution system, and a Lua scripting language interface.
Briefs: Software
Tool for Rapid Analysis of Monte Carlo (TRAM) Simulation Data
Spacecraft design is inherently difficult due to the complexity of the systems involved and the expense of testing hardware in a realistic environment. The number and cost of flight tests can be reduced by performing extensive simulation and analysis studies to understand vehicle...
Briefs: Software
Object-Oriented FITS File Interface for MATLAB
The ability to read complicated Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) files in MATLAB was required for analyzing data from the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) cryovac test campaign for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project.This software was written to fill that specific need, but...
Briefs: Software
Space Station Research Explorer
The Space Station Research Explorer provides current information on International Space Station (ISS) experiments, facilities, and research results through video, photos, interactive media, and in-depth descriptions on iOS and Android devices.
Briefs: Software
Integrated Circuit for Radio Astronomy Correlators Supporting Large Arrays of Antennas
Radio telescopes that employ arrays of many antennas are in operation, and ever-larger ones are being designed and proposed. Signals from the antennas are combined by cross-correlation. While the cost of most components of the telescope is proportional to the...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Fabrication of Silicon-Leg Isolated Bi-Cr Thermopiles
The objective of this innovation was to develop a methodology of fabricating thermopile detectors using standard semiconductor fabrication techniques. The goal was to develop a fabrication process that minimized the roughening of the Si legs during patterning of the metallic couples, and to...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
The RoadRunner SoftStep R213S microstepping motor drive from Testra Corp. (Tempe, AZ) features an onboard processor that treats the input steps as small vector moves, and chains them together with 250 or 256 microsteps per regular...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Current Source Logic Gate
High-temperature electronic integrated circuits have been demonstrated in silicon carbide (SiC) depletion mode MESFETs. This process is only capable of producing depletion mode n-channel MESFET transistors. With only this type of transistor, designing a logic gate is a challenge. A previous logic gate design that can be...
Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping
ALM Positioners (Rock Island, IL) released the Model MHL1P 10,000-pound-capacity single-column positioner that features 68.5" vertical travel in 35 seconds; a pendant-controlled, 4-HP, column-mounted hydraulic unit for lifting and...
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Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Design of Double Layer Rectenna Array for Fault Isolation of Schottky Diode in Operation Beyond V-Band Frequencies
Microwave power transmission using rectenna technology has attracted a strong interest in conjunction with wireless electric power delivery to infrastructure and subjects located at a remote place. A typical rectenna, which is a major...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions (Waterbury, CT) introduced the WGS Wide Guide Screw linear slide that utilizes a screw-driven carriage. Length and speed are not limited by critical screw speed, allowing high RPM, linear speed, and...
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Briefs: Materials
Hierarchical Support for Nanocatalysts
This work focused on enhancing catalyst activity and durability by developing a method to control size, dispersion, and exposure. Existing nanocatalysts are typically fabricated in bulk or powder form. There are monolithic catalysts, but they rely on meso-porous materials as supports. Bulk nanocatalysts suffer...
Products: Motion Control
Novotechnik U.S. (Southborough, MA) introduced the RSX-7900 Series angle sensors that provide up to IP69K ingress protection and ISO13849 PL-d safety compliance in a non-contacting design. The sensors are available in six standard...
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Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition
The presence of more than 1 billion sensor-rich smartphones and the intense interest surrounding the Internet of Things has drawn wide attention to all the potential and...
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INSIDER: Materials
Researchers at Rice University have added superhydrophobic, or water-repelling, capabilities to its de-icer. The graphene-based spray passively prevents water from freezing above 7 degrees.
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News
By producing diamond and cubic boron nitride thin films from a gas mixture, scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) are creating coverings for next-generation cutting tools that are...
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News
As electronics grow more intricate, so must the tools that fix them. Anticipating this challenge, scientists turned to the body's immune system for inspiration and have built self-propelled...
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News: Materials
Since the 1600s, chocolatiers have been perfecting the art of the bonbon, passing down techniques for crafting a perfectly smooth, even chocolaty shell. Now a theory and a simple fabrication...
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News: Aerospace
On your car windshield, ice is a nuisance. But on an airplane, wind turbine, oil rig, or power line, it can be downright dangerous. And removing it with the methods that are...
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INSIDER: Motion Control
A reactive head restraint and car seat system designed to reduce whiplash in rear-end vehicle collisions has been unveiled. The unique concept has been brought to life using linkage analysis...
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INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Inside their boots, firefighters’ have advanced insoles with sensors that make it possible for emergency operations commanders to follow the firefighters’ exact...
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INSIDER: Motion Control
Filling a major gap in precision control for applications from semiconductor fabrication to manipulations of living cells, researchers have developed a frictionless drive system...
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