January 1, 2020

Tech Briefs - January 2020 - Vol. 44 No. 1

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Inside this issue

Supplements

Features

Application Briefs

47 NASA's Thirst for Water on Mars Quenched by Student Innovators

Articles

12 Products of Tomorrow

13 In-House PCB Prototyping with Additive Manufacturing

18 Five Techniques for Lightweighting: Doing More With Less

Q&A

8 Q&A: A Shape-Morphing, Self-Healing Soft Composite

5 Ws

9 5 Ws of 3D Modeling for the Visually Impaired

Facility Focus

51 Facility Focus: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NASA Spinoff

56 Vibration Isolator Steadies Optics for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope

Tech Briefs

Bio-Medical

System Allows Diabetics to Monitor Blood Sugar Without Drawing Blood

Micro Device Detects Ebola Virus Using Bio-Sensors

38 Breathable Electronic Skin Using Nanofiber Substrate

39 In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Methylotrophic Microorganisms Expressing Soluble Methane Monooxygenase Proteins

41 Wirelessly Controlled Ingestible Capsule

Machinery & Automation

34 Robot Performs Complex Maneuvers

35 Modular Toolbox Builds Safe Robots

35 Particle Robot Works as a Cluster of Simple Units

36 Microrobot Powered by Soft Muscles

37 Robotic “Cockroach” Explores Underwater Environments

Materials

Environmental Barrier Coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composites

Acoustic Interactions Change Materials at the Atomic Level

Design Treatment for Advanced Metals Enables Easier Machining

30 Ruthenium-Doped Thermoelectric Materials

31 Hardening Lightweight Metal Foams with Nanocoating

32 Dynamic Mechanical Strain-Induced Temperature Gradient Coating

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Embedded Gas and Temperature Sensors for Extreme Environments

26 Magneto-Optic Biosensor Using Bio-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

27 Wireless Sensor “Stickers” Track Physiological Signals

28 Shape Sensing Innovations Dramatically Improve Structural Design Tools

29 SiC-Based Microstructures for Sensors

Aerospace

Flow Disruption Devices for the Reduction of High Lift System Noise

22 Pinpointing Consumption “Sweet Spot” Makes Formation Flight More Fuel-Efficient

23 Thin Heat Shield for Superfast Aircraft

24 Optical Window for Far-IR Instruments Using Thin TOPAS® Film

24 CubeSat Form Factor Thermal Control Louvers

Environment

The Planetary Tides Simulation Facility for Simulation Tidal Strain in Planetary Ice Analogs

Chromium Removal from PVC Filters

Catalysis Approach Reduces Carbon Dioxide to Methane

Recovery of Mercury and Rare Earth Elements from Fluorescent Lamp Phosphors

Power System for Hybrid Heavy-Duty Trucks

42 Process Turns Sand and Plant Materials into a Water Filtration Tool

44 Environmentally Friendly Process for Battery Recycling

46 Viable, Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Polystyrene Foam

Products

Product of the Month

49 New on the Market: January 2020

Photonics & Imaging Technology

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Briefs

20 Microchip Produces High-Contrast OCT Imagery

22 Helping Autonomous Vehicles See Around Corners

23 Laser-Based System Detects Fires Even in Dusty, Harsh Environments

24 Sandia’s Nanoantennas Help Detectors See More Heat, Less Noise

Applications

13 NASA’s BITSE Solar Scope

16 Additive Manufacturing of Precision Optics at Micro and Nanoscale

Articles

SPIE Photonics West 2020 Preview

7 Blue Lasers: Leveraging Fundamental Physics for High Performance

10 Virtually Optimizing Metasurface Topology with a Genetic Algorithm

Products

33 New Products