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

Features

• Application Briefs

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

• Articles

  In-House PCB Prototyping with Additive Manufacturing

  Products of Tomorrow: January 2020

  Five Techniques for Lightweighting: Doing More With Less

• Q&A

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

• 5 Ws

  5 Ws of 3D Modeling for the Visually Impaired

• Facility Focus

  Facility Focus: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

• NASA Spinoff

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

Tech Briefs

• Bio-Medical

  Wirelessly Controlled Ingestible Capsule

  System Allows Diabetics to Monitor Blood Sugar Without Drawing Blood

  Micro Device Detects Ebola Virus Using Bio-Sensors

  Breathable Electronic Skin Using Nanofiber Substrate

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

• Machinery & Automation

  Robotic “Cockroach” Explores Underwater Environments

  Modular Toolbox Builds Safe Robots

  Particle Robot Works as a Cluster of Simple Units

  Microrobot Powered by Soft Muscles

  Robot Performs Complex Maneuvers

• Materials

  Environmental Barrier Coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composites

  Acoustic Interactions Change Materials at the Atomic Level

  Design Treatment for Advanced Metals Enables Easier Machining

  Ruthenium-Doped Thermoelectric Materials

  Dynamic Mechanical Strain-Induced Temperature Gradient Coating

  Hardening Lightweight Metal Foams with Nanocoating

• Sensors/Data Acquisition

  Shape Sensing Innovations Dramatically Improve Structural Design Tools

  SiC-Based Microstructures for Sensors

  Wireless Sensor “Stickers” Track Physiological Signals

  Magneto-Optic Biosensor Using Bio-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

  Embedded Gas and Temperature Sensors for Extreme Environments

• Aerospace

  Thin Heat Shield for Superfast Aircraft

  Flow Disruption Devices for the Reduction of High Lift System Noise

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

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

  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

  Environmentally Friendly Process for Battery Recycling

  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

  Viable, Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Polystyrene Foam

  Process Turns Sand and Plant Materials into a Water Filtration Tool

Products

• New on the Market: January 2020

  Product of the Month: January 2020 Tech Briefs

• Briefs

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

  Microchip Produces High-Contrast OCT Imagery

  Helping Autonomous Vehicles See Around Corners

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

• Applications

  Additive Manufacturing of Precision Optics at Micro and Nanoscale

  NASA’s BITSE Solar Scope

• Articles

  SPIE Photonics West 2020 Preview

  Blue Lasers: Leveraging Fundamental Physics for High Performance

  Virtually Optimizing Metasurface Topology with a Genetic Algorithm

• Products

  New Products: January 2020 Photonics & Imaging Technology