The technologies NASA develops don’t just blast off into space. They also improve our lives here on Earth. Life-saving search-and-rescue tools, implantable medical devices, advances in commercial aircraft safety, increased accuracy in weather forecasting, and the miniature cameras in our cellphones are just some of the examples of NASA-developed technology used in products today.

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. If you are interested in licensing the technologies described here, use the contact information provided. To learn about more available technologies, visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov .

Compact Sensor for In-Situ Gas Species Determination and Measurement

A compact, lightweight, integrated gas sensor can monitor and detect leaks in real time. The fiber-optic, laser-based leak detector uses an array of interferometric and spectroscopic techniques to measure gas density, temperature, species determination, and species concentrations. It is constructed from solid optics, is compact enough to be used in the smallest of recesses, and consumes very little power. It can be used in automotive manufacturing, aerospace, natural gas, semiconductors, electronics, refrigeration, fuel cells, and distributed power.

Contact: Ronald C. Darty, Marshall Space Flight Center

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Detecting Subterranean Metal Objects Using Differential Spectral Processing

This NASA-developed technology provides a breakthrough in the ability to detect subterranean metal objects. The detector uses signal-generating and -processing techniques that make the device particularly suitable for detecting metal pipelines. It can signal the presence of small metal objects buried up to 6" deep or large pipes buried up to several feet deep. It provides four to six times more sensitive detection of buried metal objects than existing metal detectors. In addition to detecting pipes, it can detect precious metals within existing gold or silver mines as well as deep ore veins in soil or in quartz geological structures.

Contact: Johnson Technology Transfer Office

Phone: 281-483-3809

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Carbon Nanotube-Based Sensors

A highly flexible sensor for crack growth detection and strain field mapping features a very dense and highly ordered array of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). The flexible CNT-based structural health monitoring sensor for measuring the induced strain, pressure, and temperature both within and at the surface of a structure is a candidate for “smart skin” technologies. Applications include civil structures with CNT sensors embedded in bridges, roads, tunnels, and other structures to monitor strain, wear, and tear.

Contact: Langley Technology Transfer Office

Phone: 757-864-5704

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