Stories
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Briefs: Motion Control
A proposed robotic apparatus for underground exploration would propel itself downward in a percussive manner reminiscent of a jackhammer, pile driver, or hammer-and-chisel combination. Called...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
A compact two-axis scanning-mirror assembly (see figure) has been developed for use as part of a laser rangefinder on a robotic vehicle. The assembly is designed to enable scanning of the laser beam...
Briefs: Motion Control
Surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) piezoelectric motors capable of operating in multiple degrees of freedom (DOFs) simultaneously have been proposed. A particularly useful motor of this type...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
An apparatus called a "personal motion platform" (PMP) is undergoing development for use in adding the sensations of motion to computer-controlled simulated environments of the type now popularly known as...
Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
An electromechanical device implements a unique method of actuating a fabric joint in an inflatable structure in particular, the joint in an astronaut's pressure suit. The method is...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The figure schematically illustrates an instrument designed expressly for recording lightning-induced transient voltages on power and signal cables. The principal advantage of this instrument over previously...
Briefs: Motion Control
Servomotor drive manufacturers agree that the performance of today's digital drive is largely determined by the performance of its feedback device. Clearly, previous feedback solutions, such as...
Briefs: Motion Control
Energy efficiency is a continuing focus of the power electronics industry. Motors consume the most electricity in commercial and industrial applications (followed at a distant second by...
Briefs: Power
The linear motor was invented in the mid-nineteenth century, at much the same time as its brother, the rotating electric motor. Because the linear motor always has to effect a reversing movement -...
Briefs: Software
Program Simulates Performance of a Hybrid Automobile
The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Analysis (HEVA) computer program numerically simulates the performance of an automotive vehicle -- especially a hybrid vehicle. A vehicle is said to be hybrid if (1) it contains an energy-storage device (a battery, flywheel, or ultra-capacitor) that is charged with...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Magnetostatic switches — switches that open or close in response to magnetic fields — are being developed and fabricated using micromachining (MEMS) technology. These switches operate similarly to...
Briefs: Materials
Muscle Wires for Planetary-Exploration Robots
A report proposes the use of muscle wires as mechanical actuators for planetary-exploration robots. Muscle wires are commercially available in kit form in the hobby market, and have been described (though not explicitly called "muscle wires") in previous articles in NASA Tech Briefs. A muscle wire is...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The need for improved investment castings at Marshall Space Flight Center's Rapid Prototyping Lab has led to the development of a simple machine for centrifugal investment casting of shells. This...
Briefs: Motion Control
An improved motor controller provides a circuit that will allow a motor to run at full speed while traveling from point A to point B, and still be able to obtain the desired damping...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
A Stirling cooler is a mechanical system that approximates the ideal gas cycle. Often associated with airborne or portable cooling applications that require compact design and low input power,...
Top Stories
INSIDER: Software
Aya Durbin of Boston Dynamics on Why Humanoids Are the Future of...
INSIDER: Software
NVIDIA Announces Industry’s First Full-Stack Safety System for Physical...
Articles: RF & Microwave Electronics
Blog: Manned Systems
NASA Marches Toward Artemis III Mission in 2027
INSIDER: Electronics & Computers
This New Quantum Sensor Measures 3D Direction of RF Electromagnetic Fields
Quiz: Propulsion
Webcasts
Editorial Webinars: Motion Control
How Motors, Drives, and Sensors are Advancing Humanoid Robots
Webinars: AR/AI
From Grid to GPU: Validating Next-Gen AI Data Center Power...
Summits: Energy
Hydrogen & Alternative Fuels Summit 2026
Webinars: Automotive
Engineering Extended-Range Hybrid Systems
Editorial Webinars: Medical
Design for Miniaturization: Meeting the Demand for Smaller,...
Webinars: AR/AI
