Products of Tomorrow

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow.

Autonomous Assemblers Assemble

In-space and planetary surface assembly for human exploration is a challenging domain that encompasses various technological thrusts to support human missions. NASA is developing autonomous assembly agents to...

Three-Dimensional Electronic Flying Microchip

Engineers have added a new capability to electronic microchips: flight. About the size of a grain of sand, the new flying microchip (microflier) does not have a motor or engine. Instead, it...

Terahertz Energy Focused by Credit Card-Sized Device to Generate High-Resolution Images

Researchers have created a device that enables them to electronically steer and focus a beam of terahertz electromagnetic energy with extreme precision....

Products of Tomorrow

Breath-regulating garments, humidity sensors, thin-film antennas, and more.

Agile RFID Antenna System

Applications include manufacturing/assembly line tracking, industrial transportation and logistics, and healthcare.

Thin-Film, High-Frequency Antenna Array for Wireless Communications

The phased array antenna based on large-area electronics technology could enable many uses of emerging 5G and 6G wireless networks.

Optimizing Wireless Test Systems and Antennas for High-Speed Communication

Easy-to-use reverberation test systems (RTS) measure the performance of wireless devices and antennas.

Robot Locates and Retrieves Buried Items

This robotic arm fuses data from a camera and antenna to locate and retrieve items buried under piles and completely out of view.

Products of Tomorrow

Nanotube fibers that turn heat to power; a NASA antenna system; and an antimicrobial coating.

Multiplexed Optical Antennas

These antennas dramatically increase the amount of information that can be simultaneously transmitted by a coherent light source.

Conformal, Lightweight, Aerogel-Based Antenna

The flexible antenna was designed for active aeronautical satellite communications.

Nanosized Foldable Robots

The machines fold themselves within 100 milliseconds and can flatten and refold thousands of times.

Evaluating Low-and Ultra-Low-Outgassing Silicones for Space Applications

Highly purified, low-outgassing silicones prevent material degradation in satellites and space vehicles.

New Materials Boost Efficiency and Stability of Optical Rectennas

The improved rectennas could operate low-power devices such as temperature sensors.

Novel Antenna Concept for CubeSat Platforms

While this technology was designed for CubeSats, it may be utilized in any technology that utilizes a structural frame, such as drones.

Toroidal Radiation Pattern Patch Antenna

The antenna is designed for use in extreme conditions such as outer space.

Vortex Radiometer for Wireless Communications

Any high-performance communication systems operating in RF or optical frequencies may benefit from this system.

Quantum Sensor Enables Wide Spectral Coverage

The sensor could provide a way to detect communication signals over the entire radio frequency from 1 to 100 GHz.

Electronically Controlled 2D Reflector Improves Microwave Communications

Flat-panel technology could transform antennas, wireless, and cellphone communications.

Virtually Optimizing Metasurface Topology with a Genetic Algorithm

See how software supported the design of an advanced antenna.

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

A nanoantenna-enabled detector boosts the usable signal of a thermal infrared camera by up to three times.

Compact Antenna Enables Communication Where Radios Fail

A pocket-sized antenna was developed that could enable mobile communication in situations where conventional radios don’t work such as underwater, through the ground, and over very...

Products of Tomorrow

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.

Q&A: NASA's Dr. Mahmooda Sultana Makes Multifunctional Sensors

Dr. Sultana won funding to advance a nanomaterial-based detector platform that can sense environmental parameters from minute concentrations of target gases and vapors, to...

The Teletenna — a Hybrid Telescope Antenna System

Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed a hybrid telescope antenna system — Teletenna — to deliver high-data-rate communication over great distances. Teletenna has...