Integral Tuned Mass Absorber for Turbine Blades

A novel turbine blade design and manufacturing approach developed by NASA provides a significant reduction in turbine blade resonant vibration.

Eliminating Vibration Emissions Aboard Satellites

How CSEM and its partners are using magnetic levitation to counter unwanted vibrations from components aboard satellites.

Fibers Turn Fabric into Breath-Regulating Garments

These textiles could help performers and athletes train their breathing and potentially help patients recovering from post-surgery breathing changes.

Eddy Current Displacement Sensors for Industry

Eddy current displacement sensors can make measurements in harsh Industrial environments, even where pressure, dirt, or temperature fluctuations occur.

Built-In Vibration Control to Soundproof Spaces

Vibration-absorbing resonators could better soundproof walls and make vehicles more streamlined.

Tension Element Damping (TED) with Hydraulics for Large Displacements

Applications include wind turbines, solar arrays, commercial space mobile launchers, and industrial process stacks and equipment.

Method Detects Onset of Destructive Oscillations in Aircraft Turbines

Early flutter detection will help in the development of safer and more eco-friendly aircraft turbines.

High-Performance, Energy-Absorbing Material

The new material could provide efficient and reusable protection from shock, vibration, and explosion.

Glove-Like Device Mimics Sense of Touch

The soft, wearable device simulates the sense of touch and has wide potential in medical and industrial applications.

Multifunctional Structure Stabilizes and Rotates Satellites

This technology cancels out the vibrations of a satellite by vibrating the solar panels in the opposite direction.

Relaxor Piezoelectric Single-Crystal Multilayer Stacks for Energy Harvesting Transducers (RPSEHT)

Applications include powering portable electronic devices and sensors, and harvesting waste mechanical energy for aircraft, automobile, and other transportation equipment.

For Power-Efficient Wireless Sensing, Start with Analog Processing

Increase battery life and reduce data loads with an analog-first processing architecture.

Multi-Objective Flight Control Optimization Framework

This framework can be used by commercial and military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

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

Isolators used to control semiconductor manufacturing keep the James Webb Space Telescope steady.

Macro-Fiber Composite (MFC) Actuator

This technology has applications in sonar, range measuring, directional-force sensors, flow meters, and vibration/noise sensing and control.

Web-Based Technology Assesses Structural Health

Understanding how cars, planes, bridges, and other structures handle vibrations and dynamic loads can be critical to their design and performance. Researchers have developed a new way to...

Wearable Devices Allow Direct Communication by Touch

Emergency situations such as trying to escape heavy smoke from fire could leave the sense of touch as the only way to find an exit. Rather than trying to look at a smartphone screen, a...

Advanced Connector Technologies: From Aerospace to Racecars to Robots

Different types of motion encountered in dynamic environments require designers to specify connectors for boards, wiring, and devices that can meet significant g-forces,...

Atomically Thin Device Transmits Signals Across a Broad Frequency Range

The challenge of miniaturizing devices and systems is also achieving a broader dynamic range of detection for small signals such as sound, vibration, and radio...

Protecting Sensitive Instruments with Piezo-Driven Active Vibration Isolation Platforms

As the need for nano precision has become increasingly important in many fields of research and manufacturing — such as microelectronics fabrication,...

Access System Senses Finger Vibrations to Verify Users

The market for smart security access systems is expected to grow rapidly, reaching nearly $10 billion by 2022. Today's smart security access systems mainly rely on traditional techniques...

Gimbal for Steering Propelled CubeSats

NASA is preparing for the next generation of CubeSats that are propelled and will make directional maneuvers. The new gimbal mount provides a seat for the motor, and controls the position of the...

Compact Active Vibration Control System

NASA Langley Research Center has developed a point sensor and piezoelectric actuator system to actively sense and reduce vibrations in flexible structures. The system uses a directional piezoelectric...

Flexible “Skin” Senses Shear Force

To date, it has been difficult or impossible for most robotic and prosthetic hands to accurately sense the vibrations and shear forces that occur, for example, when a finger is sliding along a tabletop,...

Paper-Thin Device Acts as a Loudspeaker and Microphone

A paper-thin, flexible device was created that can generate energy from human motion, and can act as a loudspeaker and microphone. The transducer is ultrathin, flexible, scalable, and...

Mineral Analyzer Shakes Answers Out of Soil and Rocks

On the Curiosity rover, a tool called CheMin (Chemistry and Mineralogy) is helping scientists determine what minerals make up the Martian landscape, and whether single-celled or more...

Vibration-Dampening Pedestal for MEMS

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are critical devices for various highly sensitive applications; however, the development and potential fielding of these next-generation smart systems is currently...

Compact, Portable Device for Structural Vibration Reduction

Tuned mass dampers are used worldwide to mitigate vibrations in structures like buildings and bridges where excessive movement can be alarming or even sickening to occupants. The...