Features

Laser Power/Energy Meter

Ophir Photonics (North Logan, UT) recently announced the 120K-W Laser Power Meter, the only commercial sensor for measuring very high power 120 kW lasers. The 120K-W Laser Power Meter consists of a beam dump with...

Ultrahigh-Speed Digital Cameras

Vision Research (Wayne, NJ) has enhanced its UHS-Series line of 1 megapixel (1Mpx) ultrahigh-speed cameras. The new Phantom v2512, v2012, v1612, and v1212 cameras are now available with either 72GB, 144GB, or...

Ultra-Stable Light Sources

OZ Optics’ (Ottawa, Canada) series of laser diode sources delivers an ultra-stable output, either directly or via a fiber optic cable. Sources are available at wavelengths ranging from 375 nm to 2050 nm, and with...

Green Pulsed Lasers

The new Revolution series of q-switched, green, pulsed lasers from Coherent, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) provides average power up to 80W at a wavelength of 527 nm, with a beam profile featuring an extremely smooth energy...

Ice Sensors

New Avionics Corp (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) has announced its Ice*Meister™ Model 9732-PLASTIC Ice Detecting Sensor for Aircraft. The unit consists of a probe, housing, circuit board, and lightweight blue cable. The product, tested at...

Automotive Sensors

STMicroelectronics (Geneva, Switzerland) has introduced two central airbag crash sensors. The AIS1120SX and AIS2120SX single- and dual-axis 120g in-plane MEMS accelerometers are designed to be mounted in the vehicle’s...

Vehicle Attitude Sensors

Prova Systems (Carbondale, PA) has announced its Vehicle Inertia Monitor (VIM). The VIM is a dual-mode advanced J1939 CAN-bus vibration analyzer and vehicle attitude sensor for heavy duty vehicle prognostics and...

Touch Sensors

Opaque QTC® force touch sensors from Peratech (Richmond, North Yorks, England) can be integrated under a range of top surfaces such as plastics, rubbers, wood, leather, metals, and glass. The “3D multi-touch” matrix sensors...

Ceramic Sensor Elements

The EPCOS NTC sensor element from TDK Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) measures temperatures up to 650 °C. The ceramic sensor element, connected to a metallized aluminum oxide rod and then glass-encapsulated, is available...

Biosensors

The AS7000 health/fitness biosensor from ams (Unterpremstaetten, Austria) incorporates an integrated optical sensor module accompanied by software to provide heart rate measurements (HRM) and heart rate variation (HRV) readings....

IoT Platform

WiSilica (Aliso Viejo, CA) has launched a smart end-to-end IoT platform (WiSe) that provides predictive intelligence to connected devices. The secure platform supports legacy and new devices, and can operate locally, in the cloud,...

Magnetic Reed Sensors

Littelfuse (Chicago, IL) has introduced the 59022 Series Firecracker Reed Sensor, a compact, cylindrical, magnetically operated device capable of switching up to 265 Vac/300 Vdc at 10 Watt/VA. The sensor has a 5.8 mm...

Detection Sensors

H18 SureSense sensors from SICK (Minneapolis, MN) detect objects in a variety of environments and ensure machines and lines operate at full capacity. The IP 69K-rated sensors feature a signal strength light bar that alerts...

Photoelectric Sensors

The S18-2 compact photoelectric sensors from Banner Engineering (Minneapolis, MN) are now available in fixed-field background suppression mode configurations. The compact, self-contained sensors provide up to six detection...

Voltage Sensors

Sendyne (New York, NY) has released the SFP102MOD, a shunt-based enclosed module capable of current measurements to 375 A, with 45 μA resolution. The module achieves ±0.25% accuracy for current magnitudes, as long as the...

Motion Sensors

Bosch Sensortec (Kusterdingen, Germany) has announced the BMF055, a compact, programmable 9-axis motion sensor. The new sensor from Bosch Sensortec’s Application-Specific Sensor Node (ASSN) family combines a triaxial 16 bit...

Amy Keith, Environmental Engineer, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Environmental engineer Amy Keith and her team developed a low-cost detector of contaminants in plants and surrounding groundwater. The non-destructive technology...

Products of Tomorrow

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,...

Modern CMOS Cameras as Replacements for CCD Cameras

Many users of CCD sensors are asking about the advantages of the latest CMOS sensors, particularly if they have been using CCD-based cameras. The two sensor technologies, a comparison of the...

Custom System Rides the Rails at NASA Radar Range

Custom linear guide railsNB Corporation of AmericaHanover Park, IL1-800-521-2045www.nbcorporation.com ADC USA, Inc. (Ithaca, NY) develops and supplies high-precision motion systems and...

Underwater Adhesives Retrofit Pipelines with Advanced Sensors

NASA Technology B y the time the gas you fill your car with hits the engine, it’s been through quite a journey. Even apart from its transformation from organic matter into fossil...

Product of the Month

National Instruments, Austin, TX, has released the PXI-based Wireless Test System (WTS) that combines a PXI vector signal transceiver (VST) and multicore processing technologies to offer a single platform for...

Imitative Robotic Control: The Puppet Master

Service Robots Use Flat Motors to Provide Reliable, Safe Motion

Unlike industrial robots for manufacturing, service robots come with their own specification requirements aimed specifically at the end user, and the most discriminating user at...

Encoders Ensure Position Accuracy of Linear-Torsion Tester

Instron (Norwood, MA) manufactures materials testing equipment and accessories that are used to test samples ranging from components for jet engines to medical syringes. The company’s...

Piezo Drive

The Ensemble QDe™ desktop nanopositioning piezo drive from Aerotech (Pittsburgh, PA) was designed for seamless use with the Ensemble family of drives and controllers. The QDe connects to any Ensemble controller network, enabling...

Linear Stage

Bell-Everman (Goleta, CA) offers the SLS Light sealed linear stage that keeps contamination such as manufacturing debris, particulate, or liquid contaminants outside of the stage housing. The stage measures 80 x 120 mm, and has...

Position and Angle Measurement

The BML series from Balluff (Florence, KY) offers absolute position and angle measurement for installation or direct integration into drive and positioning systems. The magnetically encoded systems with...

Linear Guide System

PBC Linear (Roscoe, IL) released the Compact Series low-profile linear guide system for repeatable linear motion in tight spaces. The system features a 23-mm standard height, and can be configured to adapt to specific...