Magazine

Briefs: Power

Solid Electrolyte–Based Microthrusters for Precision Propulsion

Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing a novel microthruster that could provide easy-to-control propulsion during spaceflight.

Briefs: Aerospace

Spacecraft to Remove Orbital Debris

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have designed an Active Debris Removal Vehicle that can remove large orbital debris from low-Earth orbit.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Chipset-Specific IPDs Simplify Development of Next-Gen Wireless Medical IoT Applications

The design goal is to provide exceptional RF signal range and stability, while also reducing power consumption, in a miniaturized package.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Capabilities for Grasp-Assisting Gloves

NASA is developing the next generation of spacesuits for future missions.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

AI that Mimics the Human Eye

Researchers at University of Central Florida have developed an artificial intelligence device that mimics the retina of the eye.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robot Overcomes Uncertainty to Retrieve Buried Objects

A new robotic system fuses visual information and radio-frequency signals to efficiently find hidden items buried under a pile of objects.

Briefs: Design

3D-Printed Insect-Inspired Robots

Instead of adding soft materials to a rigid robot body, researchers have taken a soft body and added rigid features to key components.

Briefs: Materials

Self-Healing Aluminum Metal Matrix Composite

NASA has developed a new metal matrix composite (MMC) that can repair itself from large fatigue cracks that occur during the service life of a structure.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Manufacturing on Mars with 3D Printing

High-Martian content materials would be useful in making coatings to protect equipment from rust or radiation damage.

Briefs: Materials

Shape-Shifting Materials Offer Infinite Possibilities

Researchers have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any possible shape.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials

Researchers produced a soft, mechanical metamaterial that can “think” about how forces are applied to it and respond via programmed reactions.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Computer-Implemented Energy Depletion Radiation Shielding

Radiation shielding for space as well as some terrestrial applications is challenging due to the wide variety and energy ranges of radiation particles.

Briefs: Communications

Automated RF Interference Mitigation System

Innovators from the NASA Glenn Research Center developed a software-based automated RFI mitigation system to increase communication reliability.

Briefs: Communications

High-Bandwidth Communications Device

This device could pave the way to higher-bandwidth wireless communications.

Briefs: Information Technology

Efficiently and Precisely Decoding Low Redundancy Codes

Digital data is subjected to errors when stored or transmitted due to the effects of noise on the medium or communication channel.

Briefs: Communications

Energy-Saving Technique for Faster Communication Systems

Researchers have developed a technique that will allow for faster communication systems and better energy-saving electronics.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Concept Development for Advanced Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar

Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can globally monitor dynamic processes on the Earth’s Surface. The last SAR to be developed and deployed by NASA was in the year 2000.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

A Laser-Focused Approach to LiDAR

Traditional time-of-flight LiDAR has many drawbacks that make it difficult to use in many 3D vision applications.

Briefs: Lighting Technology

Reflection-Reducing Imaging System for Machine Vision Applications

The imaging system tested in NASA wind tunnels can reduce or eliminate shadows that occur when using many existing BOS and photogrammetric measurement systems.

Briefs: Lighting Technology

Assembly for Simplified Hi-Res Flow Visualization

The assembly can simply be mounted in front of a camera to enable focusing schlieren imaging capability.

Briefs: Design

Statistical Audibility Prediction Algorithm

Predicting the extent that one sound is heard over another is difficult, yet could help engineers to better design for sound management.

Briefs: Medical

How Virtual, Cloud-Based Technologies Are Powering the Next Industrial Revolution

Companies in many industries are completely revamping the way in which their manufacturing arms are designing, building, producing, and servicing their goods.