Billy's Blog

Blog: Software

Even NASA Needs Effective Parts Sourcing

You can design the best product in the world but what if the parts, assemblies, and sub-components for your idea aren’t there?

Blog: Test & Measurement

Answering Your Questions: Will the 2020 Mars Rover Have Back-Up Features?

A reader asks our NASA expert: "What kind of redundancy is built into the Mars 2020 rover?"

Blog: Imaging

'HEAT' Uses Cameras to Detect Facial Temperatures and Keep the Room Cool

The Human Embodied Autonomous Thermostat, or “HEAT," uses cameras to identify facial temperature, and adjust the room's air accordingly.

Blog: Data Acquisition

Answering Your (Mars 2020) Questions: Perseverance vs. Curiosity Rover Hardware

A reader asks NASA experts: How much hardware from the Curiosity rover is being used on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover?

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Coffee Grounds Put a Pep in the Step of Flexible Robotic Feet

Traditional robotic feet are made of rigid components. A team of engineers at UCSD turned to coffee grounds to make legged robots more flexible and able to walk on a variety of rough terrain.

Blog: Energy

Is Water Vapor the Next Energy Source? Lightning Researchers Test the Idea

"Who knows? Maybe one day we will have roofs covered with humidity panels together with solar panels," TAU professor Colin Price told Tech Briefs.

Blog: Communications

NIST Researchers Use A.I. to Boost 5G Efficiency

NIST engineers are working to make the cellular network standard even faster.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Breakthrough for Robotic Prosthetics: Researchers Train A.I. to Spot Different Terrain

New software sets the stage for A.I.-enabled robotic prostheses that predict user terrain and initiate mechanical changes accordingly.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

How to Keep Batteries from Catching Fire? Nanotech Energy Goes with Graphene and New Electrolyte

The Los Angeles, CA-based company Nanotech Energy is using graphene to prevent thermal runaway and create a non-flammable battery.

Blog: Materials

Gecko-Inspired: Researchers Find Easier Way to Mass-Produce Adhesives

A team at Georgia Tech has discovered a Velcro-like way of mass-producing gecko-inspired adhesives.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

The Next Challenge for Soft Robots? Beat the Cheetah

A proof-of-concept soft robot has a cheetah-like gait that avoids the usual crawl.

Blog: Test & Measurement

As Fewer Planes Take Off, NASA's Pandora Sensors Measure Airport Air Quality

An empty airport tells you more than you might think.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Starting In the Garage, NASA Engineer Makes Oxygen Helmet for COVID-19 Patients

See how NASA engineer Mike Buttigieg is creating a device that will free up ventilators for patients with COVID-19

Blog: FDA/Regulatory

NASA's 'VITAL' Ventilator Gets FDA Approval

A low-cost, low-complexity ventilator developed by NASA engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Mars 2020: Looking for Signs of Life in the Jezero Crater River Delta

By taking a closer look at the delta deposits on Mars, Stanford University researchers concluded that the Jezero Crater is still the best place to search for signs of life on Mars.

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Biosensor to Measure Coronavirus Concentration in Air

A team used to making pollutant-detection systems is adapting their technologies to spot coronavirus.

Blog: Software

A Faster Way to Design Rockets: Scientific Machine Learning

To speed up the design process, researchers from the University of Texas are finding more efficient ways to predict, or "learn," a rocket's behavior.

Blog: Automotive

Super-Porous Material Gives Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles a Boost

A team at Northwestern University is developing a material so porous that if you were able to unfold a gram of it, you could go farther than a football field.

Blog: Test & Measurement

'mRIXS' Offers Deeper Look into Battery Chemistry

A Berkeley Lab system provides a much more sensitive probe of the chemical state of battery electrodes, especially when the battery is operated under high capacity mode.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

UC Berkeley Launches 'Pop-Up' COVID-19 Testing Lab — In 3 Weeks

In just three weeks, the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley built a robotic COVID-19 laboratory.

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

Medical Robots' Role Expands as COVID-19 Outbreak Continues

Robots are in high demand as medical professionals seek hands-free ways to disinfect environments and contain the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

FIU to 3D-Print 1,000 Face Shields for Baptist Health Workers

Bridget Pelaez spoke to Tech Briefs about the 1,000 face shields being printed for Florida hospitals.

Blog: Transportation

Answering Your Questions: Who is Responsible for the Level 5 Autonomous Car (and Its Sensors)?

A reader asks our expert.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

How One Engineer is Supporting the Coronavirus Response with a Hands-Free Door Opener

See how Prof. Olaf Diegel built a hands-free door opener.

Blog: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Answering Your Questions: How Do A.I. Engineers Address Data Security Concerns with Self-Driving Cars?

As autonomous cars collect data on passing pedestrians, cyclists, and license plates, what privacy measures are in place? A reader asks.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

How 3D Printing is Helping the Response to Coronavirus

3D printing is being used to quickly create life-saving parts and prototypes like masks, shields, and ventilator valves.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

Answering Your Questions: What Will Drive Growth of Class 8 Electric Trucks?

A reader asks, "What market drivers need to occur for electric vehicles to be considered an acceptable replacement for vehicles with internal combustion engines?"

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Collaborative Robots vs. Traditional Robots: What's Right for Your Manufacturing Applications

Massive manufacturing bots have evolved into something new — collaborative robots.

Blog: Aerospace

NASA Langley Launches $20,000 UAV 'Safeguard' Competition

NASA wants small businesses to help the safe operation of UAVs in airspace.