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Small, universal mobile receivers are needed that are capable of receiving mobile satellite television signals. These receivers should be similar to those installed and used by satellite radio. The receivers will convert the signal from a satellite to a mounted or OEM satellite, thus delivering cable television to mobile...

Georgia Tech researchers have developed a new protoype engine that uses up to 40% less fuel by running on solar power while in space and by fine-tuning exhaust velocity. The key to the engine improvements is the ability to optimize the use of available power. A traditional chemical rocket engine (attached to a satellite ready...

Nanotech Briefs(R) magazine is now accepting nominations for its third annual Nano 50 awards competition. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology. There is no cost to submit a nomination. All...

Researchers have created carbon briquettes with complex nanopores capable of storing natural gas at a density of 180 times their own volume and at one- seventh the pressure of conventional natural gas tanks. The briquettes are the first technology to meet the 180 to 1 storage to volume target set by the U.S. Department of Energy...

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a disposable sensor for detecting hazardous uranium ions, with sensitivity that rivals the performance of much more sophisticated laboratory instruments.According to the researchers, the sensor provides a fast, on-site test for assessing uranium...

A fluorescent coating is needed to alter emitted wavelength from UV LEDs. The goal of this project is to create a white light source with a uniform spectral output. Due to size and power constraints, LEDs are the preferred light source. To respond to this Tech Need, click here.

According to a recent report based on some of the first observations by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, fluids that flowed through cracks penetrating underground rock on ancient Mars may have produced conditions to support possible habitats for microbial life.

Researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M, Ann Arbor, MI) developed a robotic exoskeleton controlled by the wearer's own nervous system that could help users regain limb function. Healthy subjects first wore the exoskeleton to measure how the device affected ankle function before researchers tested the device on disabled...

Biologists at Yale University (New Haven, CT) are developing a process to trap viruses in habitats that force their extinction. Viruses are chemically lured into the wrong cells, thus preventing virus reproduction and alleviating disease. The research was conducted on phi-6 virus populations in environments containing different mixtures...

Three families of liquid-crystal polyester are available that can be used in the form of shaped articles, and can be prepared from the melt phase by extrusion, injection molding, compression molding, or other convenient means. View this technology here.

Engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have devised new analog circuits that will not drain power or create bottlenecks like previous models. The new class of analog circuits eliminates operational amplifiers while maintaining virtually all benefits of operational-amplifier-based circuits. The MIT circuits feature...

Case New Holland (CNH, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) has lessened the level of steering noise in the cabs of its 821 Case brand and LW190 brand wheel loaders by utilizing Char-Lynn Series 20 steering control unit from Eaton Hydraulics (Eden Prairie, MN). The cab noise issue was great enough to hold the assembly line while the matter was...

A joint effort between University of Washington (Seattle, WA) and Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) researchers has revealed gyroscope-like structures in tobacco horn moth antennae that could lead to mechanical equivalents for miniature flying robots. The discovery allows the researchers to understand neural properties...

Nanotech Briefs magazine is now accepting nominations for its third annual Nano 50 awards competition. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology.

Free Webinar: Join us and other engineering professionals at the "Adobe and Alibre Technology Seminar" on Wednesday, February 28. Alibre, Inc. and Adobe Inc. are coming together to provide an informative online seminar that reviews how other leading-edge companies have used new and affordable technology to redefine their design...

The Air Force's Technology Horizons magazine is now Defense Tech Briefs (DTB),providing engineers with a one-stop source for the latest advances and tech transfer opportunities from Defense Department R&D programs. Commercially promising inventions resulting from this work are reported in DTB magazine, published bi-monthly...

Technologies are needed for the economical production of polymers that are based on today's generally accepted standards for "green" chemistry. Of particular interest are chemistries that produce safe chemicals, and/or that use safer solvents and auxiliaries, and/or that produce chemicals designed for degradation. Click here to respond...

Brown University researchers are creating a technology that will allow doctors and scientists to see inside living humans and animals, and watch their bones move in 3D as they run, fly, jump, swim, and slither. This high-resolution, high-speed imaging system will contribute to better treatments for knee, shoulder, wrist, and back...

Fastening Technology & Bolted Joint Design Seminar February 27-28, 2007 Detroit, Michigan USA This two-day seminar gives engineers and technical personnel current specifications for, and a better understanding of, the complexities of mechanical joining with fasteners. Featured topics include bolted/screwed joints, elastic...

Bill Sheredy heads NASA's Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME), implemented to design smoke detection devices operable in the micro-gravity environments found in the International Space Station and space shuttle. Fire is deadly and unpredictable on Earth; in an enclosed space vehicle in orbit, its presence takes on even...

"Micro-needles" have been disclosed that are characterized by their sharpness and side holes that prevent the coring phenomenon seen in standard needles. The needles can be several hundreds of microns in length and avoid most pain receptors in the skin. The sharpness ensures minimal damage to the skin. Click here to view...

Scientists at Hematech (Sioux Falls, SD) have genetically engineered a dozen "prion-protein-knockout" cows to be free from the proteins that cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Prion protein is a natural cellular protein that can become misfolded into infectious particles and cause BSE and a...

Nanotech Briefs(R) magazine has announced a "Call for Nominations" for its third annual Nano 50 awards competition. The Nano 50 recognizes the top 50 technologies, innovators, and products with the greatest potential to advance the commercialization of nanotechnology. There is no cost to submit a nomination....

The OP280 series of infrared emitters and the OP580 series of matching silicon photo sensors from OPTEK Technology (Carrollton, TX) were named PTB Product of the Month for January. The OP280 emitter series consists of three standard devices: the OP180 940-nm infrared emitter, the OP280 880-nm infrared emitter, and the OP280K...

Optical scanners were first introduced 40 years ago. Since then, they have become the enabling technology behind many innovative products across many different industries, including medical imaging, industrial machining, product identification, biomedical research, automotive manufacturing, and many more. While...

Alternative Technologies for Storing Mechanical Energy A Fortune 500 company is seeking technology or joint development proposals for an alternative method of stored energy that can be used in place of a gas-charged cylinder or compression spring for closing valve. Click here for more info.

The unexpected longevity of NASA's twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity is giving NASA a chance to field-test on Mars some new capabilities useful both to these missions and future rovers. Both rovers begin their fourth year on Mars this month. They are currently testing four new skills included in revised flight software uploaded to their...

It's that time of year again -- time to cast your vote for NASA Tech Briefs' Readers' Choice Product of the Year. Each month, the editors of NTB select a Product of the Month. At the end of the year, we ask our Readers to choose the Product of the Year -- the one product from those 12 nominees that they feel was the most...

Engineers at Lehigh and Carnegie Mellon universities, working with Green Lane, PA-based Freedom Lift Corp., have integrated robotics, laser, and wireless technologies into a new system that promises to make it safer for wheelchair users to drive a car. Current solutions for wheelchair users who desire independent mobility require...