Communications

Access our comprehensive library of technical briefs on communications, from engineering experts at NASA and major government, university, and commercial laboratories.

Briefs: Communications

Inkjet Printing of Metamaterials

Metamaterials that manipulate microwave energy can be fabricated using low-cost inkjet printing.

Briefs: Energy

Wirelessly Power Multiple Wearable Devices Using a Single Source

Researchers successfully demonstrated the use of the human body as a medium for transmitting and harvesting energy to power wearables.

Briefs: Materials

Turning Thermal Energy into Electricity

Applications include power and energy, communications, and sensors.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Photonic Integrated Chip for Improved Light Control

This combination of technologies could enable developments for many optical applications.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Getting NASA Data to the Ground With Lasers

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will usher in a new era of laser communications.

Briefs: Communications

Wearable Exosuit Lessens Back Muscle Fatigue

The suit can be controlled with a double tap to the chest or via an app.

Briefs: IoMT

Device Diagnoses COVID-19 from Saliva

The tabletop diagnostic yields results in an hour and can be programmed to detect variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Agile RFID Antenna System

Applications include manufacturing/assembly line tracking, industrial transportation and logistics, and healthcare.

Briefs: AR/AI

Adapter Makes All Headphones Intelligent

“Dumb” headphones are made smart by turning them into sensors.

Briefs: Aerospace

Sensor Film for Aerospace

The film monitors how well aircraft and spacecraft withstand the mechanical stresses of flight.

Briefs: Communications

Approach Makes Unmanned Agents Self-Sufficient

UAVs can land on moving unmanned ground vehicles without GPS.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Far-Infrared Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (FIR MKID) Array

This technology improves the detection of low-power far-infrared (FIR) signals.

Briefs: Energy

Method Recharges an Electric Car as it Drives

This practical technique uses magnetism to transmit electricity wirelessly to recharge electric cars, robots, or drones.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

Thin-Film, High-Frequency Antenna Array for Wireless Communications

The phased array antenna based on large-area electronics technology could enable many uses of emerging 5G and 6G wireless networks.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Multispectral Imaging, Detection, and Active Reflectance (MiDAR)

This is a novel remote sensing instrument with myriad applications.

Briefs: Communications

Nanosheets of Borophane are Stronger Than Steel

The 2D materials boost device performance for electronic devices, solar cells, batteries, and medical equipment.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Unique Amplifier Could Change Optical Communication

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an optical amplifier that they expect will revolutionize both space and fiber communication.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

New Variables for Iterative Transform Phase Retrieval

This approach provides a more general framework for performing Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) calculations.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Method Integrates Elements of Electronic Filters onto a Single Component

This component takes up ten times less space on computer chips.

Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics

System Harvests Energy from Radio Waves to Power Wearable Devices

The electricity can be used to power wireless devices or to charge energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Coherent Optical Transistor

Applications include telecommunications, optical switching, and quantum computing.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Radio Signals Image Hidden and Speeding Objects

This method could help firefighters find victims inside buildings and could track hypersonic objects such as missiles and space debris.

Briefs: Energy

Tiny, Wireless, Injectable Chips Use Ultrasound to Monitor Body Processes

Implantable chips visible only in a microscope point the way to developing chips that can be injected into the body with a hypodermic needle to monitor medical conditions.