Manufacturing & Prototyping

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

Briefs: Materials

Wool-Like Material Remembers and Changes Shape

The material could be used in smart textiles, medical devices, and tissue engineering.

Briefs: Communications

Self-Assembling Robot Cubes Form Various Structures

The robot blocks jump, spin, flip, and identify each other.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Robotic Assembly of Photovoltaic Arrays

Adaptable automation reduces manufacturing time and costs.

Briefs: Materials

Janus Particles Improve Paints and Coatings

Other applications include cosmetics, 3D printing, and drug formulations.

Briefs: Aerospace

Self-Healing, Recyclable, Shape Memory Polymers

This versatile new material family could build realistic prosthetics and futuristic Army platforms.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Ring Detects Finger Location to Track Hand Movements

The technology, which could be added to smart watches, could detect the onset of Parkinson’s disease or help with stroke rehabilitation.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

3D-Printed Sweating Robot Muscle

This form of thermal management can help enable untethered, high-powered robots to operate for long periods of time without overheating.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Continuous and Stable Lasing Achieved From Low-Cost Perovskites at Room Temperature

With low-cost materials called perovskites, stable, continuous lasing is achieved at room temperature for over an hour.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Radar Enables Cars to Spot Hazards Around Corners

Using radar commonly deployed to track speeders and fastballs, the automated system “sees” around corners to spot oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Briefs: Transportation

Nature-Inspired Sensors Could Help Autonomous Machines See Better

The sensors can be built into the shells of aircraft, cars, or other machines.

Briefs: Materials

Using Silicon for Battery Anodes

A nanostructure design lends extraordinary strength to a promising storage ingredient.

Briefs: Materials

Hybrid Material is an Efficient Photodetector

A metal-organic framework does not contain cost-intensive raw materials and can be produced in bulk.

Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs

Mass-Producible, Centimeter-Scale Metalens

Applications include low-light conditions such as on orbital satellites and VR applications where the lens needs to be larger than a pupil.

Briefs: Energy

3D-Printed Soft, Rubbery Brain Implants

This technique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Method Turns Nearly any Object into a Data Storage Unit

This technology makes it possible to save extensive data in objects such as shirt buttons, water bottles, or the lenses of glasses and then retrieve it years later.