Tech Briefs

Materials & Manufacturing

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

Briefs: Materials

Surgical Tape Detaches on Demand

The removable adhesive could make it easier for surgeons to close up internal wounds.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Adhesive Film Turns Smartwatch into Biochemical Monitor

The system looks for chemical indicators found in sweat to give a real-time snapshot of what’s happening inside the body.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Cellulose-Based Sensor Simultaneously Measures Pressure, Temperature, and Humidity

The sensor has applications in fields such as robotics, healthcare, and security.

Briefs: Materials

Polymer Composite for Radiation Shielding

The polymer composite could replace conventional radiation shielding materials such as lead.

Briefs: Materials

Unlocking the Gate to the Millisecond CT

A new CT scan method using intense synchrotron radiation produces higher quality images within milliseconds.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

A Combined Optical Transmitter and Receiver

Researchers at Linköping University, together with colleagues in China, have developed a tiny unit that is both an optical transmitter and a receiver.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fabrication of Multilayer Ferritin Arrays

This method creates a thin-film electrode for a bio-nanobattery.

Briefs: Materials

Semiconductors Can Behave Like Metals and Superconductors

This work potentially opens the door to advances like more energy-efficient electronic devices.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Soft Prosthetic Hand Feels Surroundings via Stretchable Optical Waveguides

Sensors in the hand can actually detect forces being transmitted through the thickness of the robot.

Briefs: Software

Machine-Learning Tool for Developing Tougher Materials

This rapid screening system tests fracture resistance in billions of potential materials.

Briefs: Transportation

Hardware Reduces Energy Draw of Artificial Intelligence

A quantum material could offset energy demand of artificial intelligence.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Multi-Polymer Filament Increases Production from Low-Cost Printers

The new filament allows low-cost printers to produce parts with mechanical properties competitive with injection molded plastics.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Robot Automates Blood Drawing and Testing

The device provides quick results and gives healthcare workers more time to treat patients in hospitals and other settings.

Briefs: AR/AI

System Reduces the Carbon Footprint of Artificial Intelligence

An automated system cuts the energy required for training and running neural networks.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Biohybrid Can Turn Carbon Dioxide into New Products

Applications exist both on Mars and on Earth.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Super-Fast Method for Ceramic Manufacturing

Scientists have reinvented a 26,000-year-old manufacturing process into an innovative approach to fabricating ceramic materials widely used in batteries, electronics, and extreme environments....

Briefs: Motion Control

Soft Hardware for More Flexible Robots

Combined muscles and sensors made from soft materials allow for adaptable robots.

Briefs: Power

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to “Eat” Metal for Energy

This type of energy source could be the basis for robots that seek out and “eat” metal, breaking down its chemical bonds for energy like humans do with food.