Test & Measurement

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

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Screening System May Point the Way to Clean, Renewable Hydrogen Power

A new, highly sensitive system for detecting the production of hydrogen gas may play an important role in the quest to develop hydrogen as an environmentally friendly and economical alternative to fossil fuels.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

New Approach to Reducing EV Battery Testing Time

A new optimization framework created by researchers at University of Michigan could drastically reduce the cost of assessing how battery configurations will perform over the long haul.

Briefs: Energy

Large Format Li-Ion Calorimeter

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a method to measure the total and fractional heat response of large format Li-ion cells (cells with capacities greater than 100Ah) when driven into...

Briefs: Medical

Portable Device Detects Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness hits about one in six people in the United States every year from more than 31 recognized pathogens including E. coli O157:H7, a particularly harsh strain of E. coli. Researchers...

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Handheld Measuring Device Distinguishes Between Methanol and Potable Alcohol

Methanol is sometimes referred to as ethanol's deadly twin. While the latter is the intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer, and liquor, the former is a chemical that...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Method Measures Temperature Within 3D Objects

Engineers have remotely determined the temperature beneath the surface of certain materials using a new technique called depth thermography. The method may be useful in applications where...

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Rapid Agent Aerosol Detector for Biological Agents

Any space, enclosed or open, can be vulnerable to the dispersal of harmful airborne biological agents. Silent and near-invisible, these bioagents can sicken or kill living things before steps...

Briefs: Wearables

Electronic Skin Powered by Sweat Serves as Human-Machine Interface

Researchers have developed electronic skin (e-skin) that is applied directly on top of real skin. Made from soft, flexible rubber, it can be embedded with sensors that monitor...

Briefs: Materials

Fast-Acting Molecular Probe

A reversible polymer changes color when it senses a material is about to fail.

Briefs: Imaging

An Innovative Imaging Technique for Dynamic Optical Nanothermometry

A new imaging technique measures temperature in 2D.

Briefs: Design

Tool Calculates Materials’ Stress and Strain Based on Photos

The advance could accelerate engineers’ design process by eliminating the need to solve complex equations.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

NIST Improves the Ability of Optical Microscopes to Measure the Volume of Microdroplets

For the first time, a team has measured the volume of individual droplets smaller than 100 trillionths of a liter, with an uncertainty of less than 1%.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Nano Flashlight Enables New Applications of Light

Design of miniature optical systems could lead to future cell phones that can detect viruses and more.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Sensitive Method for Detecting Transistor Defects

The method could support the semiconductor industry and facilitate development of next-gen devices.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

All-in-One Test for COVID-19 Monitoring

The test can simultaneously diagnose cases, track variants, and detect co-infections.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

LEDs Can Detect Spoiled Food and Lethal Gases

The technology could benefit firefighters, miners, the military, plumbers, and households.

Briefs: Wearables

Inexpensive Portable Detector Identifies Pathogens in Minutes

The smartphone-based device could reduce the pressure on testing laboratories during a pandemic.

Briefs: Motion Control

Measurement Method Tests Fit of Exoskeletons

This testing method ensures that an exoskeleton and the person wearing it are moving smoothly and in harmony.

Briefs: Wearables

Smartphone-Based COVID-19 Test

The test uses a smartphone microscope and could deliver results in about 10 minutes.

Briefs: Propulsion

Propulsion System for Hypersonic Flight

The system could allow for flight speeds of Mach 6 to 17 and would have applications in air and space travel.

Briefs: Energy

Self-Powered Alarm Monitors Fires and the Environment

This remote forest fire detection and alarm system is powered by nothing but the movement of the trees in the wind.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Soft Contact Lenses Monitor Ocular Diseases

The lenses enable the painless diagnosis or early detection of ocular diseases including glaucoma.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Nanoscale Sensors Measure Elusive Water Levels in Leaves

A new technology uses nanoscale sensors and fiber optics to measure water status just inside a leaf’s surface, where water in plants is most actively managed.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

New Thermal Wave Diagnostic Technique Advances Battery Performance Testing

A new technique for measuring the performance of lithium batteries uses thermal waves to measure local lithium concentration as a function of depth inside battery electrodes.