Tech Briefs

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Navigation Measurement Software

This program provides a relative navigation capability for spacecraft, remotely operated terrestrial vehicles, and machine vision.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Soft Hardware for More Flexible Robots

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

Briefs: Energy

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.

Briefs: Imaging

Showing Robots How to Complete Complicated Tasks

By observing humans, robots learn to perform complex tasks such as setting a table.

Briefs: Motion Control

Solenoid Valve Health Monitor

The Solenoid Valve Health Monitor System (SVHMS) was developed to remotely monitor the health of solenoid valves, lowering operational costs and increasing reliability by predicting valve failures before they...

Briefs: Materials

Surfaces That Grip Like Gecko Feet Could Be Easily Mass-Produced

The new method produces strips of rubbery material that can pick up and release objects.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Small, Precise, Affordable Gyroscope Navigates Without GPS

An inexpensive gyroscope could help drones and autonomous cars stay on track without a GPS signal.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Process for Producing High-Quality, Lightweight Mirrors

The process provides a cost-effective solution for applications in space-based imaging systems, military reconnaissance, and satellite and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Cut-to-Length Electrical Cable Cuts Costs

Electrical cables are used in services such as power delivery, automation signaling, and communications.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Device Modulates Light and Amplifies Tiny Signals

This system can amplify a faint signal from a neighboring system even when that signal’s amplitude is as small as ten trillionths of a meter.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Improving Data Speeds with Laser-Activated Magnets

Mini-magnets could enable cloud computing systems to process data up to 100 times faster than current technologies.

Briefs: Materials

Metals Change Surfaces in Response to Heat

Heat predictably and precisely changes the surface structure of a particle of liquid metal.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Graphene Device with Superconducting, Insulating, and Magnetic Properties

The multitasking device could advance development of an electric circuit for faster, next-generation electronics like quantum computing technologies.

Briefs: Energy

'Artificial Leaf' Produces Clean Gas

This method of producing clean syngas could be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to gasoline.

Briefs: Materials

Essential Oils Inhibit Mold on Wood

This method can be used to protect stored building materials and to remediate in-service wood and wood products.

Briefs: Wearables

Wearable Device Monitors Health

The flexible device harvests heat energy from the body to monitor health.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Method Turns Trash Into Graphene

This green process produces pristine graphene in bulk using waste food, plastic, and other materials.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Carbon Nanostructure is Stronger Than Diamonds

A novel plate-cell architecture reaches the theoretical limit of performance.

Briefs: Unmanned Systems

Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites with Electrical and Thermal Characteristics

These composites could improve how unmanned vehicles dissipate energy.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Carbonated Cement for Production of Concrete with Improved Properties

This technology supports CO2 emissions reduction in cement manufacturing.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Fabric Allows Wearers to Control Electronic Devices Through Clothing

The rainproof, stainproof technology turns clothing into self-powered remotes while turning away bacteria.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Soft Tactile Logic Distributes Decision-Making Throughout Stretchable Material

Inspired by the octopus, the structure senses, computes, and responds without any centralized processing.

Briefs: Propulsion

Supersonic Spike Diffuser

This diffuser provides double the pumping efficiency in one-quarter the space.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Spin Capacitor for Energy-Efficient Electronics

The capacitor could enable a new generation of electronics that will require less power and generate less heat.

Briefs: Software

VoroCrust v.1.0 Meshing Software

This program generates a mesh that conforms to a complex model without clipping.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

System Provides Cooling with No Electricity

This passive device relies on a layer of material that blocks incoming sunlight but lets heat radiate away.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Device Tests Drugs on Tumor Tissue

An inexpensive 3D-printed microfluidics device could be used to personalize cancer treatment.

Briefs: Tubing & Extrusion

Nanostructured Rubber-Like Material to Replace Human Tissue

The material consists solely of components that have already been shown to work well in the body.