Tech Briefs

A comprehensive library of technical briefs from engineering experts at NASA and major government, university, and commercial laboratories covering all aspects of innovations in electronics, software, photonics, imaging, motion control, automation, sensors, test, materials, manufacturing, mechanical, and mechatronics.

Briefs: Aerospace

Concept Development for Advanced Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar

Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can globally monitor dynamic processes on the Earth’s Surface. The last SAR to be developed and deployed by NASA was in the year 2000.

Briefs: Imaging

A Laser-Focused Approach to LiDAR

Traditional time-of-flight LiDAR has many drawbacks that make it difficult to use in many 3D vision applications.

Briefs: Lighting Technology

Reflection-Reducing Imaging System for Machine Vision Applications

The imaging system tested in NASA wind tunnels can reduce or eliminate shadows that occur when using many existing BOS and photogrammetric measurement systems.

Briefs: Imaging

Assembly for Simplified Hi-Res Flow Visualization

The assembly can simply be mounted in front of a camera to enable focusing schlieren imaging capability.

Briefs: Software

Statistical Audibility Prediction Algorithm

Predicting the extent that one sound is heard over another is difficult, yet could help engineers to better design for sound management.

Briefs: Medical

How Virtual, Cloud-Based Technologies Are Powering the Next Industrial Revolution

Companies in many industries are completely revamping the way in which their manufacturing arms are designing, building, producing, and servicing their goods.

Briefs: AR/AI

Nanomagnets Can Perform AI-Like Processing

The new method could slash the energy cost of AI.

Briefs: Design

Meta Monitoring System

MMS was developed as an add-on to NASA Ames-patented Inductive Monitoring System (IMS), which estimates deviation from normal system operations.

Briefs: Motion Control

Easing Industrial-Grade Ethernet Implementation

Equipment and test system designers need Ethernet devices that outperform consumer-grade components, while remaining easy to use.

Briefs: Medical

Hybrid Microscope Streamlines Imaging for Research and Medicine

The new microscope is called a hybrid open-top light-sheet (OTLS) microscope.

Briefs: Energy

High-Performance MXene Electrodes for Next-Generation Battery

Two-dimensional MXene has become popular in the energy world because of its fast energy storage capability. But unstable voltage output limits applications.

Briefs: Energy

Technique Extends Next-Generation Lithium Metal Batteries

The discovery could enable lightweight, low-cost, long-lasting energy storage for electric vehicles, houses, and more.

Briefs: Energy

New Battery Technology Could Power Wearable, Self-Sustaining Fever Detector

Public temperature checks have become common practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers at Texas A&M University hope to make it possible to check the temperatures of large groups of people more quickly and at a less expensive cost than allowed by current methods.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Triggering Li-ion Battery Cells with Laser Radiation

Inducing TR in a battery cell allows engineers to test and improve the safety performance of overheated batteries that can potentially catch fire or explode.

Briefs: Power

Building Temperature-Resilient Batteries

In tests, the proof-of-concept batteries retained 87.5 percent and 115.9 percent of their energy capacity at -40 °C and 50 °C (-40 °F and 122 °F), respectively.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

More Reliable Doppler LiDAR for Autonomous Navigation

The LiDAR sensor utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technique to determine the distance to the target and the velocity between the sensor and target.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Compact, Temperature-Tuned OFDR Laser

NASA has focused on OFDR, an alternative FBG interrogation technique based on laser interferometry.

Briefs: Medical

Smart Textiles Powered by Soft Transmission Lines

The fibers measure subtle and complex fabric deformations.

Briefs: Materials

Novel Chemical Glucose Sensing Method Based on Boronic Acids and Graphene Foam

Since it is a chemical sensor instead of being enzyme-based, the new technology is robust, has a long shelf-life and can be tuned to detect lower glucose concentrations than current systems.

Briefs: Materials

Implantable Sensor Safely Biodegrades

The flexible, stretchable sensor biodegrades into materials that are absorbed by the body.

Briefs: Materials

High Atomic Number Coatings for Fabrics

This new approach is useful for building radiation shields via the Z-grading method, the process of layering metal materials with different atomic numbers to provide radiation protection for protons, electrons, and x-rays.