Manufacturing & Prototyping

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Gecko-Inspired: Researchers Find Easier Way to Mass-Produce Adhesives

A team at Georgia Tech has discovered a Velcro-like way of mass-producing gecko-inspired adhesives.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Starting In the Garage, NASA Engineer Makes Oxygen Helmet for COVID-19 Patients

See how NASA engineer Mike Buttigieg is creating a device that will free up ventilators for patients with COVID-19

Blog: FDA/Regulatory

NASA's 'VITAL' Ventilator Gets FDA Approval

A low-cost, low-complexity ventilator developed by NASA engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

VoroCrust v.1.0 Meshing Software

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

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Device Tests Drugs on Tumor Tissue

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

Briefs: Materials

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.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

High-Efficiency Laser for Silicon Chips

Applications include optical data transfer, infrared and night-vision systems, environmental sensors, and breath analysis for medical diagnosis.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Executive Roundtable: 3D Printing

Tech Briefs posed questions to 3D printing/AM industry execs, to get their views on issues like metal printing, new materials, and environmental sustainability.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Wi-Fi-assisted Inertial Odometry (WIO) Measures Speed and Distance of Indoor Movement

The technique could be used to improve navigation for robots, drones, or pedestrians.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Organic Material for Printed Electronics

The material combines two polymers with different properties.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Defects Enable High-Performance Infrared Photodetectors

A highly sensitive, CMOS-compatible, broadband photodetector was created by tailoring material defects.

Briefs: Medical

Method Enables Conductive Gels to Stick When Wet

A new way of making polymers adhere to surfaces may enable better biomedical sensors and implants.

NASA Spinoff: Aerospace

Space Station Garden Shines Light on Earth-Based Horticulture

NASA’s LED lighting system enables food and other crops to be grown indoors in places like skyscrapers.

Briefs: Defense

Foldable Mechanical Devices

These “developable mechanisms” are built into the surfaces of structures.

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Products of Tomorrow: May 2020

A cryptographic ID tag, a high-reliability NASA switch, and a stretchable thermoelectric generator...

Briefs: Wearables

Smart Bandages Monitor and Tailor Treatment for Chronic Wounds

Bandages with integrated pH and temperature sensors, and electronically triggered drug release, improve healing.

Q&A: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Q&A: Turning Trash into Valuable Graphene

A new process will reduce the cost of manufacturing graphene by a factor of more than 100.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Sussex Researchers Combine Lasers, Computers & THz Waves to Build Camera That Sees ‘Unseen’ Details

The nonlinear camera captures high-resolution images of the interior of solid objects using terahertz (THz) radiation.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Properly Designing and Specifying Aspheric Lenses

Aspheric lenses greatly improve the performance and efficiency of a wide range of optical applications.

Products: Test & Measurement

Product of the Month: May 2020 Tech Briefs

The ADISRA SmartView 4.0 HMI allows builders to see what's going on in their machines.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Autonomic and Apoptotic Highly Distributed System

Applications include distributed computer systems, computer security, and commercial satellite systems.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Analyzing Wear and Tear of Metal

A new method could enable vehicles and equipment to better withstand high temperatures, loads, and speeds.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Artificial Intelligence Finds and Labels 2D Materials Instantly

The AI system can help shorten the time required for 2D material-based electronics to be ready for consumer devices.

Technology Leaders: Photonics/Optics

Using Lasers in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

Ever since Henry Ford introduced the first moving production line to the industry in 1913, automotive manufacturers have been constantly striving to streamline their processes,...

Technology Leaders: Manufacturing & Prototyping

The Configurable Laser — A Universal Manufacturing Tool

Laser technology will remain at the forefront of tomorrow’s digital manufacturing processes.