Stories
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Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Experiments have shown the stability enhancement of polymeric sensing films on mixing the polymer with colloidal filler particles (submicron-sized) of carbon black, silver, titanium...
Articles: Design
Mechanical CAD (computer-aided design) programs have become very sophisticated during the past few years. Unfortunately, there is still a portion of the engineering spectrum that cannot be...
Who's Who: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Using high-tech remote sensing methods, a collection of artifacts has been unearthed at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, MS. The objects uncovered during...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) — autonomous or remotely controlled pilotless aircraft — have been recently thrust into the spotlight for military applications, for homeland security, and...
Who's Who: Manned Systems
Weather forecasters in the middle of the United States are making better local predictions for pilots thanks to an airborne sensor being tested by NASA's...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A vision system that includes a specially designed video camera and an image-data-processing computer is under development as a prototype of robotic systems for visual inspection of the interior...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Shuttle-Data-Tape XML Translator
JSDTImport is a computer program for translating native Shuttle Data Tape (SDT) files from American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format into databases in other formats. JSDTImport solves the problem of organizing the SDT content, affording flexibility to enable users to choose how to store the...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A broadband phase-contrast wave-front sensor has been proposed as a real-time wave-front sensor in an adaptive-optics system. The proposed sensor would offer an alternative to the Shack-Hartmann...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Integrated circuits that exploit optical flow to sense motions of computer mice on or near surfaces (“optical mouse chips”) are used as navigation sensors in a class of small flying robots now...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Have you ever seen a piece of spaceflight hardware? When you do, you will notice some letters and numbers etched or inscribed on it. All NASA parts have identification,...
Briefs: Imaging
A hyperspectral imaging system of high spectral and spatial resolution that incorporates several innovative features has been developed to incorporate a focal-plane scanner (U.S. Patent 6,166,373). This...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Optical Sensing of Combustion Instabilities in Gas Turbines
In a continuing program of research and development, a system has been demonstrated that makes high-speed measurements of thermal infrared radiance from gas-turbine engine exhaust streams. When a gas-turbine engine is operated under conditions that minimize the emission of pollutants,...
Briefs: Imaging
Flight-control and navigation systems inspired by the structure and function of the visual system and brain of insects have been proposed for a class of developmental miniature robotic...
Briefs: Materials
Optoelectronic sensors and magnetic actuators have been developed as parts of a system for controlling the relative position and attitude of two massive optical tables that float on...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A relatively inexpensive instrumentation system that includes units that are connected to thermocouples and that are parts of a radio-communication network has been developed to enable monitoring of...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Fiber-Optic Ammonia Sensors
Reversible, colorimetric fiber-optic sensors are undergoing development for use in measuring concentrations of ammonia in air at levels relevant to human health [0 to 50 parts per million (ppm)]. A sensor of this type includes an optical fiber that has been modified by replacing a portion of its cladding with a polymer...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Vacuum Leak Detection Using Piezoelectric Film
A technique for detecting a small leak of gas into a vacuum involves the use of a diaphragm made of a thin film of poly (vinylidene fluoride) [PVDF]. To exploit the piezoelectricity of PVDF for this purpose, both sides of the film are coated with thin, electrically conductive layers that serve as...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Development of Cognitive Sensors
A technical report enunciates the concept of a hierarchy of sensor classes (meaning transducers, associated circuitry, and embedded software) that have different levels of intelligence, and discusses issues pertaining to the development of sensors of the highest level of intelligence, called cognitive. The other...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Active-pixel integrated-circuit image sensors that can be programmed in real-time to effect artificial reconfigurable vision on demand have been developed and demonstrated. In...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Using Laser Diodes to Characterize Force and Pressure Sensors
A proposed method of characterizing microphones and other pressure and force sensors would exploit the temporally varying forces of impingement of amplitude-modulated light beams from inexpensive laser diodes. What makes the method likely to be practical is the surprising fact that these...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Electrobiotic sensors have been proposed for detecting toxic substances in a variety of environments. Electrobiotic sensors would be inexpensive, compact units that would be easy to use and could be deployed...
Briefs: Medical
Improved miniature biotelemetric units resembling large pills have been proposed for use in physiological monitoring of the gastrointestinal tract. The broad principles of design, operation,...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A six-legged robot resembling an insect and a legless segmented robot resembling a worm (see figure) have been proposed as prototypes of biomorphic explorers small, mobile, exploratory robots that...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
A robust sensor based on the electrochemical oxidation of methanol has been developed for use in measuring the concentration of methanol dissolved in water. The sensor is expected to be...
Briefs: Motion Control
A surface-micromachining process has been devised for use in fabricating microscopic polycrystalline diamond structures (e.g., bridges and cantilevers) as integral parts...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Integrated electrochemical sensors are being developed for use in measuring concentrations of sulfur dioxide in gas mixtures. These sensors are based on the electrochemical oxidation of SO2 and...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Chemiresistors containing poly(aromatic amine) films have been invented to satisfy a need for simple, inexpensive sensors for real-time measurement of parts-per-million and possibly lower...
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
By combining patented digital Silver-in-Glass® and analog conductive plastic technologies in a single environmentally sealed unibody package, Spectrol Electronics' DigiSense™...
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Sensors made largely of commercially available optical and electronic components are being developed for use in measuring small horizontal displacements of payloads suspended below...
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