Measuring Instruments

Facility Focus: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Facility Focus: NASA John C. Stennis Space Center

Stennis now is testing RS-25 rocket engines for the Space Launch System (SLS) that will carry humans back to the Moon.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Laser Technology Assesses Cancer Cells

Laser light induces ultrasonic vibrations in a sample that can be used to image cells, blood vessels, and tissues.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Force/Torque Sensor Helps Rover Sample Mars

See how one company reached out to NASA with an offer to develop a custom sensor for the Mars 2020 mission rover.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Smart Windows Self-Illuminate on Rainy Days

Self-powering, color-changing humidity sensors are applicable to various fields including smart windows, health care, and safety management.

Application Briefs: Test & Measurement

Using the IoT for Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance is poised to become much more widely adopted, and that will help to boost productivity in a time when we really need it.

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Smart Sensors for Hazardous Areas

Smart sensors for hazardous areas monitor essential assets, such as motors and pumps.

Products: Automotive

New Products: September 2020 Sensor Technology

Safety-critical MEMS, absolute pressure sensors, thermal imaging cameras, and more.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Engineers 3D-Print Sensors Onto Moving Organs

Designed to assist in robotic surgeries, biomedical devices can be printed in and on the human body.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Camera Trends: Where We Are Now and What to Expect in the Near Future

The COVID crisis is propelling the camera industry toward disruptive transformation.

Application Briefs: Imaging

Measuring Surface Roughness with an Atomic Force Microscope

Thin films and engineered surfaces are used in a myriad of applications including semiconductor electronics, data storage, and precision optics. In many cases, surface roughness and...

Products: Photonics/Optics

New Products: September 2020 Photonics & Imaging Technology

High-temp infrared emitter, single-frequency SWIR lasers, hazard testing systems, and more.

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

New Method Measures Temperature Within 3D Objects

University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have made it possible to remotely determine the temperature beneath the surface of certain materials using a new technique they call depth...

Products: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

New Products: August 2020 Motion Design

Positioning devices, vibration transmitters, brushless DC motors, and more.

Articles: Test & Measurement

Venting for EV Battery Packs

Cell chemistries, thermal dynamics, vehicle packaging, and even weather present challenges for optimizing electric vehicle battery functional safety.

Products: Energy

New Products: August 2020 Battery Technology

Power switches, battery pack adhesives, supercapacitor modules, and more...

Products: Electronics & Computers

New on the Market: August 2020

Data storage boards, modular plugs, equipment enclosures, and more.

Briefs: Green Design & Manufacturing

Nanosensors for Real-Time Plant Health Monitoring

This approach allows scientists to study the communication within plants, providing valuable insights to improve crop yields.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Portable Tool Analyzes Microbes in the Environment

This device could be used to find threats to ecosystems.

Articles: Test & Measurement

Products of Tomorrow: August 2020

A neural stimulator, a battery testing device, and a strain sensor.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Enhanced Fabrication Improves Temperature Sensing in Cryogenic Humid Environments

This technology is useful for energy, industrial, and aerospace applications.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Tracking Lab-Grown Tissue with Light

A new proof-of-concept photonic pH sensor could advance studies of tissue regeneration.

Briefs: Medical

Automated Diagnostic Kiosk

This kiosk provides an accessible and affordable method for rapid, one-stop diagnostics to reduce time to treatment.

Briefs: Medical

Adhesive Film Turns Smartwatch into Biochemical Monitor

The system looks for chemical indicators found in sweat to give a real-time snapshot of what’s happening inside the body.

Briefs: Materials

Cellulose-Based Sensor Simultaneously Measures Pressure, Temperature, and Humidity

The sensor has applications in fields such as robotics, healthcare, and security.

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Comb on a Chip Could Revolutionize Clocks, Telescopes, Telecommunications

Just as a meter stick with hundreds of tick marks can be used to measure distances with great precision, a device known as a laser frequency comb, with its...

INSIDER: Test & Measurement

Using Sunlight to Save Satellites from Becoming ‘Space Junk’

Carolin Frueh is among only a handful of researchers who have persisted in using a complex technique that can diagnose a problem from thousands of miles away based on how a...

Blog: Photonics/Optics

Answering Your Questions: Will the 2020 Mars Rover Have Back-Up Features?

A reader asks our NASA expert: "What kind of redundancy is built into the Mars 2020 rover?"

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Optical In-Line VCSEL Testing

In-line testing of certain LEDs, using nanosecond pulses, will become more and more relevant with time-of-flight applications.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Soft Prosthetic Hand Feels Surroundings via Stretchable Optical Waveguides

Sensors in the hand can actually detect forces being transmitted through the thickness of the robot.