Monitoring

Briefs: Wearables

Ring Detects Finger Location to Track Hand Movements

The technology, which could be added to smart watches, could detect the onset of Parkinson’s disease or help with stroke rehabilitation.

NASA Spinoff: Test & Measurement

Balance Scale Predicts and Helps Prevent Falls

A technique to assess astronauts’ balance recovery helps people assess their risk of falling.

Products: Imaging

New Products: November 2020 Photonics & Imaging Technology

Multi-sensor imaging systems, eyesafe laser finders, machine vision algorithms, and more.

Blog: Automotive

Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Testing: Simulation vs. Closed-Course vs. Public Roads

A reader asks, "For AV testing, what are the respective role of simulation, closed course, and public road testing?"

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Possible Significant Response Speedup from Detuning a Resonator Bolometer

The response time of kinetic inductance bolometers can be greatly enhanced by electrothermal feedback for devices that are both sensitive and speedy.

Products: Electronics & Computers

New on the Market: October 2020

Tubing plugs, displacement measurements, CAM software, and more.

Facility Focus: Energy

Facility Focus: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

In 2020, the EPA marks 50 years of preparing for, responding to, preventing, and mitigating natural and manmade disasters.

NASA Spinoff: Unmanned Systems

Autonomous Drone Navigation System Ends Reliance on GPS

NASA's UAS traffic management expertise leads to advances in drone navigation.

Briefs: Energy

Drawing Electronics on Human Skin

People could monitor their own health conditions by picking up a pencil and drawing a bioelectronic device on their skin.

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Researchers Devise Efficient, Scalable Process for Fabricating MXene Films That Block Electromagnetic Interference

The proliferation and miniaturization of electronics in devices, wearables, medical implants, and other applications has...

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Automated Robotic Device for Faster Blood Testing

This technology provides rapid results, improving hospital workflow and patient care.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Smart Fabrics with Bioactive Inks Monitor the Body by Changing Color

Bioactive inks printed on wearable textiles can map conditions over the entire surface of the body.

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: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Technologies Interpret Mood from the Skin

Smart devices measure electrical signals from the skin, indicating stress levels and emotions.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Laser Technology Assesses Cancer Cells

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

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

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: Software

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.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Acoustic Monitoring of Laser Welds

Empa researchers were able to demonstrate real-time acoustic monitoring of laser weld seams.

Briefs: Energy

Self-Powered Alarm Fights Forest Fires, Monitors Environment

A remote forest fire detection and alarm system is powered by nothing but the movement of trees in the wind.

Products: Imaging

New Products: September 2020 Sensor Technology

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

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Engineers 3D-Print Sensors Onto Moving Organs

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

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Markerless Motion Capture Technology Could Help Skeleton Athletes’ Training

A new type of motion capture technology accurately tracks an athlete during the push start phase of performance.

Application Briefs: Materials

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.

Blog: Motion Control

How to Guarantee Autonomous Driving Levels — When Vision is Obstructed

A reader asks: How can self-driving car manufacturers guarantee safety when snow, ice, or mud impair a vision system?

INSIDER: Sensors/Data Acquisition

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...

Application Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Valve Leakage Detection in Industrial Pumps

As an integral part of onshore and offshore drilling, mud pumps circulate drilling fluids to facilitate drilling oil and natural gas wells. Mud pumps stabilize pressure and support the well during...