In-Orbit Ultrasounds Conducted Onboard Space Vehicles

Medical imaging technology has led to quicker diagnoses of conditions that, when caught early, can be treated. Because such devices are large, however, they are impractical in the limited area of a space vehicle. An on-going NASA project to address the issue involves image fusion, where in-orbit ultrasounds would be combined with previously done Earth-bound scans that are more informative. NASA Tech Briefs spoke with Dr. Richard Boyle, the project’s principal investigator.

Dr. Boyle explained, “Image fusion is the combining of images of the same subject from different modalities, from CT scans to MRIs. This produces a coherent 3D image that has multi-dimensional information that should be superior to any of the constituent images alone.”

Read the “Who’s Who at NASA” interview with Dr. Richard Boyle on page 10 of the June issue, or click here.

CAD/FEA Software Named NTB’s June Product of the Month

ALGOR V20 from ALGOR, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) has been named NTB’s Product of the Month for June. An integrated CAD/finite element analysis (FEA) modeling environment for working with imported CAD models or building original models, the new release features design scenarios that let a single FEA model contain numerous analyses; a software wizard for creating bolts and fasteners; design studies and size optimization, which provide automated tools for achieving optimal designs based on user-supplied criteria; and improved meshing capabilities. The software supports multiple rotating frames of reference for 3D modeling of complex fans and similar systems, and the capability to define results-based load curves for Mechanical Event Simulation.

Meet Our New Defense Tech Briefs Advertisers for June

This monthly review lets you “meet” the new advertisers appearing in Defense Tech Briefs (DTB). Here’s a sneak peek at the products, services, and offers available from June’s first-time advertisers.

Alpha Security Group is a publicly traded company that seeks to acquire a homeland security or defense business. Contact Steve Wasserman at swasserman@amtcap.com.

Ceradyne (Costa Mesa, CA) offers RAMTECH(TM), based on patented modular armor technology that provides multi-hit performance equal to steel or aluminum at significantly reduced weight and mass. More information here.

Pulizzi Engineering (Santa Ana, CA) offers more than 1,000 standard, modified standard, and custom power distribution solutions for simulators and communications systems. More information here.

Imaging Technology(TM), a supplement to NASA Tech Briefs published three times a year, contains a special section called Applications. Here’s an Insider preview of an Application story in the automotive field in the June issue:

Infrared Night Vision Expands What Drivers Can “See”
Seven years ago, General Motors (GM) became the first automaker to bring the safety benefits of extended night vision to drivers. GM’s Night Vision system is based on thermal imaging, and creates pictures based on heat energy emitted by objects in the viewed scene. A refractive optical lens system gathers infrared energy, and a camera mounted on the car’s grille views the road ahead through an infrared-transparent window that measures about 3” in diameter.
Behind the window, refractive optics focus the infrared energy on a detector. Information from the detector is passed on to sensor electronics that translate the data into a monochromatic image. The image is projected by a head-up display (HUD) that lets drivers keep their eyes on the road. (Page 8a)

Look for this story in the June issue of Imaging Technology. Read previous published application stories here.

Motion Control Technologyâ„¢, a bi-monthly supplement to NASA Tech Briefs, contains a section called Applications, which reports on motion control components being used in the field. Here’s an Insider sneak peek at one of the technologies covered in the upcoming June issue:

Scales Work as Part of Thermonuclear Ignition Target Assembly
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), part of Lawrence Livermore National Lab (Livermore, CA), constructed a system of lasers ending in a chamber ten meters in diameter to house tiny fuel capsules that are subjected to a high-energy pulse, setting off a small thermonuclear burst. The target assembly machine, built by ABTech (Swanzey, NH), used linear scales from HEIDENHAIN Corp. (Schaumburg, IL).

With an accuracy of up to 4 millionths of an inch, the 5-axis assembly station is an air-bearing machine that includes mechanical arms with the ability to slide into position without friction. The system is capable of positioning the target shell halves in locations within 0.1 µm. The scales are exposed linear encoders capable of small, precise measured steps to 0.005 µm. The system is completed with a high-resolution camera and surgical microscope that provide views of the mating components.

The new target design has allowed NIF to create thermonuclear ignitions mimicking conditions found in the Sun or an exploding nuclear event. The primary mission of NIF will be to attain fusion ignition in the laboratory, exploring fusion’s potential as a clean, long-term energy source.

Look for this application in the June issue of Motion Control Technology.

Click here to view previously published Applications

Click here to learn more about HEIDENHAIN