Topic

Flash Lidar Enables Driverless Navigation

One of the key features of NASA's lunar descent vehicle known as Morpheus is a global flash lidar that can instantly create a 3D topographical map of the surface.

From the Editor — Building an Improved Network for Connected Medical Devices

AT&T is building up its FirstNet network, while also rolling out 5G New Radio — both of which are part of the future of connected of healthcare. FirstNet is a...

Fiber-Optic “Nerves” Enable Sensitive Surgery Tools

NASA Technology Can you make a robot feel? That was the question posed to Johnson Space Center engineer Toby Martin.

SAE Publishes On-Route Mechanized Conductive EV Charging Systems Recommended Practices

SAE International published SAE J-3105 Electric Vehicle Power Transfer System Using Conductive Automated Connection Devices Recommended Practice in...

Good Design Controls Are Critical to Avoiding FDA Issues

Medical device companies recognize that having an emphasis on design controls helps to assure good design and engineering practices that yield high-quality solutions. This is critical...

Mission Control Conference System Enables Global Collaboration

See how Compunetics built a communications system for NASA.

Product Focus: Motors & Motion Control

Voice Coil Motor Moticont, Van Nuys, CA, has added a new high force voice coil motor to its GVCM family of voice coil motors with an internal shaft and bearing. The new GVCM-095-089-03 linear voice coil...

Spacesuit Insulation Protects Personal Devices

Now the same insulation used in spacesuits keeps mobile phones and other electronics on Earth at optimal temperatures, regardless of the thermometer reading.

Embedding Artificial Muscles into Soft Materials

Stretchable skin-like robots that can be rolled up and put in your pocket have been developed by a team using a new way of embedding artificial muscles and electrical adhesion into soft...

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

All metal engine parts experience wear when lubricants fail to prevent the damage caused by friction, but TriboTEX claims its product can reverse that damage by replacing the material worn away by friction.

Smart Sensor Networks Monitor System Health—and Themselves

Stennis Space Center has awarded contracts over the years to develop smart sensor networks that could monitor rocket engines.

AURA Software Tackles Uncertainty in Complex Systems

It’s software that predicts the future, or at least the probabilities of various outcomes.

Q&A: A Shape-Morphing, Self-Healing Soft Composite

Have you heard of "Thubber?"

Plane-Launched Rocket Opens Up Space for Small Satellites

LauncherOne can insert satellites anywhere in low-Earth orbit up to about 310 miles, where they can achieve Sun-synchronous orbit.

Wirelessly Controlled Ingestible Capsule

This electronic pill can relay diagnostic information or release drugs in response to smartphone commands.

Satellite Imagery Helps Farmers Cut Water Use in Half

By giving farmers better data on how their plants are using the water and how much they need, Tule helps farmers reduce their total consumption or get better yields for the same input.

Turbopump Modeling Software Propels Fluid-Flow Simulations

How fluids flow through a system ultimately affects performance. The computer testing performed by GFSSP software makes it possible to identify areas that are performing according to specifications and those that aren’t.

Thin Heat Shield for Superfast Aircraft

A carbon nanotube heat shield can better protect extremely fast aircraft.

Gas Processors Turn Oil Drilling Emissions into Fuel for Sale

Long stays on Mars would require the technology to rearrange molecules from the surface and atmosphere to make resources like fuel and oxygen.

Flow Disruption Devices for the Reduction of High Lift System Noise

This technique lowers airstream noise generated at the side edges of deployed flaps, elevons, or slats.

Zero-Gravity Body Posture Influences Acupressure Massage Chair

The i7 PLUS massage chair offers a Zero Gravity setting that is based on NASA’s neutral body posture specifications. The reclining position reduces stress on the body, while the user’s weight provides the resistance needed to get the most out of the acupressure massage.

Shape Sensing Innovations Dramatically Improve Structural Design Tools

These advances are useful for transportation, infrastructure, and aerospace.

Versatile Fuel Cells Stop Natural Gas Emissions at Oil Wells

In 1999, a NASA engineer and a Caltech professor ran into each other at a conference and hatched an idea: How to stop gas emissions at oil wells.

NASA's Thirst for Water on Mars Quenched by Student Innovators

NASA and universities from across the country are teaming up to support a continued human presence on the Moon and ultimately Mars.

Balance Scale Predicts, Helps Prevent Falls

Based on a technique pioneered in Johnson Space Center’s Neurosciences Laboratory, the Zibrio balance scale assesses balance by applying algorithms to changes in pressure distribution over the course of a minute.

Environmental Barrier Coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composites

These barrier coatings protect high-performance components in extreme environments.