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Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
An ultrasonic/sonic jackhammer (USJ) is the latest in a series of related devices, the first of which were reported in “Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corers With Integrated Sensors” (NPO-20856), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol....
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The term “vortobots” denotes proposed swimming robots that would have dimensions as small as micrometers or even nanometers and that would move in swarms through fluids by generating and exploiting vortices in a cooperative...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The figures depict two miniature mechanisms actuated by strips made of shape-memory alloy (SMA). A typical SMA is a nickel-titanium alloy known by the trade name “Flexinol” or “Nitinol.” In...
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The figure shows parts of a shutter mechanism designed to satisfy a number of requirements specific to its original intended application as a component of an atomic clock to be flown in outer space....
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Temperature-Controlled Clamping and Releasing Mechanism
A report describes the development of a mechanism that automatically clamps upon warming and releases upon cooling between temperature limits of ~180 K and ~293 K.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Fastener Starter
The Fastener Starter is a creative solution to prevent the loss of small fasteners during their installation. This is the only currently available tool that can firmly grip and hold a single screw, bolt, nut, washer, spacer, or any combination of these parts. Other commercially available fastener starters are unable to accommodate...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
An active frequency doubler in the form of an InP-based monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) containing a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) has been demonstrated in operation at...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) on a single lightweight, low power integrated-circuit chip has been developed to implement an azimuth pre-filter (AzPF) for a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR)...
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
Ribbon waveguides made of alumina or of semiconductors (Si, InP, or GaAs) have been proposed as low-loss transmission lines for coupling electronic components and circuits that...
Briefs: Software
Electronic Router
Electronic Router (E-Router) is an application program for routing documents among the cognizant individuals in a government agency or other organization. E-Router supplants a prior system in which paper documents were routed physically in packages by use of paper slips, packages could be lost, routing times were unacceptably...
Briefs: Software
Centralized Planning for Multiple Exploratory Robots
A computer program automatically generates plans for a group of robotic vehicles (rovers) engaged in geological exploration of terrain. The program rapidly generates multiple command sequences that can be executed simultaneously by the rovers. Starting from a set of high-level goals, the program...
Briefs: Software
Predicting Flows of Rarefied Gases
DSMC Analysis Code (DAC) is a flexible, highly automated, easy-to-use computer program for predicting flows of rarefied gases — especially flows of upper-atmospheric, propulsion, and vented gases impinging on spacecraft surfaces. DAC implements the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, which is widely...
Briefs: Software
Software Would Largely Automate Design of Kalman Filter
Embedded Navigation Filter Automatic Designer (ENFAD) is a computer program being developed to automate the most difficult tasks in designing embedded software to implement a Kalman filter in a navigation system. The most difficult tasks are selection of error states of the filter and tuning...
Briefs: Software
Autonomous Navigation by a Mobile Robot
ROAMAN is a computer program for autonomous navigation of a mobile robot on a long (as much as hundreds of meters) traversal of terrain. Developed for use aboard a robotic vehicle (rover) exploring the surface of a remote planet, ROAMAN could also be adapted to similar use on terrestrial mobile robots. ROAMAN...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Improvements of ModalMax High-Fidelity Piezoelectric Audio Device
ModalMax audio speakers have been enhanced by innovative means of tailoring the vibration response of thin piezoelectric plates to produce a high-fidelity audio response. The ModalMax audio speakers are 1 mm in thickness.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Long-Range Emergency Preemption of Traffic Lights
A forwarding system could prove beneficial as an addition to an electronic communication and control system that automatically modifies the switching of traffic lights to give priority to emergency vehicles. A system to which the forwarding system could be added could be any of a variety of...
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
A high-efficiency power amplifier that operates in the S band (frequencies of the order of a few gigahertz) utilizes transistors operating under class-D bias and excitation conditions. Class-D operation...
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
The monocoque chassis of a Formula 1 race car is a sandwich structure, made of high-performance carbon-epoxy composite face sheets and an aluminum or aramidic...
Briefs: Information Technology
Generating Mosaics of Astronomical Images
"Montage" is the name of a service of the National Virtual Observatory (NVO), and of software being developed to implement the service via the World Wide Web.
Briefs: Information Technology
FastScript3D a Companion to Java 3D
FastScript3D is a computer program, written in the Java 3D™ programming language, that establishes an alternative language that helps users who lack expertise in Java 3D to use Java 3D for constructing three-dimensional (3D)-appearing graphics.
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A system that generates an intense, nearly collimated, nearly monochromatic, small-diameter x-ray beam has been developed for use in macromolecular crystallography. A conventional...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A proposed highly accurate clock or oscillator would be based on the concept of an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) stabilized to an atomic transition. Opto-electronic oscillators, which have...
Briefs: Medical
The figure depicts a replaceable microfluidic cartridge that is a component of a miniature biosensor that detects target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences. The biosensor utilizes (1)...
Briefs: Materials
Special-purpose balloons and other inflatable structures would be constructed as flexible laminates of multiple thin polymeric films interspersed with layers of adhesive, according to a...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
A compact, lightweight heat exchanger has been designed to be fault-tolerant in the sense that a single-point leak would not cause mixing of heat-transfer fluids. This particular heat exchanger is intended to be...
Briefs: Materials
Nanostructured MnO2-based cathodes for Li-ion/polymer electrochemical cells have been investigated in a continuing effort to develop safe, high-energy-density, reliable, low-toxicity,...
Briefs: Physical Sciences
Automatic Focus Adjustment of a Microscope
AUTOFOCUS is a computer program for use in a control system that automatically adjusts the position of an instrument arm that carries a microscope equipped with an electronic camera.
Briefs: Physical Sciences
The figure depicts a device for measuring the electrical conductivity of a flowing liquid. Unlike prior such devices, this one does not trap gas bubbles entrained in the liquid.
Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Nanoactuators of a proposed type would exploit the forces exerted by electric fields on dielectric materials. As used here, “nanoactuators” includes motors, manipulators, and other...
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Ask the Expert
John Chandler on Achieving Quality Motion Control
FAULHABER MICROMO brings together the highest quality motion technologies and value-added services, together with global engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing, to deliver top quality micro motion solutions. With 34 years’ experience, John Chandler injects a key engineering perspective into all new projects and enjoys working closely with OEM customers to bring exciting new technologies to market.
Webcasts
Podcasts: Medical
How Wearables Are Enhancing Smart Drug Delivery
Podcasts: Medical
Developing Sustainable Drug-Delivery Devices
Podcasts: Design
Smarter Pathways for Precision Drug Delivery in Cancer Care
On-Demand Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Understanding Testing and Compliance Requirements for Wireless Medical Devices
Podcasts: AR/AI
Personalized Medicine and Drug Delivery
Podcasts: Green Design & Manufacturing
Inside Story
Inside Story: Trends in Packaging and Sterilization
Eurofins Medical Device Testing (MDT) provides a full scope of testing services. In this interview, Eurofins’ experts, Sunny Modi, PhD, Director of Package Testing; and Elizabeth Sydnor, Director of Microbiology; answer common questions on medical device packaging and sterilization.