NTB Dec 2013

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Welcome to your Digital Edition ofNASA Tech Briefs and Photonics Tech Briefs

Included in This November Edition:NASA Tech Briefs Photonics Tech Briefs

How to Navigate the Magazines:

At the bottom of each page, you will see a navigation bar with the following buttons:

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Find: Click on this icon to search the document.

You can also use the standard Acrobat Reader tools to navigate through each magazine.

November 2013 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 37 No. 11

Special Awards Section: Create the Future Design Contest Winners

Ethernet in the Embedded Space

NASA Software Saves Airlines Time and Fuel

Photonics Tech Briefs

Photonics Solutions for the Design Engineer

November 2013

Supplement to NASA Tech Briefs

High Speed Cameras for Non-Destructive Testing.................................IIa

Projected-Capacitive Touch Sensing Technology.............................4a

Slowing Light Via Beam Coupling in Dye-Doped Chiral Nematics ...........................6a

Product of the Month/New Products .......... 8a

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Special Awards Section: Create the Future Design Contest Winners


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4 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

1a – 10aPhotonics Tech BriefsFollows page 36 in selected editions only.

November ol. 37 No. 11

34 Software34 Visiting Vehicle Ground Trajectory Tool

34 Mobile Thread Task Manager

34 Workflow-Based Software Development Environment

38 Technology Focus: Data Acquisition38 GPS Estimates of Integrated Precipitable Water Aid

Weather Forecasters

38 Spatial Statistical Data Fusion (SSDF)

40 Cryogenic Liquid Sample Acquisition System for RemoteSpace Applications

40 Integrating a Microwave Radiometer into Radar Hardwarefor Simultaneous Data Collection Between theInstruments

42 Rapid Detection of Herpes Viruses for Clinical Applications

44 High-Speed Data Recorder for Space, Geodesy, and OtherHigh-Speed Data Recording Applications

44 Datacasting V3.0

45 Electronics/Computers45 Stacked Transformer for Driver Gain and Receive Signal

Splitting

45 An All-Solid-State, Room-Temperature, HeterodyneReceiver for Atmospheric Spectroscopy at 1.2 THz

47 Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum SensorSystem

50 Manufacturing & Prototyping50 Fabrication Method for LOBSTER-Eye Optics in <110>

Silicon

50 Compact Focal Plane Assembly for Planetary Science

52 Fabrication Methods for Adaptive Deformable Mirrors

8 UpFront

10 Who’s Who at NASA

12 NASA Patents

37 Technologies of the Month

70 NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Office

71 Advertisers Index

14 Ethernet in the Embedded Space

19 Special Awards Section: Create theFuture Design Contest Winners

32 Application Briefs

72 NASA Spinoff: Advisory Systems for Airlines

19

32F E A T U R E S

S O L U T I O N S

D E P A R T M E N T S

64 Product Focus: Mechanical Components

65 New Products/Software

N E W F O R D E S I G N E N G I N E E R S

S P E C I A L S U P P L E M E N T


November 2013




Slowing Light Via Beam Coupling in Dye-Doped Chiral Nematics...........................6a


(Solutions continued on page 6)

65

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6 NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

54 Mechanics/Machinery54 A Kinematic Calibration Process for Flight Robotic Arms

55 Magnetostrictive Alternator

56 High-Precision Encoders for GEO Space Applications

58 Materials & Coatings58 Non-Toxic, Anti-Corrosive, Crystalline Waterproofing

Material

59 Film-Forming, Self-Crosslinking, Aqueous SuperabsorbentCoating

60 Bulk Metallic Glasses and Composites for Optical andCompliant Mechanisms

62 Bio-Medical62 Detection of Only Viable Bacterial Spores Using a

Live/Dead Indicator in Mixed Populations

63 Intravenous Fluid Generation System

Contents continued

The ScanIR® 3 infrared line scanner and thermalimaging system from Ircon® (Santa Cruz, CA), aFluke company, measures multiple temperaturepoints across a scan line. Rotating optics collectinfrared radiation at 1,024 points within a 90-degree field of view. Learn more about the system — and other new products — in New on the Market beginning on page 64.

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Permissions: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal orpersonal use of specific clients, is granted by Associated Business Publications, provided thatthe flat fee of $3.00 per copy be paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (222 RoseWood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923). For those organizations that have been granted a photocopylicense by CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. The fee code for users of theTransactional Reporting Service is: ISSN 0145-319X194 $3.00+ .00

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UPFRONT

A custom 3D printer made byMountain View, CA-based companyMade in Space is the first off-Earthmanufacturing device scheduled forarrival at the International SpaceStation (ISS) in 2014. The 3D Printingin Zero-G Experiment will validatethe capability of additive manufac-turing in zero gravity.

“Imagine an astronaut needing tomake a life-or-death repair on theInternational Space Station,” saidAaron Kemmer, CEO of Made inSpace. “Rather than hoping that thenecessary parts and tools are on the

station already, what if the parts could be 3D printed when they needed them?”The 3D printer is built specifically to handle the environmental challenges of space and

uses extrusion additive manufacturing, which builds objects layer-by-layer out of polymersand other materials.

The Made in Space and NASA team envisions a future where space missions can be vir-tually self-sufficient and manufacture most of what they need in space. This includes suchthings as consumables, common tools, and replacements for lost or broken parts and even-tually even such things as CubeSats (small, deployable satellites).

Visit www.madeinspace.us for more information.

Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and ArtificialIntelligence Laboratory and the Qatar ComputingResearch Institute have developed new tools thatallow people with minimal programming skill to rapid-ly build cellphone applications that can help with dis-aster relief. The tools are an extension of the AppInventor open-source software that enables nonpro-grammers to create applications for devices runningGoogle’s Android operating system by snappingtogether color-coded graphical components.

With the new tools, an emergency aid worker could,for instance, build an application to monitor many dif-ferent data sources on the Internet for updated infor-mation about the locations of ad hoc shelters, and dis-play them all on a Google map.

“When you have a disaster, there are two issues,” says Jim Hendler, director of theInstitute for Data Exploration and Applications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “One is,‘How do you get the data you need and pull it together?’ And two is, ‘How do you put thatin the hands of the person who needs it?’ And this project is one of the first to reallyapproach both parts of the problem together.”

Visit http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/building-disaster-relief-phone-apps-0930.htmlto learn more.

Linda BellEditorial Director

On-the-Fly Disaster Relief Apps

If They Can Make it There...

Co-PI and Made in Space’s Director of R&D, MichaelSnyder, examines the engineering unit 3D printer insidethe Microgravity Science Glovebox. (NASA/MSFC/Deaton)

Illustration by Christine Daniloff/MIT

The December issue will have anindustry roundtable on Analysis &Simulation Software, with commentsfrom top executives in the field.

It’s also that time of year againwhen we invite NTB readers to votefor the Readers’ Choice Product ofthe Year Awards. The Decemberissue will include information on all12 nominees, as well as instructionson how to cast your online vote.

> Next Month in NTB

Moon ToursMoon Tours is the mobile version

of the NASA’s Lunar Mapping andModeling Portal (LMMP), a reposito-ry for over 600 geospatial lunar dataproducts and imagery. These includedigital elevation maps, slope maps,rock and hazard maps, mineralogymaps, and imagery from the Apollomissions to the latest data from theLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).Users can calculate the distancebetween two locations on the Moon,search for the names of features suchas craters and hills, and view lunarterrain data rendered in real-time3D. Free for iPhone, iPad, and iPodtouch at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moon-tours/id696977262?mt=8

> App of the Month

CONNECT WITH NTB

facebook.com/NASATechBriefs

linkedin.com/company/tech-briefs-media

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www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-730

Who’s Who at NASA

D r. Butler Hine is theproject manager of

the Lunar Atmosphereand Dust EnvironmentExplorer (LADEE) space-craft. The vehicle, suc-cessfully launched in Sep -tember, will characterize the dust envi-ronment of the Moon.

NASA Tech Briefs: What is LADEE?

Dr. Butler Hine: It’s a small roboticorbiter. We’re on our way to the Moon,and once we get there, we’re going tocheck out our science instruments anddo an optical laser-com experiment.We’ll drop down into a very low orbitand do our science missions. LADEE hasthree science instruments. One is a neu-tral mass spectrometer from NASAGoddard, one is an ultraviolet visiblespectrometer from NASA Ames, and thethird is an in situ dust detector built bythe University of Colorado.

We’ll start doing early checkouts ofthe instruments later in the cruisephase, but after we do our capture burn,that’s when the science instruments willbe extensively checked out and pre-pared for their science phase.

NTB: What does LADEE do, and whyis it important?

Dr. Hine: There is a leftover questionfrom the early Surveyor and Apollo days.The astronauts saw evidence of streaksor glow as the terminator [the dividingline between the illuminated and unillu-minated part of the Moon] approached,and there are a lot of theories aboutwhat this is. One of the theories is thatyou have elevated dust that occurs whenthe terminator passes.

LADEE will fly several times a day dur-ing the mission, and measure and char-acterize dust levels. We’re also looking atatoms, molecules, and various elementsaround the lunar atmosphere. The pre-vious Lunar CRater Observation andSensing Satellite (LCROSS) missionconfirmed water ice at the permanently

shadowed pole on the Moon. One of thequestions is how does that material getthere? We’re trying to help answer thequestions of transport material aroundthe Moon.

NTB: How does it collect the data andhow quickly?

Dr. Hine: We will orbit the Moonabout 13 times every terrestrial day.We’ll fly into and out of the terminatorson both sides: the dawn terminator andthe dust terminator. At those points, atlocal midnight and local noon, theinstruments are activated in varioussequences to make their measurements.The neutral mass spectrometer is meas-uring the environment right around thespacecraft, trying to detect atoms andmolecules. The dust detector measuresthe dust impacts as we fly through theenvironment. The ultraviolet visiblespectrograph, a remote sensing instru-ment, will watch for the absorption ofspectrographic lines against the Sun asthe Sun sets or rises behind the Moon.

NTB: How will this work help guidefuture missions?

Dr. Hine: The laser communicationsexperiment onboard the spacecraft willtalk to the Earth and transmit data atroughly 622 megabits per second fromthe Moon. This is a very promising tech-nology that’s going to be important forNASA in the future. That’s the heart ofan interplanetary trunk line. Instead ofradio communications, we can use opti-cal communications and get a whole lotof bandwidth back. [LADEE will] char-acterize the dust environment of theMoon so that when we send other space-craft to the Moon, we’re more aware ofany problems or issues and can designaround them.

To learn more about the LADEE mission,read a full transcript or listen to a download-able podcast of the interview, visit www.techbriefs.com/podcast. For more informa-tion, contact [email protected].

Dr. Butler Hine, Project Manager, LADEE,Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

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Model-Based Prognostics forBatteries that EstimateUseful Life and Use aProbability Density FunctionU.S. Patent No. 8,332,342

Bhaskar Saha, Ames Research Center,Moffett Field, CA

Dynamic models for lithium ion bat-teries take into consideration nonlinearequilibrium potentials, rate and temper-ature dependencies, thermal effects, andtransient power response. A need, how-ever, still exists for a flexible prognosticsframework that combines the sensor datafrom battery monitors, the models devel-oped, and the appropriate state estima-tion and prediction algorithms.

An invention develops a mathematicalmodel to describe battery behavior dur-ing individual discharge cycles, as well as

over its cycle life. The basis for themodel has been linked to the internalprocesses of the battery, and validatedusing experimental data. Effects of tem-perature and load current have alsobeen incorporated into the model. Thetechnology provides initial steps towardsa comprehensive health managementsolution for energy storage devices.

Combination StructuralSupport and ThermalProtection SystemU.S. Patent No. 8,236,413

H. Kevin Rivers, Stephen J. Scotti,Lynn M. Bowman, and Max L.Blosser, Langley Research Center,Hampton, VA

State-of-the-art thermal protection sys-tems typically include a support or carri-

er structure with thermal protectionmaterial/elements. The carrier struc-ture is generally made from a low-tem-perature material such as aluminum,titanium, or one of many polymermatrix composites. These types of sys-tems function well as long as the struc-tural integrity of the thermal protectionmaterial is maintained. If the elementsare damaged, however, the underlyingcarrier structure can overheat and fail.

A combination structural support andthermal protection system maintains itsstructural integrity in the face of anextreme heat event. The technology isbased on a cured, pre-ceramic polymermatrix reinforced with carbon fibersthat can be used alone or in a multiple-component system. The wall(s) can beprotected by a layer or layers of thermalprotection materials. They can form aprimary structure, or a support structurethat is coupled to a primary structure.Thermal insulation is disposed betweena single wall and the primary structure,or between any two of the walls.

Fuel Tank for LiquefiedNatural GasU.S. Patent No. 8,297,468

Thomas K. DeLay, Marshall SpaceFlight Center, AL

Current liquefied natural gas (LNG)storage systems in use on automotivevehicles employ fuel tanks that are veryheavy, complex, and expensive. State-of-the-art tank systems are of a Dewar type,and comprise a stainless steel tank dis-posed inside of a further steel tank. Thesystem is maintained at a low pressure(about 150 psi), and also requires apumping assembly to maintain the vacu-um between the two steel tanks.

A storage tank holds liquefied naturalgas on motor vehicles, such as a bus ortruck. The tank includes a metal linervessel encapsulated by a resin-fiber com-posite layer. A foam insulating layer,including an outer protective layer ofepoxy or of a truck liner material, coversthe composite layer. A non-conductingprotective coating may be painted onthe vessel between the composite layerand the vessel so as to inhibit galvaniccorrosion. The vessel also conserves thefuel by reducing the need to vent offgases, due to pressure changes as the liq-uefied fuel changes.

12 NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-732

Over the past three decades, NASA has granted more than 1000 patent licenses in virtually every area of technology. The agency has a portfolio of thousands of patents and pending applications available

now for license by businesses and individuals, including these recently patented inventions:

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Ethernet in theEmbedded Space

Networking originated from theneed to share information. Manyof us accomplish such a thing on a

daily basis through conversation. Forexample, think about the typical officeframework: you work side-by-side withyour colleagues, but also have a manag-er who will check on the work being pro-duced periodically. You have both peer-to-peer and supervisory communicationtaking place.

When it comes to Ethernet, differentkinds of equipment are needed, yet thegoal of communication stays the same.Keep it simple and, especially in termsof hardware and software, keep it inex-pensive. One of the major factors thataffects those goals is timeliness —responses should be received in a rea-sonable period of time after inquiry.Keeping the process predictable createsa deterministic system. Some earlyarrangements of deterministic networkstook the form of the token ring and thetoken bus.

The token ring was established quitesome time ago to allow a complex gridof many terminals to each have someallotted time to get work done. There isone token, and this token allows one ter-minal node to broadcast and receive.The token must be passed between thenodes, giving each its turn. Typically,there would be a token rotation and atoken hold time. The rotation is thegiven order of terminal nodes to whichthe token is passed, while hold time ishow long each node gets to do itsrequested job. In a more complex envi-ronment, where you have several mediaaccess units (MAUs) passing the tokenaround their ring, there may very well beseveral terminal nodes connected to anyone MAU. The terminal nodes will needto share its time with the MAU.

The token bus is very similar to thetoken ring, in that only one terminalnode has the token at any point in timeand every node gets the token at a pre-determined time. The rotation orderand hold time are usually preconfiguredwhen the token bus is set up by the net-work manager. The network managerthat sets these arrangements up is con-

nected to the same token bus. Its pri-mary function is to set each node’s tokenrotation and time sequence during net-work initialization, and to continuouslymonitor network traffic as a diagnosistool. The IEEE 802.4 standard, alsoknown as Manufacturing AutomationProtocol (MAP), was a popular type ofcommunications networking standardinstalled in many factories where deter-ministic traffic could be predicted andplaced on a network.

Embedded ApplicationsNetworking in the embedded space is

used to replace legacy serial communica-tion, connect subsystems (peer-to-peer),connect the subordinates to the supervi-sor, deliver captured information to stor-age, enable timely interrogation of storedinformation, and create seamless infor-mation boundaries between systems.

Rise of EthernetEthernet arrived on the scene in 1980

and became fully standardized in 1985.

It quickly became popular as a wonder-ful, low-cost standard. Why was it so inex-pensive? It was used heavily with manyterminals in the office environment, andthe sheer number of these terminalsdrove the price down. It was based onmulti-drop technology; running onelong cable and allowing nodes to beappended fairly easily. Using the non-deterministic Carrier Sense Multi-Access/Collision Detect (CSMA/CD)protocol, performance varied between“well-behaved nodes” and “bandwidthhogs.” Well-behaved nodes knewenough to broadcast on the cable andthen detach to allow others a chance totransmit. Bandwidth hogs would get ahold of a cable and stay on, preventingother broadcasts and reception.CSMA/CD protocol is the reason thesetwo possibilities exist.

Ethernet evolved over time, using dif-ferent cables at varying lengths andnode counts, starting at 10Base5. When10GBase-T was developed, it used a fullduplex point-to-point mode of transmis-sion between only two nodes. This modeis very high speed, with no interferenceor determinism issues. Likewise, with40GBase-T, transmission is also fullduplex point-to-point, but with the dis-tances starting to shorten a bit. Ourfocus will be on the 10Gb Ethernet.

System Integration and

StandardizationWhen looking at system integration

goals, there are a variety of issues onecan face, but the most important one isstandardization. The Open SystemsInterconnect (OSI) standard wasdesigned so that multiple parties couldparticipate, communicate, and shareinformation by implementing a specificcombination of hardware and software.The hardware is the physical connec-tion to the medium, while the softwarehas to execute and manage the softwarepacket exchange. The ultimate objec-tive is reliable connectivity to get thejob done. The availability of the net-work, or performance, varies along withits speed. The CSMA/CD protocolproved that there are some perform-

Figure 1. The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI)TCP/IP stack is made up of 7 layers.

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ance issues. The question that needsasking is: “Is the performance sufficientto get my job done?” There are prosand cons to every structure.

The Open Systems Interconnect(OSI) TCP/IP stack is made up of 7 lay-ers (see Figure 1). The lowest layer is thePhysical Layer of fiber or copper — pos-sibly wireless today. This interface is themeans by which a node would communi-cate on the medium. The next layer isthe Data Link (MAC) Layer. This iswhere information pertaining to the sta-tion address is used to link informationto pass from one node to another. Thethird layer is the Network Layer, whichworks with multiple bridges and multi-ple cell networks. After that, theTransport Layer ensures that informa-tion is sent and delivered between a sta-tion address on one network to a stationaddress on another network. Next, theSession Layer separates the environmentfor each particular application or user.Following is the Presentation Layer thatensures the information coming fromthe Session Layer is put into the properformat for the Application Layer to use.Lastly, the Application Layer is wherethe work is done; whether you are send-ing emails, controlling machinery, orcollecting information.

Resource requirements on the OSImodel depend on the goal each layer istrying to achieve. Layers 1 and 2 don’trequire nearly as much as 3, 4, 5, or 6. Atremendous amount of logic needs to beexecuted in the upper layers, and thatcan chew up a lot of CPU time and mem-ory depending on system architectureand bus speeds. The faster the computerand related data buses, the more seam-less the information transfer will be;moving data is where the majority ofresources is being used.

Implementation ScenariosThere are many implementation sce-

narios combining the hardware inter-face and intensive OSI TCP/IP softwareprotocol. A logical first step is using theCPU to drive the OSI stack. Today, com-puters come in single- and multi-corearchitectures. In a single-core comput-er, the logic to execute the TCP/IPstack may be sitting in an executablepart of that computer. Merely sittingthere will occupy some memoryresources, and actually consumes a lotof CPU resources to drive this stack.The faster the stack needs to execute,the less time is available to execute theapplication in that computer. When amulti-core CPU is used, one of the sim-

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013 15Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-734

Figure 2. The TCP offloadengine can provide up tofour extremely high-speedports executing in parallelwith the 1Gb Ethernetport(s) on the SBC.

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plest things to do is to move that OSITCP/IP stack software to a core all byitself. In this way, the dedicated core willexecute the communications protocolon its own, leaving the additional coresto do any other work that needs to bedone at that node.

Increasing the performance of anexisting computer system architecture isanother popular option. Increasing CPUmemory is always a good start. Anotherpopular option is to use is the OSIenhanced performance architecture.

Use of a silicon stack to offload work isanother way of increasing performance.A silicon stack is basically an auxiliaryCPU; its sole purpose is to process com-munications. Silicon stacks provide addi-tional capabilities such as: IPV4/IPV6,iWARP RDNA, iSCSI, FCoE, TCP DDP,and full TCP offload. The elegance ofthe silicon stack is that the entire OSITCP/IP Stack Plus More can be imple-mented without impacting applicationlogic performance.

Silicon Stack PerformanceThe software stack is limited to rough-

ly 40 MB per second, whereas the siliconstack can sustain 250 MBps on 1 GbE,and 2500 MBps on 10 GbE. The hostCPU overhead for the silicon stackimplementation is extremely low, as thesilicon stack in essence is a parallelengine to the CPU; the host CPU over-head for the software stack, on the otherhand, is comparatively high since thesoftware stack competes for CPUresources at an increasing level as thecommunication speed increases. La -tency is the time it takes for the transmis-sion to start after all of the parametersfor the transmission have been precon-figured; here too, it is obvious that thesilicon stack exceeds in performanceover the software stack as CPU resourcesare used only minimally for the siliconstack implementation. Determinism isthe variation on the latency for sendingand receiving transmission packets.Again, the silicon stack wins due to itslimited CPU resource impact. As for reli-ability under load, the silicon stack expe-riences no noticeable change in per-formance while the software stack will beimpacted as resources are shared withany executing applications.

TCP Offload Engine How is a TCP offload engine (TOE)

integrated into an embedded system?Many single-board computers (SBC)today have XMC sites that can be used toplug in an XMC form-factored TCP off-


Figure 3. The capa-bility provided by

adding a TOE isbeing able to access10Gb Ethernet ports

on an SBC withoutimpacting the pro-

cessing power ofthe SBC.


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load engine that can potentially supportup to four 10Gb Ethernet ports. TheSBC will most likely have one or more1Gb Ethernet ports as well, and thosewill be driven by the software stack exe-cuting on the SBC itself. In the contextof the overall system, the TCP offloadengine can provide up to four extremelyhigh-speed ports executing in parallelwith the 1Gb Ethernet port(s) on theSBC itself (see Figure 2).

Looking at this in block diagram form(see Figure 3), one can see the single-board computer (SBC) and the bus on

the SBC. The SBC can process packetinformation to do all kinds of wonderfulfunctions. Then there is the TOE that isconnected by an XMC connector back tothe SBC. The TOE card can be used as aswitch, and information can be routedfrom one network to another. It could berouted from one 10Gb port though theSBC for some packet work and modifica-tion there, and then shipped off acrossthe bus. It could possibly be used withinformation coming in for processingand then going out on the 1Gb Ethernetport. The capability provided by adding a

TOE is being able to access 10GbEthernet ports on an SBC and notimpact the processing power of the SBC.

Special FPGA Packet ProcessingA process may require special infor-

mation packeting or manipulating spe-cial packets. Using an FPGA in one ofthe XMC sites, this work could beoffloaded so that not all of the process-ing is done on the SBC.

For instance, images are being cap-tured and coming in on Gigabit Ether -net. The user may have to take twoimages and overlay them. This overlaycould be done right within the FPGA,then sent back to the CPU if there is anyadditional processing, and then backacross the bus to some other location.

Heightened ExpectationsThe biggest trend today is sensors.

There are more options and better-qual-ity sensors for use in almost everyembedded application. They are beingdesigned to provide better situationalawareness. To obtain a better under-standing of what is going on in theworld, it is necessary to actually gatherand analyze more data. More data willspill over into increased storage require-ments, and all of the systems architec-ture issues that go along with it, whetheryou are processing that information ormoving it from place to place. No onewants to hear excuses that the data can-not be processed. Ex pectations havebeen amplified in terms of betterresults, sophisticated algorithms, andfaster CPUs.

The data transport infrastructure inany system is most important. It needsto assist with data collection, shiftingthat data to analytical engines in a time-ly fashion, and getting the data to stor-age devices. This is often where youfind many of the Gigabit and 10GbEthernet networking solutions makingthat possible. Even so, networkingexpectations are very high when dis-cussing time limits for the delivery ofinformation and the deterministicnature when it comes to the delivery ofthat information. Tech nologies are con-tinuing to move forward and engineersconcentrate on using the latest tech-nologies. Communications technologyneeds to meet the requirements oftoday, as well making it possible to keepahead of new specification require-ments as the future may dictate.

This article was contributed by Acromag,Wixom, MI. For more information, visithttp://info.hotims.com/45609-121.



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THE

S P E C I A L A W A R D S S E C T I O N

The 2013 Create the Future Design

Contest — sponsored by COMSOL, SAE

International, and Tech Briefs Media

Group (publishers of NASA TechBriefs) — recognized innovation in

product design in eight categories:

Aerospace & Defense (new this year),

Consumer Products, Electronics,

Machinery & Equipment, Medical,

Safety & Security, Sustainable

Technologies, and Transportation &

Automotive. On the following pages,

you’ll meet the Grand Prize Winner,

as well as the winners and Honorable

Mentions in all eight categories.

Congratulations to this year’s winners,

and thanks to the more than 900

entrants from across the globe who

submitted their design ideas. To view

the entries online, visit

www.createthefuturecontest.com

Sponsored by

The 2013 Create the Future Design

Contest — sponsored by COMSOL, SAE

International, and Tech Briefs Media

Group (publishers of NASA TechBriefs) — recognized innovation in

product design in eight categories:

Aerospace & Defense (new this year),

Consumer Products, Electronics,

Machinery & Equipment, Medical,

Safety & Security, Sustainable

Technologies, and Transportation &

Automotive. On the following pages,

you’ll meet the Grand Prize Winner,

as well as the winners and Honorable

Mentions in all eight categories.

Congratulations to this year’s winners,

and thanks to the more than 900

entrants from across the globe who

submitted their design ideas. To view

the entries online, visit

www.createthefuturecontest.com

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ChemoPatch™Alydaar Rangwala, Nikhil Mehandru, Aaron Perez, and Brandon SimTheratech, Loudonville, NY

The world is facing a global cancer crisis. In 2011, 13.7 mil-lion new cancer cases and 8.6 million cancer deaths occurredworldwide. More than half of the new cases, and nearly two-thirds of deaths, were in developing countries. Despite substan-tial innovations, there remains a lack of treatment methodsthat are cost-effective enough to be widely and practicallyimplemented in these countries.

The existing methods for administration of these drugs havebeen primarily through intravenous delivery via a complex andcostly pole-based infusion pump setup. These setups are need-ed to administer complex drug schedules and as a result, infu-sion pumps have prevented treatment for early-stage cancersfrom becoming widely accessible.

Four Harvard University students of various disciplines havefounded Theratech, and have introduced the ChemoPatch™, alow-cost, disposable, electronic patch-based cancer chemother-apy device designed to be simple, automated, and easy to use bycancer patients outside of the hospital, yet cutting-edge in itsability to deliver quality early-stage chemotherapy.

Iontophoretic electronic technology was first introduced tothe market in the 2000s as an alternative to infusion-basedsetups, but was never proven to be adequate for two main rea-sons: 1) it requires chemotherapy infusion drugs to be refor-mulated for storage in the iontophoretic patch reservoir, and2) it only allows for administration of one drug at a time.

The solution, the ChemoPatch, fills both of these technolo-gy gaps at a much lower price. Chemotherapy drugs can beloaded as they currently exist, and the ChemoPatch is able toadminister three different chemotherapy drugs in select dosesand at specific time intervals. Additionally, drug delivery isautomated, allowing patients to reduce the frequency of hospi-tal visits.

This innovative technology is the result of employing cut-ting-edge microfabrication resources at the Harvard Schoolof Engineering and Applied Sciences. Specifically, theChemoPatch consists of four components:

1) A novel, patent-pending micropump for drug delivery2) A drug reservoir that contains up to three separate

chemotherapy drugs3) A microneedle array for the painless administration of

drugs4) A simple microcontroller-based electronic circuit for

complex programmable delivery schedulingAs per quotes from raw material suppliers and device assem-

bly manufacturers, the device has a production cost of only $35per unit when completely assembled and sterilized.

At the heart of the ChemoPatch is a patent-pending plastic-based and low-cost micropump technology. This is the firsthighly accurate micropump that is completely plastic-based,allowing for the first truly disposable micropump-based patchtechnology for drug delivery.

In order to demonstrate the viability of the ChemoPatch, apilot study is being conducted of early-stage breast cancer inIndia within the next 12 months. With over 115,000 new diag-

noses in India each year, there is a sizable need for bettertreatment. Eventually, the ChemoPatch will be introduced inthe United States, pending regulatory approval. The end goalis to bridge the gap between technology and cost-effective-ness in high-quality, first-line cancer care, making it accessiblefor all.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/grand-prize

The ChemoPatch team (from left): Aaron Perez, Alydaar Rangwala, NikhilMehandru, and Brandon Sim.

“Winning the Grand Prize in the Create the Future Design Contestallows us to push our product, the ChemoPatch, to the next level. Itwill allow us to develop a vastly improved prototype and will give usthe flexibility to perform comprehensive tests of the ChemoPatch’ssafety and efficacy. We are honored to win the Grand Prize and wewill continue to work towards our goal of reforming home-basedcancer care.”

Grand Prize Winner(Winner of $20,000)

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Microwave Extraction of Water for Space PropellantEdwin Ethridge, Ph.D.NASA (retired), Huntsville, AL

Space exploration is extremely expensive because very largerockets are required to put small payloads into space. Largereductions in launch mass will come from production of in-space rocket propellant from in-space water. Vast quantities ofwater are present at the lunar poles, on Mars, comets, andsome asteroids. Using the in-spaceresource of solar energy, in-spacewater can be split into hydrogen andoxygen for propellant. Molecularwater can even be used for the reac-tion mass ejecta with ion engines formissions to Mars and beyond.

Microwaves will penetrate the lowthermal conductivity permafrostregolith to sublime subsurface waterice with subsequent re-condensationof the water in an external cold trap.This simple vapor transport processcould eliminate the need to excavatethe soil and reduce the complexity ofsurface operations. But most importantly, it could greatlyreduce the mass of mining equipment to be transported to thesurface of the Moon and to other planetary bodies.

Microwave extraction laboratory experiments and numericalsimulations over the past seven years demonstrate the utility ofthese innovative processes. FEM multiphysics numerical analysis

is being used to model laboratoryexperiments as well as to simulate pos-sible space experiment scenarios ofmicrowave heating of lunar, Martian,and asteroidal regolith. Different sci-entific experiments and mining sce-narios have been simulated for differ-ent frequencies, power, heating times,water concentrations, and for regolithwith different dielectric properties.

Numerical simulations of energybeamed at the surface as well as deliv-ery of energy down boreholes illus-trate possible ways to determine spa-tial water concentration and subse-

quent mining operations. Simulations at high frequencies andlow power demonstrate possible volatiles science experimentswith decomposition of compounds at high temperatures torelease chemically bound volatiles in asteroids.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/aerodef-winner

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013 www.techbriefs.com 21

Sensitive, High Resolution Thermal Infrared ImagersBased on Visible Digital CamerasMarcos Kleinerman, MetriLight, Amherst, MA

Two-dimensional detector arrays of thermal infraredimagers are expensive, especially at medium and high reso-lutions. Instead of the bolometric arrays of present thermalimagers, a thin, strongly fluorescent film is placed in ther-mal contact with the infrared-absorbing layer and illuminat-ed from the sides to excite the fluorescence of the film insuch a manner that the infrared image focused on it will beconverted into a corresponding visible image at the film,ready to be focused on and processed by an inexpensive dig-ital camera. In order to function as described, the fluores-cent material of the film must emit, at any resolvable point,a strongly temperature-dependent fluorescence intensitywhen illuminated with light of wavelength within the longwavelength “tail” of a strong electronic absorption band.Virtually all solid fluorescent materials show this property. Atemperature coefficient of about 0.02 per kelvin is indicatedwithin the range, but substantially higher coefficients areachievable.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/thermal-imager

Prillings for Next-Generation Rocket Fuel Joy Mann Simmons, Joseph Resnick, Ron Stewart, and Holden Lane, Perry, GA

Next-generation solid-sphere prillings were developedthat have secondary and tertiary matrixes comprised ofmicrocrystalline hydrocarbon nano-articles for use as anadvanced hybrid rocket fuel based on liquid layer hybridcombustion theory. The microencapsulation process andinstrument is a NASA spinoff technology first used to pro-duce glass microbeads in space, and later to spawn creationof an arsenal of oil spill cleanup, medical, pharmaceutical,and food products. This technology represents “futurefuels” that produce a very thin, low-viscosity, low-surface-ten-sion liquid layer on the fuel surface when it burns. Driven bythe oxidizer, liftoff and entrainment of PCM-droplets andsecondary nanoparticle hydrocarbon components greatlyincrease the overall fuel mass transfer rate simulating a con-tinuous spray injection system with the fuel componentsvaporization occurring around the droplets convectingbetween the melt layer and flame-front, resulting in higherregression rates and exponential increase in thrust.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/prillings

Honorable Mentions

Aerospace & Defense Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

“This past January, I retired from NASA after 35 years of spacemicrogravity science research and high temperature aerospacematerials engineering at the Marshall Space Flight Center. It is veryrewarding to be recognized for the potential of the utilization of in-space water for space exploration, and for the potential of extrac-tion of space volatiles, including water, using the microwaveprocesses, thereby reducing requirements of regolith excavation.”

C A T E G O R Y S P O N S O R

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Plant Air Purifier James Schaeffer, Bill Wolverton, Wayne Schaeffer, andBernarr SchaefferU.S. Health Equipment Co., Kingston, NY

The Plant Air Purifier is a new air-cleaning appliance thatutilizes the recently discovered air-cleaning capacity of root-associated microbes living synergistically with common house-plants to trap and consume toxins in the air. The researchbehind this was done by Bill Wolverton while working inNASA’s space program. He found that low levels of chemicalssuch as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde can be removed

from in door environ-ments by plant leavesalone, while higherconcentrations of num -erous toxic chemicalscan be removed by fil-tering indoor airthough the plant rootssurrounded by activat-ed carbon. The activat-ed carbon absorbs largequantities of the toxicchemicals and retainsthem until the plantroots and associated mi -croorganisms degradeand assimilate thesechemicals.

As fossil fuel prices rise, buildings are being constructedmore tightly to save on energy costs. As a result, a new and dan-gerous phenomenon has become more common: SickBuilding Syndrome. With the proliferation of household con-sumer products such as cleaners added to the outgassing fromcarpets, drapes, plywood, and finishes, more and more peoplerecognize the need for addressing indoor air quality.

The Plant Air Purifier consists of an outer pot with the inte-grated high-pressure blower, and a perforated inner pot thatallows airflow and porous potting media. As air is drawnthrough the hydroculture (sterilized stone) potting media andactivated carbon granules, toxins are attracted to the carbonsurfaces where root-associated microbes then feed on them,changing the toxins into harmless substances that are used asfood by the plant in the pot. All one needs to do is water thePlant Air Purifier regularly and feed the plant with dilute liq-uid plant food every three or four months. This innovative sys-tem allows one plant to do the cleaning work of 50 to 100plants potted conventionally in soil.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/consumer-winner

Isowalk Intelligent MobilityRon Goldberg, Greenwood Lake, NY

Isowalk is an intelligentmobility aid designed toreplace the walking cane.Unlike the cane, Isowalkprovides active walkingassistance that conforms itsperformance and responseto each individual user. Using low-power wireless technolo-gy, connected Isowalk models can send/receive alerts, pro-vide real-time and archived physiological and haptic data,and provide location tracking and emergency response serv-ices. Isowalk’s radical new geometry provides a native pen-dulum action that makes the device self-propulsive andeffortless to use. The user simply moves/walks to the best ofhis/her ability, and Isowalk automatically swings and plantsitself for the next step, to or from any angle. Through astrategic center of gravity and modern composite materials,Isowalk feels virtually weightless in use.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/isowalk

Air Filter Maintenance AlertJohn Pollock, Peoria, AZ

Many households do not con-sistently maintain their A/C fil-ters (heating or cooling). NewerA/C units often have a simple set-table fixed timer to remind thehousehold to change the filter, ora more sophisticated method thatmonitors motor current or evenpressure changes. Many of theseunits suffer by not having a sim-ple audible or highly visible annunciator.

FilterWatch is a low-cost, single-AAA battery poweredanemometer designed to track relative airflow changes.When placed on an A/C return vent, it will monitor airflowchanges and send a positive alert when the filter needsreplacing. It uses a modified “hot-wire” method to deter-mine airflow. Using low-power ARM core uC, and very-low-power temperature sensing, the system is able to wake upevery few hours or days as the situation dictates.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/airfilter-alert

Honorable Mentions

“Winning the Create the Future Design Contest is strong confirma-tion for us that we are working on a powerful green technologywith significant potential for improving quality of life for people.Going forward, we are looking at supplying larger units for partial orwhole building air cleaning, and as such, we already have a prelimi-nary design for a ‘living wall’ Plant Air Purifier.”

Consumer Products Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

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iPecs Pro Clinical Prosthetic Alignment and Assessment ToolMichael Leydet, Richard Harrington, Alan Hutchenreuther,Vinay Bharadwaj, Chuck Krapf, Michael Link, Megan Toscas,Steven Hoover, Chris Nowak, Aaron Taszreak, DouglasBriggs, and Frank FedelCollege Park Industries Inc., Warren, MI

Historically, the fitting, adjustment, andalignment of prosthetic devices has beena highly skilled art relying on the trainingand experience of the prosthetist withinput from the patient, but with limitedaccess to objective quantifiable measures.The iPecs Pro software will have clinicalreal-time functional assessment features.This will guide the user through a series ofsubjective and objective questions andphysical tests to determine the functionallevel of the patient. A report using thescale of the questions and the measuredresults from the physical tests will be pro-

duced for summation to the payer as support of the prosthesesselection and prescription. After the sensor is used on eachpatient, the iPecs Pro will be removed and iPyramid (dummyunit or replacement adaptor) is placed into the prosthetic buildas a placekeeper for future visits.

The ultimate goal of this measurement and assessment toolis to promote positive outcomes resulting in greater mobility,improved efficiency, weight management, lower blood pres-

sure, and better general health. The iPecs Pro has the capabil-ity to measure 12 degrees of freedom (DOF). It senses all threeforces and moments necessary to provide guidance to clini-cians as a practical and universal tool. The iPecs also includesa 3-axis inclinometer to measure dynamic residual limb angleas well as a gyro to measure 3-axis angular accelerations.

Since its introduction in 2010, the iPecs™ Lab has providedresearchers the only commercially available method to objec-tively quantify the full range of kinematic data in real-worldenvironments. Research conducted with the iPecs Lab is beingused to develop clinical algorithms for the iPecs Pro to facili-tate and objectively document prosthetic component selectionand alignment.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/electronics-winner

BluDAQ: Android Bluetooth OscilloscopeAubrey Kagan, Emphatec, Ontario, Canada

In process control and indus-trial automation, the electronicsare built into panels. For safetyreasons, these panels must beclosed in order to operate. Thatmakes debugging and monitor-ing operation under real-worldcircumstances impossible since instruments like multime-ters and oscilloscopes cannot be brought out of the panel.Also on installations like windmills or electric towers, per-sonnel have to operate their test equipment in a difficultand sometimes dangerous physical environment. BluDAQallows signals to be measured within the panel (or up atower), and transmits the telemetry to a tablet via wirelesscommunication. The unit will multiplex two analog chan-nels selected from 12 possible inputs. The user interface hasbeen realized using an Android-based tablet communicatingover Bluetooth, and it uses the paradigm of an oscillo-scope/logic analyzer.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/bludaq

Simple, Rapid Method of Water Quality Control Volodymyr Maslov and Gleb Dorozinsky, ISP NASU, Kiev, Ukraine

Analyzing water qualityis a lengthy procedure andrequires expensive analyti-cal equipment. This newmethod offers fast analysis(less than 10 minutes) ofwater quality by measuringthe refractive index based on the phenomenon of surfaceplasmon resonance (SPR). Optically active additive is addedto water to improve the sensitivity, allowing an order of mag-nitude greater sensitivity. The effect of increasing the effi-ciency of water quality monitoring is associated with theinteraction of the optically active additive with the clusterstructure of water.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/water-quality

Honorable Mentions

“Our team is very excited and honored to have won the ElectronicsCategory in the Create the Future Design Contest for a second timein 3 years. Skilled prosthetists have been fitting and aligningamputees with prosthetic limbs for centuries without the ability tocapture objective measures. Our efforts to develop a clinical tool fulfill this need. The difficulty of integrating sensors, electronics, andan intuitive software technology requires CP Electronics to expandour team of experts to include Harrington Electronics, College ParkIndustries, Arbor Image, Menlo Innovations, and Aardvark SpecialtyTransducers. We are thankful for their dedication and support inmaking this product a success.”

Electronics Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)


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Fuel Flexible, Ultra-Portable Microturbine GeneratorErik Herold, Jason Ethier, and Ivan WangDynamo Micropower, Boston, MA

A large unmet need in the oil and gas industry is a portablepower generation system that is reliable, requires little mainte-nance, can operate continuously for extended periods of time,and has the capacity to consume on-site fuel. DynamoMicropower is developing robust, fuel-flexible, ultra-portable,sub-30kW microturbine generators for highly distributed gen-eration in an electrically driven world.

Bulky diesel reciprocating enginegenerators are typically used topower pumping equipment on site.Diesel fuel is not only expensive,but transporting fuel and mainte-nance personnel out to sites is alsovery costly.

The inherently fuel-flexible natureof microturbines is leveraged with in-house design software that allows forrapid redesign of components tomeet customer-specific power generation requirements. Theproprietary system architecture simplifies typically complexturbine component geometries and allows for simple manufac-ture. The Dynamo microturbine has only two moving parts andis very simple to assemble, disassemble, and service.Components are arranged in a stacked fashion and requireonly hand tools for complete assembly, a process that takesabout half an hour.

The system is cost competitive withcurrent diesel generators and is1/5th the size. By making use of thewellhead gas previously being wastedby flaring, the Dynamo microturbinecan reduce the levelized cost of ener-gy (LCOE) by 90%. The system isdesigned to be modular, such thatunits can be swapped out quickly tominimize downtime and disruptionsin operation. Multiple microturbine

units can replace a large single generator effectively as a hedgeagainst unplanned downtime.

This solution meets the needs of countless applications,including rapidly deployable emergency power generation,ultra-portable power generation, and backup power genera-tion for residential and small-scale commercial customers.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/machinery-winner

SmartaggerCharles Kochou, Zareen P/L, Sydney, Australia

This device is used at buildingsites for a range of cable installa-tions, including voice, data, securi-ty (CCTV) and fire alarms; cableTV; and electrical cables. It facili-tates a faster and more effectivemethod of laying cables by meansof marking cables in continuoussegments along the length. Thisenables the operator to easily iden-tify and segregate cables according to requirements. Theapparatus is compact and quick to assemble on-site, andrequires no power (or batteries) to operate. The markingprocess is fast and efficient since it is carried out when thecable is pulled off the reel. A number of these devices maybe used in parallel at the same time to pull a number ofcables at the same time.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/smartagger

Audio Imager Graeme MacDonald, Cube Industrial Design, Watsons Bay, NSW, Australia

This device locates, meas-ures, and records the sourceof sounds. It aids in tracingthe source of sounds in envi-ronments where it is diffi-cult to do so by listening orusing conventional soundlevel meters. It operates in asimilar way to a thermal imaging camera except that insteadof imaging heat, it images sound. The device is pointed inthe general direction that the sound is coming from. A 9×5array of miniature directional microphones detects thesound at various angles off the central axis. The microphonethat is pointed most directly at the sound source generatesthe strongest signal. The signal from each microphone isseparately processed and mapped. A camera near the mid-dle microphone allows an image of the area being mappedto be superimposed on the audio image.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/audio-imager

Honorable Mentions

“The first market we’re targeting is upstream oil and gas applica-tions, using this to fuel pumping equipment onsite at oil wells. We’relooking to do pilot programs in the next 6-12 months. From there,we’re looking to deploy in the field and start displacing diesel gen-erators in the oil field. Much further along the road, we’re looking atapplications other than just oil and gas: co-gen (combined heat andpower) applications, portable power generation, and backup powergenerators for home use.”

Machinery & Equipment Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

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Vitalflo James Dieffenderfer, Mike Brown, and Leigh JohnsonNorth Carolina State University, Apex, NC

Over 25 million Americans have been diagnosed with asth-ma, and of those, 16 million are between the ages of 18-64. Over60% of asthmatics own a peak flow meter (PFM); however, onlyabout 35% actually use their PFM due to varying factors.Regular use of a reliable PFM and mon-itoring of one’s respiratory vitals wouldcreate a better asthma managementplan, and in-turn, reduce the effectsand severity of their asthma.

The inventors wanted to somehowbridge the gap that exists betweenpatient and physician to increase theefficacy of treatment. The Vitalflodevice offers a reliable monitoring solu-tion that helps consumers monitor theirbreathing, while delivering an educa-tion solution showing the best ways tomanage and treat changes in their breathing through integra-tion with their smartphone.

It fills current unmet needs by utilizing the most accurate lungcapacity measurements, reducing overall device size for ease oftransport and storage, integrating wireless technology to seam-lessly transmit data to any smartphone or PC, functioning fully asa standalone device, and offering a dashboard of additional fea-tures and benefits.

After a series of interviews, the inventors narrowed theirfocus to creating an improved Peak Flow Meter, one that

meshed well with current technology. Itwasn’t until halfway through the designprocess that they discovered thatVitalflo could also be used as a spirome-ter. This enables them to help an evenlarger number of people, includingthose suffering from COPD. TheVitalflo device was first conceived usingsituational analysis tools, moved toproduct development, then engineer-ing through technical advancements,and finally completed. Professionalsfrom a variety of backgrounds allowed

for the conception of a fully functional, market-ready device.The project was backed by the ASSIST Center

(http://assist.ncsu.edu), an Engineering Research Center atNorth Carolina State University. The entire Vitalflo projectstarted from the Product Innovation Course, which allowedthe research team to be mentored by faculty at the ASSISTCenter.

Watch a video demonstrating Vitalflo on Tech Briefs TV atwww.techbriefs.com/tv/vitalflo. For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/medical-winner

OrthoSensor Verasense SystemCarlos Gil, Orthosensor, Inc., Sunrise, FL

The Verasense is anintelligent surgical deviceused during total kneearthoplastic surgery tohelp the surgeon balanceand align the knee. Thesingle-use device uses asensor to give the surgeonfeedback on load on the knee, as well as mechanical align-ment of the patient’s leg. The low-power, miniaturized sys-tem seamlessly integrates within a surgical workflow andeliminates the need for expensive equipment. Its technolo-gy platform includes embedded sensor electronics andapplication specific integrated circuitry (ASIC), which pro-vides data via wireless radio frequency telemetry to be dis-played on a graphic user interface.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/verasense

Exo Dynamics — ExMSJorge Sanz Guerrero, Dan Johnson, Sam Beckett,Alejandro Catalan, and James Buquet, Exo Dynamics, Ann Arbor, MI

The ExMS-1 is an electro-mechanically activated back brace.Unlike current braces, this devicefocuses not on increasing abdomi-nal pressure, but on transferringthe weight of the torso to the hip.This gives support to the back mus-cles, thus reducing their effort. Itincorporates an electronic controlsystem that takes input from a net-work of sensor elements aroundthe back brace, and then adapts thecontrols and actuators in real time to maintain a pre-pro-grammed level of support. As the user moves, the orthosistracks this motion, calculates the new parameters neededfor the desired pre-programmed back support, and adaptsthe device accordingly.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/exms

Honorable Mentions

“Winning has brought a lot of publicity. We’ve been looking forinvestors for a couple months now, so this has definitely given us agood push in that direction…We are lined up for clinical trials. Westarted on this project with the belief that we could improve the livesof millions of people, and it remains our motivation to this day.”

Medical Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)


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Power Fingerprinting Monitor: Protecting CriticalInfrastructure from Cyber AttackCarlos R. Aguayo Gonzalez, Jeffrey H. Reed, and Steven ChenPower Fingerprinting, Inc., Blacksburg, VA

A cyber attack to a critical infrastructure can have devastat-ing consequences to national security. Yet, solutions capable ofmonitoring the execution of Industrial Control Systems (ICSs)are absent or deficient. Current cyber security solutions forICSs focus on patching, peripheral defenses (firewalls, accesscontrol, air gaps), network monitoring, and signature-baseddetection on peripheral hosts(antivirus).

Power Fingerprinting (PFP) is acyber security solution capable ofdirectly detecting malicious intrusionsin critical infrastructure and ICS. PFPallows the monitoring of platformswith limited computational resourcesand memory, which would not havethe resources to support traditionalsecurity monitoring approaches.

PFP performs fine-grained anomalydetection on the processor’s powerconsumption to determine whether ithas deviated from expected operation.A PFP monitor uses a physical sensor to capture fine-grainedpower consumption signals, also known as “side channels,”which contain tiny patterns or fingerprints that emerge duringthe transitions from one instruction to another. In PFP, power

traces are processed using signal detec-tion and classification techniquesusing an external device. The observedtraces are compared against trustedreferences to assess whether the execu-tion has deviated from its expectedbehavior, e.g. when an attack has man-aged to install malicious software.Because actual monitoring is per-formed by an external device, thememory and processing overhead onthe target systems is greatly reduced ortotally eliminated.

A future application will be to moni-tor devices that compose the Internet

of Things — simple devices addressable over the Internet.Watch a video demonstrating PFP on Tech Briefs TV at www.

techbriefs.com/tv/fingerprint. For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/safety-winner

Line-Wise Snap-On IdentifierAlan Sherman and Neil Koenig, Intelplex, Olivette, MO

The Line-Wise identifier is a sim-ple, inexpensive, snap-on informa-tion display that can be readily writ-ten on to provide informationabout the function, application,and any cautionary issues concern-ing the line to which it is attached.They help resolve problems thatexist where complex arrays of opticcables, electric wires, and fluid/gastubes are employed. Line-Wise canbe quickly installed anywhere alongthe length of a line, even in multiples, so persons in any areaalong the length of the line know that the line installationsare correct, properly maintained, and that any cautionarymatters are readily known.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/linewise

Electronic Aerial Emergency FlareHarry Wainwright, HLeeWainwright Tech Consulting,Bethlehem, PA

The Flash Sphere emergencyflare solves many problems inher-ent in flares that lie on theground. It gives off no heat, andit can be seen over hills, aroundcurves, above trees, and fromgreat distances to warn of upcom-ing traffic hazards and serve as abeacon for search and rescueteams. It consists of five high-intensity red, white, and blueLEDs mounted in a 1"-diameterlightweight sphere hung fromthe bottom of a Mylar inflatable balloon The Sphere is acti-vated by pulling an insulated tab to light the LEDs. Whenreleased to the sky, it will remain up to 200 feet in altitude,24/7, flashing for a week or more.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/aerial-flare

Honorable Mentions

“Initially, we wanted the power fingerprinting monitor to protectcritical infrastructure as a standalone system, making sure ournuclear reactors, our process controls, and weather systems are freeof malware or any malicious insertions. Eventually, we can integratethe technology into pretty much any embedded processor. We feelit’s a validation of our technology, and it has definitely motivated usto continue working hard to make it a reality and help protect ourcritical infrastructure.”

Safety & Security Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

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The Paradigm Shift in Wind Turbine TechnologyGlen LuxLux Wind Power Ltd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Imagine a renewable energy source that can produce energyat a cost comparable to natural gas or hydroelectric generatorsusing fewer resources, while being environmentally friend -ly. Lux Wind Turbines are expected to cost less than half thatof conventional turbines, and can be spaced closer together toextract more power with less land.

Conventional three-bladed windturbines are expensive because theyare overweight. They require exces-sive material to support the can-tilevered tower and each of thethree cantilevered blades. The LuxWind Turbine, a vertical axis windturbine (VAWT), rotates around avertical axis and does not require atower or central column, loweringthe total weight to less than half ofthe conventional turbines. Thisdesign uses six blades connected toa hub at the top and bottom of therotor. The blades are also supportedwith cross cables running fromblade to blade, forming a hexa-gon. Other advantages include anextremely low center of gravity(ideal for offshore applications), themechanical components are at

ground level, traction drive elimi-nates the need for an expensivegearbox, and the blades are fullyrecyclable.

Computer models, developed bythe National Research Council’sInstitute of Aerospace Research(IAR) in Ottawa, Canada, show theblades have very little displacement,even in hurricane winds. These mod-els, along with several prototypes,illustrate the turbine has an excel-lent power output, is lightweight,extremely durable, and scalable toalmost any size.

Watch a video demonstrating the LuxWind Turbine on Tech Briefs TV atwww.techbriefs.com/tv/turbine. Formore information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/sustainable-winner


Solar Textile: Ultra-Light, Low-Cost, Flexible, and High-Efficiency Solar Energy HarvestersRamki Kalyanaraman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Imagine if the fibers makingour clothes are efficient con-verters of light into energy. Thispatent-pending design for anultra-light and high-efficiencysolar fiber consists of making aninorganic solar cell inside hol-low polymer fibers with smalldiameter (50-100 micron) andlong lengths (1 to 10 m). The high efficiency to convert lightinto electricity will come partly from the ability to capturelight incident from any direction and trap it within the hol-low fiber. The technology scales up light energy harvestingproducts to carpets, curtains, tents, and even textile-basedsolar farms, as well as scenarios requiring energy sources farfrom convenient locations, such as disaster-affected orremote areas.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/solar-textile

Energy Cell with Multilayer Capacitors Denny Wheeler, Crystalline Energy Research (CER) Co., Nampa, ID

This miniaturized electricenergy storage cell for cell-phone charging can storeapproximately 75,000 mAhwhen fully charged. Throughthe 5.0V micro-USB outletport, it will charge an Android™ type cellphone approxi-mately 23 times. It will be slightly larger than a typical thumbdrive memory, weigh about 3 ounces, and can be chargedovernight from a household 110-120 AC outlet. The energycell will utilize an array of multilayer ceramic capacitors(MLCCs) manufactured from ceramic dielectric capacitormaterials. The dielectric materials operate from -70 to +250°C, and do not contain toxic or hazardous chemicals or elec-trolytes. Applications include energy storage for electricvehicles, wind turbines, and photovoltaic modules

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/energy-cell

Honorable Mentions

“Our technology is supported by four prototypes and computeranalysis performed by several companies. We feel that we need tobuild a larger prototype, loaded with sensors, to monitor all aspectsof the turbine rotor. Upon successful completion of this test model,we hope to license the technology to interested large wind turbinemanufacturers. [The technology] is capable of being implementedworldwide in wind farms and for offshore usage.”

Sustainable Technologies Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

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Swift Tram: High Speed Automated People MoverCarl Lawrence, Becky English, Graham Hill, John Murino,Elaine Thorndike, Gaby Aweida, Carl Talkington, RobKammerling, Kim Hedberg, Nancy Balch, Ilse Gayl andRon GrembanSwift Tram, Inc., Boulder, CO

Swift Tram is a rapid transit system that will get peoplefrom their starting points to their destinations more enjoy-ably than any other transit alternative available today. Swift’sautomated (driverless) system is elevat-ed, completely avoiding pedestrians,bicyclists, automobiles, and stoplights.System operators can offer scheduledand/or on-demand service, which pas-sengers can easily arrange at kiosks orwith their smartphones according tothe time they wish to arrive at their des-tinations.

Swift Tram’s new rapid transit sys-tem can be used for moving people orfreight. It operates using intelligentdrive bogies traveling inside an elevat-ed fixed guideway. Suspended coachesin two sizes provide scheduled and on-demand service 24/7.

The system is electrically powered, so its pollution profile ismuch lower than that of internal combustion technologies.That electricity is either grid-supplied, or it may be supplied byrenewables: microgrid-managed solar PV over guideways and

stations. Swift is smartgrid-enabled; itscontrol system will make programmedadjustments in power consumption toeconomize under tiered power ratestructures.

The bogie units are small, intelli-gent electric vehicles that run insidethe elevated fixed guideway at up to125 mph; they’re attached to the sus-pended coaches through an open sloton the guideway’s underside. In thecase of a grid outage, there’s sufficientintelligence and battery-stored energyonboard to bring passengers to the

nearest disembarkation point safely.Watch a video demonstrating Swift Tram on Tech Briefs TV at

www.techbriefs.com/tv/tram. For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/transportation-winner

Making Night Time Driving Safe and AutomatedOfer David, Yoav Graur, and Eyal Levi, BrightWay Vision, Haifa, Israel

The problems of nightdriving are well known andinclude limited range visibil-ity, incoming traffic glare,and stress in driving, as wellas incorrect driver percep-tion. The BrightEye® systemenables the identification ofobstacles and abstractionson the road for a range of 250m in a dark night and in badweather. BrightEye’s technology uses Gated Near Infraredthat constantly projects a clear picture of the road, analyzesthe data it collects, and alerts the driver when hazards arepresent on the road.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/brighteye

Fuel Quality SensorAlain Lunati, Eric Hermitte, Sylvain Oberti, Xavier Capron,Tual Trainini, Christelle Kernaflen, Owsin Galtier, andThierry Gergaud, SP3H, PACA, France

The system integrates anonboard optical fuel qualitysensor to the engine to opti-mize injection, combustion,and post-treatment. Thetechnology makes matchingengine performance withfuel quality possible byoffering the opportunity toaccount for fuel variability in the engine control strategies.From the optical sensor, relevant information about fuelquality is sent to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) thatadjusts engine parameters and settings according to the fuelquality in the tank. It doesn’t matter what type of fuel is used— gasoline, diesel, biofuels, jet fuel — since the optical sys-tem based on near-infrared spectroscopy is flexible.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/fuel-sensor

Transportation & Automotive Category Winner(Winner of an HP Workstation)

Honorable Mentions

“Our technology represents an imaginative con-vergence of advanced manufacturing, aeronauticalmaterials, and modern IT, providing a game-changing transportation solution at a low relativecost. Swift Tram is poised to dominate the $10 bil-lion US light rail market by implementing a strate-gy of early loop installation of its minimum viableproducts, followed by build-out along major arteri-als, and, at ultimate scale within the decade,whole regional networks. We’re honored toreceive this recognition for our team’s work.”


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Malath Arar Senior Engineer,General Electric, Schenectady, NY

Dean BarkerFisher and Paykel Healthcare,Auckland, New Zealand

Kenn BatesPrincipal Physics Engineer,Raytheon, El Segundo, CA

Nate BernklauSenior Design Engineer, JohnDeere, Davenport, IA

Stuart Brown, Managing Principal,Veryst Engineering, Needham, MA

Francisco Caballero, INTA, Madrid,Spain

Peter Colovas, Software Manager,General Dynamics Land Systems,Northville, MI

Jeff Crompton, Principal, AltaSimTechnologies, Columbus, OH

Evangelos DiatzikisPrincipal Engineer, Siemens Energy, Orlando, FL

Mitch Finn, Engineering Manager,Medtronic, Morton, IL

John Fish, Senior Manager,Lockheed Martin Astronautics Co.,Palmdale, CA

Venkat GaddamElectrical Engineer, Medtronic,Minneapolis, MN

Samuel GlassChief Technology Advisor, AREVA,Lynchburg, VA

Pankaj Gupta, Senior ProcessDevelopment Engineer, BostonScientific, Plymouth, MN

Gregory Hardy, Senior EngineeringProgram Manager, The BoeingCompany, St. Louis, MO

Jim Hathaway, Manager, Production Programs, NorthropGrumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, CA

Roger Harmon, DistinguishedMember of the Technical Staff,Motorola Mobility, Libertyville, IL

Robert HolzhauerElectrical Cost Engineer, ChryslerGroup, LLC, Northville, MI

David Jorde, Owner, JordeDevelopment, Design & Consulting,Fallbrook, CA

Pankaj Kalore, Engineer, Siemens,Buffalo Grove, IL

Preston Kemp, Jr., Technical Leader, GE Power & Water, Greenville, SC

James Lauer, Master Black Belt,Caterpillar, Morton, IL

Dzung Le, Reliability Manager,Schlumberger, Jurong, Singapore

Yu-Tai Lee, Naval Architect, NavalSurface Warfare Center, WestBethesda, MD

Dave Luckey, Satellite FlightSoftware Lead, Lockheed Martin,Denver, CO

Edward MiesakSenior Staff Scientist, Lockheed Martin, Orlando, FL

Scott Moore, Chief Engineer,Alliant Techsystems, Anoka, MN

Paul MorenR&D Projects Quality Manager,Valeo, Cergy-Pontoise, France

G. Muralidharan, Senior R&D Staff,Oak Ridge National Laboratory,Oak Ridge, TN

Matt Ondler, Program Director,SGT, Houston, TX

Stephen OsborneSenior Project Engineer, Stanley Black & Decker, Towson, MD

David Ouellette, Senior MechanicalEngineer, Winchester Electronics,Middlebury, CT

Anilkumar PanditSenior Consulting Engineer, GE Industrial Solutions, Bangalore, India

Tudosa Petrica, R&D Engineer,Alstom CH, Rieden, Switzerland

James PotterControls and Calibration Manager,ZF Transmissions Group, Gray Court, SC

Humberto PrettiSenior Durability Engineer, General Motors, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Jeffery PuschellPrincipal Engineering Fellow,Raytheon, El Segundo, CA

Antonio QuintieriProcter & Gamble, Waterloo, Belgium

Susan Stanton, Principal, SBCi,Sunbury, OH

Mike Stokes, Staff Design Engineer,Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH

Vladimir TheodorofEngineering Specialist, Caterpillar, Dunlap, IL

William Vetterling, Research Fellow,Zink Imaging, Lexington, MA

Rich WhiteMechanical R&D Engineer, Agilent Technologies, Wilmington, DE

Bruce WoollardSenior Principal System Engineer,Raytheon, Tucson, AZ

Michael Wrazen, Project Integrator,U.S. Army, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ

Puck YanPrincipal Professional Staff, Johns Hopkins University AppliedPhysics Laboratory, Laurel, MD

Meet the JudgesCOMSOL, SAE International , and Tech Briefs Media Group thank the following judges for their participation.

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Contest SponsorsThe 2013 Create the Future Design Contest is sponsored by COMSOL, Inc. and SAE International

COMSOL, Inc.COMSOL, Inc. (Burlington, MA) provides software solu-

tions for multiphysics modeling and simulation. Its flagshipproduct, COMSOL Multiphysics, lets engineers and scientistsbuild simulations to verify and optimize their designs. Itsunparalleled ability to include all relevant physical effectsthat exist in the real world opens up a wide array of model-ing possibilities. COMSOL’s customers apply this technologyto make cars and aircraft safer and more energy efficient,enhance the reception of our cell phones, search for newenergy sources, explore the universe, develop medical equip-ment enabling more accurate diagnoses, and educate thenext generation of scientists. www.comsol.com

SAE InternationalSAE International, based in Warrendale, PA, is a global

association of more than 138,000 engineers and relatedtechnical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and com-mercial-vehicle industries. SAE International is a globalbody of scientists, engineers, and practitioners that advancesself-propelled vehicle and system knowledge in a neutralforum for the benefit of society. SAE International’s corecompetencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensusstandards development. SAE now creates and managesmore aerospace and ground vehicle standards than anyother entity in the world. SAE International’s charitable armis the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs,including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate DesignSeries. In 2012, SAE International acquired Tech BriefsMedia Group, publishers of NASA Tech Briefs magazine.www.sae.org

W.L. Gore & Associates(Electronics Category sponsor)

Gore is a technology-driven company focused on discov-ery and product innovation. Well known for waterproof,breathable GORE-TEX® fabric, the company’s portfolioincludes everything from high-performance fabrics andimplantable medical devices, to industrial manufacturingcomponents and aerospace electronics. Founded in 1958and headquartered in Newark, DE, Gore posts annual salesof more than $3.2 billion and employs approximately 10,000associates with manufacturing facilities in the United States,Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and China, and salesoffices around the world. Gore is one of a select few compa-nies to appear on all of the U.S. “100 Best Companies toWork For” lists since the rankings debuted in 1984. Thecompany also appears regularly on similar lists around theworld. www.gore.com

Avnet(Medical Category and Transportation & AutomotiveCategory sponsor)

Avnet Electronics Marketing is one of the world’s largesttechnology, marketing, distribution, and services compa-nies, offering leading design chain services combined withworld-class supply chain services in support of the electron-ics industry. Avnet Electronics Market ing is focused onexceeding our customers’ needs and expectations. We serveelectronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) andelectronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in morethan 70 countries, distributing electronic components andembedded solutions from leading manufacturers. Fromdesign to delivery, we are a company that is dedicated to sup-port across the board. www.em.avnet.com

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Best Student Entry(Winner of Maplesoft Software)

Vehicle With Autonomous Operation — UMech RobocarStanislav Kuskov, Kirill Kondratev, Pavel Karpenko, MaximShestak, and Ilya ShebanovUMech University, Moscow, Russia

The UMech Robocar is an autonomously operated vehi-cle that automatically calculates an optimal route consider-ing traffic congestion, road work, and other road incidents.The vehicle analyzes road signs and road markings, thelocal traffic situation around the vehicle, traffic informationfrom the global network, weather conditions, and visibilityconditions. The car operates without human interference.The vehicle fleet can be used by cargo delivery services, taxiservices, or car rental services, when the time of vehiclestoppage is reduced to a minimum. For optimal route cal-culation, the car uses a GPS navigation system with 3G net-work connection, accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass.

For analysis of road signs, markings, and the nearby traffic,it uses a system of HD cameras, also allowing determinationof distances.

For more information, visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/2013/top-student

Visitors to the Create the Future Design Contest Web site were invited to vote on their favorite entries. Visit http://contest.techbriefs.com/2013/top-votes to view the top ten most popular entries,

winners of an Orbotix Sphero robotic gaming ball.

TE Connectivity(Aerospace & Defense Category sponsor)

TE Connectivity is a technology leader in the world’sfastest growing markets, helping connect power, data andsignal in everything from automotive and aerospace tobroadband communications, consumer, energy and indus-trial applications. By helping our customers meet the needfor greater energy efficiency, ever-increasing productivityand faster, more reliable data, TE’s market-defining tech-nologies and engineering expertise are setting the pace forthe future of connectivity. www.te.com

Maplesoft™(Best Student Entry Sponsor)

Maplesoft™, a subsidiary of Cybernet Systems Co., Ltd. inJapan, is the leading provider of high-performance softwaretools for engineering, science, and mathematics. Maplesoft’score technologies include the world’s most advanced sym-bolic computation engine and revolutionary physical model-ing techniques. Combined, these technologies enable thecreation of cutting-edge tools for design, modeling, andhigh-performance simulation. Maplesoft’s products help toreduce errors, shorten design times, lower costs, andimprove results. The Maplesoft product suite includesMaple™, the technical computing and documentation envi-ronment, and MapleSim™, the high-performance, multi-domain modeling and simulation tool for physical systems. www.maplesoft.com

Top Ten Most Popular Entries

Prize sponsors:

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V ision-Based RobotDesign Wins NASATest Course Challenge

Miniature Autonomous Roving Vehicle (MARV)

Teledyne TechnologiesThousand Oaks, CA805-373-4545www.teledyne.com

As part of a NASA test course chal-lenge, Teledyne DALSA engineered awinning Miniature AutonomousRoving Vehicle (MARV), earning thecompany a $350M contract with NASA’s Marshall Space FlightCenter in Alabama.

Competitors were tasked with building a MARV that coulddetect, recognize, maneuver, collect, transport, and depositsample blocks on a test course without advance knowledge of

course layout, lighting conditions, orrange. The course also included obsta-cles standing in the way of the MARV’sobjective of picking up as many blocksas possible and depositing them into ahigh-reach collection bin.

Teledyne Scientific engineers, whowere responsible for integrating theMARV’s vision component, sourced anIcon M640 monochrome user-pro-grammable camera from sister compa-ny Teledyne DALSA. The M640 cam-era incorporates a 1.73 × 1.73 × 1.73"embedded vision system.

Time stamp capabilities in the soft-ware accurately determine the battery-

powered MARV’s range and bearing, enabling it to act andreact in a timely manner. A monochrome, one-camera config-uration reduces bandwidth, while redundant logic assists withtest course unknowns.

For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-115

N ASA-Funded Research ConvertsWaste Heat to Electricity

Thermoelectric material and processBrimrose Technology Corp.Sparks, MD410-472-2600www.brimrosetechnology.com

Scientists have long attempted to convert the enormousamounts of waste heat generated by power plants, data centers,and cars into electricity via thermoelectric power generators(TEPGs). Scientists know how to convert waste heat into elec-tricity. The problem is how to do so in an efficient mannerusing a material that justifies the cost of the conversionprocess.

NASA engineers were looking to save fuel for spacecraft mis-sions using a successful thermoelectric conversion process. Asa result, NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA,awarded a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer(STTR) contract to Brimrose Technology Corp. to furtherdevelop a promising thermoelectric material and process thecompany has embarked upon. Brimrose estimates that theprocess will increase thermoelectric efficiency to 15-20%, com-pared with the current 5-8% level.

Lead telluride (PbTe) was selected because the compoundis highly suitable for the temperature range of 400-1000K,where substantial amounts of waste heat are produced. Dopedsingle crystalline PbTe structures were grown, and homoge-neous crystals were achieved. The compound was developedinto nanometer-sized powders via ball milling. The powderswere sent to Penn State University’s Applied ResearchLaboratory, where they were consolidated using field assisted-spark plasma sintering technology (FAST). Using FAST, thepowder is simultaneously compacted and sintered in a

graphite die under concurrent load and temperature, as wellas high-density current.

The thermoelectric devices were created using the treatedcompound by developing p-type and n-type compounds joinedtogether by a copper strip on a ceramic plate — a processknown as thermocoupling. The assembly was based on a devicefabrication technology called flip-chip assembly. Electrical con-tact technology having low electrical resistance that could with-stand significantly elevated temperatures also was developed.

Researchers also engineered a novel heat sink design inwhich heat can be stored prior to its being turned into electric-ity, rather than being released into the atmosphere. The heatsink improved heat transport efficiency by up to 250-300%.The result was a TEPG component that researchers estimatedwas close to reaching theoretical limits of performance.

The second phase of the STTR will focus on designing amold to allow for the production of a predetermined size of n-type and p-type legs with electrical contacts. Researchers hopeto build a TEPG module to demonstrate the generation of1kW of power.


A p p l i c a t i o n B r i e f sA p p l i c a t i o n B r i e f s


Schematic of the high-efficiency thermoelectric module.

Ceramic Plate

Ceramic Plate

TEPG Modules

Novel HeatSink

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S oftware ToolAnalyzes C/C++ CodeSpecification Editing and Discovery Tool (SPEEDY)

GrammaTechIthaca, NY888-695-2668www.grammatech.com

GrammaTech, a software developer

specializing in software assurance toolsand cybersecurity technology, receivedan award from NASA to prototype aspecification editing and discovery tool(SPEEDY) for C/C++ code analysis.

Packaged as a plug-in to the Eclipseintegrated development environment(IDE), the tool will assist software devel-opers in modular formal verificationtasks. SPEEDY provides automated sug-gestions of specifications for given con-texts, with user interface features aidingdevelopers in generating, editing, andchecking specifications.

SPEEDY will support the needs ofNASA’s software-development teams andIndependent Verification and Validation(IV&V) groups. The tool will assistNASA personnel in evaluating the safetyand robustness properties of software inproduction, including embedded next-generation avionics and space software.The tool will also serve as a natural com-panion to the heuristic bug-finding andstyle-checking tools GrammaTech hascompleted for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory (JPL) in the past.

For Free Info Visit

http://info.hotims.com/45609-117

Sequester Woes? Budget Cuts?Leave it to DEWETRON to bring top-notch DATA ACQUISITION performance to every engineer regardless of their budget. Take a look at the all-new D310 series.

ANALOG - High and low voltage, strain, pressure, force, acceleration,...DIGITAL - I/O lines, TTL and higher, counters/tachs/encoders...BUS DATA - ARINC 429, 1553, CAN, OBD II, ASCII, ethernet...

Everything is recorded SYNCHRONOUSLY, and displayed like you’ve never seen before, including VIDEO and AUDIO data. Available with plug-in DAQ isolation modules, or economical MDAQ signal conditioners, for strain, pressure, vibration, force, voltage, current, and more. With sample rates up to 1 MS/s @ 16-bit, or 200 kS/s @ 24-bit.

Don’t let the budget impair your most important tests. Please call or email today and ask about the D310.

www.dewamerica.com/D310

Turn-key software is included, so fire it up and you’ll be recording data in minutes. Or you can program whatever you need in LabVIEW. We’ve got VI’s for our ORION cards and DAQ conditioners, like for strain gage, universal, high voltage, low voltage. and so much more.


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Software

Visiting Vehicle GroundTrajectory Tool

The International Space Station (ISS)Visiting Vehicle Group needed a target-ing tool for vehicles that rendezvouswith the ISS. The Visiting VehicleGround Trajectory targeting tool pro-vides the ability to perform both real-time and planning operations for theVisiting Vehicle Group. This tool pro-vides a highly reconfigurable base,which allows the Visiting Vehicle Groupto perform their work. The applicationis composed of a telemetry processingfunction, a relative motion function, atargeting function, a vector view, and2D/3D world map type graphics.

The software tool provides the abilityto plan a rendezvous trajectory for vehi-cles that visit the ISS. It models these rel-ative trajectories using planned and real-time data from the vehicle. The toolmonitors ongoing rendezvous trajectory

relative motion, and ensures visitingvehicles stay within agreed corridors.

The software provides the ability toupdate or re-plan a rendezvous to sup-port contingency operations. Adding newparameters and incorporating them intothe system was previously not availableon-the-fly. If an unanticipated capabilitywasn’t discovered until the vehicle was fly-ing, there was no way to update things.

This work was done by Dustin Hamm ofJohnson Space Center. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Software category. MSC-24763-1

Mobile Thread TaskManager

The Mobile Thread Task Manager(MTTM) is being applied to parallelizingexisting flight software to understand thebenefits and to develop new techniquesand architectural concepts for adapting

software to multicore architectures. It allo-cates and load-balances tasks for a groupof threads that migrate across processorsto improve cache performance.

In order to balance-load across threads,the MTTM augments a basic map-reducestrategy to draw jobs from a global queue.In a multicore processor, memory may be“homed” to the cache of a specific proces-sor and must be accessed from thatprocessor. The MTTB architecture wrapsaccess to data with thread management tomove threads to the home processor forthat data so that the computation followsthe data in an attempt to avoid L2 cachemisses. Cache homing is also handled by amemory manager that translates identi-fiers to processor IDs where the data willbe homed (according to rules defined bythe user). The user can also specify thenumber of threads and processors sepa-rately, which is important for tuning per-formance for different patterns of compu-tation and memory access.

MTTM efficiently processes tasks inparallel on a multiprocessor computer.It also provides an interface to make iteasier to adapt existing software to amultiprocessor environment.

This work was done by Bradley J. Clement,Tara A. Estlin, and Benjamin J. Bornstein ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theSoftware category.

This software is available for commerciallicensing. Please contact Dan Broderick [email protected]. Refer toNPO-48425.

Workflow-Based SoftwareDevelopment Environment

The Software Developer’s Assistant(SDA) helps software teams more effi-ciently and accurately conduct or exe-cute software processes associated withNASA mission-critical software. SDA is aprocess enactment platform that guidessoftware teams through project-specificstandards, processes, and procedures.Software projects are decomposed intoall of their required process steps ortasks, and each task is assigned to projectpersonnel. SDA orchestrates the per-formance of work required to complete

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all process tasks in the correct sequence.The software then notifies team mem-bers when they may begin work on theirassigned tasks and provides the tools,instructions, reference materials, andsupportive artifacts that allow users tocompliantly perform the work.

A combination of technology compo-nents captures and enacts any softwareprocess use to support the software lifecy-cle. It creates an adaptive workflow envi-ronment that can be modified as needed.SDA achieves software process automationthrough a Business Process Management(BPM) approach to managing the soft-ware lifecycle for mission-critical projects.It contains five main parts: TieFlow (work-flow engine), Business Rules (rules to alterprocess flow), Common Repository (stor-age for project artifacts, versions, history,schedules, etc.), SOA (interface to allowinternal, GFE, or COTS tools integration),and the Web Portal Interface (collabora-tive web environment).

The advantages of automating thesoftware process using SDA are:

Software systems are delivered faster,less expensively, with fewer defects,and requiring fewer highly skilled per-sonnel.Portal-based collaboration allows largegeographically dispersed teams towork in concert via a simple and con-sistent Web interface.

A portal allows individuals to cus-tomize their views of the software proj-ect/process based on their projectrole.

all team efficiency.Tedious and clerical work are automat-ed.Highly skilled personnel spend moretime on their areas of expertise insteadof in processing paperwork.Greater project management visibilitythrough real-time status, dashboardviews, alerts, and reports gives usersmore time to avert problems or reactto new events.Complete audit trail for all events in -volving the project, process, and associ-ated people.Process is treated as an IT asset, mak-ing it possible to modify and optimizethe process.Faster ROI than manual implementa-tion.This work was done by Michel E. Izygon of

Tietronix Software, Inc. for Johnson SpaceCenter. For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theSoftware category. MSC-24424-1

Software

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

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Technologies ofthe Month

Sponsored by

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For more information on these and other new, licensable inventions, visit www.techbriefs.com/techsearch

Natural Food Actives for Positive Mood Enhancement

The overall consumer experience of foods is impacted byvarious sensory factors including taste, texture, and smell,as well as by ingredients that occur naturally in variousfoods, which can directly impact one’s mood. Food addi-tives also affect various mood neuro-actives, such as sero-tonin, adenosine, endorphins, and oxytocin, eitherthrough increasing their biosynthesis or by modulatingtheir receptors. A company seeks cost-effective food activesthat enhance positive moods in consumers. The technolo-gy must be derived from natural sources and be safe forhuman consumption.

Respond to this TechNeed at:www.techbriefs.com/tn/201311c.html

Email: [email protected]: 781-972-0600

New Systemic Chemical Insecticides

A client seeks new synthetic (chemical-based) controlagents for insects such as aphids and spider mites. Thepiercing and sucking insects damage plants by insertingtheir mouthpart into plant tissues and feeding on thejuices. Heavily infested plants become yellow, wilted,deformed, or stunted, and may eventually die. There is aneed to pursue insect control agents with new modes ofaction in order to keep insecticide resistance at manage-able levels. The proposed insect control agents must be sys-temic, broad-spectrum insecticides that have low risk tohumans and the environment.

Respond to this TechNeed at:www.techbriefs.com/tn/201311d.html


TechNeeds — Requests for TechnologiesTechNeeds are anonymous requests for technologies that you and your organization may be able to fulfill. Responding

to a TechNeed is the first step to gaining an introduction with a prospective “buyer” for your technology solution.

Time-Based Tracker Boosts Solar Energy Production

Steinbeis Centre for Technology Transfer India

Solar panels are normal-ly positioned at a fixedposition. If a panel uses atracking system to followthe movement of the Sun,however, more solar energy

can be collected. Instead of having light sensors that are oftendisturbed in cloudy environments, a new time-signal-basedsystem uses a programmable logic controller (PLC) to give astart signal at the end of a fixed time.

The signal starts an induction motor, and a wheel having 96teeth senses the position. The motor will stop each time itsenses the next tooth. When the tracker reaches the sunsetposition, it will stop, reset, and come back to the sunrise posi-tion. All the activities are executed by the PLC.

Get the complete report on this technology at:www.techbriefs.com/tow/201311a.html


Low-Cost Technology Detects Bad Breath

Kimberly-Clark

Most individuals experience badbreath (malodor or halitosis) occa-sionally, but few people can self-diagnose when it occurs. Proto -types and initial human trial clini-cal tests have been completed on a

low-cost bad-breath detection device. The detector changescolor when the user blows through a tube.

The Kimberly-Clark detection technology uses a well-understood chemical reaction that is sensitive to low concen-trations of amines and thiols — indicators of halitosis.Individual detectors can be manufactured for very low cost, inthe range of a few US cents. The devices have been efficacytested in human trials, and initial packaging studies havebeen carried out.

Get the complete report on this technology at:www.techbriefs.com/tow/201311b.html



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Technology Focus: Data Acquisition

As remote sensing for scientific pur-poses has transitioned from an experi-mental technology to an operationalone, the selection of instruments hasbecome more coordinated, so that the

scientific community can exploit com-plementary measurements. However,technological and scientific heterogene-ity across devices means that the statisti-cal characteristics of the data they col-

lect are different. The challengeaddressed here is how to combine het-erogeneous remote sensing data sets in away that yields optimal statistical esti-mates of the underlying geophysical

Spatial Statistical Data Fusion (SSDF)The approach models the spatial covariance function of the underlying geophysical field usinglinear combinations of multi-resolution spatial basis functions of low dimensionality.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Global Positioning System (GPS) mete-orology provides enhanced density, low-latency (30-min resolution), integratedprecipitable water (IPW) estimates toNOAA NWS (National Oceanic andAtmospheric Adminis tration Nat ionalWeather Service) Weather ForecastOffices (WFOs) to provide improvedmodel and satellite data verification capa-bility and more accurate forecasts ofextreme weather such as flooding. Anearly activity of this project was toincrease the number of stations con-tributing to the NOAA Earth SystemResearch Laboratory (ESRL) GPS mete-orology observing network in SouthernCalifornia by about 27 stations. Followingthis, the Los Angeles/Oxnard and SanDiego WFOs began using the enhancedGPS-based IPW measurements providedby ESRL in the 2012 and 2013 monsoonseasons. Forecasters found GPS IPW to bean effective tool in evaluating model per-formance, and in monitoring monsoondevelopment between weather modelruns for improved flood forecasting.

GPS stations are multi-purpose, androutine processing for position solutionsalso yields estimates of troposphericzenith delays, which can be convertedinto mm-accuracy PWV (precipitablewater vapor) using in situ pressure andtemperature measurements, the basis forGPS meteorology. NOAA ESRL has

implemented this concept with a nation-wide distribution of more than 300 “GPS-Met” stations providing IPW estimates atsub-hourly resolution currently used inoperational weather models in the U.S.

This work was done by Angelyn W. Mooreof Caltech; Seth I. Gutman and Kirk Holub ofNOAA Earth System Research Laboratory;

Yehuda Bock of UC San Diego’s ScrippsInstitution of Oceanography; and DavidDanielson, Jayme Laber, and Ivory Small ofNOAA National Weather Service. For moreinformation, download the TechnicalSupport Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the PhysicalSciences category. NPO-48881

GPS Estimates of Integrated Precipitable Water Aid Weather ForecastersThis technique improves weather-forecasting operations.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70

Updated: Friday, July 19, 2013 12:24:46 PM

IPW Legendless than (mm)

Durmid Hills, CA

Durmid Hills, CA

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Integrated precipitable Water

A screenshot from http://gpsmet.noaa.gov of ground GPS-based Integrated Water Vapor Informationutilized by NOAA NWS San Diego Weather Forecasting Office during the 2013 monsoon season. Theupward IWV trend supported satellite data and contributed to the issuance of a flood watch.

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There is a need to acquire auto n -omously cryogenic hydrocarbon liquidsample from remote planetary locationssuch as the lakes of Titan for instru-ments such as mass spectrometers.There are several problems that had tobe solved relative to collecting the rightamount of cryogenic liquid sample intoa warmer spacecraft, such as not allow-ing the sample to boil off or fractionatetoo early; controlling the intermediateand final pressures within carefullydesigned volumes; designing for variousparticulates and viscosities; designing tothermal, mass, and power-limited space-craft interfaces; and reducing risk. Priorart inlets for similar instruments inspaceflight were designed primarily for

atmospheric gas sampling and are notuseful for this front-end application.

These cryogenic liquid sample acquisi-tion system designs for remote space appli-cations allow for remote, autonomous,controlled sample collections of a range ofchallenging cryogenic sample types. Thedesign can control the size of the sample,prevent fractionation, control pressures atvarious stages, and allow for various liquidsample levels. It is capable of collectingrepeated samples autonomously in diffi-cult low-temperature conditions oftenfound in planetary missions. It is capableof collecting samples for use by instru-ments from difficult sample types such ascryogenic hydrocarbon (methane, ethane,and propane) mixtures with solid particu-

lates such as found on Titan. The designwith a warm actuated valve is compatiblewith various spacecraft thermal and struc-tural interfaces.

The design uses controlled volumes,heaters, inlet and vent tubes, a cryogenicvalve seat, inlet screens, temperatureand cryogenic liquid sensors, seals, andvents to accomplish its task.

This work was done by Paul Mahaffy,Melissa Trainer, Don Wegel, Douglas Hawk,Tony Melek, Christopher Johnson, MichaelAmato, and John Galloway of Goddard SpaceFlight Center. For more information, down-load the Technical Support Package (freewhite paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Physical Sciences category. GSC-16510-1

Cryogenic Liquid Sample Acquisition System for Remote SpaceApplications Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

field, and provides rigorous uncertaintymeasures for those estimates. Differentremote sensing data sets may have differ-ent spatial resolutions, different meas-urement error biases and variances, andother disparate characteristics.

A state-of-the-art spatial statisticalmodel was used to relate the true, butnot directly observed, geophysical fieldto noisy, spatial aggregates observed byremote sensing instruments. The spa-tial covariances of the true field and thecovariances of the true field with theobservations were modeled. The obser-vations are spatial averages of the truefield values, over pixels, with differentmeasurement noise superimposed. Akriging framework is used to infer opti-mal (minimum mean squared error

and unbiased) estimates of the truefield at point locations from pixel-level,noisy observations.

A key feature of the spatial statisticalmodel is the spatial mixed effects modelthat underlies it. The approach modelsthe spatial covariance function of theunderlying field using linear combina-tions of basis functions of fixed size.Approaches based on kriging requirethe inversion of very large spatial covari-ance matrices, and this is usually doneby making simplifying assumptionsabout spatial covariance structure thatsimply do not hold for geophysical vari-ables. In contrast, this method does notrequire these assumptions, and is alsocomputationally much faster. Thismethod is fundamentally different than

other approaches to data fusion forremote sensing data because it is infer-ential rather than merely descriptive. Allapproaches combine data in a way thatminimizes some specified loss function.Most of these are more or less ad hoc cri-teria based on what looks good to theeye, or some criteria that relate only tothe data at hand.

This work was done by Amy J. Bravermanand Hai M. Nguyen of Caltech, and NoelCressie of the Ohio State University forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].


The conventional method for inte-grating a radiometer into radar hard-ware is to share the RF front endbetween the instruments, and to haveseparate IF receivers that take data atseparate times. Alternatively, the radarand radiometer could share the antenna

through the use of a diplexer, but havecompletely independent receivers. Thisnovel method shares the radar’s RF elec-tronics and digital receiver with theradiometer, while allowing for simulta-neous operation of the radar andradiometer.

Radars and radiometers, while oftenhaving near-identical RF receivers, gener-ally have substantially different IF andbaseband receivers. Operation of the twoinstruments simultaneously is difficult,since airborne radars will pulse at a rate ofhundreds of microseconds. Radiometer

Integrating a Microwave Radiometer into Radar Hardware forSimultaneous Data Collection Between the InstrumentsElectronics are shared between the instruments.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Data Acquisition

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integration time is typically 10s or 100s ofmilliseconds. The bandwidth of radar maybe 1 to 25 MHz, while a radiometer willhave an RF bandwidth of up to a GHz. Assuch, the conventional method of inte-grating radar and radiometer hardware isto share the high-frequency RF receiver,but to have separate IF subsystems anddigitizers. To avoid corruption of theradiometer data, the radar is turned offduring the radiometer dwell time.

This method utilizes a modern radardigital receiver to allow simultaneousoperation of a radiometer and radar

with a shared RF front end and digitalreceiver. The radiometer signal is cou-pled out after the first down-conversionstage. From there, the radar transmit fre-quencies are heavily filtered, and thebands outside the transmit filter areamplified and passed to a detectordiode. This diode produces a DC outputproportional to the input power. For aconventional radiometer, this levelwould be digitized. By taking this DCoutput and mixing it with a system oscil-lator at 10 MHz, the signal can insteadbe digitized by a second channel on the

radar digital receiver (which typically donot accept DC inputs), and can be down-converted to a DC level again digitally.This unintuitive step allows the digitalreceiver to sample both the radiometerand radar data at a rapid, synchronizeddata rate (greater than 1 MHz band-width).

Once both signals are sampled by thesame digital receiver, high-speed qualitycontrol can be performed on theradiometer data to allow it to take datasimultaneously with the radar. Theradiometer data can be blanked duringradar transmit, or when the radar returnis of a power level high enough to cor-rupt the radiometer data. Additionally,the receiver protection switches in theRF front end can double as radiometercalibration sources, the short (four-microsecond level) switching periodsintegrated over many seconds to esti-mate the radiometer offset.

The major benefit of this innovation isthat there is minimal impact on theradar performance due to the integra-tion of the radiometer, and the radiome-ter performance is similarly minimallyaffected by the radar. As the radar andradiometer are able to operate simulta-neously, there is no extended period ofintegration time loss for the radiometer(maximizing sensitivity), and the radar isable to maintain its full number of puls-es (increasing sensitivity and decreasingmeasurement uncertainty).

This work was done by Matthew McLindenand Jeffrey Piepmeier of Goddard Space FlightCenter. For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under thePhysical Sciences category.GSC-16490-1


Rapid Detection ofHerpes Viruses forClinicalApplicationsLyndon B. Johnson Space Center,Houston, Texas

There are eight herpes viruses thatinfect humans, causing a wide range ofdiseases resulting in considerable mor-bidity and associated costs. Varicellazoster virus (VZV) is a human herpesvirus that causes chickenpox in childrenand shingles in adults. Approximately1,000,000 new cases of shingles occur

Data Acquisition

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each year; post-herpetic neuralgia(PHN) follows shingles in 100,000 to200,000 people annually. PHN is charac-terized by debilitating, nearly unbearablepain for weeks, months, and even years.The onset of shingles is characterized bypain, followed by the zoster rash, leadingto blisters and severe pain. The problemis that in the early stages, shingles can bedifficult to diagnose; chickenpox inadults can be equally difficult to diag-nose. As a result, both diseases can bemisdiagnosed (false positive/negative).

A molecular assay has been adaptedfor use in diagnosing VZV diseases. Thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR) assayis a non-invasive, rapid, sensitive, andhighly specific method for VZV DNAdetection. It provides unequivocalresults and can effectively end misdiag-noses. This is an approximately two-hourassay that allows unequivocal diagnosisand rapid antiviral drug intervention. Ithas been demonstrated that rapid inter-vention can prevent full development ofthe disease, resulting in reduced likeli-

hood of PHN. The technology wasextended to shingles patients anddemonstrated that VZV is shed in salivaand blood of all shingles patients. Theamount of VZV in saliva parallels themedical outcome.

This work was done by Duane Pierson ofJohnson Space Center, and Satish Mehta ofEnterprise Advisory Services, Inc. For furtherinformation, contact the JSC InnovationPartnerships Office at (281) 483-3809.MSC-25009-1

High-Speed Data Recorder for Space, Geodesy, and OtherHigh-Speed Recording ApplicationsGoddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

A high-speed data recorder and replayequipment has been developed for reli-able high-data-rate recording to diskmedia. It solves problems with slow orfaulty disks, multiple disk insertions,high-altitude operation, reliable per-formance using COTS hardware, andlong-term maintenance and upgradepath challenges.

The current generation data recor -ders used within the VLBI communityare aging, special-purpose machines thatare both slow (do not meet today’srequirements) and are very expensive tomaintain and operate. Furthermore,

they are not easily upgraded to takeadvantage of commercial technologydevelopment, and are not scalable tomultiple 10s of Gbit/s data ratesrequired by new applications.

The innovation provides a software-defined, high-speed data recorder that isscalable with technology advances in thecommercial space. It maximally utilizescurrent technologies without beinglocked to a particular hardware plat-form. The innovation also provides acost-effective way of streaming largeamounts of data from sensors to disk,enabling many applications to store raw

sensor data and perform post and signalprocessing offline.

This recording system will be applica-ble to many applications needing real-world, high-speed data collection,including electronic warfare, software-defined radar, signal history storage ofmultispectral sensors, development ofautonomous vehicles, and more.

This work was done by Mikael Taveniku ofXCube 7 for Goddard Space Flight Center. Forfurther information, contact the GoddardInnovative Partnerships Office at (301) 286-5810. GSC-16481-1

Data Acquisition

Datacasting V3.0 provides an RSS-basedfeed mechanism for publishing the avail-ability of Earth science data records in realtime. It also provides a utility for subscrib-ing to these feeds and sifting through allthe items in an automatic manner to iden-tify and download the data records thatare required for a specific application.

Datacasting is a method by which multi-ple data providers can publish the avail-ability of new Earth science data and usersdownload those files that meet a prede-fined need; for example, to only downloaddata files related to a specific earthquakeor region on the globe.

Datacasting is a server-client architec-ture. The server-side software is used bydata providers to create and publish themetadata about recently available dataaccording to the Datacasting RSS (Really

Simple Syndication) specification. Theclient software subscribes to theDatacasting RSS and other RSS-basedfeeds. By configuring filters associatedwith feeds, data consumers can use theclient to identify and automatically down-load files that meet a specific need.

On the client side, a Datacasting feedreader monitors the server for new feeds.The feed reader will be tuned by the user,via a graphical user interface (GUI), toexamine the content of the feeds and ini-tiate a data pull after some criteria are sat-isfied. The criteria might be, for example,to download sea surface temperature datafor a particular region that has cloud coverless than 50% and during daylight hours.After the granule is downloaded to theclient, the user will have the ability to visu-alize the data in the GUI.

Based on the popular concept of pod-casting, which gives listeners the capa-bility to download only those MP3 filesthat match their preference, Earth sci-ence Datacasting will give users amethod to download only the Earth sci-ence data files that are required for aparticular application.

This work was done by Andrew W.Bingham, Sean W. McCleese, Robert G. Deen,Nga T. Chung, and Timothy M. Stough ofCaltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theSoftware category.


Datacasting V3.0 NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

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NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013 www.techbriefs.com

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In a high-speed signal transmissionsystem that uses transformer coupling,there is a need to provide increasedtransmitted signal strength withoutadding active components. This inven-tion uses additional transformers toachieve the needed gain. The prior artuses stronger drivers (which require anIC redesign and a higher power supplyvoltage), or the addition of anotheractive component (which can decreasereliability, increase power consump-tion, reduce the beneficial effect ofserializer/deserializer preemphasis ordeemphasis, and/or interfere with faultcontainment mechanisms), or uses adifferent transformer winding ratio(which requires redesign of the trans-former and may not be feasible withhigh-speed signals that require a 1:1winding ratio).

This invention achieves the requiredgain by connecting the secondaries ofmultiple transformers in series. The pri-maries of these transformers are cur-rently either connected in parallel orare connected to multiple drivers.There is also a need to split a receivesignal to multiple destinations withminimal signal loss. Additional trans-formers can achieve the split. The priorart uses impedance-matching seriesresistors that cause a loss of signal.

Instead of causing a loss, most instanti-ations of this invention would actuallyprovide gain. Multiple transformers areused instead of multiple windings on asingle transformer because multiplewindings on the same transformerwould require a redesign of the trans-former, and may not be feasible withhigh-speed transformers that usuallyrequire a bifilar winding with a 1:1ratio. This invention creates the split byconnecting the primaries of multipletransformers in series. The secondaryof each transformer is connected toone of the intended destinations with-out the use of impedance-matchingseries resistors.

This work was done by Kevin R. Driscoll ofHoneywell for Johnson Space Center. For fur-ther information, contact the JSC InnovationPartnerships Office at (281) 483-3809.

Title to this invention has been waivedunder the provisions of the NationalAeronautics and Space Act {42 U.S.C.2457(f)}, to Honeywell. Inquiries concerninglicenses for its commercial development shouldbe addressed to:

HoneywellP.O. Box 52199Phoenix, AZ 85072-2199Refer to MSC-24854-1/6-1, volume and

number of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, andthe page number.

Stacked Transformer for Driver Gain andReceive Signal SplittingLyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas

An All-Solid-State, Room-Temperature,Heterodyne Receiver for AtmosphericSpectroscopy at 1.2 THzThis receiver enables terahertz heterodyne spectroscopy ofouter planet atmospheres without cryogenic cooling.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Heterodyne receivers at submillimeterwavelengths have played a major role inastrophysics as well as Earth and plane-tary remote sensing. All-solid-state het-erodyne receivers using both MMIC

(monolithic microwave integrated cir-cuit) Schottky-diode-based LO (localoscillator) sources and mixers areuniquely suited for long-term planetarymissions or Earth climate monitoring

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missions as they can operate for decadeswithout the need for any active cryo-genic cooling. However, the main con-cern in using Schottky-diode-based mix-ers at frequencies beyond 1 THz hasbeen the lack of enough LO power todrive the devices because 1 to 3 mW arerequired to properly pump Schottkydiode mixers. Recent progress in HEMT-(high-electron-mobility-transistor)based power amplifier technology, withoutput power levels in excess of 1 Wrecently demonstrated at W-band, aswell as advances in MMIC Schottkydiode circuit technology, have led tomeasured output powers up to 1.4 mWat 0.9 THz.

Here the first room-temperature tun-able, all-planar, Schottky-diode-basedreceiver is reported that is operating at1.2 THz over a wide (≈20%) bandwidth.The receiver front-end (see figure) con-sists of a Schottky-diode-based 540 to640 GHz multiplied LO chain (featur-ing a cascade of W-band power ampli-fiers providing around 120 to 180 mWat W-band), a 200-GHz MMIC frequen-cy doubler, and a 600-GHz MMIC fre-quency tripler, plus a biasable 1.2-THzMMIC sub-harmonic Schottky-diodemixer. The LO chain has beendesigned, fabricated, and tested at JPLand provides around 1 to 1.5 mW at 540to 640 GHz. The sub-harmonic mixer

Photo and Performance of the Schottky-diode based 1.2-THz heterodyne receiver.

RF Frequency (GHz)

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consists of two Schottky diodes on athin GaAs membrane in an anti-parallelconfiguration. An integrated metalinsulator metal (MIM) capacitor hasbeen included on-chip to allow dc biasfor the Schottky diodes. A bias voltageof around 0.5 V/diode is necessary toreduce the LO power required down tothe 1 to 1.5 mW available from the LOchain. The epilayer thickness and dop-ing profiles have been specifically opti-mized to maximize the mixer perform-ance beyond 1 THz.

The measured DSB noise tempera-tures and conversion losses of the receiv-er are 2,000 to 3,500 K and 12 to 14 dB,respectively, at 120 K, and 4,000 to 6,000K and 13 to 15 dB, respectively, at 300 K.These results establish the state-of-the-artfor all-solid-state, all-planar heterodynereceivers at 1.2 THz operating at eitherroom temperature or using passive cool-ing only. Since no cryogenic cooling isneeded, the receiver is eminently suitedto atmospheric heterodyne spectroscopyof the outer planets and their moons.

This work was done by Jose V. Siles, ImranMehdi, Erich T. Schlecht, Samuel Gulkis,Goutam Chattopadhyay, Robert H. Lin,Choonsup Lee, and John J. Gill of Caltech;Bertrand Thomas of Radiometer Physic; andAlain E. Maestrini of Observatoire de Parisfor NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formore information, download the TechnicalSupport Package (free white paper) atwww.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Elec -tronics/Computers category. NPO-48896

Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum Sensor System This system is applicable to facility monitoring applications, as well as cryogenic fluidmanufacture and transport.Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

NASA Stennis Space Center’s (SSC’s)large rocket engine test facility requiresthe use of liquid propellants, includingthe use of cryogenic fluids like liquidhydrogen as fuel, and liquid oxygen asan oxidizer (gases which have been liq-uefied at very low temperatures). These

fluids require special handling, storage,and transfer technology. The biggestproblem associated with transferringcryogenic liquids is product loss due toheat transfer. Vacuum jacketed piping isspecifically designed to maintain highthermal efficiency so that cryogenic liq-

uids can be transferred with minimalheat transfer.

A vacuum jacketed pipe is essentiallytwo pipes in one. There is an inner car-rier pipe, in which the cryogenic liquidis actually transferred, and an outer jack-et pipe that supports and seals the vacu-

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AIntro





um insulation, forming the “vacuumjacket.” The integrity of the vacuumjacketed transmission lines that transferthe cryogenic fluid from delivery bargesto the test stand must be maintainedprior to and during engine testing. Tomonitor the vacuum in these vacuumjacketed transmission lines, vacuumgauge readings are used. At SSC, vacu-um gauge measurements are done on amanual rotation basis with two techni-cians, each using a handheld instru-ment. Manual collection of vacuum datais labor intensive and uses valuable per-sonnel time. Additionally, there aretimes when personnel cannot collect thedata in a timely fashion (i.e., when a leakis detected, measurements must betaken more often). Additionally, distri-bution of this data to all interested par-ties can be cumbersome.

To simplify the vacuum-gauge datacollection process, automate the datacollection, and decrease the labor costsassociated with acquiring these measure-ments, an automated system that moni-tors the existing gauges was developedby Invocon, Inc. For this project,Invocon developed a WirelessIntegrated Microelectronic Vacuum

Sensor System (WIMVSS) that providesthe ability to gather vacuum-gauge meas-urements automatically and wirelessly, innear-real time — using a low-mainte-nance, low-power sensor mesh network.The WIMVSS operates by using a self-configuring mesh network of wirelesssensor units. Mesh networking is a typeof networking where each sensor ornode can capture and disseminate itsown data, but also serve as a relay toreceive and transmit data from othersensors. Each sensor node can synchro-nize with adjacent sensors, and propa-gate data from one sensor to the next,until the destination is reached. In thiscase, the destination is a NetworkInterface Unit (NIU). The WIMVSS sen-sors are mounted on the existing vacu-um gauges. Information gathered by thesensors is sent to the NIU. Because ofthe mesh networking, if a sensor cannotdirectly send the data to the NIU, it canbe propagated through the network ofsensors. The NIU requires antennaaccess to the sensor units, AC power, andan Ethernet connection. The NIUbridges the sensor network to a WIMVSSserver via an Ethernet connection. Theserver is configured with a database, a

Web server, and proprietary interfacesoftware that makes it possible for thevacuum measurements from vacuumjacketed fluid lines to be saved,retrieved, and then displayed from anyWeb-enabled PC that has access to theInternet. Authorized users can then sim-ply access the data from any PC withInternet connection. Commands canalso be sent directly from the Web inter-face for control and maintenance of thesensor network.

The technology enabled by theWIMVSS decreases labor required forgathering vacuum measurements,increases access to vacuum data by mak-ing it available on any computer withaccess to the Internet, increases the fre-quency with which data points can beacquired for evaluating the system, anddecreases the recurring cost of the sen-sors by using off-the-shelf componentsand integrating these with heritage vacu-um gauges.

This work was done by Eric Krug, BrianPhilpot, Aaron Trott, and Shaun Lawrence ofInvocon, Inc., for Stennis Space Center. Formore information, please contact Invocon,Inc. at (281) 292-9903. Refer to SSC-00342.

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50 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, November 201350 www.techbriefs.com NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fabrication Method for LOBSTER-Eye Optics in <110> SiliconThe major advantages are the potential for higher x-ray throughout and lower cost over theslumped micropore glass plates.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

Soft x-ray optics can use narrow slotsto direct x-rays into a desirable patternon a focal plane. While square-pack,square-pore, slumped optics exist forthis purpose, they are costly. Silicon (Si)is being examined as a possible low-costreplacement. A fabrication method wasdeveloped for narrow slots in <110> Sidemonstrating the feasibility of stackedslot optics to replace micropores.

Current micropore optics exist thathave 20-micron-square pores on 26-micron pitch in glass with a depth of 1mm and an extent of several square cen-timeters. Among several proposals toemulate the square pore optics arestacked slot chips with etched verticalslots. When the slots in the stack arepositioned orthogonally to each other,the component will approach the soft x-ray focusing observed in the microporeoptics. A specific improvement Si pro-vides is that it can have narrower side-walls between slots to permit greaterthroughput of x-rays through the optics.In general, Si can have more variation in

slot geometry (width, length). Further,the sidewalls can be coated with high-Zmaterials to enhance reflection andpotentially reduce the surface rough-ness of the reflecting surface.

Narrow, close-packed deep slots in<110> Si have been produced usingpotassium hydroxide (KOH) etchingand a patterned silicon nitride (SiN)mask. The achieved slot geometries havesufficient wall smoothness, as observedthrough scanning electron microscope(SEM) imaging, to enable evaluation ofthese slot plates as an optical elementfor soft x-rays. Etches of different anglesto the crystal plane of Si were evaluatedto identify a specific range of etch anglesthat will enable low undercut slots in theSi <110> material. These slots with thenarrow sidewalls are demonstrated toseveral hundred microns in depth, and atechnical path to 500-micron deep slotsin a precision geometry of narrow, close-packed slots is feasible. Although intrin-sic stress in ultrathin wall Si is observed,slots with walls approaching 1.5 microns

can be achieved (a significant improve-ment over the 6-micron walls in micro -pore optics).

The major advantages of this tech-nique are the potential for higher x-raythroughout (due to narrow slot walls)and lower cost over the existing slumpedmicropore glass plates. KOH etching ofsmooth sidewalls has been demonstrat-ed for many applications, suggesting itsfeasibility for implementation in x-rayoptics. Si cannot be slumped like themicropore optics, so the focusing will beachieved with millimeter-scale slot platesthat populate a spherical dome. Thepossibility for large-scale productionexists for Si parts that is more difficult toachieve in micropore parts.

This work was done by James Chervenakand Michael Collier of Goddard Space FlightCenter, and Jennette Mateo of SBMicrosystems. For more information, down-load the Technical Support Package (freewhite paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Manufacturing & Prototyping cat-egory. GSC-16717-1

Compact Focal Plane Assembly for Planetary ScienceNew fabrication methods were incorporated to produce an ultra-lightweight and compactradiometer.Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

A compact radiometric focal planeassembly (FPA) has been designed inwhich the filters are individually co-regis-tered over compact thermopile pixels.This allows for construction of an ultra-lightweight and compact radiometricinstrument. The FPA also incorporatesmicromachined baffles in order to miti-gate crosstalk and low-pass filter windowsin order to eliminate high-frequency radi-ation.

Compact metal mesh bandpass filterswere fabricated for the far infrared (FIR)spectral range (17 to 100 microns), a

game-changing technology for futureplanetary FIR instruments. This fabrica-tion approach allows the dimensions ofindividual metal mesh filters to be tai-lored with better than 10-micron preci-sion. In contrast, conventional compactfilters employed in recent missions and innear-term instruments consist of large fil-ter sheets manually cut into much small-er pieces, which is a much less preciseand much more labor-intensive, expen-sive, and difficult process.

Filter performance was validated byintegrating them with thermopile arrays.

Demonstration of the FPA will requirethe integration of two technologies. Thefirst technology is compact, lightweight,robust against cryogenic thermalcycling, and radiation-hard microma-chined bandpass filters. They consist of acopper mesh supported on a deep reac-tive ion-etched silicon frame. Thisdesign architecture is advantageouswhen constructing a lightweight andcompact instrument because (1) theframe acts like a jig and facilitates filterintegration with the FPA, (2) the framecan be designed so as to maximize the

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fabrication Methods forAdaptive Deformable MirrorsTwo methods are presented.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Previously, it was difficult to fabricate deformable mirrorsmade by piezoelectric actuators. This is because numerousactuators need to be precisely assembled to control the surfaceshape of the mirror. Two approaches have been developed.Both approaches begin by depositing a stack of piezoelectricfilms and electrodes over a silicon wafer substrate. In the firstapproach, the silicon wafer is removed initially by plasma-basedreactive ion etching (RIE), and non-plasma dry etching withxenon difluoride (XeF2). In the second approach, the actuatorfilm stack is immersed in a liquid such as deionized water. Theadhesion between the actuator film stack and the substrate isrelatively weak. Simply by seeping liquid between the film andthe substrate, the actuator film stack is gently released from thesubstrate.

The deformable mirror contains multiple piezoelectricmembrane layers as well as multiple electrode layers (some arepatterned and some are unpatterned). At the piezolectriclayer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), or its co-polymer,poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE) isused. The surface of the mirror is coated with a reflective coat-ing. The actuator film stack is fabricated on silicon, or siliconon insulator (SOI) substrate, by repeatedly spin-coating thePVDF or P(VDF-TrFE) solution and patterned metal (elec-trode) deposition.

In the first approach, the actuator film stack is prepared onSOI substrate. Then, the thick silicon (typically 500-micronthick and called handle silicon) of the SOI wafer is etched by adeep reactive ion etching process tool (SF6-based plasma etch-ing). This deep RIE stops at the middle SiO2 layer. The middleSiO2 layer is etched by either HF-based wet etching or dry plas-ma etch. The thin silicon layer (generally called a device layer)of SOI is removed by XeF2 dry etch. This XeF2 etch is very gen-tle and extremely selective, so the released mirror membrane

FPA field of view, (3) the frame can be simultaneously used asa baffle for mitigating crosstalk, and (4) micron-scale align-ment features can be patterned so as to permit high-precisionfilter stacking and, consequently, increase the filter bandwidthand sharpen the out-of-band rolloff.

The second technology consists of leveraging, from anotherproject, compact and lightweight Bi0.87Sb0.13/Sb arrayed ther-mopiles. These detectors consist of 30-layer thermopiles deposit-ed in series upon a silicon nitride membrane. At 300 K, the ther-mopile arrays are highly linear over many orders of magnitude ofincident IR power, and have a reported specific detectivity thatexceeds the requirements imposed on future mission concepts.

The bandpass filter array board is integrated with a ther-mopile array board by mounting both boards on a machinedaluminum jig.

This work was done by Ari Brown, Shahid Aslam, Wei-ChungHuang, and Rosalind Steptoe-Jackson of Goddard Space Flight Center.For more information, download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theManufacturing & Prototyping category. GSC-16704-1

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NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013 53

www.omicron-lab.com/ticro

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TICRO 100IEEE 1588/PTP Time Converter


is not damaged. It is possible to replaceSOI with silicon substrate, but this willrequire tighter DRIE process control aswell as generally longer and less efficientXeF2 etch.

In the second approach, the actuatorfilm stack is first constructed on a siliconwafer. It helps to use a polyimide inter-mediate layer such as Kapton becausethe adhesion between the polyimide andsilicon is generally weak. A mirror mount

ring is attached by using adhesive. Then,the assembly is partially submerged inliquid water. The water tends to seepbetween the actuator film stack and sili-con substrate. As a result, the actuatormembrane can be gently released fromthe silicon substrate. The actuator mem-brane is very flat because it is fixed to themirror mount prior to the release.

Deformable mirrors require extremelygood surface optical quality. In the tech-

nology described here, the deformablemirror is fabricated on pristine substratessuch as prime-grade silicon wafers. Thedeformable mirror is released by selec-tively removing the substrate. Therefore,the released deformable mirror surfacereplicates the optical quality of theunderlying pristine substrate.

This work was done by Risaku Toda, VictorE. White, Harish Manohara, Keith D.Patterson, Namiko Yamamoto, EleftheriosGdoutos, John B. Steeves, Chiara Daraio, andSergio Pellegrino of Caltech for NASA’s JetPropulsion Laboratory. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Manufacturing & Prototypingcategory.

In accordance with Public Law 96-517,the contractor has elected to retain title to thisinvention. Inquiries concerning rights for itscommercial use should be addressed to:

Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 321-1234800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-48665, volume and number

of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and thepage number.

The Deformable Mirror concept includes electrodes, a reflective coating, stiffener rim, and piezoelec-tric membrane layers.

PiezoelectricMembrane Layers

Electrodes

Reflective Coating

Stiffener Rim

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Mechanics/Machinery

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)robotic arm is ten times more massivethan any Mars robotic arm before it, yetwith similar accuracy and repeatabilitypositioning requirements. In order toassess and validate these requirements, ahigher-fidelity model and calibrationprocesses were needed.

Kinematic calibration of robotic armsis a common and necessary process toensure good positioning performance.Most methodologies assume a rigid arm,high-accuracy data collection, and somekind of optimization of kinematicparameters. A new detailed kinematicand deflection model of the MSL robot-ic arm was formulated in the designphase and used to update the initial

positioning and orientation accuracyand repeatability requirements. Thismodel included a higher-fidelity linkstiffness matrix representation, as well asa link level thermal expansion model. Inaddition, it included an actuator back-lash model.

Analytical results highlighted the sensi-tivity of the arm accuracy to its joint initial-ization methodology. Because of this, anew technique for initializing the armjoint encoders through hardstop calibra-tion was developed. This involved select-ing arm configurations to use in Earth-based hardstop calibration that had corre-sponding configurations on Mars with thesame joint torque to ensure repeatabilityin the different gravity environment.

The process used to collect calibrationdata for the arm included the use ofmultiple weight stand-in turrets withenough metrology targets to reconstructthe full six-degree-of-freedom locationof the rover and tool frames. The follow-on data processing of the metrology datautilized a standard differential formula-tion and linear parameter optimizationtechnique.

This work was done by Curtis L. Collinsand Matthew L. Robinson of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected]

A Kinematic Calibration Process for Flight Robotic Arms NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

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AIntro


This innovation replaces the linearalternator presently used in Stirlingengines with a continuous-gradient,impedance-matched, oscillating mag-netostrictive transducer that elimi-nates all moving parts via compression,maintains high efficiency, costs less tomanufacture, reduces mass, and elimi-nates the need for a bearing system.

The key components of this newtechnology are the use of stacked mag-netostrictive materials, such asTerfenol-D, under a biased magneticand stress-induced compression, con-tinuous-gradient impedance-matchingmaterial, coils, force-focusing metallicstructure, and supports. The acousticenergy from the engine travels throughan impedance-matching layer that isphysically connected to the magne-tostrictive mass. Compression boltskeep the structure under compressivestrain, allowing for the micron-scalecompression of the magnetostrictivematerial and eliminating the need forbearings.

The relatively large millimeter dis-placement of the pressure side of theimpedance-matching material isreduced to micron motion, and under-goes stress amplification at the magne-tostrictive interface. The alternatingcompression and expansion of the mag-netostrictive material creates an alter-nating magnetic field that then inducesan electric current in a coil that iswound around the stack. This produceselectrical power from the acoustic pres-sure wave and, if the resonant frequen-cy is tuned to match the engine, can

replace the linear alternator that is com-monly used.

This work was done by Rodger Dyson andGeoffrey Bruder of Glenn Research Center.For more information, download theTechnical Support Package (free whitepaper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under theMechanics/Machinery category.

Inquiries concerning rights for the commer-cial use of this invention should be addressedto NASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, MailStop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road,Cleveland, Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-18939-1.


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Magnetostrictive Alternator John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Check Out These RelatedTech Briefs

Distributed Control of Long Slender RoboticManipulators www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/9190

Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise LinearActuator www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/14923

Robotic Arm Comprising Two BendingSegments www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/7834

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High-precision encoders are used byearth observation instruments and inmechanisms for laser communicationterminals (LCTs). A micro-radian reso-lution encoder for the LCT wasdesigned for precision pointing applica-tions, especially in geosynchronousEarth orbit (GEO) environments with a

15-year lifetime, and in high-duty-cycleapplications.

The encoder is an optical angularencoder. The encoder is relative, butembedded reference marks guaranteethat the absolute position is initialized tothe full accuracy and repeatability of therelative count over the entire lifetime. As

multiple and distinguishable referencemarks are embedded in the scale, a fewdegrees of movement are sufficient forinitialization independently from thestarting position.

Electronic parts, mechanical design,and processes are chosen to be inherentlysuitable for GEO space application, whilethe basic principles are entirely taken overfrom commercial optical encoders devel-oped and manufactured by Renishaw.

The objective of the development wasto reproduce the performance of thecommercial encoder, while full compati-bility to specific space demands like theradiation impact of a GEO orbit andharsh thermal and vibration loads wasaimed for. Both performance and space-specific requirements were achieved tothe full extent.

A collimated beam illuminates thescale. The light is emitted by an infraredLED at the wavelength of 850 nm. Onthe scale, marks and spaces with a periodof 20 μm and a mark-to-space ratio of50% are engraved. Light is reflectedfrom the scale as a set of diffractionorders. These orders are then incidenton a phase diffraction grating (opti-mized to produce no zeroth order) pro-ducing more diffraction orders. Theorders from the scale and index inter-fere at the detector plane to produce aset of interference fringes. As the lightsource is partially coherent, only orderswith small path length differences inter-fere. The result is an interference fringethat is substantially sinusoidal and freefrom harmonics.

The scale is usually the movable part ofthe encoder system. It is placed on therotor of the drive system. Stainless steel isthe material. Mark size is 10 μm wide and5.5 mm long. The reflectivity of themarks is <10 %. The long-range encodererror is dominated by geometrical errorsof the scale. The scale can be either aring, which is assembled to the rotor ofthe drive system, or the scale pattern canbe directly written to the rotary part ofthe bearing assembly. The latter methodeliminates mounting tolerances of thering and significantly reduces mass andvolume.

In the Laser Communication Terminal,the encoder is located in the CoarsePointing Assembly (CPA), which isexposed to space environment (see Figure

High-Precision Encoders for GEO Space ApplicationsThese encoders are designed for precision pointing in high-duty-cycle applications.Renishaw, Wotton-under-Edge, United Kingdom; Tesat Spacecom, Backnang, Germany; and DLR, Bonn, Germany

56 NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

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Mechanics/Machinery

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1). To obtain maximum immunity againstelectro-magnetic interference, encoderdata is transferred digitally from the read-head to the drive system controller locatedin the spacecraft. In the encoder read-head, the absolute position is calculated bycombining the incremental signal and thereference marks.

To provide the most representativefunctional testing, the encoder is operat-ed in a test-as-you-fly assembly, meaningthat it is mounted to a motor/bearingassembly identical to the ones that arepart of the CPA in a LCT.

As shown in the diagram in the lowerblue part of Figure 2, the encoder undertest, and optionally the motor of the bear-ing unit, can be connected to a MotorDrive Electronics (MDE) of a LCT. For theposition control, a free programmablereal-time control system is used. The dataexchange between the MDE and theembedded control system has a 1 kHz rate.

All functional tests were passed. Theencoder continuously delivers varioushousekeeping data that are used to eval-uate the function and performance ofthe control and compensation algo-rithms. One housekeeping parameter isthe LED current. As the amplitude ofthe A/D converted signal is kept con-stant by an automatic gain control, theLED current is a measure for the successof the encoder alignment during pro-duction and installation.

This work was done by Martin Reinhardt,Konrad Panzlaff, Karl-Georg Friederich,Frank Heine, Roland Himmler, Klaus Maier,and Eberhard Möss of Tesat Spacecom; CliveParker, Simon McAdam, Jason Slack, andColin Howley of Renishaw; and SabinePhilipp-May and Rolf Meyer of DLR. For moreinformation on the Renishaw products used inthis project, visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-122.

Figure 1. The location of Angular Encoders in aLaser Communication Terminal.

CPA-MDE

LWM

TAPCO

ADWin PC 1

PC 2

PC 3

Encoder I/F

D/A

Counter 1

Status

Velocity

Digital IO

Motor I/F

Position A, B, Z

Position A, B, Z

Enable

Enable Discrete IO

Serial Bus

Motor I/F

Power PC and IO-Board

Status

Synchronization

Ethernet TCP/IP

Ethernet TCP/IP

Graphical IF, Commanding, Data Tracing

Data Analysis via Timestamp

User Interface Position Control Velocity and Current Control

2 x Renishaw TONiC Encoder

Readhead

Tesat Encoder Readhead

Motor

TV Chamber

Counter 2

Graphical IF, Commanding, Data Tracing

Encoder Under Test

Refe-rence

System Encoder I/F

Encoder I/F

Encoder I/F

Figure 2. The encoder Test Set-Up block diagram.


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Materials & Coatings

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This product is an efficient concretewaterproofing solution. The crystalline,anti-corrosive material features apatented eka-molecular-sieve structure.The cement-based material works withthe matrix of cement and water to cre-ate crystals that block the pores andcapillaries in the concrete, making itimpervious to water and corrosives. Thematerial cures within 24 hours withoutany special ventilation. It continues topenetrate into the substrate as long aswater is present. It will lay dormant inthe substrate for years without the pres-ence of water; however, if waterattempts to enter at a future datethrough hairline cracks, the chemicalsonce again will become active andblock the passage of water, creating aself-healing capability.

Sealers are generally organic materi-als; this product is an inorganic material.Its formulation consists of cement, finequartz, multiple activating chemicals,and proprietary ingredients that providea permanent concrete waterproofing sys-tem. The activating chemicals catalyzehydration to produce insoluble crys-talline hydrate, which can block the cap-illaries and pores while still allowing theconcrete to breathe.

The activating substance is madefrom unsaturated polar molecules andis an ultra-fine (nm) powder. It willattach to the surface of the cementstones by the action of another impor-tant special auxiliary material, a sort ofeka-molecular sieve. The latter hasmany pores with a certain uniform size

and a very high specific surface area. Itcan adsorb certain molecules optionallyaccording to the size and form of mole-cules. For polar and unsaturated mole-cules, the stronger the polarity andunsaturated degree is, the stronger itsadsorption opting ability.

After the activating substance at themolecular level is absorbed on the sur-face of the eka-molecular sieve and all itsfine holes, it spontaneously separatesinto the atomic level state. At this point,the activating substance exists in thesmall cages of the eka-molecular sieve ina positive or negative ion, or their "inclu-sion body" form; thus the activating sub-stance is activated, creating ionization.Enrichment and ionization of the acti-vating substance with the help of theeka-molecular sieve creates the condi-tion for its diffusion and migrationthroughout the concrete substrate.

It can be applied to any concretestructure (bridges, foundations, watertreatment plants, tunnels, hydroelectricdams, piles in seawater, airports, etc.) atnormal temperatures, and does notrequire a base coat application. It can beapplied to the positive or negative sideof a structure using a brush, trowel,spray, or injection. It resists freezing/thawing and chlorides, will not delami-nate, and is not affected by ultravioletradiation.

This technology was developed byRevolutionary Concrete Solutions and isoffered by yet2.com. For more information,view the yet2.com TechPak at http://info.hotims.com/45609-131.

Waterproofing bridge piles in salt water using the Crystalline Water proofing Material.

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Film-Forming, Self-Crosslinking, AqueousSuperabsorbent CoatingThis air-curable material absorbs and holdsliquids, vapors, and proteins for applicationsin healthcare, wound care, packaging, textiles,and engineering.Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wisconsin

Aqueous Superabsorbent Coating (ASC) technology is a liq-uid polymer solution that dries to form an absorbent film. It canabsorb up to 40 g/g by weight of water, depending on the chem-istry used, and can absorb water vapor from the air up to 70% byweight. Tests have demonstrated a greater absorbency of fluidscontaining proteins than cross-linked sodium polyacrylates(ASC 8-10g/g versus SAP 6g/g). The material can be “dried”after hydrolysis with exposure to air at moderate temperature.

ASC technology has broad application in desiccants, whereits unique features of transparency and permeability make itpossible to place desiccants where they have not been able tobe used before. The final coating may be transparent, gas per-meable, and lubricious when wet. At higher coat weights, ASCforms hydrogels on surfaces that can be used as lubricious coat-ings, or as a release agent for other additives.

ASC can be applied using various techniques to a range ofmaterials and substrates to absorb condensed or evaporated flu-ids. Application methods include spray, printing, roll-to-roll,screen, slot, or dip coating techniques. ASC is delivered as a liq-uid suspension that, when dried, self-crosslinks to form a super-absorbent film coating that can absorb many times its ownweight of water. Water vapor, bodily fluids, and other aqueoussolutions may also be absorbed by the coating. Tests show goodadhesion to a wide range of substrates, such as glass, metals, andcellulosics.

A range of related coating chemistries has been reduced topractice, including cationic and anionic. ASC can be cured atambient/room temperatures or accelerated with heat ormicrowave energy.

This technology was developed by Kimberly-Clark Corporation and isoffered by yet2.com. For more information, view the yet2.com TechPak athttp://info.hotims.com/45609-128.

Photomicrograph of nonwovens containing the Aqueous SuperabsorbentCoating.

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What’s On

Featured Sponsor Video:Designing Holes in Plastic PartsIn this installment of Design Tips for PlasticInjection Molding, Proto Labs’ KevinCrystal discusses two ways to design ahole in a plastic part. One method is usingsliding-shutoffs and another is with a cam.Using Proto Labs’ Design Cube, Kevindemonstrates how to create this featurevia both methods.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/designing-holes

How You Can Print aRobohandA unique collaboration between a mastercarpenter in South Africa and a propdesigner in Washington State has resultedin the Robohand, a set of mechanicalfingers that open and close to grasp thingsbased on the motion of the wrist. Thehand can be 3D-printed by anyone usinginstructions on the Internet.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/printed-robohand

Low-Cost Technology DistillsSilica from SandThe University of Michigan has developedan inexpensive, energy-efficient way totransform common silica into chemicalsand fibers that can be used in manycommercial applications, such asfireproofing and waterproofing wood,while recycling vast amounts of wasteproducts.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/distilling-silica

Knitted Textiles YieldTougher CompositesAnother team at the University ofMichigan is exploring the use of knittedtextiles to improve the durability forcomposites used in automobiles, airplanes,and space exploration.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/knitted-textiles

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Materials & Coatings

Bulk Metallic Glasses andComposites for Optical andCompliant MechanismsThis innovation has uses in the aerospace,optics, bio-implants, spacecraft, and sportingequipment industries.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

Mechanisms are used widely in engineering applications dueto their ability to translate force and movement. They arefound in kinematic pairs, gears, cams, linkages, and in flexuremechanisms (also known as compliant mechanisms).Mechanisms and flexures are used widely in spacecraft design,especially in the area of optics, where precise positioning of tel-

Some Examples of Processing and Products: (a) Compliant mechanisms can befabricated easily from plastics by pressing them into heated molds. (b)Examples of cross-blade flexures often used in optics to support mirrors. (c)Design of multi-piece, water-cooled brass molds for casting amorphous met-als and (d) an ingot of amorphous metal before heating and forging. (e) Onceforged, the amorphous metal or composite fills the small features of the mold.(f) A steel ejector that snugly fits into the brass mold is used to push out theamorphous metal mechanism from the mold. (g) The amorphous metal flex-ure is pressed out of the mold with a press. (h) In another geometry, a cart-wheel flexure can be fabricated from amorphous metal, seen here after trim-ming, and the undamaged mold from which it was cast. (i) Side-by-side amor-phous metal flexures; cartwheel (left) and cross-blade (right).

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2013

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escope mirrors requires elastic flexing ofelements. A compliant mechanism isgenerally defined as a flexible mecha-nism that uses an elastic body deforma-tion to cause a displacement (such aspositing a mirror). The mechanisms areusually constructed as a single monolith-ic piece of material, and contain thinstruts to allow for large elastic bendingwith low input force. This creates thelargest problem with developing precisemechanisms; they must be fabricatedfrom a single piece of metal, but arerequired to have strict accuracy on theirdimensions. They are generally requiredto have high strength, elasticity, and lowcoefficient of thermal expansion.

The two biggest problems with con-ventional mechanisms are fabricationand materials selection. Plastic proto-types can be readily produced at low costusing 3D printing or molding, and uti-lize the large elasticity of polymers, butthe mechanisms are unsuitable for struc-tural applications due to their lowstrength and degradation, especially inspacecraft (polymers degrade in spacedue to the high UV exposure). A compli-ant mechanism used in a real engineer-ing application must typically be madeof metal, and must be fabricated eitherby machining or by an additive manufac-turing process for metals. They are gen-erally made from aluminum (low densi-ty and high machinability) or titanium(high strength and large elasticity).However, since the struts of the mecha-nism must be very thin (typically lessthan one mm thick), traditional machin-ing is difficult to use because the strutsbend during machining.

The use of amorphous metals (AMs)and their composites is ideal for boththe mechanical properties and process-ing of compliant mechanisms and flex-ures. AMs have high strength, the elastic-ity of polymers, and the processability ofplastics. They can be easily fabricatedinto monolithic mechanisms at signifi-cantly lower cost than machining, andexhibit performance better than anycrystalline material in the same applica-tion. Since they can be fabricated usingreusable steel or brass molds, many partscan be fabricated using only the initialmaterial cost and the initial mold cost.This allows for many mechanisms to bemade cheaply.

AMCs (amorphous metal compos-ites) are composite alloys that exhibitsimilar properties and processing abili-ty to monolithic AMs, but also have theability to be much tougher (to avoidbrittle failure), have much higher frac-

ture toughness and fatigue life, andalso can be tuned to have low coeffi-cient of thermal expansion (CTE) byutilizing low CTE inclusions. Thesecombinations of properties (mechani-cal performance and processing ability)have not been utilized for compliantmechanisms until now.

AMs (which are also known as bulkmetallic glasses or BMGs) and their com-posites can be fabricated into optome-chanical, compliant, or flexure mecha-nisms easily and at low cost. To accom-plish this, a selected composition of AMor AMC is fabricated into a feedstockmaterial that is heated (using radio fre-quency heating or resistance heating)and forged into a final part with eithernet or near-net shape. Because AM alloyshave low melting temperatures, they canbe melted and forced into a very com-plex mold, just like a plastic, but form aglass under the high cooling rateobtained by cooling lines in the mold.The quenched part does not react withthe mold and is mechanically robustenough to survive the ejection process.The final part has the same tolerances asthe mold (since there is very littleshrinkage when forming a glassy metal)and yet can be removed without damag-ing the mold. This offers the potential todevelop mechanisms that outperformcurrently available metals (aluminum,titanium, and steel) but that also can befabricated in a low-cost, repeatableprocess. The resulting mechanisms,demonstrated here for Ti-Zr-Be alloys,have 2% elastic limit, up to 2 GPa yieldstrength, hardness >50 Rc, fracturetoughness >100 MPa m1/2, and excellentfatigue limit. Prototypes have beendeveloped into two common mecha-nisms, a crossblade, and a cartwheel flex-ure (see figure).

This work was done by Douglas C.Hofmann and Gregory S. Agnes of Caltech forNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For moreinformation, contact [email protected].

In accordance with Public Law 96-517,the contractor has elected to retain title to thisinvention. Inquiries concerning rights for itscommercial use should be addressed to:

Innovative Technology Assets ManagementJPLMail Stop 321-1234800 Oak Grove DrivePasadena, CA 91109-8099E-mail: [email protected] to NPO-48768, volume and number

of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and thepage number.

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Bio-Medical

Detection of Only Viable BacterialSpores Using a Live/DeadIndicator in Mixed PopulationsThis technology can be used by the food and phar -maceutical industries to validate sterility and quality.NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California

This method uses a photoaffinity label that recognizes DNAand can be used to distinguish populations of bacterial cellsfrom bacterial spores without the use of heat shocking duringconventional culture, and live from dead bacterial spores usingmolecular-based methods.

Biological validation of commercial sterility using traditionaland alternative technologies remains challenging. Recovery ofviable spores is cumbersome, as the process requires substan-tial incubation time, and the extended time to results limits theability to quickly evaluate the efficacy of existing technologies.Nucleic acid amplification approaches such as PCR (poly-merase chain reaction) have shown promise for improvingtime to detection for a wide range of applications. Recent real-time PCR methods are particularly promising, as these meth-ods can be made at least semi-quantitative by correspondenceto a standard curve. Nonetheless, PCR-based methods arerarely used for process validation, largely because the DNAfrom dead bacterial cells is highly stable and hence, DNA-based amplification methods fail to discriminate between liveand inactivated microorganisms.

Currently, no published method has been shown to effective-ly distinguish between live and dead bacterial spores. This tech-nology uses a DNA binding photoaffinity label that can be usedto distinguish between live and dead bacterial spores withdetection limits ranging from 109 to 102 spores/mL.

An environmental sample suspected of containing a mixtureof live and dead vegetative cells and bacterial endospores istreated with a photoaffinity label. This step will eliminate anyvegetative cells (live or dead) and dead endospores present inthe sample. To further determine the bacterial spore viability,DNA is extracted from the spores and total population is quan-tified by real-time PCR.

The current NASA standard assay takes 72 hours for results.Part of this procedure requires a heat shock step at 80 °C for 15minutes before the sample can be plated. Using a photoaffinitylabel would remove this step from the current assay as the labelreadily penetrates both live and dead bacterial cells. Secondly,the photoaffinity label can only penetrate dead bacterial spores,leaving behind the viable spore population. This would allow forrapid bacterial spore detection in a matter of hours compared tothe several days that it takes for the NASA standard assay.

This work was done by Alberto E. Behar of Caltech; Christina N.Stam of Oak Ridge Associated Universities; and Ronald Smiley of theU.S. Food and Drug Administration for NASA’s Jet PropulsionLaboratory. For more information, contact [email protected]

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The ability to stabilize and treatpatients on exploration missions willdepend on access to needed consum-ables. Intravenous (IV) fluids have beenidentified as required consumables. Areview of the Space MedicineExploration Medical Condition List(SMEMCL) lists over 400 medical condi-tions that could present and requiretreatment during ISS missions.

The Intravenous Fluid GenerationSystem (IVGEN) technology providesthe scalable capability to generate IV flu-ids from indigenous water supplies. Itmeets USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) stan-dards. This capability was performedusing potable water from the ISS; waterfrom more extreme environmentswould need preconditioning. The keyadvantage is the ability to filter mass andvolume, providing the equivalentamount of IV fluid: this is critical forremote operations or resource-poor

environments. The IVGEN technologypurifies drinking water, mixes it withsalt, and transfers it to a suitable bag todeliver a sterile normal saline solution.

Operational constraints such as masslimitations and lack of refrigeration maylimit the type and volume of such fluidsthat can be carried onboard the space-craft. In addition, most medical fluidshave a shelf life that is shorter than somemission durations. Consequently, theobjective of the IVGEN experiment wasto develop, design, and validate the nec-essary methodology to purify spacecraftpotable water into a normal saline solu-tion, thus reducing the amount of IV flu-ids that are included in the launch man-ifest.

As currently conceived, an IVGEN sys-tem for a space exploration missionwould consist of an accumulator, a puri-fier, a mixing assembly, a salt bag, and asterile bag. The accumulator is used to

transfer a measured amount of drinkingwater from the spacecraft to the purifier.The purifier uses filters to separate anyair bubbles that may have gottentrapped during the drinking water trans-fer from flowing through a high-qualitydeionizing cartridge that removes theimpurities in the water before enteringthe salt bag and mixing with the salt tocreate a normal saline solution.

This work was done by John McQuillen andTerri McKay of Glenn Research Center, andDaniel Brown and John Zoldak of ZINTechnologies. Inc. For more information,download the Technical Support Package(free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tspunder the Bio-Medical category.

Inquiries concerning rights for the commer-cial use of this invention should be addressed toNASA Glenn Research Center, InnovativePartnerships Office, Attn: Steven Fedor, MailStop 4–8, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland,Ohio 44135. Refer to LEW-19044-1.

Intravenous Fluid Generation System This system can be used in remote medical facilities where limitations such as lack ofrefrigeration may limit the type and volume of medical fluids being stored or transported. John H. Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

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Slip RingsAlpha Slip Rings, Austin, TX, has released

the Model 102 fiber optic slip ring featuringup to 50 high-voltage electrical and 7 opticalpasses in one assembly. Various wire typesand connector styles can be accommodated.The stainless steel housing can be sealed to IP 66 with right angle orstraight exits, and a high operating temperature option is available.For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-101

Lead Screw/Linear BearingGlideScrew™ from Thomson Industries,

Wood Dale, IL, combines a linear bearingand a lead screw to handle axial, radial, andmoment loads without additional guidance.It features bearing-grade plastic and stainlesssteel construction for use in fluid pumping,3D printing, medical imaging, and pick-and-place applications. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-102

SwitchesOmega Engineering, Stamford, CT, has

introduced the FSW-120 series PPS switch-es designed for use with water and water-based solutions. They are CE compliantand feature plastic and stainless steel con-struction. The switch points are based on

water flow; other liquids may require field testing. For Free Info

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Slewing Ringsiglide® PRT slewing rings from igus®, East

Providence, RI, use self-lubricating, low-friction slid-ing elements in place of ball bearings. All thehousing components are made from aluminum(except style 02), and all surfaces parallel to theiglide® sliding elements are hard anodized withstainless steel fasteners. A completely stainless-steelversion is also available. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.

com/45609-104

Spring-Engaged BrakesNexen Group, Vadnais Heights, MN,

offers dual-faced and quad-faced brakeswith torque capacities ranging from 9,000to 164,800 inch-pounds for heavy-dutyindustrial power-off applications. A pistonand cylinder actuator is sealed with O-rings. The brakes are designed with seg-

mented, non-asbestos friction facings. The brake housing is flange-mounted to machinery, and the hub is keyed to the shaft. For Free

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Product Focus: Mechanical Components


Product of the MonthProduct of the Month

Dassault Systèmes, Paris, France, has introduced the SolidWorks® 2014 3D software portfolio that consistsof 3D CAD, simulation, product data management, technical communication, and electrical design.Enhancements and workflow improvements include new Style Spline functionality, automatic SketchPicture scaling, and Conic Fillet controls to create complex surfaces and organic shapes; and new sheetmetal features for faster creation of sheet metal geometry and improved data output for manufacturing.Enterprise PDM Streamlined Workflow lets users manage data with Microsoft Office integration andenhanced Web Client with graphical preview. SolidWorks Electrical is integrated with the Enterprise PDM

and eDrawings, allowing users to optimize, share, and track electrical designs. SolidWorks Simulation automatically leverages engineeringdata for re-use in simulations, eliminating duplication and improving design collaboration.


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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIPU.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) 1. PublicationTitle: NASA Tech Briefs 2. Publication Number: 1057-0411 3. Filing Date: 9/27/13 4. IssueFrequency: Monthly 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price:$75.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Street, City, County,State, and Zip+4) (Not printer): ABP International (d/b/a Tech Briefs Media Group), anSAE International Company, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016 8.Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Notprinter): SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 9. FullNames and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor.Publisher (Name and Complete Mailing Address): Joseph T. Pramberger, 261 FifthAvenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016; Editor (Name and Complete Mailing Address):Linda Bell, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016; Managing Editor: None 10.Owner (If the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of the cor-poration immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning orholding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, givethe names and addresses of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or other unin-corporated firm, give its name and address as well as those of each individual owner. If thepublication is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name and address). FullName and Complete Mailing Address: SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive,Warrendale, PA 15096-0001 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other SecurityHolders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, orOther Securities. Full Name and Complete Mailing Address: None 12. For Completion ofNonprofit Organizations Authorized to Mail at Nonprofit Rates. The purpose, function,and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax pur-poses: Not applicable 13. Publication Name: NASA Tech Briefs 14. Issue Date forCirculation Data Below: October 2013 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average No.Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/Actual No. Copies of Single IssuePublished Nearest to Filing Date): a. Total No. Copies (Net Press Run): 124,901/122,600b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (1) Paid or Requested Mail Subscriptions (IncludeAdvertisers’ Proof Copies/Exchange Copies): 116,562/114,257 (3) Sales Through Dealersand Carriers, Street Vendors, and Counter Sales (Not Mailed): 1,706/1,775 c. Total Paidand/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b(1), 15b(2), and 15b(3): 118,268/116,032 d.Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, Complimentary, and Other Free): (1) NonrequestedCopies Stated on PS Form 3541: 4,404/4,522 (3) Nonrequested Copies DistributedThrough the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: None/None (4) Nonrequested CopiesDistributed Outside the Mail: 1,238/1,624 e. Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d(1), (2), and (3)): 5,642/6,146 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e):123,910/122,178 g. Copies Not Distributed: 992/422 h. TOTAL (Sum of 15f and 15g):124,901/122,600 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c ÷ f times 100):95.4%/95.0% 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2013 issueof this publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and com-plete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this formor who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminalsanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penal-ties): Joseph T. Pramberger, Publisher.


PCI A/D CardsDewetron, Wakefield, RI, has released the

ORION-0816-5M and ORION-0816-10MPCI form factor A/D cards. The 5M fea-tures 8 simultaneously sampled analoginputs that can be sampled up to 5 MS/s/chan-nel, and offers 8 digital inputs and 8 digital out-puts. The 10M features 8 simultaneously sampled analog inputs thatcan be sampled up to 10 MS/s/channel, and offers the same numberof inputs and outputs. Both cards include two synchronouscounter/encoder inputs with adjustable thresholds. For Free Info Visit


Infrared Scanner and Thermal Imaging SystemIrcon®, Santa Cruz, CA, has introduced the

ScanIR® 3 infrared line scanners and thermalimaging system that measures multiple tempera-ture points across a scan line. The motorized mir-ror scans at rates up to 150 lines per second, allow-ing detection of temperature non-uniformities and

hot spots. Rotating optics collect infrared radiation at 1024 points with-in a 90-degree field of view. A two-dimensional image is formed as thematerial moves across the line scanner’s field-of-view. For Free Info

Visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-107

DC/DC Power ConverterNorth Atlantic Industries, Bohemia, NY, has

announced the 55RQ2, a 3U, rugged cPCIDC/DC power converter that provides up to300W of power with four outputs, and is compli-ant with MIL-STD-704F. Other features include reverse polarityprotection, current share, advanced programmability with BIT fea-tures, and a built-in EMI filter compatible with MIL-STD-461 compli-ant systems. For Free Info Visit http:/info.hotims.com/45609-108

Function/Arbitrary Waveform GeneratorsThe 4050 Series dual-channel func-

tion/arbitrary waveform generatorsfrom B&K Precision Corp., YorbaLinda, CA, can generate waveforms upto 50 MHz, and sine, square, triangle,

and pulse waveforms with modulation and arbitrary waveform capabil-ities. All four models provide a main output voltage from 0 to 10 Vppinto 50 ohms, and feature a 3.5" color LCD display, rotary controlknob, and numeric keypad with dedicated waveform keys and outputbuttons. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-109

Switch Cards/Measurement ModulesFineTest, Palm Coast, FL, has intro-

duced the FT family of relay switchcards and measurement modules thatuse Virginia Panel Connectors fordirect mounting to receivers. The unitshave USB and Ethernet interfaces;direct programming with I2C, USB, and Ethernet; and software driversfor LabVIEW, VEE, and other programs. For Free Info Visit


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POLARCAM MICROPOLARIZER CAMERASPolarCam micropolarizer cameras from 4D Technology

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high extinction and low cross-talk. Cameras are available with resolution from 0.5 to4 MPix and video rate up to 200 frames per second.www.4dtechnology.com/products/polarcam.php

Discover the Latest Advances inLEDs and Solid-State LightingFrom the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs,Lighting Technology digital magazinefeatures design tutorials, tech reports, application notes and product news on energy-efficient LEDs.View free of charge atwww.lightingtechbriefs.com.

May/June 2013 www.lightingtechbriefs.comMay/June 2013 www.lightingtechbriefs.com


Energy Harvesting WirelessLighting Control Systems

Ensuring Fixture Compatibilityfor LEDs

Driving The Future of LCDBacklighting

WORLD’S SMALLESTCROSSFLOW FANSFOR LOW PROFILE ELECTRONIC COOLINGOLC offers the world’s smallestcrossflow fans for broad applica-

tions. Combining the advanced aerodynamic bladesdesign with high efficiency brushless motors, ourproducts provide airflow up to 9.2CFM and consume<1 watt at 5VDC or 12VDC. They can operate at volt-age 3.5~13.5V. Full ball bearings guarantee >50,000hours life at 250C. Speed output is available for mis-sion critical applications. Visit us at: www.olc-inc.com.

OLC Inc.

USED LABORATORYEQUIPMENTPhotoMachining, Inc. isa contract laser manufac-turer and custom systemsbuilder. We specialize inlaser micromachining

using lasers from the far IR through the UV. In addi-tion, we sell used, refurbished, and “like new” labora-tory equipment including lasers, optics, optical hard-ware, electronics, microscopes, etc. [email protected], or phone 603-882-9944. www.photomachining.com

PhotoMachining, Inc.

DATA ANALYSISAND GRAPHINGSOFTWAREFounded in 1992, Origin -Lab develops data analysisand graphing software for

users in corporations, government agencies, col-leges, and universities worldwide. Its flagship prod-ucts, Origin and OriginPro, provide a comprehen-sive solution for scientists and engineers at any tech-nical level to analyze, graph, and professionally pre -sent data. Origin version 9.1 is now available.www.OriginLab.com/91

OriginLab Corporation

PRECISION LINEAR MOTIONPRODUCTSHaydonKerk Motion So-lutions specializes in thedesign and manufactur ingof stepper motor based lin-ear actuators, leadscrews,nut assemblies, linear rails,slides and guides providing

customized designs to solve complex engineeringproblems requiring precision linear motion.www.HaydonKerk.com

HaydonKerk Motion Solutions

HIGH-PERFORMANCECOATINGSBoyd Coatings is a perform-ance applicator & full servicecoater (surface-prep, primer,top-coat, & custom process)of all coating types includingfluoropolymers, CARC, and

Epoxies serving all industrial sectors, includingMedical, Aerospace, and Military applications. BoydCoatings is an ISO 9001:2008 certified, and licensedapplicator for Teflon®, Whitford® & 3M®. www.boydcoatings.com

Boyd Coatings Research Co., Inc.

MULTIPHYSICS E-ZINENow is your chance to learn whatyour peers have achievedthrough the use of multiphysicssimulation. The latest edition ofCOMSOL News gives you morethan 25 user stories that illustrate

recent achievements in industry — all made possibleby COMSOL’s modeling tools. Instantly downloadyour digital copy today at: www.comsol.com/ntblit.

COMSOL, Inc.

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What’s On

Flexible IC and Touch Sensor SystemAn international team led by the University of Tokyo has manufactured extremelythin (2 µm) and light (3 g/m2) soft organic transistor integrated circuits on ultra-thin polymeric films. The properties and performance of the flexible ICs wereunchanged even when stretched to twice their original size.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/flexible-IC

Ultra-Stretchable, Transparent LEDsUCLA engineers have created an elastic, transparent, organic light-emitting device(OLED) that can be repeatedly stretched and twisted while remaining lit andretaining its original shape. The ultra-flexible OLED could pave the way forelectronic displays comprising many thousands of pixels.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/stretchable-OLED

Low-Cost Semiconductor Etching Using LightUniversity of Illinois researchers have developed a low-cost method to carve delicatefeatures onto semiconductor wafers using light. The new technique can monitor asemiconductor’s surface as it is etched, in real time, with nanometer resolution.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/semiconductor-etching

E-Skin Lights Up When TouchedThe first interactive sensor network on flexible plastic has been demonstrated atUC Berkeley. This electronic skin (e-skin) lights up when touched. The moreintense the pressure, the brighter the light. It could give robots a finer sense oftouch and be applied to touchscreen displays and bandages.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/electronic-skin

Featured Sponsor Video: MQX Real Time Operating System OverviewThis video describes the Freescale Enablement portfolio, with specifics onFreescale's MQX RTOS solution, including information about online resources and technical support.

www.techbriefs.com/tv/MQX

View these and hundreds of other videos at:

www.techbriefs.tv

Have a video you would like to submit for Tech Briefs TV?Contact Kendra Smith, managing editor, [email protected].

For marketing opportunities on Tech Briefs TV, contact Joe Pramberger, [email protected].

SEMICONDUCTORS & ICs CHANNELSEMICONDUCTORS & ICs CHANNELSEMICONDUCTORS & ICs CHANNELSEMICONDUCTORS & ICs CHANNELSEMICONDUCTORS & ICs CHANNEL

Sponsored by

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CFD in Multiphysics AnalysisThursday, November 7, 2013, 2:00 pm ET

This Webinar will explore CFD simulation capabilities in COMSOL Multiphysics software including laminar, turbulent, and multiphaseflows that can be combined with heat and mass transfer, electromagnetics, and structural mechanics for FSI. You will learn howeasy it is to set up and solve multiphysics models with CFD interactions.

This 60-minute Webinar includes: • Live Q&A session• Application Demo• Access to archived event on demand

Upcoming...

Presenter:John DunecVP of Sales, NW USCOMSOL, Inc.

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar180

Webinars

In Situ Health Monitoring ofPiezoelectric Sensors

Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 2:00 pm ET

On occasion, anomalies may appear in the highly dynamic test data obtained during rocket engine tests. To address this issue, an insitu health monitoring apparatus, which includes (1) an exciter circuit that applies a pulse to a piezoelectric transducer and (2) adata processing system that determines the piezoelectric transducer’s dynamic response to the first pulse, was developed.

Join our experts and learn more about this monitoring system.


Presenters:Scott JensenElectronics EngineerStennis Space Center


Dr. Ramona TravisChief TechnologistStennis Space Center

Engineering Design Guide for HeatSinks and Heat Pipes

Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 2:00 pm ET

This Webinar provides engineers with tools for effective design of heat sinks and heat pipes. It provides important guidelines for thetwo primary areas of air-cooled heat sink design: total volume and fin design. The Webinar introduces easy ways to size your heatsink to meet your temperature rise goals, and explores key design aspects used to generate ideal thickness and pitch of externalfins in order to maximize heat rejection.


Presenters:Bryan MuzykaSales Engineer, Electronics Products GroupAdvanced Cooling Technologies, Inc.


Scott GarnerVice President, Electronics ProductsAdvanced Cooling Technologies, Inc.

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On Demand . . .

Design Integration of AdvancedLightweight Composite Materials andthe Challenges of Multifunctionality

Thursday, November 14, 2013, 1:00 pm ET

Driven by the need to improve energy efficiency and increase performance without compromising safety, aircraft and advanced auto-mobiles are leveraging the properties of composite materials to provide strength while reducing weight.

In this Webinar, ANSYS will discuss the role of simulation-based engineering for the efficient simulation of composites and theemerging challenges of multifunctionality. Dr. Martin Perterer will describe how the ANSYS simulation tool set for composite materi-als enabled the design team to reduce the weight of the KTM X-Bow sports car monocoque by 20%.


Presenters:Dr. Martin PertererHead of Research and Simulation

KTM Technologies


Dr. Robert Harwood Aerospace and Defense Industry Director

ANSYS, Inc.

New Developments in ConformalCoatings Enhance Device Performance

Tuesday, November 19, 2013, 2:00 pm ET

Parylene has been applied to a host of devices and components in the medical device, electronics, defense, and automotive indus-tries. Advances in adhesion technology and antimicrobial properties have resulted in new applications that are now enjoying theunique and desirable benefits offered by Parylene.

This Webinar will offer participants an opportunity to learn more about how this ultra-thin, inert, transparent coating is applied, its dif-ferentiating features, and the superior benefits it offers components.


Presenters:Dr. Rakesh Kumar Vice President of TechnologySpecialty Coating Systems, Inc.


Dick MolinSr. Medical Market SpecialistSpecialty Coating Systems

Introduction to Thermal Simulationof Electronics

Electronic components and systems designers struggling with the thermal design of their products will benefit from this event,which will show how the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can improve the efficiency and reliability of their designs andreduce the need for costly prototyping. Get an overview of the how and why of thermal simulation of electronics, and a brief historyof how it all started.


Presenter:Paul RoseSenior Application EngineerMentor Graphics Corporation

Please visit www.techbriefs.com/mentorgraphics3

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NASA’s Technology SourcesIf you need further information about new technologies presented in NASA Tech Briefs,request the Technical Support Package (TSP) indicated at the end of the brief. If a TSP is notavailable, the Innovative Partnerships Office at the NASA field center that sponsored theresearch can provide you with additional information and, if applicable, refer you to theinnovator(s). These centers are the source of all NASA-developed technology.

Ames Research CenterSelected technological strengths: InformationTechnology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology;Aerospace Operations Systems; Rotorcraft;Thermal Protection Systems.Lisa L. Lockyer(650) [email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aerodynamics; Aeronautics Flight Testing;Aeropropulsion; Flight Systems; ThermalTesting; Integrated Systems Test andValidation.Yvonne D. Gibbs(661) [email protected]

Glenn Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aeropropulsion; Communications; EnergyTechnology; High-Temperature MaterialsResearch.Kathleen Needham(216) [email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Earth andPlanetary Science Missions; LIDAR; CryogenicSystems; Tracking; Telemetry; Remote Sensing;Command.Nona Cheeks(301) [email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratorySelected technological strengths: Near/Deep-Space Mission Engineering; Microspacecraft;Space Communications; Information Systems;Remote Sensing; Robotics.Indrani Graczck(818) [email protected]

Johnson Space CenterSelected technological strengths: ArtificialIntelligence and Human Computer Interface;Life Sciences; Human Space FlightOperations; Avionics; Sensors;Communications.David Leestma(281) [email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterSelected technological strengths: Fluids andFluid Systems; Materials Evaluation; ProcessEngineering; Command, Control, and MonitorSystems; Range Systems; EnvironmentalEngineering and Management.David R. Makufka(321) [email protected]

Langley Research CenterSelected technological strengths: Aerodynamics;Flight Systems; Materials; Structures; Sensors;Measurements; Information Sciences.Elizabeth B. Plentovich(757) [email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Materials;Manufacturing; Nondestructive Evaluation;Biotechnology; Space Propulsion; Controls andDynamics; Structures; Microgravity Processing.Jim Dowdy(256) [email protected]

Stennis Space CenterSelected technological strengths: PropulsionSystems; Test/Monitoring; Remote Sensing;Nonintrusive Instrumentation.Ramona Travis(228) [email protected]

National Technology Transfer CenterDarwin MolnarWheeling, WV(800) 678-6882

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Innovative Partnerships Program OfficeDoug Comstock, Director(202) [email protected]

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) &Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)ProgramsCarl Ray, Program Executive(202) [email protected]

Published by ....................................... Tech Briefs Media Group,an SAE International Company

Publisher.....................................................Joseph T. Pramberger

Editorial Director ........................................................Linda L. Bell

Editor, PTB and Embedded Technology...............Bruce A. Bennett

Technical/Managing Editor.........................................Ted Selinsky

Technical Writers.........................................................Shirl Phelps

.........................................................................Nick Lukianoff

Managing Editor, Tech Briefs TV...............................Kendra Smith

Associate Editor...........................................................Billy Hurley

Production Manager .............................................Adam Santiago

Art Director ...............................................................Lois Erlacher

Designer ...........................................................Bernadette Torres

Marketing Director .............................................Debora Rothwell

Marketing Assistant..............................................Felicia Kennedy

Circulation Manager .............................................Marie Claussell

Subscription Changes/[email protected]

NASA tech briefs are provided by the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration, Innovative Partnerships Program:

Administrator...............................................Charles F. Bolden, Jr.

Chief Technologist.......................................................Mason Peck

Technology Transfer Program Executive ................Daniel Lockney

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w w w . t e c h b r i e f s . c o m

NASA’s Technology SourcesIf you need further information about new technologies presented in NASA Tech Briefs,request the Technical Support Package (TSP) indicated at the end of the brief. If a TSP is notavailable, the IPO at the NASA field center that sponsored the research can provide you withadditional information and, if applicable, refer you to the innovator(s). These centers are thesource of all NASA-developed technology.

Ames Research CenterSelected technological strengths: InformationTechnology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology;Aerospace Operations Systems; Rotorcraft;Thermal Protection Systems.David Morse(650) [email protected]

Dryden Flight Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aerodynamics; Aeronautics Flight Testing;Aeropropulsion; Flight Systems; ThermalTesting; Integrated Systems Test andValidation.Ron Young(661) [email protected]

Glenn Research CenterSelected technological strengths:Aeropropulsion; Communications; EnergyTechnology; High-Temperature MaterialsResearch.Kimberly A. Dalgleish-Miller(216) [email protected]

Goddard Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Earth andPlanetary Science Missions; LIDAR; CryogenicSystems; Tracking; Telemetry; Remote Sensing;Command.Nona Cheeks(301) [email protected]

Jet Propulsion LaboratorySelected technological strengths: Near/Deep-Space Mission Engineering; Microspacecraft;Space Communications; Information Systems;Remote Sensing; Robotics.Dan Broderick(818) [email protected]

Johnson Space CenterSelected technological strengths: ArtificialIntelligence and Human Computer Interface;Life Sciences; Human Space FlightOperations; Avionics; Sensors;Communications.John E. James(281) [email protected]

Kennedy Space CenterSelected technological strengths: Fluids andFluid Systems; Materials Evaluation; ProcessEngineering; Command, Control, and MonitorSystems; Range Systems; EnvironmentalEngineering and Management.David R. Makufka(321) [email protected]

Langley Research CenterSelected technological strengths: Aerodynamics;Flight Systems; Materials; Structures; Sensors;Measurements; Information Sciences.Michelle Ferebee(757) [email protected]

Marshall Space Flight CenterSelected technological strengths: Materials;Manufacturing; Nondestructive Evaluation;Biotechnology; Space Propulsion; Controls andDynamics; Structures; Microgravity Processing.Terry L. Taylor(256) [email protected]

Stennis Space CenterSelected technological strengths: PropulsionSystems; Test/Monitoring; Remote Sensing;Nonintrusive Instrumentation.Ramona Travis(228) [email protected]

NASA HEADQUARTERS

Daniel Lockney, Technology TransferProgram Executive

(202) [email protected]

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & SmallBusiness Technology Transfer (STTR) ProgramsRich Leshner, Program Executive(202) [email protected]

w w w . t e c h b r i e f s . c o mNASA’s Innovative PartnershipsOffice (IPO)

NASA’s R&D efforts produce a robust supply of promising technologies with applications in many indus-tries. A key mechanism in identifying commercial applications for this technology is NASA’s nationalnetwork of laboratories and business support entities. The network includes ten NASA field centers,and a full tie-in with the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for Technology Transfer. To explore tech-nology transfer, development, and collaboration opportunities with NASA, visit www.ipp.nasa.gov.

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Advertisers IndexFor free product literature, enter advertisers’ reader service numbers at www.techbriefs.com/rs, or visit the

Web site listed beneath their ad in this issue. Advertisers listed in bold-face type have banner ads on the NASA Tech Briefs Web site — www.techbriefs.com

Reader ServiceCompany Number Page


4D Technology ................................................800 ..........................66

ACCES I/O Products..........................................744 ............................42

Aerotek ..........................................................801 ..........................43

Agilent Technologies..........................................729 ..............................9

AllMotion, Inc.....................................................754 ............................58

AutomationDirect ..............................................736 ............................17

Avnet Electronics ................................................728 ..............................7

Bird Precision ....................................................792 ............................66

Bluebeam Software, Inc. ....................................740 ............................35

Boyd Coatings Research Co., Inc.......................793 ............................66

COMSOL Inc. ................................................731, 794 ............11, 66

Crystal Instruments Corporation ......................727 ..............................6

CUI Inc. ..............................................................760 ............................55

Dewetron Inc...................................................738 ..........................33

Digi-Key Corporation ........................................724 ..................COV I, 2

Elma Electronic, Inc. ..........................................723 ..............................1

EMCO High Voltage Corporation ....................770 ............................1a

EPCOS ................................................................742 ............................39

Epson America, Inc. ........................................733 ..........................13

Evans Capacitor ..............................................735 ..........................16

HaydonKerk Motion Solutions ........................795 ..........................66

Helical Products Company, Inc. ........................761 ............................56

IHS GlobalSpec ..............................................749 ..........................49

Image Science Ltd. ............................................777 ..........................10a

Imagineering Inc. ............................................725 ............................3

Indium Corporation ..........................................758 ............................61

International Rectifier ....................................746 ..........................46

Keil, Tools by ARM ............................................739 ............................34

Krohn-Hite Corporation..................................764 ..........................62

Leybold Optics....................................................775 ............................8a

LPKF Laser & Electronics ..................................734 ............................15

M.S. Kennedy Corporation..............................747 ..........................47

Master Bond Inc. ................................................757 ............................59

MathWorks ..........................................................726 ..............................5

Micro-Epsilon Messtechnik GmbH....................745 ............................45

Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co. ......................756 ............................59

Minalex Corporation..........................................732 ............................12

Mini-Systems, Inc. ..............................................748 ............................48

Mouser Electronics, Inc...................................722 ..................COV II

MPL ....................................................................763 ............................62

National Instruments..........................................768....................COV IV

Newark/element14..........................................767 ................COV III

Newcomb Spring Corporation ..........................751 ............................52

OLC Inc...............................................................796 ............................66

OMICRON Lab ..................................................753 ............................53

OriginLab Corporation......................................741, 797 ..............36, 66

PennEngineering................................................737 ............................18

PhotoMachining Inc...........................................798 ............................66

Photon Engineering ..........................................772 ............................3a

Photonics West 2014 ..........................................774 ............................7a

Photron USA, Inc. ..............................................773 ............................5a

PI (Physik Instrumente) LP ..............................759 ............................54

Proto Labs, Inc. ..................................................750 ............................51

Reynard Corporation ........................................771 ............................2a

Santest Co., Ltd. ................................................766 ............................64

Seal Master Corporation ....................................752 ............................52

Sealevel Systems, Inc...........................................762 ............................57

Smalley Steel Ring Company ............................730 ............................10

SmallPC.com ......................................................802 ............................65

Spectrogon US Inc. ............................................769 ............................1a

Stanford Research Systems Inc. ......................743 ..........................41

Stratasys ..............................................................776 ............................9a

TDK-Lambda Americas Inc. ..............................765 ............................63

Tech Briefs TV..................................................................................60, 67

Universe Kogaku America, Inc. ......................799 ..........................66

yet2.com ................................................................................................37


NASA Tech Briefs, ISSN 0145-319X, USPS 750-070, copyright ©2013 in U.S. is publishedmonthly by Tech Briefs Media Group, an SAE International Company, 261 Fifth Avenue,Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. The copyright information does not include the (U.S.rights to) individual tech briefs that are supplied by NASA. Editorial, sales, production,and circulation offices at 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Subscriptionfor non-qualified subscribers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, $75.00 for 1 year; $135 for 2years. Single copies $6.25. Foreign subscriptions one-year U.S. Funds $195.00. Remit bycheck, draft, postal, express orders or VISA, MasterCard, and American Express. Otherremittances at sender’s risk. Address all communications for subscriptions or circula-tion to NASA Tech Briefs, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016. Periodicalspostage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes and cancellations to NASA Tech Briefs, P.O. Box3525, Northbrook, Il 60065.

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Spinoff


Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods,transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources.

In the 1990s, Heinz Erzberger led ateam at NASA’s Ames Research Centerin California to develop a suite of

automated tools to reduce restrictionsand improve the efficiency of air trafficcontrol operations. Called Center-TRA-CON (Terminal Radar ApproachControl) Automation System (CTAS),the suite included a traffic managementadvisor that was adopted by the FederalAviation Administration (FAA). Anotherone of the tools, Direct-To, has followeda different path.

Using Direct-To, airlines could savefuel and money by shortening the routesthey flew between takeoff and landing.Aircraft are often limited to followingestablished airways comprised of ineffi-cient route segments. To make theroutes more direct while in flight,Erzberger developed a software algo-rithm that could automatically examineair traffic in real time, check to see if ashortcut was available, and then checkfor conflicts.

In 2001, NASA demonstrated Direct-To in the airspace of Dallas-Fort Worth.Estimations based on the demonstra-tions found the technology was capableof saving 900 flying minutes per day forthe aircraft in the area.

Boeing Commercial Airplane’sAirline Efficiency Services in Seattle metwith Erzberger and NASA to discussDirect-To, which Boeing wanted to tran-sition into practical airline use. A SpaceAct Agreement between Boeing andNASA was signed, after which Boeinglicensed the technology and developednew software code on top of the corealgorithms of the NASA tool. Boeing tri-als conducted with Southwest andContinental Airlines confirmed Boe -

ing’s ability to run a significant amountof Boeing software and ensured thatadvisories worked properly.

By 2010, Boeing had incorporated thetechnology into a subscription-basedproduct called Direct Routes. Com -mercially available since 2011 as part ofthe company’s InFlight OptimizationServices, the software provides real-timeadvisories to aircraft for suggested short-cuts that are prechecked for traffic con-flicts, wind conditions, established air-space constraints, and other factors.

According to Boeing, Direct Routescan save tens of thousands of flight min-utes per year for a medium-sized U.S.operator. In total, the technology couldsave 20 million gallons of fuel per yearfor commercial airlines — about $50million per year.

Direct Routes continuously monitorsflights in real time to check for trafficcontrol variables, the aircraft’s currentflight trajectory, air traffic control accept -

ability, weather conditions, and other fac-tors. When there are small coursechanges along an aircraft’s intendedroute that can reduce at least one minuteof flight time, the pilot is notified with amessage much like a text message on acellphone. The pilot can make a verbalrequest to the controller, who canapprove a new route.

The advisories are transmitted usingexisting communication channels andare designed to comply with currentoperating procedures. There are also noregulatory changes and minimal newequipment required. Direct Routespotential customers include aircraft fly-ing in U.S. airspace such as commercialairlines, business aviation, military, gen-eral aviation, and international flights —many of which are already in discussionwith Boeing about the system.

Visit http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2012for the full story.

In the 1990s, NASA scientists developed a software algorithm to shorten the routes airlines fly. Thetechnology is now commercially available from Boeing.

Advisory Systems Save Time and Fuel for AirlinesSoftware provides Boeing pilots with suggested shortcuts in real time.

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Hard-Wired.

At Newark element14, we connect you to all of your cable and wire management needs. newark.com

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800 453 6202

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November 2013




Slowing Light Via Beam Coupling in Dye-Doped Chiral Nematics...........................6a


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IIa www.techbriefs.com Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013

In the “old” days when high speed ca -meras used film, there was a very def-inite period of time in which the

event one wished to record had to occur.This was between the point at which thefilm had ramped up from a standingstart to the desired frame rate, andbefore the film magazine (which heldup to a thousand of feet of 16mm, 35mmor 70mm film) would run out.

High speed digital imaging systemshave come a long way from their filmcamera predecessors. For example,today all-digital video high speed cam-eras are equipped with massive amountsof onboard, solid-state memory whichcan be continuously overwritten untilthe event of interest occurs, makingthem ideal for non-destructive testingapplications. In theory, the event couldhappen days after the cameras areplaced in record mode.

Trigger ModesModern high speed cameras offer a

wide variety of trigger methods oftenused for NDT applications, including:

START trigger, where the camera canbe entered into the record mode usingthe events trigger, as in the case of anexplosive event, with all frames recordedafter the trigger signal at T0.

END trigger, with all frames savedbefore the trigger signal is received.Again, the trigger is defined as T0 and

all preceding frames shown as negative,i.e., occurring before T0.

CENTER, where frames are evenlysplit either side of T0.

MANUAL mode lets the end userselect how many frames are recordedbefore and after T0. This is frequentlyused in vehicle impact tests, where typi-cally ten or so frames are recordedbefore the impact to confirm the vehi-cle’s approach speed.

RANDOM mode enables a user-select-ed number of frames to be recordedevery time a trigger signal is received.Multiple short recordings are usuallycombined into a single video sequence.This can be very useful when recordingcyclical events, such as engine combus-tion where only one cylinder is recordedwith the camera remaining inactive whilethe other seven or so cylinders operate.

DUAL SPEED – The camera startsrecording, as in START mode, but thenchanges the recording frame rate by afactor ranging from two to eight times(e.g. from 125 frames per second (fps)to 1,000 fps with the application of a sec-ond trigger signal being applied. Thiscan be useful to record a subject’s dor-mant state at a lower frame rate, say 125fps before application of a current to thesubject, then at the 1,000 fps rate whenthe subject is being tested, then return-ing to the slower frame rate to recordthe resultant condition.

High Speed andResolution

Today’s high speed cameras utilizevery specialized CMOS sensors thatenable them to operate at full resolutionto speeds as fast as 20,000 frames per sec-ond. Additionally, reducing the horizon-tal and/or vertical pixel resolutionmakes it possible to push the recordingspeed to over one million frames persecond. However, the results at thesevery high frame rates typically look bet-ter on a data sheet than they do whenviewed on a monitor or display.

Many commercial digital single-lensreflex (DSLR), or point-and-shoot cam-eras, are venturing into the high speedarena. In reality, however, this is more ofa marketing ploy than a usable toolbecause there is little to no control overthe triggering. This makes capturing anyevent (other than an event that is guaran-teed to occur within a few seconds of thetrigger being applied) nearly impossible.In addition, the resolution is often so lowthat the imagery is unusable whenreplayed on a display larger than the oneon the back of the camera.

Advanced high speed imaging systemsprovide megapixel resolution at speedsas high as 13,500 fps, and usable resolu-tions (defined here as being a minimumof 128 pixels wide by 128 pixels high) atspeeds of more than 280,000 fps. Manyof today’s cameras can provide true highdefinition (HD) at 1,920 pixels wide by1,080 pixels high images in full 36-bitcolor, as fast as 2,000 frames per second.At present, most televised sportingevents include at least a few shots record-ed with a high speed video camera.

High speed cameras have traditionallybeen used to record destructive testing.We’ve all seen the wonderful images of ablade coming off a turbine, a missileexploding in glorious slow-motiondetail, or vehicle impact testing where

High Speed Cameras for

Non-Destructive Testing

On the Cover:

Utilizing a pair of precisely-synchronized high-speed cameras and with theapplication of a random noise pattern, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) can graphstresses affecting the 'painted' parts. The glove has been painted with the randomnoise pattern so stresses, resulting from the hand being flexed, can be accuratelymeasured and displayed. The woman's dress is similarly patterned. In the cellphone sequence, the different colored arrows show the direction and severity ofshock affecting the target points on the screen during a drop test.

(Images courtesy of Photron)

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Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013 1aFree Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-770


every nuance of an innocent dummy’s demise can be studiedin high definition, slow-motion splendor. But there are sever-al areas where high speed cameras are used to great effect innon-destructive testing (NDT) applications, particularly in dig-ital image correlation (DIC).

Digital Image CorrelationOver the years, digital image correlation has found wide-

spread popularity in many applications due to its robustness,flexibility, accuracy, and overall ease of use. Although DIC hasconventionally been used mostly for quasi-static or moderatelydynamic applications, the availability of affordable and reliablehigh-speed and ultra-high-speed cameras in recent years hasled to a dramatic increase in the use of DIC systems for dynam-ic applications.

Digital Image Correlation utilizes a pair of precisely syn-chronized high speed cameras to record a random patternpainted onto the side of the object of interest (Figure 1). Therecording is then analyzed for shifts in the pixel intensityarray subsets on two or more corresponding images. Due tothe ease in which DIC can be implemented, it has been wide-ly adopted for micro- and nano-scale mechanical testingapplications, and to validate finite element analysis (FEA)models utilized in the development of many products. Forexample, in the past, in order to validate the computermodel, engineers typically placed strain gauges in the predict-ed high-stress locations, applied a force in the same locationand direction as the model, and then analyzed and comparedthe strain data from the strain gauges to the theoretical data

Figure 1. Example of Digital Image Correlation (DIC) studying stress on a cartire driving over wooden block. (Image courtesy of Correlated Solutions, Inc.)

Today’s high speed cameras utilize

very specialized CMOS sensors that

enable them to operate at full

resolution to speeds as fast as

20,000 frames per second (fps).

However, the results at these very

high frame rates typically look

better on a data sheet than they do

when viewed on a monitor or display.

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from the FEA model. Typically, thedata does not match, and then engi-neers must determine how to adjust themechanical testing or the computermodel to make sense of the results.Among the many benefits high per-formance, high-speed cameras provide,it is the ability to precisely synchronizemultiple units that has made cameraslike the new Fastcam SA-X2 mainstaysof the Digital Image Correlation market(Figure 2).

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)

Another non-destructive test in whichhigh speed cameras have gained wide-spread acceptance is the study of parti-cle image velocimetry (PIV) for theanalysis of particle movement within agas or fluid (Figure 3). Here seed parti-cles are very precisely tracked to ascer-tain the flow within the image sequence.These particles are often very fast mov-ing, and extremely small, so it is criticalto keep the time between images asshort as possible. Some cameras mini-mize the time between subsequentframes to the order of a couple of hun-dred nanoseconds. Then the camerasare precisely synchronized to the laser totrigger it at the end of the odd num-bered frames, i.e., frame 1, 3, 5, etc. andat the very beginning of the even frames,frame 2, 4, 6, etc. The PIV software thentracks the seed particles’ motion to pro-vide a very exact map and analysis of thefluid or air flow being studied.

Critical Light Sensitivity Low cost LED lighting has greatly

helped, but it is the sensor design itselfthat has made the greatest inroads intolight sensitivity. Miniature micro lenseshave been successfully employed toensure the maximum possible amountof light is directed onto the light-gather-ing area of the pixel.

A pixel’s fill factor can roughly bedefined as the percentage of the pixelthat is used for collecting light, asopposed to the assorted control circuitryalso required. As recently as five yearsago, a state-of-the-art high speed cameracould boast a light sensitivity of aroundISO 8,000 for monochrome and 1,600for color. The reason for this disparity,typically around two to three timesbetween color and monochrome, is theutilization of a color filter array (CFA)over the monochrome sensor fromwhich the color levels for each pixel arecalculated. Today, the most light-sensitivehigh speed camera available delivers anISO 12232 Ssat (saturation-based sensitiv-ity) qualified light sensitivity of 25,000for monochrome, 10,000 for color.

Light sensitivity is a very important fac-tor in NDT and other high speed imag-ing applications. This is why it is essentialto carefully evaluate the high speed cam-eras available, when choosing an imagerfor a particular application. At firstglance, it may not appear that ISO25,000 represents the most light sensitivecamera available, but this is because notall manufacturers accurately report their

www.techbriefs.com Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-771

Figure 2. Fastcam SA-X2 with built-in delay generator, SD Cards, and superior light sensitivity. (Photocourtesy of Photron USA, Inc.)

High Speed Cameras

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Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013 3aFree Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-772

cameras’ stated light sensitivity. Onemanufacturer states their cameras aretested to ISO 12232, but then adds a mys-terious letter ‘T’ after the stated levels of43,700 and 3,900 respectively – neitherof which are recognized ISO values.

It is also noteworthy that the ‘rule ofthumb’, i.e. a color sensor being half to a

third as sensitive as its monochromecounterpart, does not apply here. Thelight-sensitive standard established usingISO 12232 states that monochrome sen-sors shall be measured using tungstenillumination with an infrared (IR) cut-offfilter in place to remove the otherwiseoverpowering infrared light. When this

filter is removed, the amount of light,most of it being unusable infrared light,is significantly increased, hence the out-landish figures noted above. Assuming ausable figure of 43,700 was available(which it is not), ISO speed values dictatethat any figure in between 40,000 and49,999 shall be listed as ISO 40,000.

When evaluating the light sensitive ISOvalues, always take a critical look at whatthe stated claims are from all high speedcamera manufacturers. If the mono-chrome value is in excess of 40,000, itdoes the end user no good as they cannotrealize the claimed benefit; it would belike a car manufacturer claiming 1,000miles per gallon if you were to use theirtop secret and commercially-unavailablefuel. So make sure when you comparelight sensitivity, you compare like-to-liketo reveal a true ISO 12232 Ssat value andnot something else. Most importantly,insist on a demonstration at your facilityso that you can be absolutely certain youare comparing apples to apples.

This article was written by AndrewBridges, Director, Sales and Marketing,Photron (San Diego, CA). For more informa-tion, contact Mr. Bridges at [email protected] or visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-200.

Figure 3. Sample model of tomographic PIV measurements. (Image courtesy of LaVision Inc. and DelftUniversity of Technology)

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4a www.techbriefs.com Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013

Applications

P rojected-capacitive (PCAP) touchsensing technology is rapidly evolv-

ing to meet the advanced user-interfaceneeds of modern applications. Popularconsumer products that use multitouchand gestures have fueled an increaseddemand for projected-capacitive touchsolutions beyond these applications.People expect to interact with mostdevices in the same manner as theirsmart phones and tablets. The chal-lenge is that not all applications canafford the hardware, software and powerbudget associated with the currentsmartphone-optimized designs.

Applications such as security controlpanels, keypads, thermostats, gamingdevices, remote controls and wearableshave very different requirements withregard to response time, number oftouches, power consumption and cost.The ability to optimize the touch con-troller and sensor solution to meetthese requirements is crucial for theindustry to expand beyond the mainconsumer applications.

One of the primary challenges ofexpanding projected-capacitive sensingtechnology into other markets is powerconsumption. The relatively high powerconsumption of most touch applica-tions has limited their adoption in low-

power input devices. Most embeddeddevices have user expectations for bat-tery life measured in months and years,not hours like our current mobiledevices. Power-consumption require-ments and management become criticalduring the evaluation of projected-capacitive technology. The optimalcombination of PCAP code withextreme low power management hasenabled customers to address thesepower constraints while adding thePCAP touch and gesture functionality.

As an example, single-touch tap,swipe, swipe and hold, and double-tapgestures can be deployed using low-power and inexpensive electronics solu-tions. Performance data for a small 1” X2” sensor running at 2V can have lowpower usage of ~15 uA in an active idlemode, waiting for a touch, and only 150uA for active scanning. In a recentdesign win, this translated into a 2+ yearbattery life. Remote controls, gamingcontrols and other power-consciousdevices can benefit from these advance-ments in PCAP technology and powermanagement. As with all applications,there are sometimes performance trade-offs, but power, size and other character-istics can be managed to meet the low-power design requirements.

Flexibility is the next challenge toexpanding projected-capacitive touchsensing into new markets. The rapidlyemerging market trend of incorporat-ing touch and gestures into a widerange of devices outside the traditionalmobile market requires customers toalso move quickly to keep up with com-petition. The resulting fast designcycles require progressive and flexiblePCAP touch controllers and sensordesign options.

Traditional PCAP solutions have longdesign cycles with rigid implementa-tions, consisting of an ASIC-style touchcontroller and fixed sensor design.Many suppliers of touch technologyoffer dedicated black-box, ASIC-styletouch controllers that match up withspecific touch sensors. They work fortheir dedicated application, but the cus-tomer has limited design flexibility.These fixed solutions do not allow forcode modifications, if a small change isintroduced during the development orproduction cycle. For example, if adesigner wants to make a simple sensordesign change in size or construction,this type of change could be considereda redesign and would require extensivework with the touch-sensor supplier toupdate their code and sensor design.

Applications

Projected-Capacitive Touch Sensing Technology

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Also, these closed solutions do notallow customers to integrate code forother functions, such as LED control,WiFi, or IR into the same controller tocreate a multi-functional device withtouch. Customers can miss opportuni-ties for cost reduction and efficiency bybeing locked into a closed solution. It isalso difficult for customers to managetheir development cycles and to deploynext-generation designs for cost reduc-tion and feature enhancement.

Customers should not be boxed in byhardware and software in their PCAPsolution. One approach to meet thechallenge of providing flexible designchanges and efficiencies is to empowerdesigners with source-code access andtools that enable them to independentlymake further customization and createoptimized solutions for their applica-tions. This design flexibility allows cus-tomers to manage their touch-interfacesolutions to enable fast and targetedmodifications on their own timetableswithout depending on external vendors.

The sensor is the third challenge inenabling other markets to adopt project-ed-capacitive touch sensing. Touch sen-sors in the mobile market are often pro-

prietary designs with limited access tosupply chains. This restricted accesspresents a sourcing challenge as well asfunctional uncertainty for those that tryto make their own custom solution.Fortunately, the recent development ofvarious types of inexpensive projected-capacitive touch sensors that are easilyavailable and manufacturable nowenable designers to start working onthese new market segments with PCAP-enabled designs.

Some examples of these sensor typesinclude touch pads and flexible sensors.Typical touchpads are inexpensive sen-sors based on a printed circuit board(PCB) that can be used under a plasticoverlay material, similar to the look andfeel of the touchpad on laptops. Thesestandard sensor designs provide thedesired smooth-surface feel, with tapand swipe touch response, to everydayinterfaces on applications such as gam-ing devices, light switches, automotiveconsoles and remote controls.

Other sensors options include flexibleprinted circuit (FPC) sensors and print-ed sensors with conductive inks. Theseflexible sensors offer options for designswith curved surfaces or backlit keypads

that need cutouts for LED lighting.Advancements in transparent printedconductors are quickly developing toprovide inexpensive and manufac-turable transparent touch sensors forlower-cost display solutions, includingwearable applications.

Touch solutions are rapidly evolvingand proliferating into many designs,beyond the smartphone or tablet mar-kets. Customers are seeking ways to addtouch interfaces and gestures into theirdesigns that are both easy to integrateand address the typical design chal-lenges discussed here. Limited powerbudgets and the need for flexibledesign options for touch-controller andsensor solutions are no longer obstaclesfor projected-capacitive sensing tech-nology to be used in everyday embed-ded applications.

This article was written by By CarolCrawford, Director, Touch-Screen Controllers,and Charlie Riegert, Product Manager,Touch-Screen Controllers, Microchip Tech -nology Inc. (Chandler, AZ). For more infor-mation, contact Ms. Crawford at [email protected], Mr. Riegert [email protected] or visit http://info.hotims.com/45609-201.

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6a www.techbriefs.com Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013

Apart from the fundamental interestof discovering the physical effects thatare behind the light-matter interactionprocesses that make it possible, slowingand storing light currently attracts a lotof attention because the ability to con-trol the propagation speed of opticalpulses, to stop and to release them ondemand, is a key tool in the manipula-tion of optical signals. Two main applica-tions directly benefit from the ability toslow and store light: the first is thebuffering/multiplexing of optical puls-es, concerning telecommunications andoptical delay lines, and the second isphase sensing, as employed for detect-ing small phase variations, realizingcompact, highly-sensitive interferome-ters or implementing phase compensa-tion in optical array systems

With respect to other exiting methodsto obtain slow light, the novelty of themethod proposed here is the use of aphotochemical process of dye moleculeshosted in a chiral liquid crystal structureand the associated photo-isomerizationinduced transparency effect1. The ideaof using a molecular medium is, in itself,new, but also the type of molecularassembly, the chiral structure, is impor-tant. Indeed, the helical structure is suf-ficiently rigid to keep the dyes in theirplaces, and to avoid optically inducedorientation of the liquid crystals, whilesoft enough to allow local and smallchanges of the molecular order aroundthe dyes with transformed shape (cisstate). When a pulse is sent onto themedium together with a referencebeam, the change of shape of the dyes inthe illuminated regions produces adynamic hologram that keeps the mem-ory of the pulse and allows slowing itdown via the induced variations of themedium dispersion properties.

Group delays of the order of tens ofmilliseconds were achieved. To under-stand the advantage brought in by slowlight in phase sensing applications, onehas to introduce the concept of groupindex, which is the equivalent of therefractive index felt by a light pulsewhile it traverses a medium within whichit is being delayed. In other words, thegroup index is the ratio of the speed oflight in vacuum to the speed of the lightpulse (group velocity) in the medium.Now, the sensitivity of an interferometeris proportional to the optical path differ-

ence between the arms of the interfer-ometer. If a slow light medium is insert-ed in one of the arms, then the equiva-lent optical path difference for lightpulses becomes amplified because theoptical thickness of the slow light medi-um becomes dilated by a factor that isnothing else but the group index. Inmedia where large group delays areachieved, the group index can becomevery large and, therefore, the sensitivityof slow-light based interferometers canbe considerably increased with respectto conventional ones. A recent demon-stration of this concept has been real-ized by performing extremely sensitiveDoppler shift measurements in a liquidcrystal slow light medium2.

While slow light is realized in severalsystems, only a few media have shownthe ability of storing light, among them,atomic vapors and a particular class ofsolid crystals when operated at very lowtemperature. In these systems, the phys-ical effect is the so-called electromagnet-ically induced transparency (EIT) andthe coherent states, allowing the infor-mation of the pulse to be stored in themedium, are atomic levels, either thoseof atoms in vapors or those of color cen-ters locked in a crystal lattice.

In our system, the states into whichthe optical information is stored arethose of the dye molecules hosted in thechiral structure formed by the liquidcrystal matrix. These dyes are able tochange their conformation under lightirradiations. More precisely, our medi-um is made of an ordered arrangementof organic molecules, the liquid crystals,disposed in a helical structure, in whichhas been inserted a small amount (dop-ing) of dyes. Such dyes possess an azogroup that makes them sensitive to lightirradiation.

When light irradiates the medium, thedyes undergo a photo-excitation process– an electron is excited by photonabsorption, then, when decaying to theground state the molecule changes itsshape, bending around the azo group,from an elongated (trans) to a v-like(cis) form, thus keeping memory of theoptical process undergone. The concen-tration of molecules in the cis-state isrelated to the propagation of the pulsein the sample. The two molecular formsare called “isomers” and the photo-exci-tation process is called photo-isomeriza-

tion. It is this process that we exploit tokeep the memory of the pulse. Indeed,because the absorption cross-sections ofthe trans and cis states are different, ithappens that the absorption propertiesof the sample become different in thebright (illuminated) and in the darkregions.

When two beams are sent to interactin the medium, a cis population gratingis correspondingly created and a trans-parency window appears around the res-onance condition for which the twobeams have the same frequency. Thewidth of the transparency window isdetermined by the decay rate of the cistowards the trans state. The effect is sim-ilar to the EIT but, in our case, it is thephoto-isomerization process acting onthe dyes that induces the transparencywindow and the involved energy levelsare those of molecules instead of atoms.

Soft matter systems are easy to imple-ment, there is a large flexibility in thechoice of the materials (liquid crystals,dyes, chiral dopants) so that, forinstance, various wavelength rangescould be addressed, and large transversesize samples could be realized by usingthe standard technology of liquid crystaldisplays.

In future investigations, steps could betaken in order to extend the range ofapplicability of this method to othermolecular arrangements, different com-positions, different concentrations ofchiral dopants, and different types ofdyes. These new functionalized soft mat-ter materials should be able to increasethe operational wavelength range, intro-duce tunability, and enlarge frequencybandwidth for more applicability andperformances in phase sensing applica-tions.

This work was done by D. Wei, U.Bortolozzo, J.P. Huignard, and S. Residori ofINLN, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis,Centre Nationale da la Recherche Scientifique.For more information, contact UmbertoBortolozzo at [email protected].

References1. D. Wei, U. Bortolozzo, J.P. Huignard and

S. Residori, Slow and stored light by photo-isomerization induced transparency in dyedoped chiral nematics, Optics Express 21,1954, 2013.

2. U. Bortolozzo, S. Residori and J.C. Howell,Precision Doppler measurements withsteep dispersion, Optics Letters 38, 3107,2013.

Slowing Light Via Beam Coupling in Dye-Doped Chiral NematicsINLN, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, Valbonne, France


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ExhibitionsBiOS Expo: 1–2 February 2014Photonics West: 4–6 February 2014

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Board-Level CameraEquipped with the CMV300 VGA sensor from CMOSIS,

Baumer’s (Southington, CT) new MXG03 board-level cam-era delivers very high frame rates up to 250 frames/s and canbe integrated into extremely small spaces. The camera uses aflex print to connect the sensor and system board, which al-lows the camera to fit easily into almost any mechanical de-sign. An integrated global shutter with correlated doublesampling allows the camera to detect the fastest movementswith low readout noise and excellent image quality.

The high sensitivity of the MXG03 camera surpasses the even sensitivity of CCD sensors. Thecamera’s GigE standard interface provides high bandwidth, reduces integration and maintenancecosts and supports the installation of camera networks. Comprehensive camera features like trig-ger delay, sequencer, debouncer, packet or transmission delay, storable user sets or an optionalPower over Ethernet (PoE) power supply are also standard. An addition to the existing eight mod-els available in the MXG series, the MXG03 camera is available in monochrome or color versions.


Optical TriggersSpecialised Imaging Ltd. (Tring, UK) has

been assigned the worldwide rights by SFW (ElCajon, CA, USA) to manufacture and marketits new range of optical triggers. The alreadyhighly reliable OT-series trigger has been re-en-gineered by Specialised Imaging to reduce itssize and improve robustness. The new OT3 op-tical trigger is battery driven to make the sys-tem portable and isolate its operation from interference from ground loops, noise spiking orbrownout. The sensor is a blue enhanced array of twelve diodes that has a spectral response from300-1300nm. A 700nm cut-off filter has been incorporated to reduce the range from 300-700nmso that it is much less likely to saturate from high IR sources, such as clouds.

A further benefit of the OT3 is that it can be used as an IR muzzle flash detector as well as asky-screen detector. Due to the unique design of the OT3, the sky screen reference can be artifi-cial (e.g. white board or a LED light array) thus removing any operational dependence on goodweather. The OT3 Optical Trigger is aimed at the outdoor market and will offer particular ben-efits for use with high speed cameras on proofing ranges.


Product of the Month Full HD Autofocus 8MP USB 3.0 Camera

e-con Systems Inc. (St. Louis, MO) haslaunched the See3CAM_80, part of the See3CAMfamily of USB3.0 SuperSpeed cameras. TheSee3CAM_80 supports video streaming at resolu-tions of up to 1080p@30fps and includes an eightmegapixel autofocus camera module, the e-CAM80_MI8825_MOD, with an OV8825 CMOSimage sensor. The UVC compliant camera is plug-and-play in both Windows and Linux. In Win-dows, the camera is exposed as a DirectShow de-vice and in Linux, as a V4L2 capture source.

The See3CAM_80 supports VGA@30,720p30, 1080p30 preview resolutions for high end

video recording, video analytics and HD video conferencing applications. e-con is also bring-ing the full 8 Megapixel still image capture capability to regular PCs for very high resolutionimaging applications. Above all, the See3CAM_80 can stream the full 8MP resolution videoat around 11fps for applications where full image resolution is required, but at a lower framerate. All the above are uncompressed video and streaming is through the USB3.0 interfacewhich supports about 5Gbps bandwidth.


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Mid-IR Transport FiberNP Photonics Inc. (Tucson, AZ) has

introduced a mid-infrared (IR) trans-port fiber that offers high transparencyacross the visible and mid-infrared (400nm to 4500 nm) and has been designedto be mechanically robust. The fiber ispackaged in armored cable and fea-tures SMA connectors and a broadbandanti-reflection (AR) coating. The new fiber is ideal for beam delivery inmedical applications and is compatible with optical parametric oscilla-tor (OPO) systems and quantum cascade (QC) lasers.

The NP Photonics proprietary fiber technology is used across a broadfamily of products, including narrow line-width, low phase-noise fiberlasers; compact, high-gain, fiber amplifier modules (CW, pulsed andUF) at 1 micron and 1.55 microns; broadly transparent (0.4 to 5 mi-crons), ultra-low-loss, mid-IR transport fibers and glasses; high-power 2-micron lasers.


3D Weld Seam Inspection Software

New EyeVision 3.0 softwarefrom EVT Eye Vision TechnologyGmbH (Karlsruhe, Germany) per-forms automated 3D inspection ofweld seams and stores the resultsfor further processing. The follow-

ing metrical properties are tested: seam position, seam height, seam vol-ume, seam width and length, as well as weld-specific features such asthroat thickness, seam binding, edge notch, consistency in length andend craters. The object is also examined for pores, seam irregularitiesand weld splatters. The computer unit processes the weld seam imagesusing the EyeVision 3.0 evaluation software and depicts the inspectionresults visually on a display. The user also has the ability to display theresults with EyeMultiview, where up to 16 result windows can be dis-played at the same time.

Compatible computer hardware includes the EyeScan SR 3D with ameasurement resolution of 100 m lateral and 10 m vertical. The scanfrequency is 500 Hz max.


Vision System Frame Grabber BitFlow, Inc. (Boston, MA) has introduced the Cyton™ CXP4 four-

channel frame grabber based on the CoaXPress standard. Key to its suc-cess is the incorporation of the Gen 2.0 x8 PCI

Express bus interface on its back-end,an advancement that doubles the datarate of the Gen 1.0 bus for the ulti-mate high speed access to host mem-

ory in multi-camera systems, while usingthe same compact footprint and connectors.

By supporting the CoaXPress (CXP) standard on itsfront end, the Cyton CXP4 facilitates video capture speeds of up to 6.250Gigabits/second (Gb/S) in applications deploying one to four CXP-6cameras. CXP also allows control commands, triggers and power to besent to and from cameras over the same 75 Ohm coaxial cable, reducing

installation costs. Cyton CXP4 boards willwork not only x16 and x8 PCI slots, but also, asis becoming a trend, x4 and x1 slots that usex16 connectors. It is fully backwards compati-ble with Gen 1.0 motherboards to assist in thecost-effective migration to Gen 2.0.

For Free Info Visithttp://info.hotims.com/45609-214

Sub-Nanosecond Solid-State Lasers

The new Helios series of sub-nanosec-ond solid-state lasers from Coherent, Inc.(Santa Clara, CA) offer a pulse repetition fre-quency of 50 kHz and a pulsewidth of <600 ps.Specific applications include scribing of boththin-film and c-Si solar cells (e.g. selectiveopening of anti-reflection or passivation lay-ers), dicing of silicon wafers, and precisionmarking of a wide range of products.

Coherent’s Q switched lasers are basedon a master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA)architecture. The oscillator ensures a superiorTEM00 circular beam with M² <1.2, and the in-tegrated amplifier stage allows modular powerscaling to the optimum power for specific appli-cations. Helios lasers are available at 1064 nm,with 532 nm to be released soon. Currentlythere are several output powers available, withtotal power up to 5 Watts. At a pulse repetitionrate of 50 kHz, this translates into a pulse energyof 100 microjoules.


10a Photonics Tech Briefs, November 2013Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/45609-777

New Products

MTF Testing – Multi-Waveband

Image Science has been providing customised systemsfor MTF measurement since 1991 for both productionand R&D applications. Other optical parameters meas-ured include Distortion, EFL, Field Curvature, Encircled

Energy, Transmission andStrehl Ratio. Please visit:www.image-science.co.ukfor more information.

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