NASA Spinoffs: Manufacturing

Since its inception in 1958, few have realized the countless benefits NASA and the space program have provided to increase the quality of life here on Earth. Over the years, NASA technology has produced thousands of spinoffs that have contributed to improving the national economy, productivity, and standard of living. It has become almost impossible to find an area of daily life that has not been improved by NASA spinoff technologies. Together, these secondary applications are indicative of the considerable return on the public's investment in aerospace research.

As a regular feature this year, NASA Tech Briefs presents an overview of some of the most recent NASA spinoffs in a variety of industries. This month, our NASA Spinoffs feature highlights products in the Manufacturing industry that had their roots in NASA technology.

For further information on NASA spinoff technologies, visit www.techbriefs.com/spinoff.

Robotics

After being awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Barrett Technology of Cambridge, MA, developed the EVA-Retriever WAM(TM) (whole-arm manipulation) arm for NASA's use as an autonomous robot to recover crew or tools outside the space station. The device features zero backlash and near-zero friction, and can reach around objects and clasp them.

Today, Barrett Technology offers the first commercially available cable-driven robots and currently features two robotic manipulator product lines: the WAM system and the BH8-Series(TM) hands, both of which received funding through SBIR contracts. The robotic manipulators have applications ranging from human-collaborative medical surgery and emergency response, to chemical, biological, and nuclear materials. www.barretttechnology.com

Prototyping

When Sanders Design International of Wilson, NH, aligned with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL, to develop an accurate rapid prototyping machine for fabrication of extremely precise tooling prototypes, the Rapid ToolMaker(TM) was born. The system produces high-quality, small- to medium-sized prototype patterns and tooling molds with an exactness that surpasses that of computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining devices.

Funded and supported by a Marshall SBIR contract, the device is a dual-use technology with applications in both the military aerospace field and commercial areas. The Rapid ToolMaker is a freestanding unit that supports a computer-aided design (CAD) workstation environment and sequentially builds one layer at a time from a stereolithography file or a Hewlett-Packard Graphic Language file.

The machine can produce complex turbine-bladed disk patterns comprised of a hub, blades, and outer retaining rims, as a single unit, and can construct tiny air passages as small as 75 microns. www.sandersdesign.com

Temperature Sensors

NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH, was seeking an infrared temperature sensor with an extremely small head for a joint flywheel research product, and Watertown, MA-based Exergen Corp. delivered. With funding and support from NASA, the company developed the IRt/c(TM) self-powered sensor that matches a thermocouple within specified ranges, and provides a predictable and repeatable signal outside of this specified range. The sensor possesses a very fast time constant, allowing users to measure product temperature without touching the product.

Following completion of the NASA project, Exergen continued to develop it for other customers, spinning off a new product called the micro IRt/c, which offers a solution for industries that previously could not use infrared thermometers due to size constraints. The sensors are currently used in applications for thermal processes requiring precise temperature measurement, www.exergen.com

Microwave Sensors

Radatec, an Atlanta, GA-based manufacturer of sensor systems for monitoring combustion-zone components in turbine engines, received assistance from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California in the form of Phase I and Phase II SBIR grants, which helped fund further development of the company's proprietary, non-contact microwave sensing technology for monitoring complex heavy machinery used on aircraft and in power plants. The subsequent hardware/software system can warn of impending problems before they become dangerous.

The system provides very precise data regarding component strength while a turbine is in full-speed operation. It is unaffected by interference that disrupts other sensors, and accurately assesses vibrations deep within an engine that were previously immeasurable. The sensor systems have found their widest application in protecting the investment of large, critical rotating machinery, and can be used in noncontact measurement of road/terrain surfaces ahead of a moving vehicle. www.radatec.com

Copyright Associated Business Publications Feb 2004
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