Technology
Opportunity Showcase
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Technology Opportunity Showcase highlights some
unique technologies that NASA has developed and which
we believe have strong potential for commercial application.
While the descriptions provided here are brief, they should
provide enough information to communicate the potential
applications of the technology. For more detailed information,
contact the person listed. Please mention that you read
about it in Innovation.
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Neural
Net Navigation Tool
NASA
is seeking industrial partners to continue the testing effort
and license for commercialization of a neural net navigation tool,
a self-contained onboard mobile vehicle navigation system. The
system was developed to guide a robot through constrained pathways,
but could potentially be used in a much broader range of applications.
It allows for the autonomous navigation of virtually any mobile
vehicle (such as a robot, truck, automobile, boat or airplane)
that moves in an environment that is delimited by a boundary.
Unlike
other mobile vehicle navigation systems, this invention utilizes
neural network technology to determine the position and angular
orientation of the vehicle without the need for large software
programs and costly computing platforms required by conventional
navigation systems. Neural networks are high-speed parallel processing
electronic circuits modeled after the way neurons are connected
in the human brain.
The
mobile vehicle is first placed in a localized area where it collects
position information using range sensors. This process is repeated
for several localized areas, until the vehicle's entire operating
range has been mapped.
The
system is cost-effective, autonomous, continuously calibrated
and easily adaptable. Potential commercial uses include use as
industrial surveillance robots, material storage and handling
robots, hospital delivery robots, entertainment robots, autonomous
navigation of automobiles and augmentation of GPS navigation systems.
For
more information, contact James Cameron, NASA Johnson Space Center.
Call: 281/483-1749, E-mail: james.l.cameron1@jsc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
UV/IR Hydrogen Flame
Detector
NASA
Kennedy Space Center is seeking companies to license a new ultraviolet/infrared
(UV/IR) hydrogen flame detector for commercial use. This development
is a multispectral, digital signal-processing driven flame detector
capable of sensing a flame from many sources caused by the ignition
of hydrogen gas, and potentially other compressed gases. Commercially
available flame detectors are prone to troublesome false alarms
from reflections of the large flare stack that is continuously
lit during Space Shuttle external tank fueling operations.
This
technology was developed to produce a device immune to false alarms
and capable of reliably detecting a small hydrogen flame. The
detector unit's capabilities include interfacing with a computer
to allow manual changes of the cross-correlation thresholds, sensor
amplifier gains and sensitivity thresholds. The UV/IR flame detector
is immune to false alarm situations by detecting attributes that
are characteristic of an actual flame, while rejecting characteristics
from flame reflections or scattered light.
Potential
commercial uses include the petrochemical, power generation and
aviation/aerospace industries, gas and electronic manufacturers,
and research laboratories.
For
more information, contact Thomas Gould at NASA Kennedy Space Center.
Call: 321/867-6238, E-mail: thomas.gould-1@ksc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
Microfabricated
Gas Sensors
NASA
Glenn Research Center (GRC) is actively seeking industrial partners
to cooperatively further the development of high-temperature sensor
technology and to develop applications for hydrogen sensor technology.
The sensors allow in situ measurement of gases relevant to safety,
emissions and chemical processing. They function in environments
where conventional sensors are inoperable. They can be mass-produced
through silicon-based device fabrication technology. Their minimal
size, weight and power consumption give designers lots of flexibility.
Three
types of the sensors are being developed: leak sensors (including
hydrogen), emission sensors (including high temperature gas sensors)
and fire detection sensors. GRC, in conjunction with Case Western
Reserve University, is developing a family of microfabricated
high-temperature gas sensors to provide accurate and reliable
detection of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon
dioxide and oxygen. Compared with conventional sensors, these
devices often have superior high-temperature performance, chemical
resistance and mechanical toughness. Silicon-processing technology
reduces the cost of fabrication. Integration of these sensors
into an array, effectively a high-temperature electronic nose,
is an active project of the Glenn Micro-systems Initiative.
These
sensors have been applied in a variety of environments, from the
assembly line at Ford Motor Company to demonstration flights on
the Space Shuttle.
For
more information, contact Gary Hunter at NASA Glenn Research Center.
Call: 216/433-6459, E-mail: gary.w.hunter@grc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
