Hello Colleagues:
I thought I would pass this on to you.
Regards,
Robert
----- Original Message -----
From: <nasatechbriefs@LISTSERV.ABPI.NET>
To: <INSIDER@LISTSERV.ABPI.NET>
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 9:14 AM
Subject: Tech Briefs INSIDER 09/29/09
In this edition, sponsored by Sunstone Circuits and Master Bond:
* Retinal Implant Could Help Blind Regain Vision
* Techs of the Week: "Green" Coating, Control Valve
* Biomedical Wireless Ambulatory Crew Monitor
* Estimating Transmitted-Signal Phase Variations for Uplink Array Antennas
* Algae Blooms Broaden Battery Possibilities
* Colorimetry: How to Measure Color Differences
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Sponsor Message
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Learn more at http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A1
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EYE IMPLANT RESTORES VISION
Inspired by the success of cochlear implants that can restore hearing to
some deaf people, Massachusetts of Institute Technology (MIT) researchers
are working on a retinal implant that could one day help blind people
regain a useful level of vision. The eye implant is designed for people who
have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa, or age-related macular
degeneration - two of the leading causes of blindness.
Patients who received the implant would wear a pair of glasses with a
camera that sends images to a microchip attached to the eyeball. When the
microchip receives visual information, it activates electrodes that
stimulate nerve cells in the areas of the retina corresponding to the
features of the visual scene. The electrodes directly activate optical
nerves that carry signals to the brain, bypassing the damaged layers of
the retina.
The chip would not restore normal vision but it could help blind people
more easily navigate a room or walk down a sidewalk. "Anything that could
help them see a little better and let them identify objects and move around
a room would be an enormous help," says Shawn Kelly, a researcher in MIT's
Research Laboratory for Electronics and member of the Boston Retinal
Implant Project. The team will begin testing a prototype implant within
the next three years.
More at: http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A2
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Sponsor Message
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Learn more at http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A3
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TECHS OF THE WEEK
An environmentally-friendly coating method for steel and other metals can
replace a wide range of existing coating methods. The coating can be
applied to a wide range of base materials and allows modification of various
element combinations. Compared to regular diffusion coatings, it uses 90
percent less powder, and 50 percent less energy.
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A4
A control valve enables fast and efficient switching between open-center
and closed-center hydraulic systems. With this valve, the user no longer
must maintain two sets of tools, one set for each system. Using a common
Allen wrench, the user can rapidly adjust the control valve to switch from
one system to the other. http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A5
The Technologies of the Week describe inventions offered for license
through the yet2.com marketplace. Visit their site at
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A6 to search over $2.5 billion of
licensable technologies.
TECH BRIEFS
A compact, ambulatory biometric data acquisition system has been developed
for space and commercial terrestrial use. The system acquires signals from
bio-medical sensors, using acquisition modules attached to a common data
and power bus. Several slots allow the user to configure the unit by
inserting sensor-specific modules. The data is then sent real-time from
the unit over any commercially implemented wireless network including
802.11b/g, WCDMA, and 3G. http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A7
View more Bio-medical tech briefs at: http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A8
A method to estimate phase drifts of microwave signals distributed to
and transmitted by antennas in an array involves using the signals
themselves as phase references. The method was conceived as part of the
solution of the problem of maintaining precise phase calibration required
for proper operation of an array of Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas on
Earth, used to communicate with distant spacecraft at frequencies between
7 and 8 GHz. http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A9
View more Electronics tech briefs at:
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A10
ALGAE STRUCTURE BATTERIES
Researchers at the Ångström Laboratory of Sweden's Uppsala University have
discovered that the cellulose nanostructure of these algae can serve as an
effective coating substrate for use in environmentally friendly batteries.
"These algae have a special cellulose structure characterised by a very
large surface area," says Gustav Nyström, a doctoral student in
Nanotechnology. "By coating this structure with a thin layer of conducting
polymer, we have succeeded in producing a battery that weighs almost nothing
and has set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-
based batteries."
For more information, read the full story at
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A11, on Tech Briefs Media Group's Green
Design & Manufacturing (GD&M) website. The GD&M website is updated daily
with breaking news, feature stories, tech briefs from NASA, videos, new
products, and industry events. From renewable energy to environmental
monitoring to energy efficiency, GD&M has it covered. Visit the site at:
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A12
WHITE PAPER
Colorimetry, the science of color measurement, is widely employed in
commerce, industry and the laboratory to express color in numerical terms
and to measure color differences between specimens. Applications include
paints, inks, plastics, textiles and apparel, food and beverages,
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, displays, and other parts and products that
reflect or transmit color.
To learn more, read the white paper "Colorimetry: How to Measure Color
Differences" at http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A13 .
View more Tech Briefs white papers at:
http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A14
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ADVERTISEMENT
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Event alert
Advances in Conformal Coatings: Enhancing Reliability of Innovative
Technologies
Live Presentation: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 2:00 PM EST
Conformal coatings have been used in the electronics, automotive, military,
aerospace and medical device industries for many years for a variety of
surface modification functions. As devices and components become smaller and
increasingly complex, they present unique challenges for many conformal
coatings. Parylene is an ultra-thin, inert, transparent coating that meets
these challenges. This webinar will focus on Parylene's unique
properties, how the coating is applied, examples of applications that
benefit
from Parylene's properties, and advances that have been made in adhesion
technologies.
Speakers:
Lonny Wolgemuth, Sr. Medical Market Specialist, Specialty Coating Systems
Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Vice President of Technology, Specialty Coating Systems
To learn more, visit http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20090929A15
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- Spencer Chin, Senior Editor
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