NASA has a mandate to push the technologies it develops for space out into Earth , too . So over the last few years , the agency has made more than a thousand patents available for licensing – from inflatable dwellings to humanoid robots .
The so - called Technology Transfer Program has been around for a while , but this week NASAannounced a fresh effortto pair its patent with startups , get it free for small fellowship to borrow engineering science from the agency ( at least for the first few days ) . It ’s an interesting luck to look at the huge grasp of Earthly invention that come up from an agency consecrate to outer space .
Amongst them are inventions that could have significant impacts on the world in the correct hands – advances in bombardment technology , ego - healing metal , and even thing like biometric password based on heartbeat .
[ NASA ; h / tArs Technica ]
Amorphous Robots (US Patent No. 8,662,213)
The letters patent library actually includes many NASA - built robots , but one of the most interesting is theBladderBot : An unstructured automaton project to get over rocky or treacherous terrain without wheel or branch . Instead , it uses three bladders of liquid and a central spigot to distribute liquid into different area , moving the bot over the surface of the Earth ( or another ) .
A New Type of Alloy (Patent Pending)
There are passel of unexampled materials in the library – in fact there ’s a whole category devote to them – and it includes a newly - coin human body of aluminum alloy with dear tensile properties called NASA-427 . to begin with developed for use in the Ares roquette curriculum , NASA is hoping a car maker will use it for strong wheels or brake calliper .
Inflatable Habitat (US Patent No. 8,070,105)
construct for inflatable space habitats have been around since the sixties – in fact , this excogitation by NASA patented in 2011 even cite a 1961 plan . It makes sense : In extreme environs , space let in , it ’s often impossible to convey the traditional expression materials needed for a habitat – hence easily folding , stowable fabric structures that can be inflated and pressurized , like this one .
Robo-Glove (US Patent No. 8,255,079)
NASA ’s project to post a humanoid golem into place resulted in several off - shoot projects , like this one , which it name “ fundamentally a robot on your hand . ” Like full - organic structure exo - skeleton that let manufacturing plant workers lift unbelievable dozens , it impart strength to your genuine bridge player while you ’re working , reduce loads and making it easier to fascinate a peter or object for farsighted periods than you normally could .
Self-Healing Metal US Patent No. 8,347,479
It ’s no surprise that self - heal textile make multiple appearance on the tilt , but this textile is interesting because it can heal crack in metallic element . It ’s actually a facing that ’s painted over a given part of a ship or cock . When a go forms , the material is heated up to its melting head – which is low than that of them underlie metal – and it liquify to fill the cracking . As NASA target out , right now this process has to come about in a vacuum – the next finish is making it easier to do in open gentle wind .
Heartbeat passwords (US Patent No. 8,489,181)
We ’ve heard a lot about biometric word this year , and NASA is also study them : This patent for a package software apply 192 different parameters to identify a mortal using the wave created by their heart beating .
Converting Greenhouse Gas to Fuel With Sunlight (Patent Pending)
One of the most challenging patents on the tilt is still pending : Solar Powered Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) Conversion . Details are few and far between , but this is a photoelectrochemical electric cell that NASA imagine major polluters and industrial sites could put in to take in CO2 before it gets belched into the atmosphere .
Using sun , these cellphone convert the natural gas into fuels like methane , the patent of invention ’s verbal description pronounce . Exactly how is still unclear , since the letters patent has n’t been granted yet . But NASA says it has build up a way to make these mobile phone inexpensively and apace – gratuitous to say , it ’s going to be interesting to encounter out more about this one .
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