Tech Briefs, Motion Design, and Battery & Electrification Technology

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Tech Briefs, Motion Design, and

Battery & Electrification Technology
Included in This February 2022 Edition:
Tech Briefs Motion Design Battery & Electrification
Technology
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February 2022 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 46 No. 2

February 2022 February 2022
Executive Roundtable:
Sensing & IIoT
A Failure-Tolerant Modeling a Semisolid Flow Battery

Flow Control Valve
Uninterruptible High-Performance Testing
Power Systems Platforms for EV Battery Packs
A Portable The Path to Smarter Vehicle
Braille Display Designing Smarter Charging
Gas Flow Devices
Making Batteries Safer
SPECIAL SECTION: Software Gives and Lighter
Technology Leaders in Robots Human Touch
Power Management Supplement to
Supplement to Tech Briefs
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February 2022 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 46 No. 2
Sensing & IIoT
Uninterruptible
Power Systems
A Portable
Braille Display
SPECIAL SECTION:
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February 2022 • Vol. 46 No. 2
Contents
Features
10
8 Products of Tomorrow
12 Executive Roundtable: Sensing and IIoT
44 Facility Focus: The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
48 NASA Spinoff: Satellite-Based Search and Rescue System
8
Tech Briefs
20 Manufacturing & Prototyping
20 Fabricating Superconducting Circuitry on Both Sides of an
Ultrathin Silicon Layer
20 Sound Waves Transport Droplets for Rewritable Lab-on-a-Chip
Devices
21 Fabrication Method for Large-Scale Production of Perovskite
Solar Cells
22 3D Printing of Polymers
22 3D-Printed Objects Sense How a User is Interacting with Them
44
24 Materials & Coatings
24 New Class of Nickel-Based Superalloys Withstands Extreme Heat
24 Bio-Inspired, Blood-Repelling Glue Seals Wounds Quickly
25 Load-Bearing Material Mimics Human Cartilage
26 Healable Carbon Fiber Composite
26 Dyeing Process Gives Textiles Electronic Properties
28 Optics
28 Photonic Integrated Chip for Improved Light Control
Departments
28 Sub-Pixel Spatial Resolution Interferometry
6 Click
29 Nanoscale LED Also Functions as a Laser
10 5 Ws
30 Optical Coating Exhibits the Same Color in Reflection and 11 Q&A
Transmission
47 Advertisers Index
30 Light Helps Autonomous Vehicles Better Scan for Nearby
Fast-Moving Objects
32 Imaging New for Design Engineers
32 Electronic Paper Displays Brilliant Colors 42 New on the Market
32 System Uses Smartphone or Computer Cameras to
Measure Health
33 Multi-Shot Lensless Camera Special Section
34 High-Definition Millimeter-Wave Body Scanner Technology Leaders in Power Management
34 Progressive Band Selection for Hyperspectral Images 16 The Pursuit of an Uninterruptible Power Supply
(Tech Briefs continued on page 4)
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Contents
35 Smart Displays Show Information Through Fabric

Product of the Month
36 Power & Energy
COMSOL, Inc., has introduced
36 Artificial Intelligence Improves Battery Health and Safety the Model Manager, a new
workspace in COMSOL Multiphysics®
36 Wearable Biofuel Cells Produce Electricity from Lactate software that enables efficient
simulation data management
37 Wearable Device Transforms the Human Body into a Biological and collaboration.
Battery
42
37 Polymer-Based Battery Enables Fast Charging and Low
Operating Temperatures
38 Eliminating Corrosion Extends Life of Lightweight Batteries
On the Cover
39 Sustainable Technology
The manufacturing industries are undergoing a digital
39 Cleaner Water Through Corn transformation worldwide, which is speeding up the
adoption of Industry 4.0. This shift to digital is fueling
39 Chemistry Discovery Could Remove Micropollutants from the advances in smart sensors that not only capture
Environment sensing data, but also interpret that data into
actionable insights for a variety of applications in the
40 Recycling Battery Parts Without Crushing or Melting Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) space. On page 12,
industry experts share their perspective on the future
41 Tires Turned into Graphene Make Stronger Concrete outlook for smart sensors and IIoT.
(Image: Den Rise)
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VIDEO PODCAST
How to Build a ‘Smart’ Hand (for Space) Here’s an Idea: Microneedles

If you want to add a gripper to the free-flying cube robots float- Who really likes needles? A brand-new episode of our Tech
ing around the International Space Station, you can’t add lots Briefs podcast series Here’s an Idea™ explores the emergence of
of motors, sensors, and big computers. See how a Columbia a drug-delivery patch made of microneedles. The Velcro-like
Engineering team equipped a single-motor, three-finger hand option is less painful — and more effective, it turns out. And
to do a wide range of grasping tasks on the ISS. the devices are especially valuable during a pandemic.
Watch this video and more on Listen to this episode at

TechBriefs.TV TechBriefs.com/podcast
QUESTION INTERVIEW
OF THE MONTH
New Materials Could Lead to a Quieter Car A Carbon-Fiber Composite Self-Heals

Automotive manufacturers are focusing on the idea of limiting Many golf clubs and aerospace parts are both strong and light
noise and vibration inside the vehicle. Engineers are using digital because they are made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymeric
simulations to see how their designs lead to brake squeals, wind (CFRP) composites. A team from RPI and the University of
noise, or the shaking of an engine. A reader asks our industry Washington has created a CFRP composite that reverses
expert: “Can the choice of material lead to greater gear noise?” fatigue damage. Lead researcher Aniruddh Vashisth explains.
Find the answer on Read the full interview at

TechBriefs.com/blog TechBriefs.com/blog
Instagram: @TechBriefs Twitter: @TechBriefsMag Facebook: @TechBriefsMagazine LinkedIn: Tech Briefs Media

Multiphysics Simulation
Feeds Innovation
Engineering teams need to be able to accurately predict the
real-world behavior of their designs, devices, and processes.
How? By taking multiple physical phenomena into account
simultaneously with COMSOL Multiphysics®.
» comsol.com/feature/multiphysics-innovation
Products of
This column presents technologies that have
applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the
products of tomorrow. To learn more about each
Tomorrow
technology, see the contact information provided for
that innovation.
► Hydrogel
Electrodes Flex
to Fit the
Body’s Shapes
Harvard University ► Sensors Detect
has developed flexi- Inert Gases
ble, metal-free elec-
trode arrays that snugly conform to the body’s Few sensors are avail-
myriad shapes, from deep creases of the brain to able to detect inert gases.
fibrous nerves of the heart. This close embrace NASA Ames Research
allows electrical impulses to be recorded and Center developed a light-
stimulated with lower required voltages, enables weight sensor that consumes a relatively small
their use in hard-to-reach areas of the body, and amount of power for detection of inert gases. The
minimizes the risk of damage to delicate organs. carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensor detects
The hydrogel-based electrodes take the shape of inert gases such as argon, oxygen, nitrogen, and
whatever tissue they are placed on and open the carbon dioxide. The sensor system can provide a
door to creation of less invasive, personalized high-sensitivity tool that is very specific for identi-
medical devices. fication of one or more gas components. The sen-
sors can be multiplexed to measure current from
Contact: Leah Burrows multiple CNT arrays for simultaneous detection
Phone: 617-496-1351 of several gas components.
E-mail: lburrows@seas.harvard.edu
Contact: NASA’s Licensing Concierge

Phone: 202-358-7432
E-mail: Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov
https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/TOP2-111
► Anti-Corrosion Compound Protects Steel from the Elements

A flexible, self-healing coating made of sulfur and selenium protects build-
ings, bridges, and anything made of steel that sits above or below the water.
Rice University’s compound is more dielectric (insulating) than most flexi-
ble materials and more flexible than most dielectrics, making it a good can-
didate for components in electronics like bendable cellphones. And when
placed in salt water, the coating was found to be self-healing and could protect steel from the elements.
Contact: Mike Williams

Phone: 713-348-6728
E-mail: mikewilliams@rice.edu

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5 Who
Ws of the Portable
Braille Display
A system uses combustion to inflate silicone membrane “dots,” which could someday serve as a dynamic braille display
for electronics.
What
Imagine a tablet or Kindle that can
display braille on command for the
visually impaired. The major hurdle
in designing the dynamic display is
how to apply the necessary amount
of force to raise each popup dot.
This system is composed of molded
silicone and microfluidic liquid
metal traces, in which liquid metal
electrodes cause a spark to ignite a
microscale volume of premixed
methane and oxygen. This fuel
flows through a series of independ-
ent channels, each leading to a 3-
millimeter-wide actuator. The rapid
combustion forces a thin silicone
membrane at each site to inflate A magnetic latching system gives the dots their persistent form and the whole system can
several millimeters. A magnetic be reset simply by pressing them down. (Photo: Cornell University)
latching system gives these dots
their persistent form, and the whole system can be reset simply by pressing them down. Because there is no need for
electromechanical valves, the actuators can be packed more densely together, resulting in a smaller, potentially
portable system that still manages to produce large displacements at high force in under 1 millisecond. Since the flu-
idic elastomer actuators cool quickly, and so little fuel is required, a commercial version could be safely operated.
Where
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
Why
Earlier attempts have involved motors, hydraulics, or tethered pumps, all of which are cumbersome, complex, and
expensive. Using combustion, small volumes of gas can create a powerful outcome.
When
The current system consists of nine fluidic elastomer actuators, but the researchers are hoping to scale that up and
eventually create a full electronic tactile display. The stretchable technology could also be used for soft robots, surgi-
cal tools, and wearable VR equipment.
Contact Abby Butler at ajb493@cornell.edu; 607-254-4799

Q&A NEW!
4 AXIS SERVO
from
A Unique Material Transmits Heat in

One Direction and Blocks it in Another 2.25”
Professor Jiwoong Park with a very thin material, about 10 cen-
and his team at the timeters in size, but it could be larger.
University of Chicago We then stack them one by one, so in
have made a material that principle it could be any thickness that
is crystalline in the X-Y we would like. In our experiment, we
direction, but amorphous went up to 20 or 30 layers, which
in the Z direction. It amounts to 10 to 20 nanometers.
therefore has the unique thermal proper-
ties that it is an excellent transmitter of Tech Briefs: Do you picture this on
heat in the x-y plane but a thermal insula- the scale of integrating it into a chip
tor in the z plane. or a larger electronic assembly?
Tech Briefs: How did you get started Park: Introducing any new step or
on this research? ingredient to a CMOS process is daunt-
ing because you need to consider so
Jiwoong Park: We started three or many processes that happen before
four years ago with our curiosity about a and after. However, we are in conversa-
material we had made. If you look at any tion with the industry to think about a - brushed or bldc motors
material, let’s say metal or glass, it has way to integrate it, but it’s at a very
similar structural properties in all three early stage. - 5 amps per axis
directions. If it’s a crystal, it’s crystalline - 16 analog inputs
in all three directions. If it’s amorphous, Tech Briefs: On a larger scale could it
like glass, then it’s amorphous in all be mounted on a mechanical
- 16 on/off drivers
three directions. We had grown a very structure, possibly inside an iPhone - home and limit in
thin two-dimensional crystal and won- or something like that?
dered what would happen if we stacked
- live tech support
them. It turned out that it was crystalline Park: I do have to think about it more - made in the USA
in the X-Y direction, but amorphous in because the big question is always how to
the Z direction. separate heat-producing parts from
heat-sensitive parts. One has to do some- See the
Tech Briefs: How do you make this thing to put them together in a tight
material? space. EZQUAD SERVO
Park: The first step is to grow the indi- Tech Briefs: How close are you to
in action!
vidual layer. We use a technique called being able to implement this in an
metal organic chemical vapor deposition. actual product?
We have a substrate and introduce pre-
cursors, meaning the ingredient atoms Park: Now, the ratio of the conductive
and molecules, and then we control the
temperature. We usually heat it up, then
part to the insulating part is about 1,000.
If we can make it 10,000 or 100,000, it WWW.ALLMOTION.COM
bring it to low pressure and the molecule will become more appealing. And realiz-
breaks down, releasing the atoms that we
want — in this case molybdenum and sul-
ing the same properties with different
materials, will give industry much more
(510) 471-4000
fur. They react on the surface of the sub- opportunity to think about using this for 30097 Ahern Avenue
strate and form a mono-layer crystal. a variety of different processes. At the Union City, CA 94587
current stage, we want to make this plat-
Te c h n i c a l S u p p o r t
Tech Briefs: How large an area of this form more general so that more people
(408) 460-1345
material did you, or can you, make? can pick up on it.
Park: We can make it into literally Read the full transcript of this Q&A at
wafer scale or bigger because we start www.techbriefs.com.
Tech Briefs, February 2022 www.techbriefs.com Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-739

Sensing and IIoT
T
Dean Bartles
Chief Executive Officer
and President, he manufacturing industries are undergoing a
Manufacturing Technology digital transformation worldwide, spurred by the
Deployment Group COVID-19 pandemic, which is speeding up the
adoption of Industry 4.0. This shift to digital is
fueling advances in smart sensors that not only
capture sensing data, but also interpret that data into
Jeffrey Case actionable insights for a variety of applications in the
Director of Design Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) space.
Engineering and NPD,
The smart sensors market is expected to grow at a CAGR
PCB Piezotronics, Inc.
of 19 percent over the forecast period (2021-2026), accord-
ing to Market Research Future. What’s driving the escalating
demand for smart sensors and which industries will expect
to see the greatest demand for sensor technology in the
Blue Planet Studio; chanathip Pedruang/Shutterstock.com
Aric Prost coming years? Tech Briefs posed questions to four industry
Senior Global Director, OEM, experts to garner their views on the future outlook for smart
Stratus Technologies sensors and IIoT.
Our roundtable participants include Dean Bartles, Chief
Executive Officer and President, Manufacturing Technology
Deployment Group, Jeffrey Case, Director of Design
Engineering and NPD, PCB Piezotronics, Inc., Brad Walters,
Founder and CEO, Monnit, Aric Prost, Senior Global Director,
Brad Walters
OEM, Stratus Technologies.
Founder and CEO,
Monnit

Dean Bartles: The proliferation of
sensors in manufacturing is critical to
With uniform data, developers and take full advantage of the efficiency that
Industry 4.0 promises. However, as sen-
integrators can focus on useful, sor technology becomes ubiquitous in
manufacturing shops everywhere, the
productive manufacturing applications ability to make optimal use of the data
that is generated can be severely handi-
rather than translation, which will be key to capped unless the data from the various
successful sensor data fusion going forward. sensors can be harmonized in a com-
mon language format. Standards will be
– Dean Bartles the key to make such harmonization
possible. One such standard that has
already become widely adopted is
Tech Briefs: The use of “smart” sen- duction process, ensuring manufactur- MTConnect. With uniform data, devel-
sors is becoming more prevalent as the ing stability. opers and integrators can focus on use-
IIoT and Industry 4.0 are more com- ful, productive manufacturing applica-
monplace in manufacturing. How are Brad Walters: Driving greater efficien- tions rather than translation, which will
smart sensors being used to improve cy is a top benefit of integrating a plat- be key to successful sensor data fusion
manufacturing? form of smart sensors into manufactur- going forward.
ing environments. Smart sensors create
Dean Bartles: A great example of how smarter factories where you can moni- Jeffrey Case: Challenges for sensor
smart sensors are being used to improve tor, control, and improve virtually every fusion include synchronizing the differ-
manufacturing is a program my company aspect of operations with real-time data- ent sensor types and sensor systems,
has with the DOD to establish a proto- driven insights; predict equipment especially when there is time dependen-
type additive manufacturing supply maintenance and quickly trigger proto- cy, and ensuring compatible communi-
chain. There is a huge desire to adopt cols before malfunction or failure; auto- cation networks. In addition, edge com-
metal additive manufactured parts in the mate data logging for streamlined trend puting is becoming more and more crit-
aerospace and defense markets. analysis, record-keeping, and regulatory ical at the sensor level to minimize the
Advantages include complexity of compliance; and be alerted of environ- amount of data collected and analyzed,
design, speed in production, light- mental and equipment problems. affecting both processing power and
weighting, etc. However, the variability Sensors that connect people, machines, data storage requirements.
currently found in metal additively pro- equipment, and inventory to the
duced parts from machine to machine empowering capabilities of the IIoT Brad Walters: Sensor data fusion is a
and even part to part is still a major enable manufacturers to produce with key benefit of the IIoT because decisions
impediment to adoption. Using sensors greater transparency, efficiency, and made from multiple data points are
and an IoT edge device, we are collecting overall quality. higher-value decisions. But it can be a
real-time process data during the print- challenge when manufacturers source
ing process such as laser energy, scan- Aric Prost: The considerable decrease different sensor systems from various
ning speed, hatch spacing, chamber in the cost of sensors and transmitters vendors and aggregate all the data them-
humidity, etc. and then providing this coupled with improvements in wireless selves. You can effectively manage data
data to the customer along with the parts technology have made it feasible for
produced. The customer is then able to OEMs, machine builders, and opera-
interrogate the data file to ensure all tions teams to install sensors and collect
parameters were maintained within a data previously inaccessible. This is the Both preventive
specified range throughout the build industrial edge where data is being gen- maintenance
process, thus providing a higher level of erated, and the ability to measure more
confidence in the integrity of the parts. process variables more accurately grants and process
better insight and achieves the promise
Jeffrey Case: Smart sensors are being of IIoT and Industry 4.0. The opportuni- automation
deployed in manufacturing facilities ty is a leap forward in monitor and con-
across all industries to collect critical trol to drive desired outcomes such as applications
information that, with the correct analy- higher quality products, less downtime,
sis, can create solutions that reduce or or yield improvement.
are driving
eliminate unplanned downtime (part unprecedented
replacement costs, manpower, and lost Tech Briefs: Sensor data fusion pro-
opportunity costs); increase safety by vides the ability to combine different demand in industrial
substituting permanently mounted sen- sensor technologies in one application.
sors for measurements requiring human What are the challenges manufacturers manufacturing.
intervention; and improve productivity face in managing — and effectively
– Jeffrey Case
through precise feedback control and using — the increased volume of data
the monitoring of variations in the pro- collected?
Tech Briefs, February 2022 www.techbriefs.com 13

Sensing and IIoT
software applications. In this instance,

the edge computing platform running
More data, captured successfully security software sits between the sensors
or PLCs and the rest of the network.
and reliably from the edge, delivers
Tech Briefs: In what industries do you
better understanding of a process. expect to see the greatest demand for
sensor technology in the next five years?
– Aric Prost
Dean Bartles: Significant progress has
volume by having a single sensor plat- to “airgap” everything. In other words, already been made by large corporations
form that incorporates sensor types com- avoid the use of Wi-Fi sensors and in aerospace, defense, automotive, food,
bined with data aggregation, filtering, instead deploy hard-wired sensors and medical, chemical processing, etc. So, I
fusion algorithms, and redundant data hard-wired IoT edge devices and have all don’t think the question should be
deduplication at the edge. The most data route through a cybersecurity appli- “what industries” as much as “who”
valuable data volume reducer you can ance that both encrypts and tokenizes inside the various industries where we’ll
have is edge processing and filtering via everything leaving the facility. As OEM’s see the greatest demand. Clearly, the
a gateway at the sensor level. It’s ideal for continue to drive “transparency” into small and medium manufacturers
sensors to immediately report events their supplier’s manufacturing opera- (“SMM’s”) have the most to gain by
and threshold breaches when they tions, technology solutions will be para- adopting sensor technology into their
detect preconfigured conditions, rather mount. manufacturing operations. A recent sur-
than constantly reporting trivial data at vey conducted by the Manufacturing
frequent intervals. This way, a sensor sys- Jeffrey Case: While there is no silver Leadership Council of the National
tem with an edge gateway can quickly bullet when it comes to industrial cyber Association of Manufacturers ranked
fuse relevant data from all sensor types security, network segmentation is a cor- “Taking end-to-end supply chain visibili-
and use a robust set of APIs to simultane- nerstone to protecting private networks ty, transparency, and predictability to the
ously mix and match data from other from potential vulnerabilities. Sensor next level” as the second most important
analytics systems. systems should be configured on a net- thing for 2022. To provide OEMs with
work isolated from internal systems, and the transparency, visibility, and pre-
Aric Prost: Manufacturers face a few access to the sensor system networks dictability in their supply chain that they
challenges because of the volume of should be limited to the minimum desire, SMM’s will need to deploy far
edge data being created. First, data in a required. We encourage all our IIoT cus- greater sensor technology than they
typical plant or facility comes from sen- tomers to follow cyber security best prac- have to date.
sors manufactured by multiple vendors tices on their internal sensor system net-
that use different communications pro- works and/or our sensor systems, lever- Jeffrey Case: As sensors become more
tocols. That data must be collected and aging industry standard technologies. mainstream with improvements in sens-
integrated. Second, edge locations — ing technology, edge computing, artifi-
even the factory floor — face bandwidth Brad Walters: Security must be sus- cial intelligence, and the proliferation of
and latency issues when transmitted to tained at all communication points Industrial 4.0 communication networks,
the control room, much less to the between sensor, gateway, network, net- the greatest demand for sensor technol-
cloud. The ability to analyze this edge work controller, and the cloud. A robust ogy will be across all manufacturing
data and translate it into insight is pred- IoT device and data security governance operations in almost all markets/indus-
icated on its availability and reliability. initiative to enforce policies can help tries. Both preventive maintenance and
Predictive analytics or AI applications protect a company’s sensor network and
rely on these full data sets. Any commu- data. You also can’t put all of your safe-
nications gaps in data or equipment guards in strongholds like firewalls but Industries
downtime can disrupt those advanced leave the temperature sensor on the
models. To address these challenges, lobby’s fish tank vulnerable. If you use that
including sensor data fusion, organiza- one sensor management system, you
tions deploy edge computing to collect limit outside entry points. Regardless, effectively
information close to equipment, provide every system needs to be vetted for secu-
processing and historization to avoid rity individually, then as a whole system.
integrate smart
downtime and data loss. sensors will help
Aric Prost: Cybersecurity is front and
Tech Briefs: If facilities are utilizing center for operational technology, and propel the IIoT
multiple connected sensors and systems, the notion of air-gapped assets is less
how do they ensure that they are secured and less realistic as more equipment is evolution into the
properly to guard against unwanted out- connected. By deploying edge comput-
side access? ing platforms with built-in virtualization, next industrial
Dean Bartles: The most secure way to
OT and IT teams have the means to run
cybersecurity software close to critical
revolution. – Brad Walters
guard against unwanted outside access is equipment alongside other industrial

process automation applications are low-power, and long battery life. As man- metering stations, production platforms,
driving this unprecedented demand in ufacturers, health care, and smart cities and many others. For these assets and
industrial manufacturing. A wide variety look to be more efficient, sensing solu- use cases, the abundance of sensor tech-
of sensing technologies are being tions that expedite 4G LTE and 5G func- nology and limited connectivity requires
deployed in the process automation tionality, eliminate frequency interfer- a “brain” on site to process and store
market to facilitate tighter control on ence, and enable multi-access edge com- data, ensure uptime availability, run
manufacturing processes. While sensors puting will be highly valuable. Industries cybersecurity agents, and potentially
have traditionally been deployed in that effectively integrate smart sensors provide monitor and control without
these applications, Industry 4.0 is provid- will help propel the IIoT evolution into human intervention. Edge computing
ing internet-connected sensors that are the next industrial revolution. platforms provide these capabilities and
able to collect, transfer, and display data thereby the means to harness sensor
via established digital highways with Aric Prost: We see the greatest data to realize Industry 4.0 capabilities.
minimal human intervention. This infra- demand for sensor technology coming
structure can easily satisfy a company’s not from specific industries but from
ROI and will significantly drive sensor specific use cases within industries FOR MORE INFORMATION
sales over the next five years and where assets and processes are remote
beyond. or inaccessible, critical to measure, high Manufacturing Technology
velocity, and where safety is a significant Deployment Group
Brad Walters: It’s easy to see that pre- factor. Sensor technology will be essen- http://info.hotims.com/82318-121
dictive maintenance, remote monitor- tial to scale automation and remote
ing and control, and autonomous sys- management in these cases. There are a PCB Piezotronics, Inc.
tems in virtually every industry will con- range of examples which cut across http://info.hotims.com/82318-122
tinue to depend heavily on advance- including Discrete Manufacturing —
ments in smart sensor technology. For complex packaging machines, robotics, Monnit
example, innovators in oil and gas, agri- metal fabrication; Water and Wastewater http://info.hotims.com/82318-123
culture, energy and power production, — remote and unmanned pumping sta-
chemical and mining, and transporta- tions, flowmeters; Power Generation – Stratus Technologies
tion lean on wireless sensors’ far-reach- solar arrays, wind farms, and substations; http://info.hotims.com/82318-124
ing capabilities that deliver long-range, Oil and Gas — pumping stations, flow
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Tech Briefs, February 2022 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-740 15

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Electronics
Power Management
The Pursuit of an Uninterruptible Power Supply
A
n uninterruptible power supply
(UPS) is a great way to ensure
that power to important loads
is not lost in the case of a power
failure. When incoming power to the
UPS is lost, it immediately switches into
battery mode, which allows the connect-
ed loads to run off this reserve energy.
But if the UPS itself fails, then any power
loss will shut down the entire system.
Therefore, it is important to make sure a
UPS is reliable and reaches its full life- trodes) in diluted sulfuric acid (the elec- different materials. The electrodes, in
time potential. Using the proper battery trolyte). This enables the flow of elec- this case, are typically a metal-oxide for
for each application and constantly trons when a chemical reaction occurs the cathode (positive side) and
monitoring the system to maximize between the lead and sulfuric acid. This graphite for the anode (negative side).
uptime can ensure the full life of a UPS. reaction produces lead sulfate and This metal oxide is usually lithium-
No matter how good a UPS is, without water, and charging the battery reverses cobalt oxide, lithium-iron phosphate,
a battery, it can do nothing to buffer this reaction. or lithium-manganese oxide. The elec-
power. If the UPS loses incoming power Charging can also produce hydrogen trolyte is typically a mixture of organic
and the battery is discharged, discon- and oxygen through hydrolysis if the carbonates.
nected, or dead, then the entire system charging current is too great. In a typical To create power, lithium ions carry
will shut down. It is therefore crucial to lead-acid battery, these gases escape and current across the battery from the neg-
use the proper battery for each applica- must be replenished with water or elec- ative to the positive electrode. When a
tion. There are many types of battery trolyte. Compare that to a valve-regulat- current is applied, this process is
technologies, but two popular options ed battery, where the gas is retained and reversed, and the ions travel back to the
are valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) recombined into water (usually with the negative electrode. Li-ion batteries can
and lithium-ion (Li-ion). help of a catalyst). If the pressure ever catch fire if they are overcharged or
VRLA are a variant of lead-acid batter- gets too high, the safety valves open and short-circuited, so various safety devices
ies, which are commonly used in auto- allow the pressure to return to safe levels. are installed such as voltage regulators,
motive. Simply put, they operate by sus- Li-ion batteries are similar in concept temperature sensors, and microcon-
pending two plates of lead (the elec- to lead-acid batteries, except they use trollers. Many batteries and UPS systems
Black Kira/Shutterstock.com

will disable themselves if unsafe condi-
Battery Cost Size and Depth of Charging Shelf Life Temperature
tions are reached.
Type Weight Discharge Cycles
VRLA vs. Li-ion Batteries VRLA Lower Heavier Lower 200–300 6–12 months 0° C - 40° C
Lead-acid and VRLA batteries, in gen-
eral, are among the most cost-effective Lithium Ion Higher Lighter Higher 500–1500 12–24 months -20° C - 60° C
batteries on the market. Compared to
Li-ion batteries, which are often multi- Table 1: A breakdown of various factors and how VLRA compares to Li-ion batteries.
ple times more expensive, they have the
lowest purchase price. However, the pur- The optimal temperature for all bat- The simplest way to monitor would
chase price is not the only factor when it teries is approximately 20° C (68° F), but be an indication on the UPS that the
comes to batteries. All batteries reach the type of battery affects the range that battery has not or will not support the
end of life, and when they do, they must it will operate in. The typical range for a load. This could be accomplished with
be replaced. VRLA is 0° C to 40° C, while a Li-ion local or remote indication, and it
In general, Li-ion batteries will last ranges from -20° C to 60° C. ensures that only bad batteries will be
longer, and therefore, need to be It may seem from these comparisons replaced. The advantage of this
replaced less often. This can result in Li- that Li-ion batteries are the clear choice, approach is that there are no wasted
ion saving money over the system’s life, and in many ways, they are. The superior replacements. The disadvantages are
which could justify the increased pur- size, weight, charge cycles, and operat- increased complexities in maintenance,
chase price. But based on initial cost ing temperature make them a great because failures can be random, as well
alone, VRLA is the better option. choice for any application. However, as the need for some way to constantly
In the same space, Li-ion batteries can there are still cases for VRLA. Besides monitor all the systems.
hold more energy than a VRLA. This the upfront cost savings, there may be The most advanced form of monitor-
means Li-ion batteries are more energy- no noticeable difference between the ing analyzes many different factors of a
dense and are useful when space is limit- batteries given the right application. battery and provides data based on those
ed in a system. This size savings extends In cases where the batteries are in an factors. For example, Phoenix Contact’s
to weight as well. Their lighter weight ideal environment, being properly IQ Technology analyzes batteries and
makes Li-ion batteries suitable for use in charged by the UPS, and not discharg- reports data such as remaining charge,
mobile phones, tablets, and computers. ing too often or deeply, VRLA batteries remaining lifetime, current tempera-
A VLRA battery should never be dis- could function identically to Li-ion. The ture, output voltage, and much more.
charged to lower than 50 percent of its lifespan of the VLRA will be shorter but This sort of data allows the use of pre-
total capacity. This is referred to as the could still be long enough that its ventive maintenance. Battery replace-
battery’s depth of discharge. A Li-ion replacement costs are less than that of ments can be scheduled for a specific
battery can be discharged down to 15 the Li-ion. Table 1 gives a breakdown of period and, using data from the UPS,
percent of its total capacity. This means various factors and how VLRA compares only the batteries near their end of life
Li-ion batteries also have a higher to Li-ion. will be replaced. The main disadvan-
effective capacity and can sustain a tages are setting up a system to collect all
load for a longer duration when com- Maximizing Uptime this data and training users on how to
pared to VLRA. Even the best battery will eventually use any associated software.
A battery has a maximum number of reach end of life, so finding the optimal To ensure the availability of a UPS sys-
charging cycles before it starts to time to replace it can save system down- tem, proper consideration must be
degrade and lose capacity. The number time and money. With system monitor- taken of each application and its
varies based on the environment the bat- ing, the user can obtain data on the requirements. When there is a power
tery is operating in, as well as the depth availability of each battery. This data can failure, the proper battery will make
of each discharge. In general, a VRLA also be used to find existing problems in sure the system does not go down, and
battery provides 200 to 300 cycles, while the system that may be prematurely everything runs smoothly.
a Li-ion battery provides 500 to 1,500. If killing batteries. In conjunction with a good monitor-
used in a system that is constantly dis- In an installation with 100 batteries, ing system, maintenance can be regular-
charging, Li-ion batteries will need to be every battery is going to degrade slightly ly performed, so there are no unexpect-
replaced less often than VRLA. differently. The easiest way to deal with ed failures. Combined, these two factors
In general, batteries are very suscepti- this is by replacing every battery after will maximize uptime and ensure that
ble to the temperature at which they some predefined period. The advantage there is backup in the case of a power
operate. Batteries stored at too high of a is that the maintenance is easy to sched- failure.
temperature will discharge faster and ule, and there is no system downtime This article was written by Robert
have a lower total lifetime. Batteries (excluding a faulty battery). The down- Crittenden, Associate Business Development
stored at too low of a temperature will side is the cost of replacing batteries that Application Engineer – Power Supplies,
lose performance and can be damaged potentially could have continued to Phoenix Contact, Middletown, PA. For more
if charged. operate for much longer. info visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-125.

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Manufacturing & Prototyping
Fabricating Superconducting Circuitry on Both Sides of an
Ultrathin Silicon Layer
Applications are computer hardware, sensors, and THz receivers.
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
A new fabrication methodology ad-

dresses the need for a thin, double-
sided circuitry board capable of low
an additional backing handle wafer is
required during the fabrication of this cir-
cuitry to allow for deposition of metal thin
the ultra-low-loss transmission lines and
ultra-low crosstalk between supercon-
ducting sensors.
crosstalk between sensors and low loss in film on a hot substrate on one side of the NASA is actively seeking licensees to com-
transmission lines. wafer. In addition, a metallic and polymer- mercialize this technology. Please contact
The fabrication method allows for a ic sacrificial layer is used to protect the sil- NASA’s Licensing Concierge at Agency-
minimalistic silicon wafer to be used as a icon substrate and superconducting metal- Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call at
circuit board while reducing space and lic layers during removal of the unwanted 202-358-7432 to initiate licensing discus-
increasing efficiency by depositing su- silicon, buried oxide, and epoxy layers. sions. Follow this link for more information:
perconducting material on both sides. This process introduces the fabrica- https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/GSC-
Due to the thin nature of the silicon wafer, tion methodology required to realize TOPS-99.
Sound Waves Transport Droplets for Rewritable Lab-on-a-

Chip Devices
Vibrating transducers create tunnels in a thin layer of oil to transport droplets across a chip
without leaving a trace behind.
Duke University, Durham, NC
E ngineers have demonstrated a versa-

tile microfluidic lab-on-a-chip that
uses sound waves to create tunnels in oil
A
to manipulate and transport droplets Virtual Droplet
touch-free. The technology could form Channel
the basis of a small-scale, programmable,
rewritable biomedical chip that is com- ƒi
Vortices
pletely reusable to enable on-site diagnos-
tics or laboratory research. The system
achieves rewritable routing, sorting, and ƒi
gating of droplets with minimal external Fluid jet
control, which are essential functions for
the digital logic control of droplets.
Automated fluid handling has driven Inflow
the development of many scientific fields, ƒi B
such as clinical diagnostics and large- IDTi
scale compound screening. While ubiqui-
tous in the modern biomedical research
and pharmaceutical industries, these sys- Z
tems are bulky, expensive, and do not Droplets of different sizes sit on grids of transducers that vibrate to create tunnels in a thin layer
handle small volumes of liquids well. of oil, which can transport the droplets in multiple directions. (Photo: Duke University)
Lab-on-a-chip systems have been able
to fill this space to some extent but most contamination. The new lab-on-a-chip passed through them. Just like the sur-
are hindered by one major drawback: platform uses a thin layer of inert, face of a subwoofer, these vibrations cre-
surface absorption. Because these de- immiscible oil to stop droplets from leav- ate sound waves in the thin layer of oil
vices rely on solid surfaces, the samples ing behind any trace of themselves. Just above them.
being transported inevitably leave traces below the oil, a grid of piezoelectric These sound waves form complex
of themselves behind that can lead to transducers vibrates when electricity is patterns when they bounce off the top

and bottom of the chip as well as when an x or y axis, based on two different were able to program and automate
they run into one another. By meticu- streaming patterns. By using dual-mode much of the droplet movement.
lously planning the design of the trans- transducers, the researchers were able to The ability to control droplets in a
ducers and controlling the frequency move droplets along two axes while si- manner similar to the logic systems
and strength of the vibrations causing multaneously reducing the complexity of found on a computer chip is essential to
the waves, the researchers are able to the electronics four-fold. They were also a wide variety of clinical and research
create vortices that, when combined, able to reduce the operating voltage of procedures. The next step is to combine
form tunnels that can push and pull the transducers three to seven times the miniaturized radio-frequency power
droplets in any direction along the sur- lower than a previous system, which supply and control board for large-scale
face of the device. allowed it to simultaneously control eight integration and dynamic planning.
The new system uses dual-mode trans- droplets. And by introducing a micro- For more information, contact Erin Kramer
ducers that can transport droplets along controller to the setup, the researchers at erin.kramer@duke.edu; 919-660-4257.
Fabrication Method for Large-Scale Production of

Perovskite Solar Cells
The sulfolane-additive process yields easy fabrication, low cost, and long operating life.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
A simpler solution for fabricating sta-

ble perovskite solar cells overcomes
the key bottleneck to large-scale pro-
duction and commercialization of this
renewable-energy technology, which
has remained out of reach for more
than a decade.
Researchers demonstrated the new
approach through two mini modules
that reached high levels of converting
sunlight to power with greatly extended
operational lifetimes. Since the process
is facile and low cost, it could be easily
adapted to scalable fabrication in
industrial settings.
A perovskite is any material with a par-
ticular crystal structure similar to the
A new dipping process using a sulfolane additive creates high-performing perovskite solar cells.
mineral perovskite. Perovskites can be The method is inexpensive and well-suited for scaling up to commercial production. (Photo: Los
engineered and fabricated in extremely Alamos National Laboratory)
thin films, which makes them useful for
solar photovoltaic cells. Perovskite pho- creating power from sunlight. These industrial-scale fabrication is their nar-
tovoltaics, seen as a viable competitor to perovskite solar cells also have a long row processing window — the time dur-
the familiar silicon-based photovoltaics operational lifetime. ing which the film can be laid down on
on the market for decades, have been a Through a simple dipping method, the substrate. To get a uniform crys-
highly anticipated emerging technology the team was able to deposit a uniform, talline film that’s well bonded to the
over the last decade. Commercialization high-quality perovskite crystalline thin layer below it, the deposition process has
has been slowed by the lack of a solution film covering a large active area in two to be strictly controlled within a matter
to scaling up production of high-effi- mini modules, one of about 16 square of seconds.
ciency perovskite solar cell modules centimeters and the other nearly 37 Using sulfolane in the perovskite pre-
from the benchtop to the factory floor. square centimeters. Fabricating uni- cursor extends the processing window
The team invented a one-step spin form thin film across the entire photo- from 9 seconds to 90 seconds, forming
coating method by introducing sulfolane voltaic module’s area is essential to highly crystalline, compact layers over a
as an additive in the perovskite precursor, device performance. The mini modules large area while being less dependent
or the liquid material that creates the per- achieved a power conversion efficiency of on the processing conditions. The sul-
ovskite crystal through a chemical reac- 17.58 percent and 16.06 percent, respec- folane method can be easily adapted to
tion. As in other fabrication methods, tively. The power conversion efficiency is a existing industrial fabrication tech-
that crystal is then deposited on a sub- measure of how effectively sunlight is con- niques, which helps to pave the path
strate. The new process allowed the team verted into electricity. toward commercialization.
to produce high-yield, large-area photo- For other perovskite fabrication meth- For more information, contact Charles
voltaic devices that are highly efficient in ods, one of the major roadblocks to Poling at cpoling@lanl.gov; 505-257-8006.

Manufacturing &
Prototyping
3D Printing of Polymers
A 3D-printable elastomer yields soft, elastic objects that feel like human tissue.
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
R esearchers have developed the first 3D-

printable “bottlebrush” elastomer that
results in printed objects with unusual soft-
more akin to a bottle brush you might find
in a kitchen. The bottlebrush polymer
structure imparts the ability to form
begins as a semi-soft solid that holds its
shape, like butter or toothpaste, but when
sufficient pressure is applied, it liquefies
ness and elasticity — mechanical proper- extremely soft elastomers. and can be squeezed through a syringe.
ties that closely resemble those of human The ability to 3D print bottlebrush The researchers can tune the material to
tissue. elastomers makes it possible to leverage flow under various amounts of pressure to
Conventional elastomers, such as rub- these unique mechanical properties in match the desired processing conditions.
bers, are stiffer than many biological tis- applications that require careful control Once the object is printed, UV light is
sues due to the size and shape of their con- over the dimensions of objects ranging shined onto it to activate crosslinkers
stituent polymers, which are long, linear from biomimetic tissue to high-sensitivi- that were synthesized and included as a
molecules that easily entangle like cooked ty electronic devices such as touch pads, part of the ink formulation. The
spaghetti. In contrast, bottlebrush poly- sensors, and actuators. crosslinkers can link up nearby bottle-
mers have additional polymers attached to The bottlebrush polymer material is cat- brush polymers, resulting in a super-soft
the linear backbone, leading to a structure egorized as a yield-stress fluid, meaning it elastomer. At that point, the material
becomes a permanent solid — it will no
longer liquefy under pressure — and
exhibits extraordinary properties.
The softness of a material is measured
in terms of its modulus and for most elas-
LED tomers, it is rather high, meaning their
stiffness and elasticity are similar to those
of a rubber band. The modulus of the new
material is 1,000 times smaller than that of
a rubber band. The material can also
stretch about three to four times its length.
The super-soft elastomers might be
applicable as implants; for example, to
reduce inflammation and rejection by the
body if the mechanical properties of an
implant match native tissue. Another
important element of the material is that it
is pure polymer — there is no water or
other solvent to artificially make it softer.
From left: The unlinked polymer ink, infrared light being applied to activate the crosslinks, and the For more information, contact James
final product — a super-soft, super-elastic crosslinked elastomer. (Photo: Isabelle Chabinyc) Badham at jwbadham@ucsb.edu.
3D-Printed Objects Sense How a User is Interacting with Them

Sensing is incorporated directly into an object’s material, with applications for assistive
technology and “intelligent” furniture.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
R esearchers have developed a new

method to 3D print mechanisms that
detect how force is being applied to an
materials divided into a grid of repeat-
ing cells. They also created editing soft-
ware that helps users build these inter-
particular functions (such as turning on
the light or TV) or collect data for later
analysis (such as detecting and correct-
object. The structures are made from a active devices. ing body posture).
single piece of material, so they can be Sensing can be integrated directly Because metamaterials are made from
rapidly prototyped. A designer could use into the material structure of objects, a grid of cells, when the user applies
this method to 3D print interactive input enabling intelligent environments in force to a metamaterial object, some of
devices, like a joystick, switch, or hand- which objects can sense each interaction the flexible, interior cells stretch or com-
held controller, in one pass. with them. For instance, a chair or press. The researchers took advantage of
To accomplish this, the researchers couch made from the smart material this by creating “conductive shear cells”
integrated electrodes into structures could detect the user’s body when the — flexible cells that have two opposing
made from metamaterials, which are user sits on it and either use it to query walls made from conductive filament

capacitive sensing, those changes can be
measured and used to calculate the mag-
nitude and direction of the applied
forces, as well as rotation and accelera-
tion. By understanding how joystick
users apply forces, a designer could pro-
totype unique handle shapes and sizes
for people with limited grip strength in
certain directions.
A designer could quickly create and
tweak unique, flexible input devices for
a computer, like a squeezable volume
controller or bendable stylus. Meta-
Sense, the 3D editor the researchers
developed, enables this rapid prototyp-
ing. Users can manually integrate sens-
ing into a metamaterial design or let the
software automatically place the conduc-
tive shear cells in optimal locations.
The tool simulates how the object will
be deformed when different forces are
The new method integrates sensing capabilities into 3D-printable structures comprised of repeti-
tive cells, which enables designers to rapidly prototype interactive input devices. applied and then uses this simulated
(Photo: Courtesy of the researchers) deformation to calculate which cells
have the maximum distance change.
and two walls made from nonconductive stick handle or pressing the buttons on a The cells that change the most are the
filament. The conductive walls function controller — the conductive shear cells optimal candidates to be conductive
as electrodes. stretch or compress and the distance shear cells.
When a user applies force to the meta- and overlapping area between the For more information, contact Abby
material mechanism — moving a joy- opposing electrodes changes. Using Abazorius at abbya@mit.edu; 617-253-2709.

Materials & Coatings
New Class of Nickel-Based Superalloys Withstands
Extreme Heat
Parts remain crack-free and defect-resistant, making them conducive for use in metal-based
3D-printing applications.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
M etal materials have proven to be

cost-effective for manufacturing;
deploying them for use in additive
that they remained crack-free in electron-
beam and laser-melting 3D-printing
processes. CoNi-based superalloys can be
processes could enable the production processed through both selective laser
of innovative, complex designs with min- melting (SLM) and electron beam melt-
imal material waste. These materials are ing (EBM) manufacturing pathways,
primarily used in energy, space, and resulting in crack-free components.
nuclear applications that also produce Room temperature tensile testing
extreme heat environments. revealed that CoNi-based superalloys have
Only a limited number of existing an excellent combination of ductility and
alloys are amenable to the complex ther- strength compared to other Ni-based
mal conditions present during metal- superalloys currently being investigated
based additive manufacturing (AM), for AM. The approach demonstrates that
where layer-by-layer growth of the com- the CoNi-based superalloy compositional
ponent is achieved through local melt- space provides opportunities for the
ing of metal powder by either a laser or development of superalloys that can lever- A 3D-printed turbine blade demonstrates the
electron beam energy source. age the potential of AM. use of the new class of nickel-based superal-
loys that can withstand extreme heat environ-
Resarchers processed a cobalt and nick- For more information, contact Jennifer J. ments without cracking or losing strength.
el (CoNi) class of superalloys and proved Burke at burkejj@ornl.gov; 865-414-6835. (Photo: ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Bio-Inspired, Blood-Repelling Glue Seals Wounds Quickly

Inspired by barnacles, the paste provides an effective way to treat traumatic injuries and help
control bleeding during surgery.
I nspired by the sticky substance that bar-

nacles use to cling to rocks, engineers
have designed a strong, biocompatible
glue that can seal injured tissues and stop
bleeding. The new paste can adhere to
surfaces even when they are covered with
blood and can form a tight seal within
about 15 seconds of application.
Sutures are commonly used to seal
wounds but putting stitches in place is a
time-consuming process that usually isn’t
possible for first responders to perform
during an emergency situation. In recent
years, some materials that can halt bleed-
ing, also called hemostatic agents, have
become commercially available. Many of
these consist of patches that contain clot-
ting factors that help blood clot on its own.
However, these require several minutes to
form a seal and don’t always work on Engineers have designed a strong, biocompatible glue that can seal injured tissues and stop bleed-
wounds that are bleeding profusely. ing, inspired by the sticky substance that barnacles use to cling to rocks. (Photo: MIT)

The surfaces of a barnacle — a small pound called an NHS ester, which pro- heal itself. The glue induces little inflam-
crustacean that attaches itself to rocks, vides adhesion, and chitosan, a sugar mation, similar to that produced by cur-
ship hulls, and even other animals such that strengthens the material. The rently used hemostatic agents. The glue
as whales — are wet and often dirty. researchers froze sheets of this material, is slowly resorbed within the body over
These conditions make adhesion diffi- ground it into microparticles, and then months and it can also be removed ear-
cult. The researchers’ analysis of barna- suspended those particles in medical lier by applying a solution that dissolves
cle glue revealed that it has a unique grade silicone oil. it if surgeons need to go in after the ini-
composition. The sticky protein mole- When the resulting paste is applied to tial application to repair the wound.
cules that help barnacles attach to sur- a wet surface such as blood-covered tis- The researchers plan to test the glue
faces are suspended in an oil that repels sue, the oil repels the blood and other on larger wounds, which they hope will
water and any contaminants found on substances that may be present, allowing demonstrate that the glue would be use-
the surface, allowing the adhesive pro- the adhesive microparticles to crosslink ful to treat traumatic injuries. They also
teins to attach firmly to the surface. and form a tight seal over the wound. envision that it could be useful during
The team mimicked this glue by Within 15 to 30 seconds of applying the surgical procedures, which often require
adapting an adhesive they had previous- glue, with gentle pressure applied, the surgeons to spend a great deal of time
ly developed. This sticky material con- glue sets and bleeding stops. controlling bleeding.
sists of a polymer called poly(acrylic The seal remains intact for several For more information, contact Anne
acid) embedded with an organic com- weeks, giving the tissue below time to Trafton at trafton@mit.edu; 617-253-7147.
Load-Bearing Material Mimics Human Cartilage

The synthetic material is soft but can withstand heavy loading with minimum wear and tear
for engineering applications.
University of Leeds, United Kingdom
E ngineers have developed a material

that mimics human cartilage — the
body’s shock absorbing and lubrication
system — and it could herald the devel-
opment of a new generation of light-
weight bearings.
Cartilage is a soft, fibrous tissue found
around joints that provides protection
from the compressive loading generated
by walking, running, or lifting. It also
provides a protective, lubricating layer,
allowing bones to pass over one another
in a frictionless way. Cartilage is a bi-pha-
sic porous material, meaning it exists in
solid and fluid phases. It switches to its
fluid phase by absorbing a viscous sub-
stance produced in the joints called syn- The interface between the hydrogel (left) and the PDMS. The image was taken at 100,000 times
ovial fluid. This fluid not only lubricates magnification. (Photo: University of Leeds)
the joints, but also when held in the
porous matrix of the cartilage, it pro- compressive force. One of the problems cent, close to the values reported for the
vides a hydroelastic cushion against is that it takes time for the hydrogel to modulus of cartilage tested.
compressive forces. return to its normal shape after it has The researchers believe future appli-
Because the cartilage is porous, the been compressed. cations of a new material based on the
synovial fluid eventually drains away and The researchers overcame this problem function of cartilage could challenge
as it does, it helps dissipate the energy by creating a synthetic porous material many traditional oil-lubricated engineer-
forces traveling through the body, pro- made of a hydrogel held in a matrix of ing systems. The ability to use water as
tecting joints from wear and tear and polydimethylsiloxane — a silicone-based an effective lubricant has many applica-
impact injuries. At this point, the carti- polymer. The matrix keeps the shape of tions from energy generation to medical
lage returns to its sold phase, ready for the hydrogel. The hydrogel also provides devices; however, this often requires a
the cycle to be repeated. a lubricating layer. The load-bearing different approach when compared to
Earlier attempts at developing a syn- behavior of the hydrogel held in the traditional engineering systems that
thetic cartilage system focused on the use matrix was 14 to 19 times greater than the often use oil-based lubricants and hard-
of hydrogels — materials that absorb hydrogel on its own. The equilibrium elas- surface coatings.
water. Hydrogels are good at reducing tic modulus of the composite was 452 kPa For more information, contact David
friction but perform poorly when under at a strain range of 10 percent to 30 per- Lewis at d.lewis@leeds.ac.uk.

Materials & Coatings
Healable Carbon Fiber Composite

The carbon fiber reinforced material can be repeatedly healed with heat.
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
B ecause of their high strength and

light weight, carbon-fiber-based com-
posite materials are gradually replacing
metals for advancing all kinds of products
and applications, from airplanes to wind
turbines to golf clubs. But once damaged
or compromised, the most commonly
used carbon fiber materials are nearly
impossible to repair or recycle.
A team of researchers has created a
new type of carbon fiber reinforced mate-
rial that is as strong and light as tradition-
ally used ones but can be repeatedly
healed with heat, reversing any fatigue
damage and providing a way to break it
down and recycle it when it reaches the
end of its life. Either traditional heat
sources or radio frequency heating can
be used to reverse and postpone its aging
process indefinitely.
The material is part of a recently de-
veloped group known as carbon fiber
reinforced vitrimers (CFRP). The materi- A sample of a healable carbon fiber composite material being studied. (Photo: Andy Freeberg/
als typically used today, whether in sport- University of Washington)
ing goods or aerospace, are carbon fiber
reinforced polymers (CFRP). Traditional If each of these materials was a room The team believes vitrimers could be a
CFRPs typically fall into two categories: full of people, in the thermoset room, all viable alternative for many products cur-
thermoset or thermoplastic. The “set” vari- of the people are holding hands and rently manufactured from thermosets,
ety contains an epoxy, a glue-like material won’t let go. In the thermoplastic room, something badly needed as thermoset
where the chemical links holding it togeth- people are shaking hands and moving composites have begun piling up in
er harden permanently. The “plastic” ver- around. In the vitrimer room, people landfills. Healable CFRPs would be a
sion contains a softer type of glue, so it can shake hands with their neighbor but major shift toward a dynamic material
be melted back down and reworked, but have the capacity to exchange hand- with a different set of considerations in
this becomes a drawback for high strength shakes and make new neighbors so that terms of lifecycle cost, reliability, safety,
and stiffness. Vitrimers on the other hand, the total number of interconnections and maintenance.
can link, unlink, and re-link, providing a remains the same. That re-connection is For more information, contact Andy
middle ground between the two. how the material gets repaired. Freeberg at afree@uw.edu; 206-221-1952.
Dyeing Process Gives Textiles Electronic Properties

Textiles and items of clothing can be converted into e-textiles without affecting their
original properties.
Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
W hether in the fitness sector, in

medicine, or in the entertainment
industry, IT devices worn on the body,
duce these textiles in a comparatively
uncomplicated manner to open up new
usage scenarios.
allows textiles and items of clothing to be
subsequently converted into e-textiles
without affecting their original wearing
such as smartwatches, are becoming in- The method integrates interactive properties — they remain thin, elastic,
creasingly popular. Applications of this functions directly into the fibers of tex- and supple. This enables them to experi-
kind benefit when the input device tiles instead of just attaching electronic ment quickly and in a variety of ways with
adapts to the body as naturally as possi- components to them. Previous approach- new forms of e-textiles and to integrate
ble; for example, in the form of electro- es to the production of these textiles are them into IT devices.
sensitive substances called e-textiles. complex and influence the wearing com- Especially for devices worn on the
Researchers developed a method to pro- fort of the material. The new method body, it is important that they restrict

The textile changes its conductivity depending on the degree of stretch.
(Photo: Oliver Dietze)
ADHESIVE COMPOUNDS for
SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS OFFER
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
The polymerized glove can be used to digitally record hand movements.
(Photo: Oliver Dietze) to acids, bases and salts
movement as little as possible and still process high-resolution

input signals. To achieve this, the researchers use the in-situ ELECTRICAL INSULATION
polymerization process. The electrical properties are “dyed” Volume resistivity, 75°F
into the fabric — a textile is exposed to a chemical reaction in 1014 to 1015 ohm-cm
a water bath, known as polymerization, that makes it electrical-
ly conductive and sensitive to pressure and expansion, giving it
piezoresistive properties. By only “coloring” certain areas of a THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
textile or polymerizing individual threads, the process can pro- 0.5 to 2 W/(m·K)
duce tailor-made e-textiles.
In their test runs, the researchers produced gloves that can
digitally record hand movements, a zipper that transmits dif-
ferent tensions depending on the degree of opening, and
sports tapes that transform into a control element attached to
the body. Materials other than textiles can also be processed
with the method. 154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA
For more information, contact Dr. Paul Strohmeier, Human +1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com
Computer Interaction Lab, at strohmeier@cs.uni-saarland.de;
www.masterbond.com
+49 (0) 681 302 71930.

Optics
Photonic Integrated Chip for Improved Light Control
This combination of technologies could enable developments for many optical applications.
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
A new technology that can allow for

better light control without requir-
ing large, difficult-to-integrate materials
opposed to being guided in fibers or
other waveguides. The second is a newly
emergent metasurface — an artificially
forming multiple complex functions on
a single chip.
This new development could have
and structures has been developed. The engineered thin layer that allows for applications in optical communications,
photonic integrated chip could allow light manipulation at subwavelength optical remote sensing — LiDAR – free-
for many advances in the optical field scale but cannot be integrated on a chip. space optical interconnects for data cen-
and industry, ranging from improve- Researchers solved this problem by ters, and virtual reality and augmented
ments in virtual-reality glasses to optical incorporating the best qualities of the reality displays. The hybrid system has
remote sensing. two previous options into a new, hybrid the advantages of both the metasurfaces
Traditionally, scientists have had two photonic architecture that has metasur- and the PICs. In addition, the design is
options when it comes to controlling faces integrated onto a PIC chip while highly flexible and modular. A library of
light for use in various optical devices. maintaining high light controllability. the building blocks can be established
The first is a photonic integrated circuit Incorporation of the PICs and metasur- for reusing and creating consistent func-
(PIC) that can be incorporated onto faces makes it possible to drive the tional components across various de-
small chips but has limited ability to con- metasurfaces using guided waves inside vices or systems.
trol free-space light — light propagating the PICs. It enables routing of light For more information, contact Megan
in air, outer space, or a vacuum, as among different metasurfaces, per- Lakatos at mkl5024@psu.edu; 814-865-5544.
Sub-Pixel Spatial Resolution Interferometry

Applications include aircraft-mounted and space-based interferometers, electronics
fabrication, and military optics.
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
I nnovators at NASA Marshall, in con-

junction with the Center for Applied
Optics at the University of Alabama in
Huntsville, developed a system that
increases the spatial resolution of inter-
ferometric measurements of optical sur-
faces beyond the fundamental Nyquist
Limit of the interferometer’s imaging
system/detector. The Sub-Pixel Spatial
Resolution Interferometry (SSRI) sys-
tem enables optical fabricators to accu-
rately qualify surface features of spatial
frequencies that could not be accurately
resolved using standard interferometers.
Current trends in optical design are (a) (b) (c)
producing new types of specifications,
requiring distinct spatial frequency
(a) Low-resolution interferometer measurement; (b) Constructed high-resolution data using SSRI;
bands and calling for larger aperture (c) Measurement at twice the resolution of (a). The SSRI constructed data (a) is identical to that
optics; however, the ability to character- obtained when measuring the sample at twice the resolution (c). (Photo: NASA)
ize these features over the full aperture
necessitates improvements. The SSRI ments taken at sub-pixel lateral shifts to pixel shifts between a charged coupled
system meets this need by increasing the enhance spatial resolution. device (CCD) detector and the optic
spatial resolution of full aperture inter- The SSRI system increases the spatial under test between measurements. The
ferometric measurements using a tech- resolution of the interferometric meas- measurements are then combined to
nique that incorporates interlaced urements by performing multiple meas- create a single measurement with higher
stitching of low-resolution measure- urements of an optical surface with sub- spatial resolution.

The measurements are combined using accurately qualified against the specifica- NASA is actively seeking licensees to com-
a stitching algorithm. This method tions and allow fabricators to deterministi- mercialize this technology. Please contact
relieves the spatial resolution constraint cally correct the higher spatial frequency NASA’s Licensing Concierge at Agency-
defined by the pixel size and spacing. It is errors. The SSRI system can be integrated, Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us
assumed that the optical system has been with slight modifications, into existing at 202-358-7432 to initiate licensing discus-
designed to allow the higher spatial fre- commercially available interferometers sions. Follow this link for more information:
quency features to pass. This new tech- and interferometric profilers to increase https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/MFS-
nique will enable precision optics to be the obtainable spatial resolution. TOPS-110.
Nanoscale LED Also Functions as a Laser

This new design overcomes a long-standing LED efficiency problem and can also transform it
into a laser.
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
A new design for light-emitting diodes

(LEDs) may hold the key to over-
coming a long-standing limitation in the
light sources’ efficiency. The concept,
demonstrated with microscopic LEDs in
the lab, achieves an increase in bright-
ness of 100 to 1,000 times over conven-
tional tiny, submicron-sized LED designs
as well as the ability to create laser light
— all characteristics that could make it
valuable in a range of large-scale and
miniaturized applications.
LEDs have existed for decades but the
development of bright LEDs ushered in
a new era of lighting; however, even
modern LEDs have a limitation: feeding
an LED more electricity makes it shine
more brightly but soon the brightness
drops off, making the LED highly ineffi-
cient. Called “efficiency droop,” the
issue stands in the way of LEDs being
used in a number of promising applica-
tions, from communications technology
to killing viruses.
While the new LED design overcomes
efficiency droop, the researchers did not
initially set out to solve this problem.
Their main goal was to create a micro- The fin LED pixel design includes the glowing zinc oxide fin (purple), isolating dielectric material
(green), and metal contact (yellow atop green). The microscopic fins, which the researchers
scopic LED for use in very small applica- arranged into comb-like arrays, show an increase in brightness of 100 to 1,000 times over conven-
tions such as a lab-on-a-chip. The team tional submicron-sized LED designs. (Photo: B. Nikoobakht, N. Hanacek/NIST)
experimented with a new design for the
part of the LED that shines. Unlike the 100 to 1,000 times as much power as typ- become a tiny laser. Converting an LED
flat, planar design used in conventional ical tiny LEDs. A typical LED of less than into a laser usually requires coupling the
LEDs, the researchers built a light a square micrometer in area shines with LED to a resonance cavity that lets the
source out of long, thin, zinc oxide about 22 nanowatts of power; the new light bounce around to make a laser;
strands they refer to as fins. (Each fin is one can produce up to 20 microwatts, however, it appears that the fin design
only about 5 micrometers in length, suggesting that the design can overcome can do the job on its own, without need-
stretching about a tenth of the way efficiency droop in LEDs for making ing to add another cavity. A tiny laser
across an average human hair’s brighter light sources. would be critical for chip-scale applica-
breadth.) Their fin array looks like a tiny The team made another discovery as tions not only for chemical sensing but
comb that can extend to areas as large as they increased the current. While the also in next-generation handheld com-
1 centimeter or more. LED shone in a range of wavelengths at munications products, high-definition
Their design shone brilliantly in wave- first, its comparatively broad emission displays, and disinfection.
lengths straddling the border between eventually narrowed to two wavelengths For more information, contact Chad Boutin
violet and ultraviolet, generating about of intense violet color. The tiny LED had at charles.boutin@nist.gov; 301-975-4261.

Optics
Optical Coating Exhibits the Same Color in Reflection and

Transmission
Fano Resonance Optical Coatings can both transmit and reflect the same color
simultaneously.
University of Rochester, New York and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
O ptical coatings have been used to

better reflect certain wavelengths of
light from lenses and other devices or
conversely, to better transmit certain
wavelengths through them. The coat-
ings on tinted eyeglasses, for example,
reflect, or block out harmful blue light
and ultraviolet rays. But until now, no
optical coating had ever been developed
that could simultaneously reflect and
transmit the same wavelength, or color.
Researchers developed a new class of
optical coatings — Fano Resonance
Optical Coatings (FROCs) — that can
be used on filters to reflect and transmit
colors of remarkable purity. In addition,
the coating can be made to fully reflect Researchers developed an optical coating that exhibits the same color in reflection (pictured) and
only a very narrow wavelength range. transmission. (Photo: University of Rochester photo/J. Adam Fenster)
Previously, the only coating that could
do this was a multilayered dielectric mir- prevents its overheating. The technology discovered that the same phenomenon
ror that is much thicker, suffers from a could also lead to a six-fold increase in the can also be observed in optical systems.
strong angular dependence, and is far life of a photovoltaic cell. And the rest of The team applied a thin, 15-nanome-
more expensive to make. the spectrum is absorbed as thermal ener- ter-thick film of germanium to a metal
The researchers envision several ap- gy, which could be used in other ways surface, creating a surface capable of
plications for the new technology. FROCs including energy storage at night, electric- absorbing a broad band of wavelengths.
could be used to separate thermal and ity generation, solar-driven water sanita- They combined that with a cavity that
photovoltaic bands of the solar spectrum. tion, or heating a supply of water. supports a narrowband resonance. The
Such capability could improve the effec- Fano resonance, named after the coupled cavities exhibit Fano resonance
tiveness of devices that use hybrid thermal- physicist Ugo Fano, is a widespread wave- that is capable of reflecting a very nar-
electric power generation as a solar energy scattering phenomenon first observed as row band of light.
option. Directing only the useful band of a fundamental principle of atomic phys- For more information, contact Bob
the solar spectrum to a photovoltaic cell ics involving electrons. Later, researchers Marcotte at bmarcotte@ur.rochester.edu.
Light Helps Autonomous Vehicles Better Scan for Nearby

Fast-Moving Objects
Mechanical control and modulation of light on a silicon chip could enhance LiDAR.
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
A self-driving car has a hard time rec-

ognizing the difference between a
toddler and a brown bag that suddenly
olution detection of nearby fast-moving
objects through mechanical control and
modulation of light on a silicon chip.
reflected light ends up at the detector
array. The new method uses acoustic
waves to enable faster tuning of these
appears because of limitations in how it FMCW LiDAR detects objects by scan- components, which could bring higher-
senses objects using Light Detection and ning laser light from the top of an resolution FMCW LiDAR detection of
Ranging (LiDAR). The autonomous autonomous vehicle. A single laser beam nearby objects.
vehicle industry is exploring frequency splits into a comb of other wavelengths, The technology integrates microelec-
modulated continuous wave (FMCW) called a microcomb, to scan an area. tromechanical systems (MEMS) trans-
LiDAR to solve this problem. Light bounces off of an object and goes ducers made of aluminum nitride to
Researchers have built a way that this to the detector through an optical isola- modulate the microcomb at high fre-
type of LiDAR could achieve higher-res- tor or circulator, which ensures all quencies ranging from megahertz to

MANUFACTURING AND PROTOTYPING CHANNEL
Sponsored by
FEATURED SPONSOR VIDEO:

Additive Manufacturing Trends in Aerospace
Josh Parker, DMLS Production Lead at Protolabs, shares what factors
are leading aerospace companies to choose additive manufacturing
over traditional methods like CNC machining and casting.
www.techbriefs.com/tv/additive-trends
NASA Brings
Manufacturing
Experiments to Space
The new technology uses acoustics to better control a pulse of laser light A variety of experiments are
split into a frequency comb, potentially helping LiDAR achieve detection arriving on the International Space
of nearby high-speed objects. (Photo: WoogieWorks graphic/Alex Mehler) Station, including a handheld “bio
printer” and a manufacturing
device that processes heat-resistant
metal parts in microgravity.
www.techbriefs.com/tv/
manufacturing-in-space
Researchers built a high-overtone bulk acoustic wave resonances-driven Augmented Smart

optical isolator that would enable LiDAR to better detect light that Cane Helps Navigate
bounces off of an object. (Photo: Purdue University image/Hao Tian)
the World
Stanford University researchers
gigahertz. An array of phased MEMS transducers, also used in are prototyping a cane for the
cellphones to discern cellular bands, stirs light at gigahertz fre- visually equipped with a LiDAR
sensor and other technologies
quencies by launching a corkscrew-like stress wave into a silicon found in self-driving vehicles.
chip. The stirring motion modulates light such that it can only
travel in one direction. www.techbriefs.com/tv/
smart-cane
Other transducers in the same technology excite an acoustic
wave that shakes the chip at megahertz frequencies, demon-
strating sub-microsecond control and tuning of the laser pulse Innovative Cold
microcomb or soliton. This light modulation technique not Storage with Moldable,
only integrates mechanics with optics but also the fabrication Reusable Ice Cubes
processes involved, making the technology more commercially These reusable, plastic-free
viable. The MEMS transducers are simply fabricated on top of cubes can be designed or cut
to any shape and size needed.
the silicon nitride photonics wafer with minimal processing.
The new technology could provide the impetus for micro-
comb applications in power-critical systems such as in space,
data centers, and portable atomic clocks or in extreme envi- www.techbriefs.com/tv/
jelly-ice-cubes
ronments such as those with cryogenic temperatures.
For more information, contact Sunil Bhave, Professor of Electrical
and Computer Engineering, at bhave@purdue.edu. www.techbriefs.tv
Imaging
Electronic Paper Displays Brilliant Colors

Using ambient light, the reflective screen keeps energy consumption to a minimum.
Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
A new type of reflective screen —

sometimes described as electronic
paper — was developed that offers opti-
mal color display, while using ambient
light to keep energy consumption to a
minimum.
Traditional digital screens use a back-
light to illuminate the text or images dis-
played upon them. This is fine indoors
but creates difficulties in viewing such
screens in bright sunshine. Reflective
screens, however, attempt to use the
ambient light, mimicking the way our
eyes respond to natural paper.
The researchers previously developed
an ultra-thin, flexible material that re- A new design could help produce e-readers, advertising signs, and other digital screens with optimal
produces all the colors an LED screen color display and low energy consumption. (Photo: Marika Gugole/Chalmers University of Technology)
can display, while requiring only a tenth
of the energy that a standard tablet con- tructure that reproduces the colors Reflective screens are already avail-
sumes. But in the earlier design, the col- instead of above it, as was previously the able in some tablets today but they only
ors on the reflective screen did not dis- case. This new design means one looks display the colors black and white well,
play with optimal quality. Using a porous directly at the pixelated surface, seeing which limits their use.
and nanostructured material containing the colors much more clearly. In addition to smartphones and
tungsten trioxide, gold, and platinum, To make these reflective screens, cer- tablets, the technology could also be use-
the team tried a new tactic — inverting tain rare metals are required — such as ful for outdoor advertising, offering
the design in such a way as to allow the the gold and platinum — but because energy and resource savings compared
colors to appear much more accurately the final product is so thin, the amounts with both printed posters or moving dig-
on the screen. needed are very small. The researchers ital screens.
The team placed the component that hope that eventually, it will be possible For more information, contact Professor An-
makes the material electrically conduc- to significantly reduce the quantities dreas Dahlin at andreas.dahlin@chalmers.se;
tive underneath the pixelated nanos- needed for production. + 46 31 772 28 44.
System Uses Smartphone or Computer Cameras to

Measure Health
The camera captures pulse and respiration signals from a video of a person’s face.
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
T elehealth has become a critical way

for doctors to still provide health
care while minimizing in-person con-
their pulse and respiration signal from
a real-time video of their face. For ma-
chine learning to be helpful in remote
son’s unique physiological signature
and separate this from other variations
such as what they look like and what
tact during COVID-19. But with phone health sensing, the system must identi- environment they are in.
or online appointments, it’s harder for fy the region of interest in a video that The team’s system is privacy preserv-
doctors to get important vital signs holds the strongest source of physio- ing — it runs on the device instead of in
from a patient, such as their pulse or logical information — such as pulse — the cloud — and uses machine learning
respiration rate, in real time. and then measure that over time. to capture subtle changes in how light
A method uses the camera on a per- Since every person is different, the sys- reflects off a person’s face, which is cor-
son’s smartphone or computer to take tem must quickly adapt to each per- related with changing blood flow. Then

it converts these changes into both and lighting — a common problem with darker skin tones, there is still
pulse and respiration rate. known as “overfitting.” more work to do. There is still a trend
The first version of this system was The researchers improved the system toward inferior performance when the
trained with a dataset that contained by having it produce a personalized subject’s skin type is darker, in part
both videos of people’s faces and machine learning model for each indi- because light reflects differently off of
“ground truth” information: each per- vidual. Specifically, it helps look for darker skin, resulting in a weaker sig-
son’s pulse and respiration rate meas- important areas in a video frame that nal for the camera to pick up.
ured by standard instruments in the likely contain physiological features Any ability to sense pulse or respira-
field. The system then used spatial and correlated with changing blood flow in tion rate remotely provides new oppor-
temporal information from the videos a face under different contexts such as tunities for remote patient care and
to calculate both vital signs. It outper- different skin tones, lighting condi- telemedicine. This could include self-
formed similar machine learning sys- tions, and environments. From there, it care, follow-up care, or triage, espe-
tems on videos where subjects were can focus on that area and measure the cially when someone doesn’t have con-
moving and talking. But while the sys- pulse and respiration rate. venient access to a clinic.
tem worked well on some datasets, it While this new system outperforms For more information, contact Sarah
still struggled with others that con- its predecessor when given more chal- McQuate at smcquate@uw.edu; 206-543-
tained different people, backgrounds, lenging datasets, especially for people 2580.
Multi-Shot Lensless Camera

The camera could have uses in faster disease diagnosis and thinner cellphones.
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
A type of imaging that does not re-

quire a lens and uses reconfig-
urable particle-based masks to take
multiple shots of an object is being
developed. The electric-field directed
LENSLESS IMAGING
self-assembling mask technology was
developed by creating a mask of micro-
scopic gold wires and placing it near
the object to be imaged. The mask
scatters the light reflected off the
object and an image sensor collects
Reconfigurable
the light. An electric current Particle Mask
rearranges the particles in the mask,
producing a new mask with every itera-
tion and the system records each new
image. The multiple light captures are
then computationally reconstructed
into the original object image, result-
ing in highly improved resolution and
quality. Image
Typically, one would need to make Reconstruction
multiple masks and physically move
them around to get multiple images. Object
This becomes bulky and expensive and
negates some of the simplicity that is
the advantage of lens-free imaging.
In typical microscopy, there exists a
tradeoff between the field of view and
the power of the resolution, so a 10x
field is wider than a 100x field. By
using a lens-free imaging technology, Schematic of the layout for a lensless camera. (Photo: Keating/Liu Labs, Penn State)
it is possible to combine a wide field of
view with high magnification for lower- In the case of cellphones, one major ment. Likewise, a lens-free system added
cost images and faster diagnosis of dis- contributor to their bulk is due to the to a cellphone could turn the cellphone
ease. This could be especially useful in camera lens needing to be a certain dis- into a low-power microscope.
developing countries where high-end tance to the detector. A lens-free camera For more information, contact Walt Mills
microscopes are not available. could help minimize the space require- at wem12@psu.edu; 814-865-0285.

Imaging
High-Definition Millimeter-Wave Body Scanner

In an airport, the scanner could eliminate the need for passengers to remove shoes at the
checkpoint, speeding the screening process.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
T aking shoes off and placing them in a

bin has been part of the flying expe-
rience since 2006. But soon, even those
without pre-check status may be able to
keep their shoes on, step on a shoe scan-
ner, walk through a body scanner, and
proceed to their boarding gates.
The original holographic millimeter-
wave scanning technology — now used
at airports worldwide — can detect a
variety of potential weapons or threats
concealed under clothing. The capabili-
ties of the original scanners have been
expanded with an eye to improving the
passenger experience. The result is a
next-generation, high-definition scan-
ner that can identify even smaller threats
with fewer false positives. In the process,
a similar technology was developed that
can screen a passenger’s footwear while
on their feet.
A shoe scan involves the traveler paus-
ing on a low-profile imaging platform The new scanner uses higher resolution for potential threat detection and fewer false alarms at
for about two seconds. Electromagnetic security checkpoints. (Photo: Eric Francavilla, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
waves are used to generate an image of
the shoe, which is evaluated to deter- means less direct contact between travel- The HD Advanced Imaging Tech-
mine if an object may constitute a ers and security personnel. nology system will be able to incorporate
threat. The new system design includes im- the latest threat detection algorithms that
The updated HD-Advanced Imaging proved antennas and significantly reduces may be developed by third parties. Its
Technology scanner offers much higher imaging irregularities. With this advance- open architecture will provide operators
resolution, which improves potential ment, airline passengers or people attend- the flexibility to select and use best-in-
threat detection while dramatically reducing large public events may be scanned class threat detection algorithms instead
ing false alarms compared to the first-gen- while wearing light sweaters or jackets, of being limited to one specific type.
eration technology. Reducing false alarms instead of having to take them off before For more information, contact Susan Bauer
and the secondary screenings they trigger walking through the scanner portal. at susan.bauer@pnnl.gov; 509-372-6083.
Progressive Band Selection for Hyperspectral Images

This system enables fast analysis of hyperspectral images in disaster response or target
detection scenarios.
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
S paceborne hyperspectral imagers

collect enough information to posi-
tively identify materials and substances
responders. The latter application
relies on the ability to identify materials
quickly and accurately.
The system can operate on archived
hyperspectral imagery from NASA's EO-
1 Hyperion instrument or on data from
on the ground. Scientists often use The sheer volume of data in the image future missions, such as the Hyper-
hyperspectral data to investigate land causes many applications to run slowly spectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI), as
use, mineral deposits, or signs of cli- and produce poor results, as they search they become operational. Other agen-
mate change. The same data is also use- the full image dataset for the informa- cies with hyperspectral imagers, includ-
ful during disasters or other emergen- tion they need. NASA Goddard devel- ing the defense and intelligence commu-
cies when detection and mapping of oped a system that creates reduced nities, can also use the system in their
fires, chemical agents, or flooded areas datasets tailored for each potential applications. Additionally, the system can
can provide critical information to first application. operate onboard the spacecraft, allowing

them to quickly and autonomously ana- This innovation includes an algorithm NASA is actively seeking licensees to commer-
lyze the imagery they collect. Spacecraft to convert hyperspectral images to a pro- cialize this technology. Please contact NASA’s
with this capability could detect emerg- gressive format, along with another algo- Licensing Concierge at Agency-Patent-
ing situations and then intelligently re- rithm to quickly analyze hyperspectral Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us at 202-358-
task themselves to collect more data or images in this progressive format and 7432 to initiate licensing discussions. Follow
alert scientists or emergency personnel select the most important bands for a this link for more information: https://
on the ground. given science application. technology.nasa.gov/patent/GSC-TOPS-83.
Smart Displays Show Information Through Fabric

The technology shines through fabrics to show notifications for email messages, time,
weather, or other forms of basic information.
University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
R esearchers have developed an inno-

vative display that shows informa-
tion through clothes and other fabrics.
normally see on a smartphone display.
Rather, these are displays that show min-
imal information.
Although currently working with
standalone prototypes, the researchers
believe the next generation of these
The new technology, called PocketView, Because the display devices can take LED displays could easily be incorpo-
uses LED lights to display basic infor- various shapes and sizes, they have the rated into existing devices. And where-
mation. It can function as a standalone versatility to be worn and used in any as other research in wearable displays
piece of technology or could be incor- piece of clothing that has a pocket. focuses on creating new high-tech fab-
porated into existing or next-genera- Another key point of the new display rics, the utility of PocketView means
tion smart devices. technology is that it is relatively inexpen- that it works with clothes people
The team created prototypes that sive and could easily and quickly be already have.
mimic smartphones, pens, key fobs, and rolled out on a large scale. The proto- For more information, contact Chris
other shapes and sizes. The idea is not to types are also Bluetooth-enabled, mean- Wilson-Smith at chris.ws@uwaterloo.ca; 519-
show all the information that one would ing that they sync with existing devices. 888-4451.
Upcoming...
Webinars
The Flexibility of Embedded Systems and
Automation in 2022
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 12:00 pm U.S. EST
This 60-minute Webinar examines embedded systems designed to give developers
fast, convenient, and simplified solutions for industrial and embedded applications. Two
experts in industrial IoT will discuss the implementation of solutions that are needed for
the success of smart industry, smart cities, and smart service ecosystems.
An audience Q&A follows the technical presentation.
Speakers:
Diego González Charlie Wu
Sales Development Executive, Product Manager,
Advantech Advantech
Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar256

Power & Energy
Artificial Intelligence Improves Battery Health and Safety

A machine learning method promises to predict battery health with 10 times higher accuracy
than the current industry standard.
University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
R esearchers have designed a new way

to monitor batteries by sending elec-
trical pulses into them and measuring
Current methods for predicting bat-
tery health are based on tracking the
current and voltage during battery
vant noise. The method is noninvasive
and is a simple add-on to any existing
battery systems.
the response. The measurements are charging and discharging. This misses The researchers also showed that the
then processed by a machine learning important features that indicate battery machine learning model can be inter-
algorithm to predict the battery’s health health. Tracking the many processes that preted to give hints about the physical
and useful lifespan. The method is non- are happening within the battery re- mechanism of degradation. The model
invasive and is a simple add-on to any quires new ways of probing batteries in can inform which electrical signals are
existing battery system. action as well as new algorithms that can most correlated with aging, which in
Predicting the state of health and the detect subtle signals as they are charged turn allows them to design specific
remaining useful lifespan of lithium-ion and discharged. experiments to probe why and how bat-
batteries is one of the big problems lim- The researchers designed a way to mon- teries degrade.
iting widespread adoption of electric itor a battery by sending electrical pulses The machine learning platform is
vehicles and also affects the safety of into it and measuring its response. A being used to understand degradation
mobile phones. Over time, battery per- machine learning model is then used to in different battery chemistries. Optimal
formance degrades via a complex net- discover specific features in the electri- battery charging protocols are being
work of subtle chemical processes. cal response that are the telltale sign of developed, powered by machine learn-
Individually, each of these processes battery aging. The researchers per- ing, to enable fast charging and mini-
doesn’t have much of an effect on bat- formed more than 20,000 experimental mize degradation.
tery performance but collectively, they measurements to train the model. Im- For more information, contact Sarah
can severely shorten a battery’s perform- portantly, the model learns how to dis- Collins at sarah.collins@admin.cam.ac.uk;
ance and lifespan. tinguish important signals from irrele- +44 (0)1223 765542.
Wearable Biofuel Cells Produce Electricity from Lactate

The biofuel cells can power wearable electronics purely by using human sweat.
Tokyo University of Science, Japan
W earable electronic devices and

biosensors are used for health
monitoring but it has been difficult to
like those used in wristwatches, are too
thick and bulky, whereas thinner batter-
ies would pose capacity and safety issues.
that flows to a general current collector
made from a conducting carbon paste.
The entire device can be fabricated
find convenient power sources for them. The scientists are exploring efficient via screenprinting, a technique general-
Scientists have now developed and test- ways of using sweat as the sole source of ly suitable for cost-effective mass produc-
ed a wearable biofuel cell array that gen- power for wearable electronics. A biofu- tion. This was possible via the careful
erates electric power from the lactate in el cell array uses a chemical in sweat — selection of materials and a novel layout.
the wearer's sweat, opening doors to lactate — to generate enough power to Whereas similar previous cells used sil-
electronic health monitoring powered drive a biosensor and wireless communi- ver wires as conducting paths, the pres-
by nothing but bodily fluids. cations devices for a short time. ent biofuel cells employ porous carbon
Wearable biosensors are generally The cell array looks like a paper band- ink. Another advantage is the way in
meant to be worn directly on the skin in age that can be worn, for example, on which lactate is delivered to the cells.
order to measure specific biosignals and the arm or forearm. It essentially con- Paper layers are used to collect sweat
by sending measurements wirelessly to sists of a water-repellent paper substrate and transport it to all cells simultaneous-
smartphones or computers, keep track of onto which multiple biofuel cells are ly through the capillary effect — the
the user's health. Although materials sci- laid out in series and in parallel; the same effect by which water quickly trav-
entists have developed many types of flex- number of cells depends on the output els through a napkin when it comes into
ible circuits and electrodes for wearable voltage and power required. In each contact with a water puddle.
devices, it has been challenging to find an cell, electrochemical reactions between In tests, the paper-based biofuel cells
appropriate power source for wearable lactate and an enzyme present in the generated 3.66 V and an output power
biosensors. Traditional button batteries, electrodes produce an electric current of 4.3 mW. To demonstrate their appli-

cability for wearable biosensors and time to a smartphone via a low-power also power other types of wearable elec-
general electronic devices, the team Bluetooth device. tronics. The team was able to drive a
fabricated a self-driven lactate biosen- Lactate is an important biomarker commercially available activity meter for
sor that could not only power itself that reflects the intensity of physical 1.5 hours using one drop of artificial
using lactate and measure the lactate exercise in real time, which is relevant in sweat and the biofuel cells.
concentration in sweat, but also com- the training of athletes and rehabilita- For more information, contact the Media
municate the measured values in real tion patients. The biofuel cell arrays can Office at mediaoffice@admin.tus.ac.jp.
Wearable Device Transforms the Human Body into a

Biological Battery
The device is stretchy enough to wear like a ring, a bracelet, or any other accessory that
touches the skin.
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
A wearable device was developed

that taps into a person’s natural
heat, employing thermoelectric gener-
still enough to power electronics like
watches or fitness trackers.
The thermoelectric wearable device can
computer motherboard. The design
makes the system stretchable without
introducing much strain to the thermo-
ators to convert the body’s internal heal itself when damaged and is fully recy- electric material, which can be very brittle.
temperature into electricity. In the clable, making it a cleaner alternative to As the wearer exercises and the body
future, wearable electronics could be traditional electronics. It consists of a base heats up, the heat radiates out to the
powered without having to include a made out of a stretchy material called poly- cool outside air. The wearable device
battery. imine. The team then sticks a series of thin captures that flow of energy rather than
The device can generate about 1 volt thermoelectric chips into that base, con- letting it go to waste. The team calculat-
of energy for every square centimeter of necting them all with liquid metal wires. ed that a person taking a brisk walk
skin space — less voltage per area than The final product looks like a cross could use a device the size of a typical
what most existing batteries provide but between a plastic bracelet and a miniature sports wristband to generate about 5
volts of electricity, which is more than
what many watch batteries can muster.
The device is as resilient as biological tis-
sue. If the device tears, for example, the
broken ends can be pinched and they will
seal back up in a few minutes. When done
with the device, it can be dunked into a
special solution that will separate out the
electronic components and dissolve the
polyimine base — each one of those ingre-
dients can then be reused.
For more information, contact Daniel Strain
A thermoelectric wearable device worn as a ring. (Photo: Xiao Lab) at daniel.strain@colorado.edu; 303-735-5875.
Polymer-Based Battery Enables Fast Charging and Low

Operating Temperatures
The battery charges faster than a lithium-ion battery and is fire-safe and eco-friendly.
St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
L ithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are

used in everything from smart-
phones to electric vehicles. At the same
Chemists are considering redox-active
nitroxyl-containing polymers as materials
that could become the basis for new bat-
ductivity, which prevents the accumula-
tion of charge even when using additives
with high conductivity, such as coal.
time, Li-ion batteries also have a num- teries. They are characterized by a high To solve this problem, a team of
ber of serious disadvantages. Among energy density (amount of energy per researchers synthesized a polymer based
them are possible fire risk and loss of unit volume) and speed of charging and on the nickel-salen complex (NiSalen).
capacity in the cold as well as posing a discharging as a result of redox reac- The molecules of this polymer act as a
significant threat to the environment tions. The use of such polymers is ham- molecular wire on which energy-inten-
when disposed of. pered by their insufficient electrical con- sive nitroxyl fragments are attached. The

Power & Energy
molecular architecture of the material material, mixing individual compo- ble free radical was attached to it
makes it possible to simultaneously nents that simulate the conducting through covalent bonds capable of
achieve high power, high capacitance, chain with redox-active nitroxyl-con- rapid oxidation and reduction (charge
and low-temperature characteristics. taining polymers. It was important to and discharge).
When the team investigated the ensure that all parts of the structure The new battery could excel in situa-
mechanism of charge transfer in this worked together and reinforced each tions where very fast charging is
class of compounds, it turned out that other. After that, the stage of substance required or when operating at low tem-
they have two directions of develop- synthesis began, which involved sensi- peratures. It contains fewer metals that
ment: First, they can be used as protective components that can easily col- can cause environmental harm; nickel is
tive layers in conjunction with tradition- lapse at the slightest mistake. present in a small amount in the poly-
al Li-ion battery materials. Second, they Of the several polymers obtained, mer but there is much less of it than in
can become an active component of only one was found to be stable and Li-ion batteries.
electrical storage materials. efficient. The main chain of the new For more information, contact Polina
In the first phase of development, material is formed by complexes of Vyacheslavovna Ogorodnikova at pressa@
the team tested the concept of a new nickel with ligands called “salen.” A sta- spbu.ru.
Eliminating Corrosion Extends Life of Lightweight

Batteries
A new design could extend the shelf-life of single-use metal-air batteries for electric vehicles,
off-grid storage, and other applications.
M etal-air batteries are one of the light-

est and most compact types of bat-
teries, but when not in use, they degrade
quickly, as corrosion eats away at their
metal electrodes. While typical recharge-
able lithium-ion batteries only lose about
5 percent of their charge after a month of
storage, they are too costly, bulky, or heavy
for many applications. Primary (non-
rechargeable) aluminum-air batteries are
much less expensive and more compact
and lightweight, but they can lose 80 per-
cent of their charge a month.
A new design overcomes the problem
of corrosion in aluminum-air batteries by
introducing an oil barrier between the
aluminum electrode and the electrolyte
— the fluid between the two battery elec-
trodes that eats away at the aluminum The proof-of-concept battery lasted through 24 days of use and standby cycles, compared to just
when the battery is on standby. The oil is three days for a comparable battery without the new protective system in place. (Photo: MIT)
rapidly pumped away and replaced with
electrolyte as soon as the battery is used. “underwater oleophobicity” — that is, only three. Aluminum, in addition to
As a result, the energy loss is cut to just when aluminum is immersed in water, it being very inexpensive, can store and
0.02 percent a month — more than a repels oil from its surface. As a result, deliver more energy per pound than
thousand-fold improvement. when the battery is reactivated and elec- almost anything else.
The system uses a thin membrane trolyte is pumped back in, the elec- Aluminum-air batteries have been
placed between the battery electrodes. trolyte easily displaces the oil from the used as range extenders for electric vehi-
When the battery is in use, both sides of aluminum surface, which restores the cles to supplement built-in rechargeable
the membrane are filled with a liquid elec- power capabilities of the battery. The batteries and are sometimes used as
trolyte, but when the battery is put on result is an aluminum-air prototype with power sources in remote locations or for
standby, oil is pumped into the side closest a much longer shelf-life than that of con- some underwater vehicles. With a longer
to the aluminum electrode, protecting the ventional aluminum-air batteries. shelf-life, the use of aluminum-air batter-
aluminum surface from the electrolyte on When the battery was repeatedly used ies could extend to other applications.
the other side of the membrane. and then put on standby for one to two For more information, contact Karl-Lydie
The battery system also takes advan- days, the new design lasted 24 days, Jean-Baptiste at kjeanbap@mit.edu; 617-
tage of a property of aluminum called while the conventional design lasted for 253-1682.

Sustainable Technology
Cleaner Water Through Corn
Activated carbon made from corn stover filters 98 percent of a pollutant from water.
University of California, Riverside, CA
A bout half the corn harvest —

stalks, leaves, husks, and cobs —
remains as waste after the kernels have
Direct Activation (KOH) Wastewater
been stripped from the cobs. These O

leftovers, known as corn stover, have OH
few commercial or industrial uses
aside from burning. Researchers devel- KOH O
oped an energy-efficient way to put HTC
Corn Vanillin
corn stover back into the economy by Biochar AC
Stover
transforming it into activated carbon
for use in water treatment.
Activated carbon, also called activated
charcoal, is charred biological material SP
that has been treated to create millions
of microscopic pores that increase how
much the material can absorb. It has Clean Water
many industrial uses, the most common The method by which corn stover is turned to biochar, then to activated carbon for water filtration.
of which is for filtering pollutants out of (Photo: Abdul-Aziz et. al., 2021)
drinking water.
The researchers compared methods Hydrothermal carbonization created a activated carbon, its combination of larg-
for producing activated carbon from biochar with higher surface area and er surface area and bigger pores enabled
charred corn stover and found that pro- larger pores when compared to slow the carbon to absorb more vanillin.
cessing the biomass with hot compressed pyrolysis — a process where corn stover is Finding applications for resources
water — a process known as hydrother- charred at increasing temperatures over such as corn stover could help combat
mal carbonization — produced activated a long period of time. When the climate change.
carbon that absorbed 98 percent of the researchers filtered water into which For more information, contact Holly Ober
water pollutant vanillin. vanillin had been added through the at holly.ober@ucr.edu; 951-827-5893.
Chemistry Discovery Could Remove Micropollutants from

the Environment
This approach could result in developing chemical sensors that are sensitive at a very low
level to a specific chemical in the environment.
Army Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC, and Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
A rmy-funded research identified a new

chemistry approach that could
remove micropollutants from the environ-
centration of an individual ligand, they
could control the shape of the particle it
attached to. This approach could result in
utilized to control how nanoscale particles
grow and become their eventual shape.
Understanding how ligands interact
ment. Micropollutants are biological or developing chemical sensors that are sen- with the surface of nanoparticles has been
chemical contaminants that make their sitive at a very low level to a specific chem- a challenge to study. Adsorbed ligands are
way into ground and surface waters in ical in the environment. difficult to identify because there are other
trace quantities. The research studied interactions of lig- molecules in the mix and nanoparticle
Using a pioneering imaging technique, ands and gained new understanding of surfaces are uneven and multifaceted,
Cornell University researchers obtained a the strength, or affinity, of ligand adsorp- which means they require incredibly high
high-resolution snapshot of how ligands tion as well as how multiple ligands coop- spatial resolution to be scrutinized.
— molecules that bind to other molecules erate, or don’t, with each other. When the A nanoparticle’s size and surface struc-
or metals — interact with the surface of molecule adsorbs on the surface of a tures, or facets, are intrinsically tied to the
nanoparticles. In doing so, they made an nanoscale material, it also protects the sur- particle’s potential applications. The larger
unexpected discovery; by varying the con- face and makes it more stable. This can be the particle, the more atoms fit inside it,

Sustainable Technology
surface and generates a fluorescent reac-

tion. A nonfluorescent molecule is then
sent to bind to the surface, where its
reaction competes with the fluorescent
signal. The resulting decrease in fluores-
cence, essentially creating a negative
image, can then be measured and
mapped with super high resolution.
Using COMPEITS on a gold nanoparti-
cle, the team was able to quantify the
strength of ligand adsorption and they
discovered ligand behavior can be very
diverse. At some sites, they cooperate to
help each other adsorb but at other sites,
they can impair each other’s efforts. The
researchers also discovered that some-
times this positive and negative coopera-
tivity exists at the same site. In addition,
the researchers learned that the surface
density of adsorbed ligands can deter-
mine which facet is dominant. This
crossover inspired the team to vary the
Cornell researchers identified a new chemistry approach that could remove micropollutants from concentrations of individual ligands as a
the environment. (Photo: Cornell University) way to tune the shape of the particle itself.
For example, one way to remove
while smaller particles have less available now, they haven’t been able to obtain micropollutants, such as pesticides, from
space internally but a greater surface vol- nanometer resolution to explore the the environment is to adsorb micro-por-
ume ratio for atoms to sit atop, where they nooks and crannies of the multiple surface tions on the surface of some adsorbent
can be utilized for processes such as catal- facets and quantify the affinity, or strength, particle. After it is adsorbed on the sur-
ysis and adsorption. The different types of of a ligand’s adsorption. The team was able face of the particle, if the particle is a cat-
structures the atoms and molecules form to do that by employing a method called alyst, it can catalyze the destruction of
on these surface facets are directly corre- COMPetition Enabled Imaging Technique the micropollutants.
lated with the particle’s shape. with Super-Resolution (COMPEITS). For more information, contact the Army Re-
Scientists have used several imaging The process works by introducing a search Laboratory Public Affairs Office at
methods to survey these particles but until molecule that reacts with the particle public_affairs@arl.army.mil; 301-394-3590.
Recycling Battery Parts Without Crushing or Melting

The method replenishes lithium in electrodes while keeping the existing structure intact.
Aalto University, Finland
T he proliferation of electric cars,

smartphones, and portable devices is
leading to an estimated 25 percent
increase globally in the manufacturing of
rechargeable batteries each year. Many
raw materials used in the batteries, such
as cobalt, may soon be in short supply.
Researchers have discovered that elec-
trodes in lithium batteries containing
cobalt can be reused as is after being
newly saturated with lithium. In compar-
ison to traditional recycling, which typi-
cally extracts metals from crushed bat-
teries by melting or dissolving them, the
new process saves valuable raw materials
as well as energy.
As lithium cobalt oxide batteries age,
one of the main causes of battery deteri- Electrodes removed from batteries consist of a film made of aluminum or copper, for example,
oration is the depletion of lithium in the which is covered with a thin layer of active material. (Photo: Aalto University)

electrode material. The structures can of batteries’ raw materials are lost and The performance of electrodes newly
nevertheless remain relatively stable, so lithium cobalt oxide turns into other saturated with lithium is almost as good
they can be reused. cobalt compounds that require a as with those made of new material.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries lengthy chemical refinement process to With further development, the method
have two electrodes between which elec- turn them back into electrode material. would also work on an industrial scale.
trically charged particles move. Lithium The new method replenishes the spent The researchers will determine if the
cobalt oxide is used in one electrode lithium in the electrode through an same method could be used with nickel-
and in most of the batteries, the other is electrolysis process, commonly used in based batteries of electric cars.
made of carbon and copper. In tradi- industry, through which the cobalt com- For more information, contact Tanja Kallio,
tional battery recycling methods, some pound can be directly reused. Associate Professor, at tanja.kallio@aalto.fi.
Tires Turned into Graphene Make Stronger Concrete

An optimized flash process could reduce carbon emissions.
Rice University, Houston, TX
S cientists have optimized a process to

convert waste from rubber tires into
graphene that can, in turn, be used to
Carbon feedstock
strengthen concrete. Concrete is the
most-produced material in the world and
simply making it produces as much as 9
percent of the world’s carbon dioxide Copper
emissions. If less concrete can be used in electrode
roads, buildings, and bridges, some of the
emissions can be eliminated at the start.
Recycled tire waste is already used as
a component of but graphene has (+)
been proven to strengthen cementi-
tious materials, such as concrete, at the
molecular level. While the majority of
the 800 million tires discarded annually
(-)
are burned for fuel or ground up for
other applications, 16 percent of them
wind up in landfills. Graphite
The flash process has been used to plugs
convert food waste, plastic, and other Quartz
tube
carbon sources by exposing them to a
jolt of electricity that removes every-
thing but carbon atoms from the sam-
ple. Those atoms reassemble into tur- Turbostratic
flash graphene
bostratic graphene, which has mis-
aligned layers that are more soluble
than graphene produced via exfolia- Scientists optimized a process to turn rubber from discarded tires into turbostratic flash graphene.
tion from graphite. That makes it easier (Photo: Courtesy of the Tour Research Group)
to use in composite materials.
Rubber proved more challenging The scientists flashed tire-derived car- weight/percent (wt%) for tire carbon
than food or plastic to turn into graph- bon black and found about 70 percent black and 0.05 wt% for carbon black
ene but the scientists optimized the of the material converted to graphene. and shredded tires — with Portland
process by using commercial pyrolyzed When flashing shredded rubber tires cement and used it to produce con-
waste rubber from tires. After useful oils mixed with plain carbon black to add crete cylinders.
are extracted from waste tires, this car- conductivity, about 47 percent convert- Tested after curing for seven days,
bon residue has until now had near-zero ed to graphene. the cylinders showed gains of 30 per-
value. Tire-derived carbon black or a The electrical pulses lasted between cent or more in compressive strength.
blend of shredded rubber tires and com- 300 milliseconds and 1 second. The After 28 days, 0.1 wt% of graphene suf-
mercial carbon black can be flashed into lab calculated electricity used in the ficed to give both products a strength
graphene. Because turbostratic graphene conversion process would cost about gain of at least 30 percent.
is soluble, it can easily be added to $100 per ton of starting carbon. The For more information, contact Mike Wil-
cement to make more environmentally researchers blended minute amounts liams at mikewilliams@rice.edu; 713-348-
friendly concrete. of tire-derived graphene — 0.1 6728.

New on the
MARKET
Product of the Month
COMSOL, Inc., Burlington, MA, provider of software solutions for multiphysics modeling has released version
6.0 of their COMSOL Multiphysics® software. The release introduces the Model Manager, a new workspace in
COMSOL Multiphysics that enables efficient simulation data management and collaboration. Also introduced with
version 6.0 is the Uncertainty Quantification Module, a new add-on product to COMSOL Multiphysics that uses
probabilistic design methods to quantify uncertainty in analyses and predetermined safety margins. Version 6.0 fur-
ther brings faster solvers with performance speedup by a factor of 10 in areas such as heat radiation and models subjected to nonlinear structural
material behavior, and adds powerful tools for electromagnetics analysis of printed circuit board design.
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-120
Parametric Test System MIL-STD-1553 to USB Interface

Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA, intro- Data Device Corporation, Bohemia, NY,
duced the P9002A parallel parametric test sys- announced their new BU-67111U1x0R-CA0
tem, which provides semiconductor wafer test- 1553 BusLink single channel dual-redundant
ing with high throughput as well as a flexible MIL-STD-1553 to USB interface. The adapter
option structure for up to 100 channels of par- provides rugged levels of shock and vibration
allel test resources, including test capabilities required for parametric protection, with a maximum operating temperature range of -20° C to
tests at each test resource. It enables customers to utilize their existing +60° C. Ideal for lab or rugged applications, it meets MIL-STD-1553 for
test programs and test plans with data correlations. an adapter used on MSD-V4.
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-100 For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-106
Liquid-Cooled Workstation Modular PCB Interface

AMAX, Fremont, CA, announced the LiquidMax™ HARTING Technology Group, Espelkamp,
TL40-X3 liquid-cooled, dual-socket, intelligent GPU work- Germany, introduced the har-modular® — a modu-
station integrated with 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable series lar PCB interface that can be individually configured
processors. It provides up to 200 TB of large-capacity storage online, providing a significant reduction in the work-
and contains a Smart LCD panel to control fan speeds, load for device developers. The modular construc-
monitor liquid flow, water level, and temperature. A circulating waterway tion kit has a billion possible combinations. Customized solutions starting
does not risk liquid damage or leakage to the system components. at batch size one, save time and cost in development and facilitate the ever-
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-101 shorter processes involved in turning out new industrial devices.
Space-Qualified Flash Memory
Mercury Systems, Andover, MA, announced its 32 MEMS Hydrogen Sensors
GB NAND flash non-volatile memory device. Posifa Technologies, San Jose, CA, introduced its
Featuring a plastic ball-grid array package meeting PGS1000 MEMS thermal conductivity hydrogen sen-
NASA’s EEE-INST-002 space-grade application sors. Designed for stable, cost-effective safety monitor-
guidelines, these purpose-built radiation-tolerant ing, the devices consist of two thermal conductivity
devices are ideal for ultra-high density memory storage applications dies in a differential configuration. Different than
that require high reliability in high-radiation environments like Space. sensors triggered by chemical reactions, which eventually degrade,
Its high-capacity storage makes it ideal for data-intensive applications they detect hydrogen concentrations in the air by measuring the
including artificial intelligence and machine learning. change in thermal conductivity of the gas mixture.
Universal Thermocouple Amplifier Single-Board Computer

Harold G. Schaevitz Industries LLC, Kontron, Ismaning, Germany, is introducing a
Bloomfield Hills, MI, is offering a new 8- new generation of 3.5-inch single-board com-
Channel universal thermocouple amplifier sig- puters built on the 11th generation Intel® Core™ U
nal conditioner module with USB, CAN, RS232 digital and 8 inde- processor series and Celeron® 6000 series. The 3.5-inch SBC-
pendent 0 to 5 VDC analog outputs. With user-programmable mini- TGL is ideal for graphics-intensive or AI-enabled, low-latency, embed-
mum and maximum temperature spans, it’s designed for simple inte- ded systems. It delivers up to 23 percent faster computing perform-
gration to aftermarket ECUs, data loggers, or other electronic devices ance and up to 2.95 times faster graphics performance than its prede-
requiring a linear 0 to 5 VDC input. cessors without the need for an additional graphics card.

Cyber-Resiliency Solution Circular Connectors
Abaco Systems, Huntsville, AL, announced the Dinkle International, Missouri City, TX,
release of 1553Guard™, a new security technology for announced its M12 and M8 circular connectors.
MIL-STD-1553-based systems, which provides an Straight or angled, casing-mount (front lock and rear
additional layer of protection against cyberattacks. lock) with pigtails, and solderable PCB connectors.
It’s an integrated solution directly built into the 1553 UL Listed, RoHS compliant, waterproof and dust-
interface, which detects and alleviates threats in real time from a single proof to IP67 and above, they’re designed to resist corrosion from salt spray
device through continual monitoring and protection for the entire bus. for 96 hours. The series includes power, signal, and network connectors.
Rugged Computer Disc Couplings

Cincoze, Taipei, Taiwan, launched the Ruland, Marlborough, MA, offers zero-backlash disc cou-
DIAMOND DI-1100 series rugged indus- plings available in single- and double-disc models. They are
trial computer with Intel® Core™ comprised of two anodized aluminum hubs and multiple
Whiskey Lake-U CPUs for space-limited applications. Features include thin, flat stainless steel disc springs. Single-disc couplings
-40° C to 70° C temperature support, 9 to 48 VDC input voltage support, mate the hubs directly with the disc springs. They are available in clamp
and 32 GB of DDR4 2400-MHz SO-DIMM. It supports one mSATA and screw and set screw designs with inch, metric, and inch to metric bore sizes.
one hot-swappable 2.5" HDD/SSD tray to expand storage space. For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/822318-104
Vector Network Analyzers
Hybrid Connectors Rohde & Schwarz, Columbia, MD, introduced
binder USA, Camarillo, CA, announced R&S ZNL14, R&S ZNL20, R&S ZNLE14, and
Series 818 M8 hybrid connectors with D-coding R&S ZNLE18 benchtop vector network analyz-
that enable the network connection of miniatur- ers. The ZNL models support two-port network
ized actuators and sensors with data rates of up analysis for a set of component S-parameters from 5 kHz to 14 GHz and
to 100 Mbit/s. They offer IP67-level protection when locked and the 5 kHz to 20 GHz. The ZNLE support two-port network analysis for S-
four gold-plated pins are symmetrically arranged for durability. parameters from 100 kHz to 14 GHz and 100 kHz to 18 GHz.
LASER DIODE PRECISION MULTIPHYSICS

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with pulse widths from 400 ps to 1 us. GPIB, RS-232, & design guides. Please visit our award-winning website ucts offer a unified workflow with all major technical
and Ethernet control available. Since 1975. for more information. Bird Precision, Waltham, MA; computing and CAD tools. COMSOL Compiler™ and
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FACILITY FOCUS
The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
I n 1925, John Paul Riddle and T. Higbee Embry

together formed the Embry-Riddle Company to
teach flying. In spring 1926, the company opened
the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation.
After a merge with the Aviation Corporation, the
Embry-Riddle flying school was closed in 1930.
However, in 1939 Riddle, John Graham McKay and
wife Isabel re-established the school in Miami,
Florida. The school was moved to Daytona Beach in
April 1965.
Embry-Riddle became a nonprofit in 1959 and
was awarded university status in 1968. It changed its
name to The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
in 1970.
Embry-Riddle’s history in flight education has
positioned it to become a pioneering institution for
the study of space-related endeavors. It offers
applied research degree programs that are deeply
rooted in research and focused on aviation and
aerospace.
Today, the school offers seven primary fields of
study covering a wide range of aviation-related and Embry-Riddle offers applied research degree programs that are deeply rooted in
nonaviation-related industries including aviation; research and focused on aviation and aerospace. (Photo: Embry-Riddle)
space; applied sciences; engineering; security,
Intelligence, and safety; computers and technology;
and business.
The faculty and students at the university are
actively involved in technology research across
these seven areas.
Aviation
A team at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s
College of Aviation is conducting a research that
could play a major role in expanding restrictions on
small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), or drones,
being flown beyond the visual line of sight of their
operators — marking an important milestone that
would pave the way for advancements like drone
delivery and urban air mobility.
Backed by funding from NASA’s University
Student Research Challenge, the Assured
Autonomy Research Initiative, as the project is
called, aims to improve the safety and reliability of
sUAS by creating a redundant flight control system.
Aerospace Engineering professor Riccardo Bevilacqua is leading the research on Embry-
The proposed system could serve as a ‘backup’ to Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, with help from graduate student Katharine Larsen.
the primary flight computer, in the case of an in- (Photo: The Bevilacqua Family).
flight loss of communications or control.
If successful, the project could help push the Federal Space
Aviation Administration toward easing current regulations, An Embry-Riddle team patented a device that provides a
which would allow for wider use of autonomous aircraft in the workable strategy for combating the problem of debris accu-
National Airspace System. mulating in space from defunct satellites. Known as the Drag

Defunct satellites are one of the main causes of space junk, but a recently
patented device developed by Embry-Riddle professors seeks to alleviate
the problem. (Photo: Embry-Riddle)
Ph.D. students Chris Hays and Aryslan Malik test the focus of the cameras
De-Orbit Device, or D3, the invention can guide small satellites and prepare the final build of the EagleCam CubeSat in the Space
from low Earth orbit, maneuvering them through Earth’s Technology Lab. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Daryl LaBello)
atmosphere, where they burn up.
Another team at Embry-Riddle developed better methods to Applied Sciences
predict where fragments from a warhead strike will fly, reduc- A team of researchers at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical
ing the chance of collateral damage. University’s Research Park is developing Synthetic materials
Thanks to a $442,508 grant from the Air Force Office of capable of shape shifting from a solid to a liquid state that
Scientific Research, the team merged data from static tests with might someday help building managers save on cooling
advanced simulation capabilities, considering such factors as costs.
the speed and orientation of a warhead and using artificial By leveraging simple desktop equipment to manufacture
neural networks and other machine learning tools to provide very thin strings of a special phase-changing material, the team
better estimates. has opened the door to improved thermal energy storage on
The technology could also eventually be applied in the case Earth and in space, too.
of collisions or explosions in space that shoot off fragments of The team has demonstrated that thermal energy storage
space debris. Being able to predict where that debris will go composites can be printed using a 3D printer and fused-fila-
could protect active satellites from being damaged. ment deposition process. The breakthrough involves encapsu-
In preparation for an upcoming moon mission, a team of lating a phase-change material, or PCM, inside a skinny com-
engineers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has composite filament that stores heat. The fused filaments can then
pleted construction of a miniature satellite camera system. be 3D printed to create heat-exchanging devices. When sub-
With funding from the NASA Florida Space Grant jected to heat, solid-state PCMs absorb large amounts of heat
Consortium, the CubeSat, known as EagleCam, will take the as they change from one phase to another at constant temper-
world’s first third-person shot of a spacecraft as it makes an ature. This characteristic makes them attractive for use in
extraterrestrial landing. thermal energy storage tanks.
The Nova-C, which will transport NASA and commercial pay- Currently, thermal energy storage tanks are used to freeze
loads, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. As the water at night, when electricity rates are lower, so that ice can
Nova-C approaches the moon, EagleCam will launch about 30 be melted to provide cooling during the day. Such tanks help
seconds before landing and freefall to the moon’s surface in reduce energy use in buildings. The research remains at an
time to capture what is essentially a selfie of the Nova-C space- early stage, but prototype heat exchangers have been success-
craft as it touches down. fully fabricated.
Three wide field-of-view cameras will capture the landing
from three sides of the CubeSat, and then send the photos Security, Intelligence, and Safety
back down to the lander via WiFi — a technology never before Researchers at the university have received a $1 million fed-
used on the moon and engineered entirely by Embry-Riddle eral grant to improve cybersecurity related to the systems that
students and faculty. identify where aircraft are flying in the National Airspace

Facility Focus
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Research Fellowship, works to refine phase-changing materials at Embry-Riddle’s Research Park, in Digital Media Associate..........................................Md Jaliluzzaman
the Thermal Science Laboratory. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Daryl LaBello)
Digital Media Assistant.......................................Rowena Pagarigan
Digital Production Associate...............................Andrew Greenberg
Performance, looks at accident records Digital Production Associate ........................................Symba Wong
over a 35-year period (1983-2018). It Credit & Collection Manager.......................................Stacie Pointek
finds that flying at night, under Budget & Forecasting ..................................................Felecia Lahey
Instrument Flight Rules, and post-crash Accounting/Human Resources Manager.......................Sylvia Bonilla
fires are all associated with a higher like- A/R Clerk .......................................................................Crystal Ortiz
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ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
heightened risks faced by HEMS.
MA, NH, ME, VT, RI, Eastern Canada ...............................Ed Marecki
.................................................................................(401) 351-0274
Computers and Engineering
CT ............................................................................Stan Greenfield
The university’s degree programs are
..............................................................................(203) 938-2418
focused on computer, software, and elec-
NJ, PA, DE.....................................................................John Murray
trical engineering programs where stu- ................................................................................ (973) 409-4685
dents gain hands-on experience in their Southeast, TX .............................................................Ray Tompkins
Three cameras with a 180-degree field-of-view first semester, culminating with a multi-
are lined up against the CubeSat’s external .................................................................................(281) 313-1004
frame structure. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Bernand disciplinary capstone project that demon- NY, OH.......................................................................Ryan Beckman
Wilchusky) strates their skills. .................................................................................(973) 409-4687
In addition to educating aerospace MI, IN, WI ..........................................................................Chris Kennedy
System, which are known as positioning, engineers, Embry-Riddle is also a hands- .........................................................................(847) 498-4520 ext. 3008
navigation, and timing services. The on educator for other engineering disci- MN, ND, SD, IL, KY, MO, KS, IA, NE, Central Canada................Bob Casey
project will employ artificial intelligence plines. Its specialized degrees offer edu- ................................................................................ (847) 223-5225
and machine learning to help improve cation for all engineering fields, includ- CA, WA, OR, AZ, NM, Rocky Mountain States ................Tim Powers
cybersecurity as safety-critical systems ing aerospace, civil, computer, electrical, .................................................................................(908) 892-2838
rely more and more on technology, mechanical, software, and systems. Kyle Fiene
increasing the risk of malicious attacks. .................................................................................(310) 800-4514
To transport injured patients, helicop- Technology Transfer Europe ........................................................................Sven Anacker

............................................................................49-202-373294-11
ter emergency medical service (HEMS) Embry-Riddle’s Technology Transfer
Integrated Media Consultants....................................Patrick Harvey
pilots must fly at night, at low altitudes, Office offers presentations on the sub-
................................................................................ (973) 409-4686
over rough terrain and in bad weather, jects of technology transfer, intellectual
Scott Williams
and therefore, are involved in twice the property, or research commercialization.
.................................................................................(973) 545-2464
number of fatal accidents. A research For more information visit erau.edu/
Rick Rosenberg
team worked to identify the specific research/technology or contact Stephanie .................................................................................(973) 545-2565
HEMS crash scenarios associated with an Miller, Executive Director, Technology Todd Holtz
increased likelihood of fatalities. Transfer and Research Park Initiatives at ................................................................................ (973) 545-2566
The research, published by the jour- stephanie.a.miller@erau.edu; 386-226- Jason Setti
nal Aviation Medicine and Human 6388. (973) 874-0271

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Index
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Advertiser Page Web Link Advertiser Page Web Link
AllMotion, Inc. ..............................................11 ......................................................allmotion.com

Battery & Electrification Technology
Alluxa ..........................................................Cover 2 ....................................................alluxa.com Battery & Electrification Summit ..................25....................................techbriefs.com/bet-summit
COMSOL, Inc. ......................................24, Cover 4 ..................................comsol.com

AutomationDirect..........................................Cover 4 ..................................automationdirect.com
Create The Future Design Contest................3 ....................................createthefuturecontest.com
Avtech Electrosystems Ltd. ............................43 ..................................................avtechpulse.com

EA Elektro-Automatik, Inc. ..........................24 ..................................................eapowered.com
Bird Precision ................................................43 ................................................birdprecision.com Ellsworth Adhesives ....................................2 ........................................................ellsworth.com
HORIBA Automotive....................................25 ..........................................................horiba.com

COMSOL, Inc. ........................................7, 43 ............................................comsol.com
Keystone Electronics Corp. ..........................1 ..........................................................keyelco.com

Create The Future Design Contest..................Cover 3 ..........................createthefuturecontest.com
Master Bond Inc. ................................2, 23 ....................................masterbond.com
Harwin PLC ..................................................15..........................................................harwin.com

Micro-Epsilon ............................................Cover 2 ........................................micro-epsilon.com
Insaco Inc. ....................................................4 ............................................................insaco.com

Motion Design
L-com ..........................................................3 ..............................................................l-com.com

Aerotech, Inc...............................................13........................................................aerotech.com
Master Bond Inc. ..................................27, 43 ..................................masterbond.com AutomationDirect........................................Cover 2 ..................................automationdirect.com
Master Bond Inc. ................................17 ........................................masterbond.com

New England Wire Technologies ..................1, 18 ......................................newenglandwire.com
PBC Linear ..................................................Cover 4................................................pbclinear.com
Santest Co., Ltd.............................................27 ........................................................santest.co.jp

Pyramid Incorporated ..................................1 ..................................................pyramidbelts.com
Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd. ..........................43................................................siliconsensing.com Tech Briefs TV..............................................15 ..................................................techbriefs.com/tv
Supplement to Tech Briefs: 2 and 3.

Tech Briefs TV................................................31 ..................................................techbriefs.com/tv
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Northbrook, Il 60062.

Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring
successfully commercialized NASA technology. This
SPINOFF
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.
Answering the Call of Distress

Software created with NASA expertise improves satellite-based search and rescue system.
A s companies and other entities con-

tinue making use of NASA know-how,
spinoffs from the space agency are bound
States. Historically, SARSAT transponders
have piggybacked on both low-Earth orbit-
ing satellites and much more distant geo-
Logic Inc., which specializes in software for
scheduling and mission planning.
The company’s founders built their
to bump into each other. That’s what hap- stationary satellites. The first can calculate expertise in the field at NASA. Alex and
pened as the lifesaving Search and Rescue a beacon’s location, while the second can Ella Herz, the company’s President and
Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system immediately receive and relay the distress Chief Operating Officer, respectively,
underwent a major expansion over the message but neither can do both well. worked on payload engineering and oper-
past several years. Over the past decade, SARSAT repeaters ations as contractors at Johnson Space
The U.S. SARSAT system — and its have also been added to many of the Center in the late 1980s and early 1990s,
global counterpart, COSPAS-SARSAT — world’s navigational satellites, which oper- when scheduling was a major challenge
detects and locates distress signals from ate in medium-Earth orbit. The Search and for space shuttle payloads. The third
emergency beacons and has enabled the Rescue Office at NASA’s Goddard Space founder, Orbit Logic Vice President Doug
rescue of more than 48,000 people world- Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, assessed George, later worked with Alex to build
wide. In the United States, more than the medium-Earth orbit SARSAT platform the scheduling software for the Vegetation
10,000 people have been saved since the and developed and tested the first ground Canopy Lidar satellite at Goddard (a proj-
first satellite transponders and ground sta- station to monitor these new transponders. ect that was ultimately canceled).
tions went into effect in 1982. This led to a network of such stations that When the three founded Orbit Logic in
NASA led the system’s creation and went online in 2018 as part of the system 2000, they set out to create a planning and
remains the research and development run by NOAA. It uses multiple simultane- scheduling tool flexible enough to be
lead, and the National Oceanic and ous signals to immediately triangulate a applied to any space, or even nonspace,
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) beacon’s position. This resulted in nearly mission. Working with two other compa-
manages the ground stations in the United instantaneous detection and location, in nies, including the maker of Systems Tool
some cases lessening the delay from hours Kit (STK), they built STK Scheduler.
to minutes. NASA and NOAA continue to Now, STK Scheduler helps SARSAT
improve the ground system. ground stations choose which medium-
As the number of these satellites exceed Earth orbit satellites to track by weighing
the number of antennas dedicated to priorities against the limited number of
them on the ground, the ground network antennas to generate a pointing schedule
had to make difficult decisions about that ensures the highest accuracy for
which satellites to track at any given locating distress signals.
moment. To solve the problem, NOAA Visit https://spinoff.nasa.gov/software-
turned to Greenbelt, MD-based Orbit improves-SARSAT
Since going into effect in the early 1980s, the
SARSAT system and its international counterpart
COSPAS-SARSAT have enabled the rescue of
more than 48,000 people worldwide including
more than 10,000 in the United States. (Photo:
U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Sean Sweeney)
Medium-Earth orbit satellites added to the

SARSAT system over the past decade or so have
dramatically reduced the time it takes to Orbit Logic’s STK Scheduler software, based in part on the company founders’ long experience with NASA
respond to signals from emergency beacons like mission planning, helps a limited number of SARSAT antennas choose which medium-Earth orbit satel-
this one. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard) lites to track at any given time to maximize accuracy for locating distress signals. (Photo: Orbit Logic)

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February 2022
A Failure-Tolerant
Flow Control Valve
Designing Smarter
Gas Flow Devices
Software Gives
Robots Human Touch
Supplement to Tech Briefs
MD Cover 0222_1.indd 1 1/17/22 4:51 PM

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0 - oi n e i n S r o a iy L - A .n d 1
FEATURES 14 Giving Bug-Like Bots a Boost
2 Designing Smart Solutions for Gas Flow Devices 14 Bipedal Robot Achieves Better Body Balance
5 Discrete Proportional Valve Technology
DEPARTMENTS
APPLICATIONS 16 New Products
8 Earthly Twin Offers Test Bed for NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover
ON THE COVER
Control valves regulate process variables, such as
TECH BRIEFS flow, temperature, pressure, and fluid level as well
as play an important role in increasing efficiency,
10 Software Gives Robots Human Touch safety, and profitability of process industries in-
cluding oil and gas, power generation, chemicals,
10 Incorporating Computer Vision and Uncertainty into AI for automotive, etc. A failure-tolerant discrete propor-
Robotic Prosthetics tional valve technology promises to provide a true
zero-flow state. Learn more in the feature on page 2.
11 Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials (Image: PK/Shutterstock)
12 Mobile Molecular Robots Swim in Water
12 Micro-Robots Propelled by Air Bubbles and Ultrasound
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Motion Design, February 2022 1 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-701 12/17/2018 4:12:55 PM 1
MD Contents 0222_1.indd 1 1/19/22 10:44 AM

Designing Smart Solutions for
Gas Flow Devices
D
uring the 20th pressurized quantity or quality of
century, the the gas flowing through the
energy landscape meter. Accordingly, adjust-
in India was dominated ments need to be made in
by fossil fuels, with diesel, pe- temperature, pressure, and
troleum, and kerosene used heating values to accurately
for most industrial and domes- measure the actual amount of
tic purposes. In rural India, gas moving through the meter.
a large part of the population Several different designs of gas
was still using coal, wood, or dung meters are common, depending
fires for cooking. However, the last few on the volumetric flow rate of
decades have seen the country strive to gas to be measured, the range
become a more gas-based economy, with of flows anticipated, the type of gas
widespread use of liquefied petroleum A gas being measured, and other factors.
gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas meter is a Some of the major types of gas me-
(CNG) for cooking and even transpor- specialized flowmeter used in residen- ters include diaphragm meters, rotary
tation. Recently, piped natural gas has tial, commercial, and industrial build- displacement meters, turbine meters,
also been made available to many urban ings to measure the amount of fuel ultrasonic flowmeters, and Coriolis
households, providing the comfort of gases, such as CNG or LPG, delivered meters.
uninterrupted cooking gas directly to through a pipeline. Gases are highly Raychem RPG is one of the lead-
consumer homes. This new develop- compressible, which makes them more ing providers of domestic gas meters
ment calls for the gas utility providers difficult to measure than liquids because in India. At the Raychem Innovation
to measure how much gas is being of their sensitivity to changes in tem- Centre (RIC) in Gujarat, India, re-
consumed. How? With the help of gas perature and pressure. Gas meters mea- searchers developed four new designs
meters. sure a defined volume, regardless of the for gas flowmeters, which were concep-
2 Motion Design, February 2022
MD Motion Control Feature 0222_1.indd 2 1/17/22 5:05 PM

tualized, optimized, and validated using TH(721)=720 deg Surface: Total Displacement (m)
multiphysics simulation software. ×10-18
Design Challenges for Gas 7
Flowmeters
All gas meters currently available in 6
India have their own limitations. For
example, in diaphragm meters, leakage
from moving parts and the diaphragm 5
can cause measurement errors. Rotary
displacement meters and turbine me-
ters, on the other hand, have close to 4
35 components, increasing the proba-

bility of mechanical failure and fatigue.
3
Further, the enclosure size for any gas
meter is fixed, so any new meter design
must fit within the given enclosure size. 2
Therefore, the size of the device is an-
other important criterion for any new
gas meter design. All these different 1
criteria make it a challenge for these
devices to be approved during the final y
Z
X
quality testing stages. In fact, rejection 0
rates can be very high.

The Raychem team set out to mini- Figure 1. Geometry of the Scotch–Yoke design.
mize the number of components in gas
flowmeters and reduce their rejection
Time=10 s Surface: Velocity Magnitude (m/s) Streamline: Velocity Field (spatial frame)
rate during the quality testing phase,
thereby reducing the total cost of manu-
facturing for these devices. To do so, the
Raychem team performed simulation 1
analyses in the COMSOL Multiphysics®

software.
Validating Designs with

0.8
Simulation
The team developed four gas me-
ters based on design optimization using 0.6
TRIZ, a problem-solving methodol-
ogy, and customer requirements. They
started by validating a finite element
model of a conventional gas meter de- 0.4
sign. The team then extended their find-

ings to evaluate the proposed designs.
The first of the new gas meter designs
0.2
is a modification of the existing dia-
phragm system, where the pantograph
assembly is replaced with a Scotch–Yoke y
Z
mechanism to reduce the number of X
components.
After arriving at their optimized de- Figure 2. Velocity profiles of the flowing gas in the Möbius band flowmeter.
sign (Figure 1), the team was able to
eliminate several mechanical compo- suring the mechanical ruggedness and strip. The Möbius-band-shaped rotor is
nents from the original design, in ad- integrity of the system. placed in the way of the gas flow pass-
dition to improving the accuracy and The next design consists of a Möbius ing over it, which rotates the shaft. The
sensitivity of the measurement. The band turbine, where the rotation of the output of the shaft is transferred to a
number of components in the meter turbine is used to measure the gas flow bevel gear system. The turbine infers the
system was significantly reduced, from rate. These gas meters measure the gas velocity of the gas, which is transmitted
35 components of the earlier diaphragm volume by determining the velocity of mechanically to an electronic or me-
design to 5 or 6 components, thus as- the gas moving through the Möbius chanical counter.
Motion Design, February 2022 3

principle: Magnets of the same polarity
Time=1 s
mm
Surface: Velocity Magnitude (m/s) repel each other.
In the third meter design, an object,
3.5
34 typically a ball or a disc, is arranged
32 inside the pipe in such a way that the
3
magnetic force causes it to float. The
30
object gets lifted with the flow of gas in
28
the pipe, and the gas flow is measured
26 2.5 by the height to which a magnetic plate
24
rises. This kind of meter is highly sen-
sitive and can measure even a small
22
2 pressure drop. The researchers studied
20 the magnetic properties and device per-
18 formance using the AC/DC Module
1.5 and CFD Module and arrived at an opti-
16
mized design (Figure 3).
14 In this case, the team was able to
1
12 propose a highly sensitive device that
10
performs well, even for slight variations
in gas flow rates.
0.5
8
The final design is also based on the
6 rotation of a turbine, but a different
4 0
turbine design is used. Here, the turbine
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 mm assembly with fixed guide vanes and run-
ner vanes is placed in the main channel
Figure 3. A simulation for fluid-induced movement of the disc. as an obstructing element (Figure 4).
The energy captured by the rotating
Time=0.195 s Slice: Velocity Magnitude (m/s) turbine is used to energize the thermal
sensors, hence making this device a
self-energizing system.
1 The guide vanes act as a nozzle, chan-
neling the gas flow toward the runner
0.9 vanes, which rotate the shaft and bevel
gear pair. Gas flow is measured based
0.8 on the rotation of the bevel gear pair or
by measuring the drop in temperature
0.7 using thermal sensors.
0.6 Future Outlook and Application

The simulation studies enabled the
0.5 Raychem team to design a smart en-
ergy gas meter with only a U-shaped
0.4
tube and a sensor in the housing, mak-
ing it very compact and easy to install.
0.3
Validated simulation results are at the
core of Raychem’s four new gas meter
designs.
0.2
The Raychem team is confident in
Z the performance of these flowmeters to
y 0.1
X
suit the requirements of domestic and
industrial applications. These designs
Figure 4. The design validation study performed in COMSOL Multiphysics®. have been shortlisted for production
and should soon be available to urban
The Raychem team used the CFD forms well when the gas flow rate is consumers across India, to be installed
Module and Multibody Dynamics Mod- high. Since the gas volume is deter- directly inside the gas meters fitted in
ule to model the turbulent gas flow mined by its flow, the efficacy of the their homes.
(Figure 2) as well as the stresses and device is limited while measuring flow This article was written by Aditi
torque developed in the turbine. with a low pressure drop. To circum- Karandikar, Marketing Manager at
It is important to note that the vent this issue, the team designed an- COMSOL Inc. For more information, visit
Möbius band turbine gas meter per- other flowmeter based on a well-known http://info.hotims.com/82318-281.

Discrete Proportional
Valve Technology
The above re-

quirements result in an
optimal cooling system configu-
ration that is significantly different from
on tem- what is required for ICE cooling applica-
perature feed- tions. The need for independent control
back. In this scenario, of temperature at multiple points in the
coolant flow is only delivered to vehicle drive and charging systems and
each heat source as required to main- the desire for efficient management of
D
tain optimal temperature. This would heat (reuse when possible) drive a more
esigns for electric vehicle (EV) allow for a pump with somewhat smaller complicated system design. Core to this
cooling systems are significantly capacity and would have the added ben- type of cooling system is a method for
more complicated and challenging efit of providing for different optimal controlling the coolant flow between
than are designs for internal com- “setpoints” for the various heat sources. components. The key attributes of such
bustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The cool- For example, inverter electronics could a proportioning method would be:
ing system must accommodate several be operated at their optimal tempera- • Predictable relationship between set-
points of heat generation in the vehicle ture of 40 °C to 65 °C, while motors or ting and flow (lack of hysteresis)’
(Figure 1) including: battery could be cooled further, • Zero steady-state power
1. Inverter electronics to control the mo- or allowed to run warmer at any setpoint
tors used for the vehicle’s propulsion. for short periods as perfor- • Capable of fully shut-
2. Charging electronics (may or may mance demands dictate. ting off flow (leak-
not be integrated with inverter elec- The heat generated by free off state)
tronics). EV components ideally • Failsafe con-
3. Motor(s) used for vehicle propulsion would not be wasted. In dition when-
and energy recovery. cold-weather operation, power is lost,
4. Vehicle propulsion (high voltage) it would be desirable to e.g. full open
battery. recycle the waste heat
Each of these heat sources may re- from electronics to pro-
quire maximum flows of eight to ten vide cabin heat. Avoiding
liters per minute of coolant in a typical electrical resistance
EV drive train; however, sizing the cool- heating for cabin
ing system to accommodate maximum heat would
flows for all heat sources would result reduce para-
in an energy and weight penalty in the sitic electrical
pumping system. loads during
A more efficient scenario would be to c old-wea th er
control flow to each heat source based operation. Figure 1. Electric vehicle cooling components.
MD Fluid Power Feature 0222_1.indd 5 1/18/22 9:11 AM

or more on-off valves with differing flow
Discrete Proportional v. Standard Proportional Behavior coefficients are combined in a single
100.0%
manifold to achieve a stepped approx-
imation of a linear flow response using
Standard selective actuation of the valves. For
80.0% example, a system of three valves gives
Discrete 23 or eight possible flow states. The
flow states can include a zero-flow state
Flow, % Maximum
60.0% or by design may include a designed-in

minimum flow state. Table 1 shows the
possible states for a three-valve system
40.0% where the individual valves are sized
for flows of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 volumes
per unit time at a given pressure dif-
20.0%
ferential. Figure 3 shows the resulting
relationship between flow and valve
command for such a system, compared
0.0%
to the typical response of a continuous
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0%
proportional valve.
Command, % Referring to Figure 3, the blue curve
reflects the typical performance of a
Figure 2: Discrete proportional valve section. continuous proportional valve. At 0 per-
cent command, the valve has some
Issues with Extant Solutions 2. Lack of a fail-safe condition; if power minimum flow due to bypass leakage. As
The combination of above attributes is lost to the stepper, the valve will re- the command is increased, there must
is not shared by any extant control main in the last-commanded position. be some built-in deadband to accommo-
valve. Specifically, valves that incorpo- 3. Stepper motors are relatively com- date part-to-part variation in response.
rate near-zero hysteresis, zero steady- plicated devices, so applications de- This is shown by the flat portion of the
state power, and a near-zero flow state manding their excellent levels of con- curve between 0 percent and 15 per-
are available, e.g. rotary valves ac- trol of angular motion pay a penalty cent command. As command is further
tuated by stepper motors. In step- in cost and potentially in weight. increased, the valve begins to open,
per-driven rotary valves, hysteresis is 4. A stepper motor controller is required and the flow response follows the lower
not truly zero but is determined by the as well as (potentially) a position sens- blue curve. An upper deadband at 100
repeatability of the step position and ing/feedback system. percent flow occurs, typically between
by the backlash between the motor 85 percent and 90 percent command.
shaft and the valve element (backlash DPV Concept as an Alternative As the valve is commanded to reduce
may be zero if the valve element is an An alternative solution for enabling flow again, the response follows the
integral part of the shaft). Stepper- all the desired attributes, while relying upper blue curve. The difference be-
driven rotary valves have some unde- on simpler forms of valve actuation and tween the upper and lower blue curves
sirable attributes, however: control, is a discrete proportional valve is the hysteresis of the system and is due
1. A rotating seal is required on the step- (DPV). The DPV concept relies on in- to mechanical friction and magnetics.
per shaft. Rotating seals are prone to telligent combination of simple binary Hysteresis also increases the effective
leakage. (on-off) solenoid valves (Figure 2). Two deadband at full flow.
The orange curve in Figure 3 shows
the response of a three-valve DPV sys-
tem. The response is not smooth but
stepped. There is no hysteresis by defini-
1 4 tion; a given command will always result
in the same valve members opening,
3 and thus the same flow coefficient. In
2 addition, there is no requirement for
either lower or upper deadbands. What
appears to be a lower deadband is actu-
ally the controlled true off state. It can
be designed as such or designed to be a
minimum flow value such that there is
always some flow through the system to
avoid pump damage, for instance.
For any given combination of valves
Figure 3: DPV and continuous proportional valve performance curves. opened, the system will always have the

ground and requires two independent
State Valve 1 State Valve 2 State Valve 3 State Total Flow connections to each valve. Even with
remote electronics, however, the wiring
0 OFF OFF OFF 0 requirements for a three-valve system
are not onerous.
1 ON OFF OFF 1
The DPV concept addresses reliability
2 OFF ON OFF 2 with a two-pronged approach. The pri-
mary driver for high reliability is the em-
3 ON ON OFF 3 ployment of simple, well-characterized
4 OFF OFF ON 4 solenoid valve technology.
The second is the elimination of the
5 ON OFF ON 5 need for continuous duty electromag-
netics, which dramatically reduces heat
6 OFF ON ON 6 build-up. The DPV design also has two
additional built-in fault-tolerant features:
7 ON ON ON 7
1. The control system can be designed
Table 1: Three-valve DPV states. such that on loss of power, the valve
fails in a specific condition. Since
same over-all flow coefficient and thus is 1. Control system embedded in the valve only a momentary current pulse is
inherently hysteresis-free. The tradeoff system; analog or digital input used to required to set valve position, a capac-
for this is the stepped approximation command the system. itive charge can be used to provide
to smooth proportional control. As we 2. Electrical connection only to the DPV the pulse on power loss, either setting
will see, however, this tradeoff has other system, control centralized remotely. the valve open or closing it.
benefits. The first schema requires some intel- 2. The DPV system does not have a sin-
The DPV concept in its simplest form ligence be built into the valve system as gle point of failure that can disable
does require steady-state power; how- well as power electronics to control each the entire system. The multiple-valve
ever, by incorporating a latching so- valve. This DPV Control Board would re- design of the system, and the inde-
lenoid design into the valve actuator, quire a minimum of only three incoming pendent wiring of each valve imply
the steady-state power requirement can wires: power, ground, and signal. The that a failure of one valve would leave
be eliminated. In a latching design, Control Board would translate the de- the others functional, and still able
permanent magnets are used to hold sired state, communicated on the signal to control flow to a degree. While a
the solenoid in the “latched” condition line, into commands to the valves. The failed valve is still highly undesirable,
without power, and a reverse-polarity Control Board would also provide for the a failure-tolerant system is a highly
pulse is used to release the valve. The failsafe state if it detects a loss of power. desirable attribute.
result is a valve that maintains the set The second schema requires two wires
flow condition with zero power input. for each valve in the DPV system. The Conclusions
Components that eliminate steady-state control electronics can then be central- The DPV concept provides advantages
power draw are critical to achieving the ized, which may provide advantages in that match the unique needs of electric
highest efficiencies from EV designs. environmental protection but increases vehicle cooling and energy management
A true zero-flow state is a native attri- the amount of wiring required. In an systems. The advantages are directly re-
bute of a DPV valve system (all valves off). actual vehicle application, some of the lated to the simplicity and design flex-
Other implementations of proportional benefits of both options may be realized ibility of the approach. While the DPV
control can also provide effectively zero by co-locating multiple DPV systems on concept does not provide for smooth
flow; however, tight mechanical toler- a manifold and locating the control elec- control of output, but rather stepped
ances can be required, which raise the tronics close by. Such a configuration control, it alleviates the need for dead-
risk level with regard to debris sensitivity would also be desirable from a fluidics bands and eliminates hysteresis com-
and wear. Tight mating tolerances also perspective. pletely, simplifying control algorithms. It
increase cost. The DPV concept achieves The control electronics for a DPV sys- is also a power-efficient solution in line
a zero-flow state without requiring this tem is inherently simple. Since hysteresis with the demands of next-generation
trade-off. The debris tolerance of a DPV need not be accounted for, complicated EVs. Not only is the DPV concept pow-
design can tailored to the application PID control algorithms are not required. er-efficient, but it also has the potential
since it is a simple combination of on-off A simple mapping of desired flow to to enable further efficiency gains by
valves. The actuator can be isolated from DPV state is all that is needed. The sin- aiding in re-use of heat that otherwise
the main fluid flow via a diaphragm to gle complicating factor for DPV control would be rejected to the environment.
limit ingress of debris to the actuator. is a result of the zero steady-state power. This article was written by Fritz Byle,
Opening a valve requires a forward Senior Project Manager, engineering,
DPV Control current pulse, while closing the same and Chris Kujawski, Design Engineer, at
The control system to drive a DPV valve requires a reverse current pulse. TLX Technologies (Pewaukee, WI). For
valve system can be implemented in The requirement for both polarities more information, visit http://info.hotims.
essentially two ways: eliminates the possibility of a common com/82318-280.

Earthly Twin Offers Test Bed for NASA’s Perseverance
Mars Rover
O PTIMISM, the full-scale engineer-
ing model of Perseverance, is help-
ing NASA assess the risk of potential
The tests help ensure that OPTIMISM’s
twin on Mars can safely execute the
commands sent by controllers on Earth.
fully-engineered rover twin — from the
engineering model of the very first, tiny
Sojourner that landed on Mars in 1997
driving hazards on the surface of the They also could potentially reveal un- to the Spirit and Opportunity missions
Red Planet. expected problems Perseverance might that began in 2004 to the Curiosity and
Short for Operational Perseverance encounter. Perseverance rovers exploring Mars today.
Twin for Integration of Mechanisms and “The size and shape of rocks in the In each case, a rover double has
Instruments Sent to Mars, OPTIMISM visual field — will they turn into ob- scaled slopes, dodged obstacles, or
is more generically known as a vehi- stacles or not?” said Bryan Martin, the helped rover planners puzzle out new
cle system test bed. The twin of the flight software and test beds manager paths on the simulated patch of Mars.
Perseverance rover that is exploring at JPL. “We test a lot of that, figure out OPTIMISM first rolled out into the
Jezero Crater on Mars is performing a what kinds of things to avoid. What Mars Yard in September 2020, when it
crucial job: navigating the Mars Yard’s we have safely traversed around here conducted mobility tests.
slopes and hazards, drilling sample has informed rover drivers in planning But it recently received some key
cores from boulders, and storing the their traverses on Mars. We’ve done so updates to match features available
samples in metal tubes — just like much testing on the ground we can be on Perseverance, including additional
Perseverance is doing in its hunt for confident in it. It works.” mobility software and the bulk of the
signs of ancient microbial life. About as long as a doubles tennis court exquisitely complex sample caching sys-
The recently upgraded rover has al- and twice as wide, the Mars Yard has tem. And while the team has already
ready begun testing out new equipment. served as a testing ground for many a performed tests using the coring drill at
Updated with new features, including additional mobility software and the bulk of the sample caching system, the Earthly twin of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover
arrives at the Mars Yard garage at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Photo: NASA JPL-Caltech)
MD Automation Control Application 0222_1.indd 8 1/18/22 9:19 AM

the end of OPTIMISM’s robotic arm,
they’ll be testing the newly installed
Adaptive Caching Assembly for the
first time in the Mars Yard. The
assembly on Perseverance is respon-
sible for storing rock and sediment
samples. Some or all of these initial
samples could be among those re-
turned to Earth by a future mission.
“Now we can do it end-to-end in
the test bed,” said the Vehicle System
Ted Bed systems engineering lead,
Jose G. Trujillo-Rojas. “Drill into the
rock, collect the core sample, and
now we have the mechanism respon-
sible to cache that sample in the
cylinder.”
And if problems arise on Per-
severance on Mars, OPTIMISM can
be used as a platform to figure out
what went wrong and also how to
fix it.
Drilling core samples from ter-
restrial rocks in the Mars Yard and
sealing them in metal tubes is not
as straightforward as it might sound.
JPL’s Mars team provides a variety
of rock types for OPTIMISM to drill
through, since the exact nature of
the rock Perseverance will encoun-
ter often can’t be known in advance.
Terrain is a variable, too: One pre-
vious test with the robotic arm in-
volved parking the rover on a slope,
then instructing it to drill.
“There was a possibility that the
rover might slip,” Trujillo-Rojas said.
“We wanted to test that first here
on Earth before sending instruc-
tions to the rover on Mars. That was
scary, because you can imagine if you
drill this way, and the rover slightly
slipped back, the drill could have
gotten stuck.”
OPTIMISM drilled the core suc-
cessfully, suggesting Perseverance The engineering models of both the Curiosity Mars rover (foreground) and the Perseverance Mars rover share space
also could pull off drilling on a slope in the recently expanded garage at the Mars Yard. (Photo: NASA JPL-Caltech)
if required.
With longer drives in Perseverance’s several possible choices — or even de- must be cooled to avoid damage from
near future, another job for the Earth- cides, unexpectedly, to avoid obstacles Southern California’s summer tempera-
bound twin will involve presenting altogether and just go around. tures — the opposite of the problem
new challenges to the rover’s autono- Of course, OPTIMISM and its human caused by deep cold on Mars.
mous navigation system, or AutoNav. team must contend with environmen- The rover twin’s testing and staffing
Perseverance uses a powerful computer tal factors very different from those schedules had to contend with COVID-
to make 3D maps using rover images of encountered by Perseverance, which is 19. Now, a revamped OPTIMISM is
the terrain ahead and uses those maps built for freezing temperatures and in- ready to get back to work.
to plan its drive with minimal human tense radiation. Earth’s stronger gravity This article was written by Pat Brennan,
assistance. required OPTIMISM’s metal wheels to science writer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
In Mars Yard tests, the twin rover be thicker than its Martian counter- NASA. For more information, visit http://
might pause as it “thinks through” part’s. And its electronics sometimes info.hotims.com/82318-282.
MD Automation Control Application 0222_1.indd 9 1/18/22 9:19 AM

Software Gives Robots Human Touch
A software makes industrial robots nimbler and almost as sensitive as human hands.
Eureka Robotics, Singapore
A technology called Dynamis was devel-

oped that makes industrial robots able
to manipulate tiny glass lenses, electronics
components, or engine gears that are mil-
limeters in size without damaging them.
The proprietary force feedback tech-
nology enables anyone to program
touch-sensitive tasks that are usually
done by humans such as assembly, fine
manipulation, polishing, or sanding —
tasks that require the ability to maintain
consistent contact with a surface.
Known as Force Sensor Robust
Compliance Control, the software pow-
ered by Dynamis requires only a single
parameter to be set: stiffness of the
contact, whether it is soft, medium, or
hard. Dynamis is a complex artificial
intelligence algorithm first deployed
in Eureka’s custom-built robots such
as Archimedes, which can handle frag- The inventors with a Denso Wave robot equipped with the Dynamis force feedback technology software.
ile optical lenses and mirrors with hu- (Photo: Eureka Robotics)
man-like dexterity.
Current robots in the market have ei- bots handling packages of different sizes way for industrial applications that were
ther high accuracy but low agility (where in logistics). By deploying this technol- previously very difficult or impossible to
robots perform the same movements ogy, robotics engineers can now imbue implement.
repeatedly such as in a car factory), or robots with both high accuracy and For more information, visit http://info.
low accuracy but high agility (such as ro- high agility on a large scale, paving the hotims.com/82318-290.
Incorporating Computer Vision and Uncertainty into

AI for Robotic Prosthetics
The software can be integrated with existing hardware to aid people using robotic prosthetics or
exoskeletons.
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
R esearchers have developed new soft-

ware that can enable people using
robotic prosthetics or exoskeletons to
prostheses to predict the type of terrain
users will be stepping on, quantify the
uncertainties associated with that predic-
any lower-limb robotic exoskeleton or
robotic prosthetic device but with one
additional piece of hardware: a camera.
walk in a safer, more natural manner tion, and then incorporate that uncer- They used cameras worn on eyeglasses
on different types of terrain. The new tainty into its decision-making. and cameras mounted on the lower-limb
framework incorporates computer vi- The researchers focused on distin- prosthesis itself and evaluated how the
sion into prosthetic leg control and in- guishing among six different terrains AI was able to make use of computer
cludes robust artificial intelligence (AI) that require adjustments in a robotic vision data from both types of camera,
algorithms that allow the software to prosthetic’s behavior: tile, brick, con- separately and when used together.
better account for uncertainty. crete, grass, “upstairs,” and “downstairs.” The AI teaches deep-learning systems
Lower-limb robotic prosthetics need The new “environmental context” how to evaluate and quantify uncertainty
to execute different behaviors based on framework incorporates both hardware in a way that allows the system to incor-
the terrain users are walking on. The and software elements. The researchers porate uncertainty into its decision-mak-
new framework allows the AI in robotic designed the framework for use with ing. While it is relevant for robotic pros-
MD Tech Briefs 0222_1.indd 10 1/18/22 12:40 PM

thetics, the work could be applied to any
type of deep-learning system.
To train the AI system, researchers
connected the cameras to able-bodied
Camera (a) individuals, who then walked through
a variety of indoor and outdoor envi-
Raspberry Pi (c) (d)
IMU
View from Glasses View from Lower Limb
ronments. The researchers then did a
proof-of-concept evaluation by having a
person with lower-limb amputation wear
the cameras while traversing the same en-
downstairs grass
vironments. They found that the model
Battery Camera upstairs
can be appropriately transferred so the
cement system can operate with subjects from dif-
tile ferent populations — the AI works well
upstairs
brick even though it was trained by one group
(b) (e) (f)
of people and used by somebody else.
For more information, contact Edgar
Imaging devices and environmental context. (a) On-glasses camera configuration using a Tobii Pro Glasses Lobaton, Associate Professor of electrical and
2 eye tracker. (b) Lower limb data acquisition device with a camera and an IMU chip. (c) and (d) Example
frames from the cameras for the two data acquisition configurations. (e) and (f) Example images of the data computer engineering, at edgar.lobaton@
collection environment and terrains considered in the experiments. (Photo: North Carolina State University) ncsu.edu.
Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials

These “living machines” hold potential for applications from medical treatments to improving
the environment.
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
R esearchers produced a soft,

mechanical metamaterial
that can “think” about how
using combinations of bistable
switches — switches with two
stable states — to represent
forces are applied to it and the 0s and 1s of a binary num-
respond via programmed re- ber sequence. The team found
actions. The metamaterials that when they used pure me-
feature flexible, conductive chanical logic, they ended up
polymer networks that can getting stuck because certain
compute all digital logic com- logical operations cannot be
putations. The process creates constructed.
decision-making functionality The key to realizing all the
in engineered materials in a logic gates was in the combi-
way that could support future nation of the electrical poly-
soft, autonomous engineered mer network with the soft,
systems that are invested with deformable material. The re-
the basic elements of lifeforms searchers created the logic
New soft, mechanical metamaterials can “think” about how forces are applied
yet are programmed to per- to it and respond via preprogrammed reactions. (Photo: Elizabeth Flores-Gomez operations by simultaneously
form helpful services. These Murray/Penn State) reconfiguring the soft mate-
include helping maintain sus- rial and the electrically con-
tainable and robust infrastructure, mon- using the reconfiguration of the conductive network. This also ensures that
itoring of airborne and waterborne conductive polymer networks. Mechanical the binary output is in the form of elec-
taminants and pathogens, and assisting force, applied to the materials, connects tricity, which is needed to drive an actu-
with patient wound healing. and reconnects the network. Using a ation mechanism that makes the mate-
Human thought processes are based low-voltage input into the materials, the rial respond to the applied mechanical
on logic that is similar to Boolean logic team created a way for the soft material to force. The combination of electrical and
from mathematics. This approach uses decide how to react according to the out- mechanical signals allows the machine
binary inputs to process binary control put voltage signal from the reconfigured to move to get out of the way or to push
outputs — using only “on” and “off” conductive polymer network. back in a certain direction.
sequences to represent all thought and The type of logic used goes beyond For more information, contact Jamie
cognition. The new soft materials “think” pure mechanical logic, which is a way of Oberdick at jco11@psu.edu; 814-867-6225.

Mobile Molecular Robots Swim in Water
Synthesized micro-robots can convert their mechanical motion into a means of self-propulsion in water.
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
C reating molecular microrobots that

mimic the abilities of living organ-
isms has a number of challenges. One 0 sec 3 sec 6 sec
of the most significant of these is the
creation of directed self-propulsion in
water. There are two major challenges
to achieving this: the first is to make a
molecular robot that can reciprocally 100 µm 100 µm 100 µm
deform and the second is converting
this deformation into propulsion of the
Time
molecular robot.
A team of scientists has created a mi-
crocrystal that utilizes self-continuous re-
ciprocating motion for propulsion. The Flapping
team built on their previous research
Propulsion
that had solved the challenge of creating

molecular robots that can reciprocally
deform. However, tiny objects cannot con-
vert their reciprocal motion into progres-
sive motion, in general. In the current Time
study, the scientists succeeded in realizing
self-propulsion of the molecular robot in
(Top) A series of light micrographs showing the movement of one of the synthesized microrobots in this study.
an experimental system where motion was (Bottom) A representation of the movement of the fin over time. (Photo: Kazuma Obara, Yoshiyuki Kageyama,
confined to two dimensions — in this sys- Sadamu Takeda)
tem, viscous resistance acts anisotropically,
making it negligibly weak. style, with the fin in front; a “kick” style, the variables that affected the propul-
The microrobot was powered by blue with the fin behind; or a “side-stroke” sion in a two-dimensional tank. They
light, which drove a series of reactions style, with the fin to one side. The nature were able to determine that fin length,
leading to the fin flipping and the proof mobility was affected by the area of the fin ratio, and elevation angle were the
pulsion. Due to the nature of the reac- fin and its angle of elevation; individual key variables affecting the direction and
tions, the motion was not continuous but crystals propelled themselves in different the pace of propulsions.
occurred intermittently. In addition, the directions and styles. For more information, contact Assistant
molecular robots exhibited one of three The scientists then created a compu- Professor Yoshiyuki Kageyama at y.kageyama@
different styles of propulsion: a “stroke” tational minimum model to understand sci.hokudai.ac.jp; +81-11-706-3532.
Micro-Robots Propelled by Air Bubbles and Ultrasound

A remotely controlled microswimmer could navigate the human body and aid in drug delivery.
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
A team led by Mingming Wu, pro-

fessor of biological and environ-
mental engineering in the College of
For more than a decade, Wu’s lab has
been investigating the ways microor-
ganisms, from bacteria to cancer cells,
early aviators whose cumbersome air-
planes were too birdlike to fly, that effort
collapsed. When Luo joined Wu’s lab,
Agriculture and Life Sciences, created migrate and communicate with their en- they began exploring a less literal ap-
cell-size robots that can be powered and vironment. The ultimate goal was to cre- proach. The primary hurdle was how to
steered by ultrasound waves. Despite ate a remotely controlled micro-robot power it. As a person must crawl before
their tiny size, these micro-robotic swim- that could navigate in the human body. they can walk, a micro-robot needs to be
mers — whose movements were inspired Wu’s research team initially tried to energized before it can swim.
by bacteria and sperm — could one day design and 3D print a micro-robot that The team hit upon the idea of using
be a formidable new tool for targeted mimicked the way bacteria use flagellum high-frequency sound waves. Because
drug delivery. to propel themselves. However, like the ultrasound is quiet, it can be easily used

in an experimental lab setting. As an in their respective cavity. By varying the are roughly the size as they are. Future
additional bonus, the technology has sound waves’ resonance frequency, the micro-swimmers will also need to consist
been deemed safe for clinical studies by researchers can excite either bubble, of biodegradable material, so that many
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. or tune them together, thereby con- bots can be dispatched at once. In the
However, the team was stumped by trolling which direction the swimmer same way that only a single sperm needs
the fabrication process. Working with is propelled. to be successful for fertilization, the
the Cornell NanoScale Science and The challenge ahead will be to make volume is key.
Technology Facility (CNF), Luo tried to the swimmers biocompatible, so they For more information, contact Becka
create a prototype with photolithogra- can navigate among blood cells that Bowyer at rpb224@cornell.edu; 607-220-4185.
phy, but it was time-consuming, and the
results were unusable
The project received a crucial boost
when CNF purchased a new laser lithog-
raphy system called a NanoScribe, which
creates 3D nanostructures by direct-writ-
ing onto a photosensitive resin. The
technology enabled the researchers to
easily tweak their designs at the microm-
eter scale and produce new iterations Scalable Solutions for Precision
quickly.
Within six months, Luo had created
Motion Control and Automation.
a triangular micro-robotic swimmer
that looks like an insect crossed with From components like motors, drives, and stages
a rocket ship. The swimmer’s most to subsystems and turnkey systems, we work with
important feature is a pair of cavities you to solve your toughest precision motion and
etched in its back. Because its resin ma-
terial is hydrophobic, when the robot automation challenges.
is submerged in solution, a tiny air
bubble is automatically trapped in each CUSTOM
TURNKEY
cavity. When an ultrasound transducer
AUTOMATION
is aimed at the robot, the air bubble CUSTOM SYSTEMS
oscillates, generating vortices — also SUBSYSTEMS
known as streaming flow — that propel AND MOTION
the swimmer forward. MODULES
Other engineers have previously STANDARD
built “single bubble” swimmers, but the AND CUSTOM
Cornell researchers are the first to pi- COMPONENT-LEVEL
oneer a version that uses two bubbles, SOLUTIONS
each with a different diameter opening
Learn how we solve the toughest automation

challenges at aerotech.com
A scanning electron microscope image shows a
cell-size robotic swimmer that can be powered
and steered by ultrasound waves. (Photo: Cornell
University)
Motion Design, February 2022 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-702 13

MotionDesign
tionDesign Halfpage Island Ad 4.5x7.25 PRINT 12.2021.indd 1 12/30/2021 4:04:06 P
PM
MD Tech Briefs 0222_1.indd 13 1/19/22 11:18 AM

Giving Bug-Like Bots a Boost
A new fabrication technique helps improve the performance of flying micro-robots.
M IT researchers have demonstrated

diminutive drones that can zip
around with bug-like agility and resil-
ience, which could eventually perform
tasks such as pollinating a field of crops
or searching for survivors amid the
rubble of a collapsed building. The
soft actuators that propel these mi-
cro-robots are very durable, but they
require much higher voltages than sim-
ilarly sized rigid actuators. The feather-
weight robots can’t carry the necessary
power electronics that would allow them
fly on their own.
Now, these researchers have pio-
neered a fabrication technique that en- The artificial muscles vastly improve the robot’s payload and allow it to achieve best-in-class hovering perfor-
ables them to build soft actuators that mance. (Photo: Kevin Chen)
operate with 75 percent lower voltage
than current versions while carrying squeeze the elastomer, and that mechan- 500 volts to operate, exerted enough
80 percent more payload. These soft ical strain is used to flap the wing. power to give the robot a lift-to-weight
actuators are like artificial muscles that The more surface area the actuator ratio of 3.7 to 1, so it could carry items
rapidly flap the robot’s wings. has, the less voltage is required. So, that are nearly three times its weight.
This new fabrication technique pro- the research team build these artificial They also demonstrated a 20-second
duces artificial muscles with fewer de- muscles by alternating between as many hovering flight, the longest ever recorded
fects, which dramatically extends the ultrathin layers of elastomer and elec- by a sub-gram robot, according to the re-
lifespan of the components and increases trode as they can. As elastomer layers searchers. The 20-layer actuator was still
the robot’s performance and payload. get thinner, they become more unstable. working smoothly after being driven for
The rectangular micro-robot, which For the first time, the researchers more than 2 million cycles, far outpacing
weighs less than one-fourth of a penny, were able to create an actuator with the lifespan of other actuators.
has four sets of wings that are each 20 layers, each of which is 10 microm- Now, the team is limited to how thin
driven by a soft actuator. These mus- eters in thickness. After they created a they can make the layers and aims to re-
cle-like actuators are made from layers of 20-layer artificial muscle, they tested it duce the thickness to only 1 micrometer,
elastomer that are sandwiched between against their previous six-layer version which would open the door to many ap-
two very thin electrodes and then rolled and state-of-the-art, rigid actuators. plications for these insect-sized robots.
into a squishy cylinder. When voltage is During liftoff experiments, the 20- For more information, contact Abby
applied to the actuator, the electrodes layer actuator, which requires less than Abazorius at abbya@mit.edu; 617-253-2709.
Bipedal Robot Achieves Better Body Balance

LEO carves out a new type of locomotion somewhere between walking and flying.
Caltech, Pasadena, CA
R esearchers at Caltech have built a

bipedal robot that combines walking
with flying to create a new type of loco-
line, hop, and even ride a skateboard.
Developed by a team at Caltech’s
Center for Autonomous Systems and
same sort of movements that humans
use, like jumping or running or even
climbing stairs, but they are stymied by
motion, making it exceptionally nimble Technologies (CAST), LEO is the first rough terrain. Flying robots easily nav-
and capable of complex movements. robot that uses multi-joint legs and pro- igate tough terrain by simply avoiding
Part walking robot, part flying drone, peller-based thrusters to achieve a fine the ground, but they face their own set
the newly developed LEONARDO degree of control over its balance. of limitations: high energy consumption
(short for LEgs ONboARD drOne, Bipedal robots are able to tackle com- during flight and limited payload capac-
or LEO for short) can walk a slack- plex real-world terrains by using the ity. LEO aims to bridge the gap between

MOT ION CONT R OL CHANNEL
Sponsored by
FEATURED SPONSOR VIDEO:

3D Printing Trendsetter Shares Success Secrets
The equipment built by Titan Robotics sets an eye-opening new
standard for speed and precision in 3D printing.
www.techbriefs.com/tv/3d-printing-trendsetter
LEONARDO, the bipedal robot, can ride a skateboard and walk a slackline.
(Photo: Caltech) Autonomous ‘Roboats’
Navigate Canals
the two disparate domains of aerial and bipedal locomotion See how autonomous Roboats
that are not typically intertwined in existing robotic systems, use sensor data to navigate
through the crowded waterways
according to Kyunam Kim, Postdoctoral Researcher at Caltech of the Amsterdam canals.
and co-lead author of the Science Robotics paper that featured
the robot.
By using a hybrid movement that is somewhere between
www.techbriefs.com/tv/
walking and flying, the researchers get the best of both worlds autonomous-roboats
in terms of locomotion. LEO’s lightweight legs take stress off of
its thrusters by supporting the bulk of the weight, but because
the thrusters are controlled synchronously with leg joints, LEO MIT Control System
has uncanny balance. Supports a New Kind
LEO stands 2.5 feet tall and is equipped with two legs that of Robot
have three actuated joints, along with four propeller thrusters Researchers at MIT are
developing a control system to
mounted at an angle at the robot’s shoulders. When a person apply the agility of cheetahs to
walks, they adjust the position and orientation of their legs to four-legged robots.
cause their center of mass to move forward while the body’s
balance is maintained. LEO walks in this way as well: the pro- www.techbriefs.com/tv/
pellers ensure that the robot is upright as it walks, and the leg mini-cheetah
actuators change the position of the legs to move the robot’s
center of mass forward through the use of a synchronized walk-
ing and flying controller. In flight, the robot uses its propellers UAV Autonomously
alone and flies like a drone. Lands on Moving
In the real world, the technology designed for LEO could Ship Deck
Watch as the Flight Dynamics
foster the development of adaptive landing gear systems com- & Control Lab at Washington
posed of controlled leg joints for aerial robots and other types University commands an
of flying vehicles. The team envisions that future Mars rotor- unmanned aerial vehicle to
autonomously land on a moving
craft could be equipped with legged landing gear so that the ship from a turbulent air wake.
body balance of these aerial robots can be maintained as they www.techbriefs.com/tv/
land on sloped or uneven terrains, thereby reducing the risk of autonomous-ship-landing
failure under challenging landing conditions.
For more information, contact Emily Velasco at evelasco@caltech.
edu; 626-372-0067. www.techbriefs.tv

MD TBTV Motion Control Ad 0222_1.indd 1 1/18/22 9:40 AM
MD Tech Briefs 0222_1.indd 15 1/18/22 9:57 AM

Test Servo Drive Servo Systems
ADVANCED Motion Controls® (Camarillo, AutomationDirect (Cumming, GA)
CA) introduced the FE100-50-RM FlexPro® has introduced LS Electric servos systems
RS485/RS232 servo drive that can output 50 that provide setup wizards, auto-tuning,
amps continuous current rms and 100 amps and a built-in indexer for motion con-
peak current to drive motors in larger mobile trol applications. There are five standard
robots. The servo drive has an input voltage range of 20-90 DC, maxi- servo motors from 100 W to 1 kW that
mum continuous power output of 4.5 kW, and can be integrated into can be operated in combination with
tight spaces. The PCB mount servo drive mates directly to the motor axis one of two standard servo drives. The L7C drives accept single-phase
PCB. Features include incremental encoder, BISS C-mode feedback, and 200-230 VAC and are controlled via analog speed or torque signal, high-
torque, velocity, and position operating modes. The drive offers configu- speed pulse train, or internal indexing. Setup is performed with a built-in
ration and full loop tuning, Safe Torque Off, and IMPACT™ architecture. keypad/display or DriveCM PC-based software. The L7C family includes
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-300 standard accessories such as pre-made servo motor encoder cables and
servo motor power/brake cables. DIN-rail mount I/O breakout kits allow
Robot Monitoring for connection of external command and I/O signals; optional external
braking resistors and optional AC input filters are also available.
OnRobot (Odense, Denmark) offers
WebLytics software for production mon-
itoring, device diagnostics, and data an-
alytics. The software monitors the per- SCARA Robots
formance of multiple collaborative appli- A line of Selective Compliance Assembly Robot
cations simultaneously and in real time and gathers equipment data Arm (SCARA) robots is available from Trio Motion
from both robots and tools to indicate how well a collaborative appli- Technology (Gloucestershire, UK) to provide robot
cation is performing. It identifies trends in real time in the robot cell control, motion control, and machine automation
including patterns, peaks, and disturbances in application productivity. from a single controller. The robots are designed
The software can report on utilization of the robot arm and tools such pick-and-place, assembly, and dispensing applica-
as grippers, vision cameras, and sensors. When changes are made to tions. Four robots are available that extend from
a robot cell, such as adjusting the speed of a robot or the settings on a 400-mm arm range and a 3-kg maximum load
a gripper, the software can also automatically report on the impact of capacity, through to a 700-mm arm range and a 6-kg
those changes on application performance. maximum load capacity. Each is powered by four Trio MX series servo
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-301 motors that are individually controlled by a Trio DX4 servo drive and a Trio
motion coordinator that can simultaneously control the overall machine,
AC Motors instead of a separate controller for machine and robot.
ABB (Fort Smith, AR) offers Baldor-
Reliance® Generation 3 RPM AC motors,
from 1 HP to 1750 HP, with customizable Absolute Encoder
speed ranges in nearly any enclosure type Leine Linde (Strängnäs, Sweden) introduced the
for applications in industries such as chem- RSA 500 splash-proof and corrosion-resistant absolute
ical, plastics, energy, metals, and industrial automation. The motors pro- encoder for machinery positioning and synchroni-
vide continuous constant torque from base speed down to and including zation. The encoder housing and encapsulation are
zero speed and generate full rated torque, run continuously, and will made of stainless steel grade 1.4404 to prevent cor-
not overheat at any speed below base speed. They offer an extended rosion. To minimize the number of possible leakage
power range, standard grounding provisions, and a web-based RPM AC points, a press-fit assembly is used instead of a standard assembly, elimi-
Wizard that allows customers to design a motor that best satisfies unique nating screws and screw holes where processed food, bacteria, and other
application requirements. pollutants could accumulate. To further protect the encoder from acidic
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-306 liquid intrusion, its body can be slightly pressurized using compressed
air. The IP 67-rated encoder could be used in applications that process
Stages corrosive liquids, either in the food or chemical industries.
Moticont (Van Nuys, CA) released the
HCDS-051-064 Series of Open Aperture
Voice Coil Stages, which are linear DC mo- Accelerometer
tor-driven stages. Designed for closed loop Endevco (Dewpew, NY) announced the
servo operation, an integral quadrature op- Model 7274A accelerometer for high-g shock
tical encoder with differential outputs is applications. The rugged, triaxial, piezore-
standard. Each stage has a built-in home switch for initialization upon sistive accelerometer is designed for high-ac-
power up. The stages feature precision threaded mounting holes for celeration shock measurements in three mutually perpendicular axes.
tooling or fixtures, linear travel of 1.20" (30.5 mm), plug-and-play wired The housing features a low-noise, eight-conductor cable that can
connectors, and resolution of 29.5 microns and 25.4 microns. They are repeatedly withstand the high-acceleration shock environment. The
available with either a continuous force of 4.7 lbs. and a peak force of accelerometer is available in 2K, 6K, 20K, and 60K g full-scale ranges
14.9 lbs. or a continuous force of 6.6 lbs. and a peak force of 20.0 lbs. and features high-resonance frequency and is rugged to three times
Aperture diameters 0.5" and 0.75" are available. the full-scale range.
MD New Products 0222_1.indd 16 1/18/22 9:50 AM

Inductive Transducer Intelligent Magnetic Gripping
H.G. Schaevitz LLC Alliance Sensors (Moorestown, Magswitch’s (Lafayette, CO) e-series intel-
NJ) offers the LRS-18 spring-loaded LVIT (Linear Variable ligent magnetic grippers are not electromag-
Inductive Transducer) series. The contactless devices are de- nets nor are they EPMs (electropermanent
signed for dimension or position measuring applications in factory magnets). Magswitch
automation and in various industrial and commercial applications where the E-Series units contain
sensing element cannot be attached to the object being measured. Features include proprietary switching
ranges from 0.5 to 4.0" inches, M18 × 1 threaded aluminum or stainless steel body with technology that en-
mounting nuts, 0.25"-diameter probe equipped with an AGD No. 9 contact tip, and axial cable ables reduced energy
or a connector. Operating from a variety of DC voltages, the sensors are available with a choice consumption, faster
of four analog outputs and include proprietary SenSet™ field calibration feature. actuation, intelligent
For Free Info Visit http://info.hotims.com/82318-308 magnetic gripping,
part correct/part in-
Actuators correct feedback ca-
pabilities, and two to
HEIDENHAIN Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) offers ETEL TUCANA ST and
three times the hold-
AQUARIUS ST short stroke actuators for turret handlers in semiconductor man-
ing forces of any similarly sized electromagnet
ufacturing. They are mechanically optimized with fully symmetrical and balanced
or electropermanent magnet. Pole shoes that
design for use with smaller nominal forces down to 0.5 N. Features include total
shape the magnetic field are offered in stan-
stroke of up to 10 mm, speeds up to 1 m/s, acceleration up to 40 G, and a move
dard and custom configurations to ensure the
and settle time of 2.8 mm within ±10 µm in 6.7 ms. The TUCANA ST has a peak
correct grip for the application. The intelli-
force of 68.4 N along with a continuous force of 12.1 N. The AQUARIUS ST has
gent grippers are smaller than electromagnets,
a peak force of 214 N along with a continuous force of 31.4 N.
which reduces the size of end of arm tools. With
less weight and size, designers are frequently
able to use a smaller robot, thus lowering capi-
Linear/Rotary Actuators tal cost as well as reducing footprint.
Curtiss-Wright’s Actuation Division (Chanhassen, MN) an- For Free Info Visit
nounced the Exlar® SA-R080 rotary and SA-L080 linear actuators http://info.hotims.com/82318-314
with integral controls. The actuators offer force, precision, en-
ergy efficiency, and control while minimizing additional cabling
and external servo controls. The SA-L080 has continuous force
ratings up to 2330 lb-f (linear) and the SA-R080 is capable of torque up to 24.7l-in (rotary). OPTICALLY CLEAR
NON-DRIP EPOXY
Features include 18-32 VDC input voltage, corrosion-resistant and sealed housing, stain-
less-steel output shaft, integral power and control electronics, standard rear manual drive for
emergency operation, RS-232 and CANopen communication protocols, and SIL 3, Category
3 Safe Torque Off.
TWO PART EP21NDCL
ADHESIVE, SEALANT & COATING
Compact Hexapod
Aerotech (Pittsburgh, PA) has released the HEX150-140HL, a miniature ■ Cures optically clear in thin sections
hexapod six degree-of-freedom (DOF) positioning system that provides ■ Withstands 1,000 hours
precise translation in the X, Y and Z directions and rotations around each of 85°C/85% RH
these axes. The HEX150-140HL delivers minimal incremental motion and
more linear travel – all within a compact yet stiff platform. The HEX150- ■ Exceptional physical strength profile
140HL is easy to control and program with virtual pivot point adjustment. ■ Room temperature curing
The system is ideal for addressing space-constrained, multiple DOF applications that require
fine positioning resolution, including photonic device manipulation, alignment and packaging,
optics inspection and alignment, optical wafer probing, aerospace and satellite sensor testing,
and synchrotron and beamline sample manipulation.
Threaded Nuts
Nanotec (Feldkirche, Germany) offers radially pre-loaded
threaded nuts for external linear actuators with flange size 42 mm
(NEMA 17). The backlash-free nuts automatically readjust them-
selves during operation and are available in combination with the
linear actuators of the LSA42 series. They come with ACME or
trapezoidal thread and facilitate the construction of space-saving
linear axes. Medical analysis devices, semiconductor inspection machines, or other devices in
which small loads need to be moved precisely are applications for linear actuators with back- 154 Hobart St., Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA
lash-free threaded nuts. +1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com
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February 2022
Modeling a Semisolid Flow Battery

High-Performance Testing
Platforms for EV Battery Packs
The Path to Smarter Vehicle
Charging
Making Batteries Safer
and Lighter
Supplement to
Sensors & Applications
for Battery Production
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Precise thickness measurement

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of the sensors is larger than those of the optical
scanCONTROL methods, which averages out any anomalies on
the surface.
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of wet layers
Confocal chromatic sensors from
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thickness of wet materials. These
sensors provide both extremely
confocalDT high resolution and high measuring
rates. Installing several sensors
next to each other enables
concurrent determination of the
homogeneity of the coating over
Position control of battery cells the complete strip width.
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Contents
8
February 2022
12
FEATURES
4 Developing a Novel Battery Model
to Answer Classical Chemistry
Questions
8 Overcoming Challenges and
Boosting Productivity for EV Battery
and E-Axle Testing
12 The Path Forward to Smarter Vehicle
Charging
16 Powering the Future of Electric
Vehicles with Safer, Lighter Batteries
TECH BRIEFS
19 High-Performance MXene Electrodes
for Next-Generation Battery 19
19 Technique Merges Solar Cell and
Liquid Battery
Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-708 20 Fast-Charging, Long-Running,
Bendable Supercapacitor
21 Technique Extends Next-Generation
Lithium Metal Batteries 23
ADHESIVE COMPOUNDS for 22 Material Derived from Trees Could
Replace Liquid Electrolytes
DEPARTMENTS
SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS OFFER 23 New Products
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
to acids, bases and salts
ON THE COVER
ELECTRICAL INSULATION The development of any process, compo-
Volume resistivity, 75°F nent, or device involves some level of trial
1014 to 1015 ohm-cm and error. When it comes to the modeling
approach, the same sentiment applies.
Researchers at the Flemish Institute for
Technical Research and KU Leuven devel-
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY oped a pseudo-three-dimensional model of
a semisolid flow battery to find reliable
0.5 to 2 W/(m·K) answers to their design questions. Learn
more in the feature on page 4.
(Image by sdecoret/Shutterstock)
154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA

+1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com
www.masterbond.com
2 Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/82318-709 Battery & Electrification Technology, February 2022

C o r d ia ll y Invited
You Are t n ew p rod uct ideas
r bes
to enter you in the
Annual
Future
Create the
test.
Design Con
00
Win $25r ,g0reat
and othe
prizes.
g March 1
RSVP star tin
Koltukovs and Borodacheva Marina/Shutterstock.com
CreateTheFutureContest.com
PR INCIPAL SPONSORS
Developing a
Novel Battery
Model to Answer
Classical Chemistry Questions
Researchers at the Flemish Institute for Technical
Research (VITO/EnergyVille) and KU Leuven
developed a pseudo-three-dimensional model of a
semisolid flow battery to find reliable answers to their
design questions, such as how flow rate affects particle discharge
and how cell voltage changes during the discharge process.
T
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4 Battery & Electrification Technology, February 2022

e
–
e –
Negative electrode
Electrolyte — H2O Electrolyte —H
2O
MH + OH_ M + H2O + e_
MH discharge NiOOH
M
K+transport Ni(OH)2
K+
Negative OH_ Positive OH—

Carbon nanoparticles
current transport current
collector collector
Current collector
Carbon nanoparticles
Separator
Current collector
Positive electrode
_
NiOOH + H2O + e_ Ni(OH)2 + OH
Separator
Slurry flow Slurry flow
Figure 1. A schematic of a semisolid flow battery.
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:7563/56
Battery & Electrification Technology, February 2022 5

Battery Modeling
cannot couple a hydrodynamics analysis

Positive electrode current collector with a full particle-tracing approach,
because the two studies are not compat-
inlet Flow path
Width of cathodic ible. The researchers tackled this prob-
compartment lem in a two-step approach. First, they
Separator modeled the electrode movement of a
Width of anodic nonflowing SSFB system in 2D (Figure 2).
y inlet Flow path
compartment The 2D model acted as a first approxima-
tion where they could select optimized
X Negative electrode current collector parameters, such as the concentrated and
dilute solution theories for the elec-
trolyte, material balance in the solid
active particles, current balance, reaction
Particles inside the cell/ Particles after
simulation domain leaving the cell rate, and model geometry.
Next, the researchers extended the 2D
model into the pseudo 3D (P3D) model
for flowing SSFB systems. "We wanted to
make a nearly particle tracing model that
includes physics discretized in the time
domain; then stop and solve, update
Particles before the position of the particles, and start
entering the cell again to generate proper results," said
Chayambuka. "We needed a P3D geome-
try to model the entire flow of the bat-
tery." To do so, the team determined all the
dependent variables in separate domains
as well as the associated variables that
needed to be made available in the differ-
Z
Flow path ent geometries at their corresponding
y coordinates. "The extrusion operator fea-
X
ture in COMSOL Multiphysics® made it
simple to link the 2D and 3D domains," he
Figure 2. The P3D model of the SSFB. said. The extrusion coupling functionality
also enabled them to map the variables
highest energy density theoretically; how- processes, simultaneously. "SSFBs are very between separate geometries at every
ever, there are some drawbacks including complex systems compared to other bat- time step in the simulation.
a high cost to make and an increased risk teries. For instance, you need the right vis- Using the P3D model, the team was
of toxicity. SSFBs made with a nickel- cosity for the slurries," said Dominguez. able to account for hydrodynamic effects
metal-hydride (NiMH) material include an "To predict what's happening, you need to in the SSFB, such as transport in the elec-
aqueous electrolyte of potassium hydrox- model it. Experiments would take too trolyte through the Navier–Stokes equa-
ide to sidestep these issues. much time and be too complex." tions for incompressible Newtonian fluid,
No matter the type of SSFB, there is a The group found that the COMSOL as well as the transport in the solid phas-
major design challenge to address: Multiphysics® software offers the multi- es, including the hydrogen intercalation
Researchers need an electrochemical physics and multiscale capabilities their process modeled by pure diffusion. The
model that accurately describes the research calls for. In addition, the accu- team solved the time-dependent diffusion
kinetic and transport processes occurring rate and efficient electrochemical model- equation inside the active particles using
within the design. That is where the ing that is possible in the software facil- partial differential equations (PDEs).
research group — and their novel model- itates the optimization and scaling up The researchers also found the
ing approach — comes into play. of NiMH SSFB systems. "Simulations LiveLink™ for MATLAB® interfacing prod-
like this are really only possible with uct particularly helpful. Before introduc-
Battery Modeling: Now in COMSOL®," said Mulder. ing LiveLink™ for MATLAB® into their
Pseudo 3D Aside from the need for both multi- modeling workflow, the researchers did
The researchers realized that to suc- physics and multiscale modeling, SSFBs not have an automated P3D process. This
cessfully model SSFBs, they needed to be present another unique modeling chal- meant that they had to repeatedly run
able to correctly account for the interac- lenge. Because of the active particles the simulation, change the particle posi-
tions between macroscale and microscale involved in the battery, the model needs tion, and then start all over again. This
domains, as well as multiple physical to include particle tracing. However, you process was fine when they were initially

starting the project, but the group soon
found that it was taking a long time to
find the results they needed — and this Cathodic current collector
method was also more prone to errors.
When they later introduced the
Low flow rate High flow rate
LiveLink™ functionality into their
process, Chayambuka said, "it became so
much easier to generate results, and we
do not have to be behind a computer the S1
whole time." SOC
0,8
Flow Rate, State-of-Charge,
and Energy Output 0,6
Through the results of the 2D model, 0,4
the researchers found that not all of the
S5 0,2
SSFB's available charge is evenly exhaust-
ed. In fact, the extent of each particle's dis- 0
charge depends on its position. The P3D

model showed the researchers how the
flow rate of the battery affects particle Separator
discharge, an important factor for analyz-
ing the battery cells' dynamic behavior.
The team found that at high flow rates,
the cell voltage remains mostly stable. As S5
the discharge current increases, the volt- SOC
age difference between the initial and
0,8
steady-state voltage increases. For low
flow rates, the voltage differences be- 0,6
tween the initial and steady-state stages 0,4
are more pronounced (Figure 5). By
understanding how flow rate affects the 0,2
dynamic behavior of cells, they can Z S1 0
design SSFBs for different flow rates and
predict the steady state for given sets of y
X
initial conditions.
One of the most exciting aspects of
Anodic current collector
the project is that this is the first time
the flow-rate behavior of an SSFB has
been shown in a model. Further, experi- Figure 3. Comparison of low-flow-rate and high-flow-rate SOC distributions in a P3D NiMH
mental SSFBs are showing similar tran- SSFB model.
sient profiles to those found in COMSOL
Multiphysics®, demonstrating the validity experiments using carbon-water suspen- interest and funding so that they can
of the P3D model for this type of research. sions with the same rheological behavior look into more ways of modeling energy
as the electrolytes. losses and optimized conditions. Im-
Charging Up the Future of "Our hope is to apply this model to proved battery designs, and a better
Battery Research other types of flow batteries and test understanding of how they work, can
Through the P3D model, the research other chemistries, which would be inter- improve how battery manufacturers store
team demonstrated a novel way to model esting," said Chayambuka. Further, "this energy and generate power.
SSFB behavior. With this model, they were kind of model can be extrapolated to This article was written by Brianne
able to visualize the relationship between other systems, because they use the Christopher of COMSOL, Inc., Burlington,
hydrodynamic and electrochemical phe- same principles," said Dominguez. One MA. For more information, visit
nomena, providing a new way to explore example she gives is the particle-based

.
the design of different types of batteries. system of wastewater treatment.
Next steps include introducing phase The group hopes that by continuing COMSOL and COMSOL Multiphysics are
change effects in the model materials, their work, they will be able to realize an registered trademarks of COMSOL AB. MAT-
introducing non-Newtonian behavior and experimental system to validate the LAB is a registered trademark of The
validating the simulated flow field with SSFB model, which would generate more MathWorks, Inc.

Overcoming Challenges and
Boosting Productivity for
EV Battery and
E-Axle Testing
A
fter more than a cen- powertrain (the e-axle) now makes them Critical Need: Testing and
tury of the world’s au- two of the most critical vehicle systems. Verification of Battery and
tomotive systems An EV’s battery pack is much more than E-Axle Performance
being powered and just a power storage unit. It’s a complex sys- As with conventionally powered mod-
driven by gasoline and tem composed of batteries in modules or els, electric vehicles are rated for their
diesel internal com- sub-packs, combined with advanced wiring energy efficiency and operating range on
bustion engines, the irreversible transi- technology and sophisticated battery man- a charge by the Environmental Protection
tion to electric vehicles (EVs) is underway. agement systems (BMS). This enables the Agency. This operating range is a critical
All the major global automotive car and storage and fast movement of power in two performance metric used by vehicle man-
truck manufacturers are committed to directions: discharge to the powertrain and ufacturers, industry experts, and con-
transitioning the bulk of their vehicles to other EV systems, and efficient and repeated sumers to assess the value of an EV and
full electric transport by the mid-2030s. As recharge, capturing energy from regenera- to compare different makes and models.
a result, the performance and efficiency of tive braking of the vehicle as well as fully Most critically, as more and more vehicle
the EV’s battery pack and its electric motor recharging from charging stations. buyers seriously consider purchasing all-

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Challenges for Battery Pack

and E-Axle Testing
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$,&)),(&*#&+#&'*+ ,&
#)),!)$,()& *+'& ),*$+& & Besides offering a wide range of automation products, Bosch Rexroth helps with DC testing
systems by supplying scalable DC power solutions, including power supply and management
%*, & & *)(++,(#"& $'*$& * components, DC inverter power stacks, chokes, capacitors, cooling systems and necessary
),"&)(*"&')(& &,&)$,&%'+ accessories, as well as design and commissioning support. (Photo: Bosch Rexroth)
Advanced technologies for all core processes
Electrode production Cell production Cell module assembly
Aging and
quality test Preassembly of the cell module,
contacting the cell conductor
Integration of battery management system,

installlation of cooling system
Contacting the Degassing

conductors
Inline testing
Coiling
Insertion and tightening of

Drying
cell modules
Grinding Packaging and

sealing
Securing Assembly of electronics
the stack Formation components and housing
Stacking
Slitting
Compressing
Charging and
Coating Electrolyte filling flashing
Folding
Mixing
Vacuum/protecting gas Battery pack

Dry room atmosphere assembly
Electric vehicle battery fabrication is a complex multi-step process. The critical end-of-line phase is charging and testing the battery pack
through a full cycle of discharge/regenerative charging/full power charging steps to ensure each pack delivers its specified performance and
has the designated state of charge. (Photo: Bosch Rexroth)

Battery Testing
The high-power inverter technology is

crucial to this testing platform. It pro-
vides the modular power conversion, tak-
ing the plant’s main AC power and con-
verting to DC, then delivers power effi-
ciently to DC/DC inverters on a common
DC bus. DC/DC inverter set(s) are con-
nected to the battery pack being tested,
interfacing with the test computer and
BMS to carry out the discharge, recharge
and full charge cycles as dictated by the
testing program.
The DC/DC inverter and the BMS pro-
vide the real-time data the testing sys-
tem needs to evaluate whether the bat-
tery pack or e-axle is performing accord-
ing to specifications: the BMS computes,
tracks and monitors the available ener-
gy/charge and the EV’s computer com-
putes the available range, based on the
Bosch Rexroth’s IndraDrive ML scalable range of inverters enables effective solutions for bat-
tery pack and e-axle testing, with a versatile DC/DC drive design that provides the smallest vehicle’s drives and electric motors.
footprint and weight to save valuable control cabinet space. (Photo: Bosch Rexroth) The testing system inverter power sup-
ply can report real-time voltage, current
able energy/charge in the pack. The BMS tems is similar, although not completely and power as each battery pack or e-axle
also controls the energy discharge (when identical. The EV manufacturer creates the is cycled through the testing sequences.
the EV demands energy) and recharge master testing program, which typically
(when power is fed back into the battery runs on an industrial PC, and controls the Key Inverter Features for EV
via regeneration and/or full charging). specific charge and load cycles. These Testing Systems
End-of-line battery and e-axle testing cycles are designed to match real world To support the rigorous, high-throughput
systems must take into consideration the demand specifications for driving, regen- testing demands for these systems, the
challenges associated with high-output eration and charging, and to verify scalable inverter technology and sys-
mass production of vehicles using them — that the e-axle and battery per- tem plays a central role. They need to
by one estimate, a plant producing 50 EVs forms as designed, by comparing be efficient to support very dynamic
per hour would have a new battery pack the command and actual data current ramps into the EV inverters
to test every 72 seconds. Battery packs point, as well as EV equipment data. and/or battery, charging and dis-
and e-axles are complex devices, with charging power at the required
size and weight dimensions that voltage, and also exercise tight
require careful handling to move control of the power flow.
efficiently through testing systems. The most crucial performance
In response to these challenges, a consideration for testing system
new generation of battery and e- inverters is their ability to sup-
axle testing systems is being devel- port a broad range of DC output
oped, built around a combination of voltages and currents. One rea-
advanced testing software modules son this is critical is that EV man-
and the latest generation of high- ufacturers have been increasing
performance industrial inverter their battery pack storage and
drives. These high-power inverters, output capacities. Older battery
such as the modular and scalable packs were often limited to
Bosch Rexroth IndraDrive ML, pro- approximately 420 volts (DC),
vide the safe, controlled, and rapid and the charging systems were
delivery of DC power to the test limited in power (typically 11 kW
stands, in order to supply/remove the to 50 kW). These could take too
correct amount of power to battery long to charge from 20 percent
packs and e-axles according to the The versatility of the Rexroth IndraDrive ML platform makes to 80 percent.
testing program’s requirements. it easier for EV manufacturers to select one common inverter EV manufacturers are moving
power stack for power supply, inverter, and DC/DC convert-
The system topology for the bat- er to support both battery pack and e-axle testing systems. to more powerful packs — in the
tery charging and e-axle testing sys- (Photo: Bosch Rexroth) 800 V to 900 V DC range — so it

is important to select testing system Inverter cooling is equally important, duction tools that manufacturers will
inverters that can deliver broader output given that banks of inverters will need to depend on to ensure the vehicles they
voltage ranges, from 20 V to 1150 V DC, support multiple test stands in a high- deliver to customers leave the plant
and ever-increasing DC output current throughput, end-of-line testing environ- with the set state of charge, discharge
demands, e.g., beyond 2000A. Equally ment. Liquid-cooled inverters can support and full charge performance cus-
important is the inverter control mode: high power density and effective heat dis- tomers expect.
How tightly can it control the required sipation, helping make the testing equip- Today’s leading suppliers of industrial
output by providing constant voltage, ment more energy efficient while mini- electric drives and inverter technology
current and power according to the mizing floor space demands. In addition, have deep experience creating inverters
power cycling required in the testing. liquid cooling is also the cooling method engineered to meet demanding automa-
For example, the Rexroth IndraDrive used for batteries and e-axles. tion requirements. EV manufacturers
ML inverter provides precise and accu- One final consideration is safety: and their production equipment suppli-
rate control, with less than 0.1 percent Inverters with industry-standard, well- ers can benefit from this expertise as
ripple (EV DC power systems have virtu- designed safety disconnects and safe they further evolve their testing capa-
ally no ripple). This is due to the high motion/safe torque-off capabilities (inte- bilities. This can accelerate the creation
dynamics in its power stage and con- gral software elements of the inverter of systems that can efficiently and accu-
troller section, and the closed loop meas- controller) make it much easier to imple- rately complete testing cycles and
urement at the DC/DC converter output. ment safety protocols to protect workers enable them to meet the rapidly rising
Given that numerous battery and e- and testing equipment. demand for electric vehicles.
axle test stands will most likely be need- This article was written by Karl Rapp,
ed to support high-volume automotive Work with Experts in Electric Application Engineer Manager, Automotive
manufacturing, inverters that support reli- Drive Technology & Machine Tools, Bosch Rexroth Corp.,
able and clean DC power and efficient It’s clear that battery pack and e- Bethlehem, PA. For more information visit
bus sharing are important considerations. axle test stands will be critical pro-

.
Available on Demand!
Webinar X-Ray CT Solutions for

Liithium-Ion Battery Production
Available On Demand Until January 26, 2023
This 60-minute Webinar examines a CT solution that provides fast, inline inspection. Its unique capabilities include a microfocus rotating
target, helical CT, half turn CT, and offset CT, which allow many assembly processes to be quickly inspected, including electrode condi-
tion, delamination, deformation, overhang measurement, foreign matter contamination, and welding defects.
Speakers:
Andrew Ramsey
X-ray CT Consultant,
Nikon Metrology
Please visit www.techbriefs.com/webinar251

The Path to
Smarter
Vehicle Charging
A
s the ros-
ter of light-duty and
commercial-purpose
battery electric vehi- automotive and
cles (EVs) begins an al- electronics industries are
most catalytic expan- hastening initiatives and
sion in 2022, better, faster, and smarter technology to support the
battery recharging is on the way to ac- EV “experience.”
company the takeoff. Charging advances In mid-December 2021, U.S. Vice
— chiefly related to recharging times and President Kamala Harris unveiled the Biden
charger access — have long been touted Administration’s EV Charging Action Plan
as vital to consumer and commercial ac- as explanation for how the federal govern-
ceptance of EVs. Now the government and ment intends to execute the $7.5 billion

broadly directing: “The Department
ed to building out the of Energy (DOE) and Department
nation’s recharging network. The plan is of Transportation (DOT) will establish a
part of the long-negotiated $1.2 trillion Joint Office of Energy and Transportation gaps in rural,
($550 billion in new spending) infrastruc- focused on deploying EV infrastructure.” disadvantaged, and hard-
ture bill officially known as the Infras- The plan noted that, “the initial focus to-reach locations.”
tructure Investment and Jobs Act. will be building a convenient, reliable More specifically, the new infrastruc-
The EV Charging Action Plan offered public charging network that can build ture bill aims to establish a nationwide
the government’s general strategy, say- public confidence, with a focus on filling network of a half-million public EV

Electric Charging
Batteries as Part of the

Equation
The Biden Administration also ac-
knowledged that advances in batteries
can translate into faster and better
recharging. It is encouraging efforts to
improve the U.S. domestic supply chain
for EV battery materials and production.
One example is a comprehensive plan to
support battery manufacturing through
initiatives such as the DOE’s Loan
Programs Office and its Advanced-
Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan
Program to “support the domestic battery
supply chain.” Other monies in the new
bill — separate from the EV-charging
A Silicon-carbide (SiC)-based infrastructure investment — include $3
inverter developed by billion directed to competitive grants for
BorgWarner is projected to
markedly improve charging times
battery minerals and refined materials
and reduce EV system cost. and $3 billion to build, retool or expand
(Photo: BorgWarner) battery manufacturing, and establish
recycling facilities.
chargers. The bill’s $7.5 billion recharg- Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) Meanwhile, automakers and battery
ing-network investment includes $5 bil- called for all federally funded DC fast developers and suppliers are engaged
lion for “formula funding” for individual chargers at transit hubs and on charging in ongoing improvement of existing
states to take part in building the nation- “corridors” to be capable of charging at batteries, chemistry and power elec-
al charging network. The remaining $2.5 up to 350 kW. AAI stated in a release, “As tronics to squeeze more performance
billion will be directed to “communities more and more electric vehicles come to from current or soon-to-come battery
and corridors through a competitive market with larger batteries, charging formats. Increased battery capacity or
grant program that will support innova- speed is going to become increasingly system efficiency for example, can
tive approaches and ensure that charger important. EV charging at 350 kW is improve driving range, lessening the
deployment meets Administration priori- needed for corridor charging not only to need for recharging. And smarter
ties such as supporting rural charging, reduce the recharge time of each EV, but power electronics can help batteries to
improving local air quality, and increas- also to increase the throughput of EVs to recharge more quickly.
ing EV charging access in disadvantaged allow more EVs to charge from the same Volvo’s Polestar, for one, recently
communities.” connector.” The AAI also said it is less enhanced its propulsion system, via an
Speaking specifically to the bill’s costly to install 350-kW capacity now over-the-air software update that
charging-infrastructure emphasis, the than to retrofit later. required no service visit, to incorporate
a new battery “preconditioning” func-
tion tied to the navigation system.
When the driver selects a public DC
charger as a destination, the battery
Q7 Q1 Q3 Q5 pack’s temperature and other opera-
tional parameters are tailored to have
the battery in optimum condition for
the quickest recharge when the charg-
M er location is reached.
Another fast-advancing method to
Q8 Q2 Q4 Q6 quicker recharging is to increase vehicle
electrical-system capacity — higher volt-
ages can enable smaller, lighter compo-
Boost Converter Option Traction Inverter
nents that always are an EV development
priority, as well as the ability to accept
more power, more quickly, from a charger.
Porsche led the way with an 800-volt
A gallium nitride (GaN)-based traction inverter — items Q1 through Q8 are GaN power transis-
tors — promises greatly reduced power losses that will help speed recharging and improve EV architecture for its Taycan EV, doubling
driving range. (Photo: GaN Systems) the system voltage of typical EVs.

V2L (Vehicle to Load)
110/220V
Vehicle Charging Integrated Charging

Battery Pack Management System Control Unit Electronics / Home
(VCMS) (ICCU) Appliances Charging
110/220V
ICCB
Electronics
Charging Vehicle to Vehicle
Charging (V2V)
Diagram of Hyundai vehicle-to-load (V2L) bi-directional “smart” charging system. (Photo: Hyundai)
But higher voltages, many industry (at 77 kWh its battery is smaller than that tem features greater durability through
sources claim, are inevitable at every EV expected for the F-150 Lightning), but its wire-bondless power switch design,
price point. The Hyundai Group’s new E- can be used to power small appliances in which the silicon-isolated gate bipo-
GMP platform for EVs was engineered as and other equipment or charge another lar transistor power switches have been
an 800-V system, but in concession to the EV. This vehicle-to-load (V2L) functional- replaced by SiC metal-oxide-semicon-
likelihood that a significant 800-V charg- ity also has been demonstrated by other ductor field-effect transistor power
ing infrastructure will take time to install, automakers and is projected to be pro- switches. This delivers up to a 70 per-
the E-GMP charging system can operate moted as an EV advantage over internal- cent reduction in switching losses, offer-
at 400 volts without any adapters or extra combustion power. ing OEMs improved performance and
components, internally stepping up 400-V Residences and other structures must be reduced costs for their electrified
input to 800 V. For its newly launched appropriately wired for the kind of whole- propulsion systems.”
Ioniq 5 EV, the company claims 800-V home bi-directional power Ford promotes. Gallium-nitride (GaN) semiconductors
charging can enable a recharge from 10 But the feature quickly will be “table also are speculated to impart new per-
percent battery capacity to 80 percent in stakes” for EV batteries, said Matt Londre, formance advantages for EV inverters and
18 minutes. President of Willow Glen Electric and other power electronics. GaN semicon-
Regional Leader of Northern California for ductors have 1,000 times more electron
Bi-Directional Charging, Qmerit, which manages a national network mobility than silicon, said Paul Weiner,
Innovative Inverters of certified electricians to help ensure EV vice president of strategic marketing for
For residence-based charging, it’s buyers receive safe, reliable, and permitted GaN Systems, in an article written for SAE
expected that bi-directional capability home-charging installations. International in 2021. In comparison test-
will emerge as a must-have feature that Higher-capacity charging, bi-directional ing conducted in 2020, he said the effi-
adds considerable potential value to the functionality and other charging-related ciency of a GaN-based traction inverter is
EV purchase equation. Ford has been an advances are enabled, in some instances, improved significantly by reducing power
early promoter, featuring in promotions by the quickly evolving technology in losses by 50 percent, resulting in battery
for its upcoming F-150 Lightning pickup one of an EV system’s most crucial power- energy saving and extended driving
bi-directional charging’s ability to use an electronics components, the inverter. range, not to mention potentially signifi-
EV’s battery to operate high-energy BorgWarner, for example, has a 400-V cant system-cost reduction.
power tools or even an entire home for as inverter employing silicon-carbide (SiC) as This article was written by Bill Visnic,
much as three days. its primary semiconductor material. Editorial Director, Mobility Media, SAE
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 has somewhat more Earmarked for a 2023 production EV, International. For more information visit
limited bi-directional power capability the company said in a release, “The sys-

.

Powering the Future of
Electric Vehicles with
Safer, Lighter
Batteries
I
f I buy an electric vehicle (EV), will “We were looking at various electrics, not some energy density versus NCM for
its battery catch fire? Statistically at Bolt specifically. But EV fires and the resistance to thermal runaways. At
such considerations are almost ir- recall concern us. We just don’t trust the approximately 200 Wh/kg at the cell
relevant. EV battery fires are no tech yet.” level, they are about 10-15 percent less
more apt to occur than a gasoline “The batteries in those EVs use NCM, energy-dense than most NCM cells
blaze in a new combustion-engine or nickel-cobalt-manganese, cathodes,” (Tesla's 2170s are rated at over 260
vehicle. Most EVs currently in use are re- explained Dr. Zhong (John) Chen, project Wh/kg).
liable and safe. But a spate of highly manager of vehicle engineering at BYD’s “LFP batteries are probably most
publicized Tesla fires (some the result of northern California headquarters. “With notable for their positive safety profiles
impact or battery puncture) and GM’s NCM you can easily get a fire. Users of relative to other chemistries,” noted
$1.8 billion recall of every single one of that chemistry have to put a lot of effort Research Analyst Maria Chavez of
the 142,000 Bolt EVs and EUVs ever sold, behind thermal management and safety, Guidehouse Insights in a May 2021 report.
due to a manufacturing defect found in adding cost.” The chemistries “are generally thermally
their lithium-ion batteries supplied by In comparison, lithium-iron-phosphate and chemically stable — plus, the phos-
LG Energy Solution, is enough for some (LFP; LiFePO4), have a proven chemistry phate chemistry has been shown to offer a
prospective buyers to think twice about whose benefits were somewhat bypassed long lifetime,” she stated.
making the jump to EVs. by the industry’s settling on lithium-ion LFP batteries have demonstrated life
“It’s given my wife and me pause,” said cells dominated by NCM, experts note. cycles in excess of 10,000 cycles, or mil-
Kevin Whittle, a Farmington, Michigan- Where LFP cells shine primarily is in their lions of highway miles. They exhibit lower
based industrial automation consultant. inherent stability, typically sacrificing internal resistance than NCM types,

NCM, particularly NCM811 which is “a big
competitor” to the Blade battery.
The 811 number of the nickel-rich lay-
ered oxide NMC811 denotes 80 percent
nickel and 1 percent each cobalt and
magnesium. According to battery experts,
while the chemistry offers high specific
energy density for EVs, its downsides
include rapidly-depleting capacity and
voltage. In terms of chemistry, “there isn’t
a lot of innovation you can do in a short
time,” Chen said. “We did patent the cell
structure and mainly focused on structure
optimization. After a thorough analysis,
we decided to remove the module level;
Typically, liquid cooling is that was the main breakthrough.”
employed for automotive applications, Viewing an LFP battery’s Module level
but BYD uses a special thermally as unnecessary, the engineers removed it.
conductive adhesive between the cooling
system and the cell stack in the Blade “In doing so we eliminate some mechan-
battery. (Photo: BYD) ical parts, reinforcements, and some har-
nesses,” Chen noted. “With the Blade bat-
enabling faster power delivery for considering that most competitors still tery we reduce weight, decrease overall
improved vehicle acceleration. Discharge use different sizes of modules.” pack volume by about 50 percent, and
voltage of LFP is very consistent. Going beyond the CTP concept, BYD increase the energy density. This makes a
Strategically, their chemistry does not recently showed a new battery concept very solid point for our chemistry. It’s
include cobalt or nickel. And the lack of called CTC (cell-to-chassis). In CTC, the more robust than a module-based pack,
those metals makes them inexpensive, inherent safety of the LFP chemistry it’s lighter per cell and it’s about 20 per-
with LFP costs under $100/kWh in China. enables the Blade batteries to be inte- cent cheaper.”
That cost advantage has prompted grated directly into vehicle body struc-
Tesla, Ford, and Volkswagen to announce ture. BYD’s ‘e-platform 3.0’ is an electric A Robust Design
a shift to LFP cathodes in order to move vehicle structure that uses the battery to The accompanying exploded view of
away from cobalt and nickel. This is both increase the rigidity of the vehicle. the Blade battery shows its simplicity.
for ethical/mining reasons as well as to BYD engineers and chemists began Typical dimensions of the compact, sin-
offer significant cost reduction for some work on the CTP Blade concept about gle-cell design are 905 118 13.5 mm
EV models that do not require high per- three years ago, Chen said. It was pur- (35.6 4.6 .53 in.). The size can be cus-
formance and +200-mile driving ranges pose-designed for automotive, to give tomized. The thin, blade-like cells are
(that will be covered by high-manganese BYD a competitive weapon against NCM’s inserted into the pack in a blade-type
content lithium battery chemistries with superior energy density and cold-weath- array. BYD engineers have also decreased
higher specific energy). Ford, however, has er performance. “We have a big stake in the cubic volume of the battery installa-
indicated that LFP cathodes may also end the LFP technology so we sat down to tion by 50 percent, improving overall
up in the batteries of its electric F-Series. determine how we can compete with vehicle packaging.
Eliminate the Modules Thermal stability comparison of materials

Thermal stability comparison of materials
Prior to its emergence as a consumer containing electrolyte
Heat production rate
Heat production rate
electronics giant and an automaker,

China’s BYD had been developing lithi-
um– and nickel-based battery technolo- NCM
NCM
gies since 1995. LFP became a major LFP
LFP
R&D focus, leading to the “Blade” battery,
an innovation in lower cost, safer EV bat-
tery packs. As Chen explains it, “The blade
battery originates from a concept called
CTP — cell to pack. CTP technology
directly integrates the battery cells into 100 300 500 180 230 280
the pack, without the use of modules. T/°C T/°C
BYD is, I believe, the pioneer to make this
battery concept available to the market, A thermal stability comparison for materials in NCM and LFP batteries. (Photo: BYD)

Safer Batteries
Cycle Life@25°C Cycle Life@45°C Cycle Life@60°C
100
100
100
capacity retention/%
90
80
80
80
60
60
70
0 500 1000 1500 2000
0 500 1000 1500 2000
60 Cycle No. Cycle No.

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Cycle No.
BYD Blade battery cycle life — capacity recovery rate when charging or driving, at various temperatures. (Photo: BYD)
From top to bottom, there is a layer stack. Protective plates are integrated BYD uses the Blade battery in its Tang
off cotton thermal insulation. Then with the battery’s aluminum housing. electric SUV and in its Han EV sedan,
there is the thermal management, usu- “It’s a robust design; a lot of cross bars, among other vehicles. During develop-
ally liquid cooling. BYD uses a special bus bars. The BDU and BMS [battery dis- ment, the Blade battery was subjected to
thermally conductive adhesive between connect unit and battery management a new series of stringent tests, Chen said.
the cooling system and the cell stack. system] are included; we do the integra- Neither a 300 °C furnace test or a 260
The third layer from the top is the cell tion,” he said. percent overcharging test resulted in any
indication of fire or explosion. During a
nail-penetration ballistics test, the Blade
battery’s surface temperature remained
with a 30 °C to 60 °C range without any
smoke or fire. And the battery successful-
ly sustained repeated 80-Hz vibration
attenuation, Chen said.
According to BYD, the Blade battery
exceeds 1.2 million km after 3,000 charge/
discharge cycles. The new Tang SUV deliv-
ers a range of 505 km (NEDC; 313 mi.) on
a single charge, BYD claims, with 0-100
km/h acceleration of 4.6-seconds.
Tang’s battery has demonstrated a
recharge capability from 30 percent to 80
percent of full SOC in 30 minutes, on 110-
kW DC.
BYD has eight manufacturing locations
across China that are either already or
will be available to produce the Blade
battery, with a current production capaci-
ty of about 70 GWh, he added. Beyond
mobility applications, Chen believes the
Blade battery has “significant market
potential” in energy storage and various
infrastructure/grid applications, such as
solar and wind buffers.

Automotive Engineering
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering
BYD integrates the Blade battery’s BDU
and BMS into the pack. (Photo: BYD)


High-Performance MXene Electrodes for Next-
Generation Battery
Two-dimensional MXene provides fast redox and high-rate energy storage.
City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon
T
wo-dimensional MXene has become
popular in the energy world because
of its fast energy storage capability.
But unstable voltage output limits appli-
cations. A research team developed bat-
tery-like electrochemical Nb2CTx MXene
electrodes with stable voltage output
and high energy density using a high-
voltage scanning strategy.
MXene is a large family of two-dimen-
sional nanomaterials and has been the
research focus of 2D materials in the
energy storage field in the past decade.
Because of excellent electronic conduc-
tivity and large surface area, MXene fea-
Battery-like electrochemical MXene electrodes are the black substance inside the bottle. The
tures fast surficial redox and demon- silver “buttons” next to the bottle are batteries; in the background is the battery testing sys-
strates high-rate energy storage. tem. (Photo: City University of Hong Kong)
But the biggest challenge of MXene
energy storage is that all reported trodes. The team revealed completely dif- and high energy density under high-volt-
MXene electrodes lack a distinct dis- ferent electrochemical properties of the age scanning. More importantly, they suc-
charge voltage plateau, which means Nb2CTx MXene electrode by regulating ceeded in equipping MXene with a flat
they discharge with a rapidly descending the voltage windows from 2.0 V to 2.4 V. and stable discharge plateau of 1.55 V to
output voltage. This shortcoming deteri- Under high-voltage scanning up to 2.4 V, boost energy densities. A high-level
orates Mxene’s energy density and the the Nb2CTx MXene electrode showed typ- energy density among all aqueous
stable energy output at desired high ical battery-type features different from Mxene electrodes of 146.7 Wh kg-1 with
voltage regions, leading to limited ener- the one under low voltage and other pre- 63 percent contribution from the plateau
gy density, usually less than 100 Wh kg-1. viously reported MXene systems. region was also obtained.
To overcome the problem of unstable The team discovered that the Nb2CTx/ +*)('*)&(%"!*)' %*"(*" (&(!!%&(*!(
energy output, the research team devel- Zn battery could exhibit superior rate &( %&)&%&"( && )( ( &"**(
oped battery-type Nb2CTx MXene elec- capability, durable cyclic performance, () %&
((
Technique Merges Solar Cell and Liquid Battery

A highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery generates, stores, and redelivers renewable electricity
from the Sun in one device.
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
A
solar flow battery was developed that the advantages of photovoltaic cells that regions of the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia,
is made of silicon solar cells com- convert sunlight into electricity with the and Africa. Many solar home systems use
bined with advanced solar materials advantages of flow batteries, which use lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries for elec-
integrated with optimally designed chemi- tanks of chemicals that can react to pro- tricity storage. Flow batteries could be less
cal components. While solar flow batteries duce electricity and be recharged by the expensive at a larger scale and are an ideal
are years away from commercialization, solar cells. storage choice for merging with solar cells.
they offer the potential to provide reliable Since the Sun doesn’t always shine, stor- The researchers turned to an increasing-
electricity generation and storage for light- age is key for practical solar electricity, ly popular material for photovoltaic cells:
ing, cellphones, or other fundamental uses especially in remote and rural regions with halide perovskites. The solar conversion
for homes in remote areas. They combine a lot of sunlight such as in the sunbelt efficiency of these special materials has

Schematic illustration of an integrated solar flow battery. A solar cell is hooked up to tanks of
chemicals that can store electricity for later use. (Photo: Wenjie Li) The integrated solar flow battery contains
both a solar cell and chemicals to generate,
store, and redeliver renewable electricity from
dramatically increased. The materials can ies should run, the team developed a new the Sun in one device. (Photo: Wenjie Li)
also increase the efficiency of traditional theoretical modeling method that allowed
silicon solar cells by capturing more energy them to select a pair of chemicals in the The resulting device maintained a high
from the Sun. Yet silicon remains key for flow battery that would operate at the ideal efficiency over hundreds of hours and
making a stable device that can withstand voltage based on the characteristics of the hundreds of charge-discharge cycles
the chemicals in a flow battery. solar cell, maximizing efficiency. The chem- while retaining most of its capacity. That
The team fabricated the perovskite-sili- icals are organic compounds, not expensive lifespan was several times longer than
con solar cells with an additional protec- metals as in traditional flow batteries, and earlier devices.
tion layer on the silicon surface. To predict are dissolved in a benign water solution of %$#"!$# "$#!$"$"$"""
the ideal voltage at which the flow batter- table salt rather than strong acids. !
"
Fast-Charging, Long-Running, Bendable

Supercapacitor
This technology has potential as a portable power supply in several applications, including electric vehicles,
cellphones, and wearable technology.
University College London, United Kingdom
A
new bendable supercapacitor made degrees without affecting performance and
from graphene has been developed doesn’t use a liquid electrolyte, which min-
that charges quickly and safely stores imizes risk of explosion and makes it suit-
a record-high level of energy for use over a able for integrating into phones or wear-
long period. The technology overcomes the able electronics.
issue faced by high-powered, fast-charging A graphene electrode material with
supercapacitors: they usually cannot hold a pores can be changed in size to store the
large amount of energy in a small space. charge more efficiently. This tuning max-
The new supercapacitor is extremely imizes the energy density of the superca-
promising for next-generation energy stor- pacitor to 88.1 Wh/L (Watt-hour per liter).
age technology as either a replacement for Similar fast-charging commercial tech-
current battery technology, or for use nology has a relatively poor energy den-
alongside it, to provide the user with more sity of 5-8 Wh/L and traditional slow-
power. It was designed with materials that charging; long-running lead-acid batter-
give it a high power density and a high The bendable supercapacitor. (Photo: University ies used in electric vehicles typically
energy density. It also can bend to 180 College of London) have 50-90 Wh/L. Power density is two

0° 60° 120° 180°
Even when bent at 180 degrees, the supercapacitor performed almost the same as when it was flat and after 5,000 cycles, it retained 97.8 per-
cent of its capacity. (Photo: University College of London)
orders of magnitude higher at over when the pore sizes matched the diame- either side of a gel-like substance that
10,000 Watt per liter. ter of the ions in the electrolyte. The acted as a chemical medium for the trans-
The researchers made electrodes from optimized material, which forms a thin fer of electrical charge. This was used to
multiple layers of graphene, creating a film, was used to build a proof-of-con- power dozens of light-emitting diodes
dense but porous material capable of cept device with both high power and (LEDs) and was found to be highly robust,
trapping charged ions of different sizes. high energy density. flexible, and stable.
They characterized it using a range of The 6 6-cm supercapacitor was made $#"! #"!#" #!#!!!
techniques and found it performed best from two identical electrodes layered on !" !
!!!
Technique Extends Next-Generation Lithium Metal

Batteries
The discovery could enable lightweight, low-cost, long-lasting energy storage for electric vehicles, houses,
and more.
Columbia University, New York, NY
A
mong the limitations of electric ve-
hicles (EVs) is the lack of a long- conventional lithium electrolyte
lasting, high-energy-density battery
that reduces the need to fuel up on long- lithium lithium
haul trips. The same is true for houses plating stripping
during blackouts and power grid fail-
ures—small, efficient batteries able to
power a home for more than one night
without electricity don’t yet exist. A
major issue is that while rechargeable conventional lithium electrolyte + potassium
lithium metal anodes play a key role in
how well this new wave of lithium bat-
teries functions, during battery operation, lithium lithium
they are highly susceptible to the growth plating stripping
of dendrites — microstructures that can
lead to dangerous short-circuiting, catch-
ing on fire, and even exploding.
Researchers have found that alkali
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and computer simulations were used to better under-
metal additives, such as potassium ions, stand the reactivity and structure of molecules on the surface of lithium metal anodes that
can prevent lithium microstructure prolif- could lead to improved performance. (Photo: Lauren Marbella/Columbia Engineering)
eration during battery use. They used a
combination of microscopy, nuclear mag- lithium/electrolyte interface. Specifically, charging, ultimately limiting microstruc-
netic resonance (similar to an MRI), and they found that potassium ions mitigate tural growth.
computational modeling to discover that the formation of undesirable chemical The discovery that alkali metal addi-
adding small amounts of potassium salt compounds that deposit on the surface of tives suppress the growth of nonconduc-
to a conventional lithium battery elec- lithium metal and prevent lithium-ion tive compounds on the surface of lithium
trolyte produces unique chemistry at the transport during battery charging and dis- metal differs from traditional electrolyte

manipulation approaches, which have how the electrolyte formulations growth of conductive layers on lithium
focused on depositing conductive poly- improve lithium metal battery perform- metal. They are also actively using NMR
mers on the metal’s surface. ance at the molecular level. The team is to directly measure the rate of lithium
Commercial electrolytes are a combi- now testing alkali metal additives that transport through this layer.
nation of carefully selected molecules. stop the formation of deleterious surface +*)( '*)&( %"!*)' %*"( *" ( *(
Using NMR and computer simulations, layers in combination with more tradi- )( (*& )*'% &(
the researchers were able to understand tional additives that encourage the

Material Derived from Trees Could Replace Liquid

Electrolytes
The material could pave the way for better, safer solid-state batteries.
Brown University, Providence, RI, and University of Maryland, College Park, PA
I
n pursuit of batteries that deliver more a
power and operate more safely, re-
searchers are working to replace the liq-
uids commonly used in today’s lithium-ion
batteries with solid materials. Researchers Cellulose nanofibril
have now developed a new material for use

in solid-state batteries that’s derived from
an unlikely source: trees. 200 nm
The team demonstrated a solid ion con-

ductor that combines copper with cellulose
nanofibrils — polymer tubes derived from Fibre
d = 20–50 μm Elementary fibril
wood. The paper-thin material has an ion d = 1.5–3.5 nm
Nanofibril
conductivity that is 10 to 100 times better d = 10–15 nm
than other polymer ion conductors. It could Molecular chain
be used as either a solid battery electrolyte O Li Li
d < 1 nm
HO
or as an ion-conducting binder for the cath-
HO O
Cu Cu Li
O OH
ode of an all-solid-state battery. Li Li O OH

Li Li
Today’s lithium-ion batteries, which are Li

HO O
Li
Li HO
O
Li
widely used in everything from cellphones Li O

Cu
OH Li Li
O
Cu
OH
to cars, have electrolytes made from lithi-

um salt dissolved in a liquid organic sol-
vent. The electrolyte’s job is to conduct b This work Crosslinked polymer PEO-inorganic High Li concentration
lithium ions between a battery’s cathode Structure and ion-transport performance of the Li–Cu–CNF solid-state ion conductor. (Photo:
and anode. Liquid electrolytes work well Brown University)
but they have some downsides. At high cur-
rents, tiny filaments of lithium metal, called al, however, is thin and flexible — almost In addition to working as a solid elec-
dendrites, can form in the electrolyte, lead- like a sheet of paper — and its ion conduc- trolyte, the new material can also act as a
ing to short circuits. In addition, liquid elec- tivity is on par with ceramics. cathode binder for a solid-state battery. To
trolytes are made with flammable and toxic Computer simulations of the microscopic match the capacity of anodes, cathodes
chemicals that can catch fire. structure of the copper-cellulose material need to be substantially thicker. That thick-
Solid electrolytes have the potential to were performed to understand why it is ness, however, can compromise ion conduc-
prevent dendrite penetration and can be able to conduct ions so well. tion, reducing efficiency. For thicker cath-
made from nonflammable materials. Most The modeling study revealed that the odes to work, they need to be encased in an
of the solid electrolytes investigated so far copper increases the space between cellu- ion-conducting binder. Using the new
are ceramic materials, which are good at lose polymer chains, which normally exist material as a binder, the team demonstrat-
conducting ions but they’re also thick, rigid, in tightly packed bundles. The expanded ed what they believe to be one of the thick-
and brittle. Stresses during manufacturing spacing creates ion superhighways through est functional cathodes ever reported.
as well as charging and discharging can which lithium ions can zip by relatively +*)('*)&(%"!*)' %*"(*" (&%"( &(
lead to cracks and breaks. The new materi- unimpeded. (&%" &)*"&(


Battery Charger IC
ROHM Semiconductor (Santa Clara, CA) introduced the BD71631QWZ battery charger IC for low-voltage charging
of wearables and thin, compact IoT devices powered by rechargeable batteries. It charges lithium-ion and other
types of rechargeable batteries such as all-solid and semi-solid-state. It achieves low-voltage charging over a range
from 2.0 V to 4.7 V by improving the stability of the internal circuit. Charge voltage can be set by changing the exter-
nal resistor. Each charging characteristic can be set for CC/CV charging.
Battery Backup Units

Green Cubes Technology (Kokomo, IN) announced Guardian lithium-ion battery backup units for rackmount instal-
lations such as telecom and data centers. The family consists of three sizes ranging from 2-RU to 4-RU heights that
fit in 19” or 23” cabinets and support capacity ranges from 105 Ahr to 175 Ahr. The batteries provide a nominal
48 V output and charge and discharge up to 100 Amps. Each battery also contains an integrated Battery
Management System (BMS), charging electronics, and proprietary Energy Balancing Technology (EBT) that enables
active current control, load sharing, and State of Charge balancing across connected units. They feature either lithi-
um nickel manganese cobalt or lithium iron phosphate chemistries.
Battery Management System

The i-BMS battery management system from Sensata Technologies (Swindon, UK) is designed for electrified appli-
cations up to 60 V. It is cell-chemistry-agnostic and features hot swap functionality to quickly exchange depleted bat-
teries with fully charged batteries. Parallel pack support allows the use of two or more battery packs in parallel. The
PCB board includes integrated pre-charge circuit, onboard current measurement, MOSFET power switches for battery
disconnect, and a DC/DC power supply.
Power Supplies
AutomationDirect (Cumming, GA) offers RHINO SELECT open Versatile Epoxy System
frame and panel mount power supplies with integrated UPS func-
tionality that provides seamless battery switchover to keep critical
Two Part EP62-1LPSP
operations running when there is an unexpected loss of power. The
industrial power supplies provide TTL status outputs for external ■ High optical clarity
monitoring systems and are UL 60950-1 and UL 62368-1 recog-
nized, CE marked, and RoHS compliant. The PSB24-240-1 DIN Rail mount power supply incorporates ■ Wide temperature range
Power Boost Technology, a short-term power used to support high inrush current. • 4K to +400°F
■ NASA low outgassing approved
Battery Contact ■ Convenient application:
The 230-1 universal offboard battery contact from Keystone
Electronics (New Hyde Park, NY) is designed for AAA, AAAA, N, and • Low viscosity of 150-300 cps
12-V battery cells. The symmetrical design allows the contact to • Long working life
function both as a positive and negative contact, eliminating the • Low exotherm
need to specify two different parts. This contact is manufactured
• Cures in 75 minutes at 80°C
from .008” (0.20 mm) thick spring steel and is nickel-plated for corrosion protection, flexible con-
tact, and low contact resistance. It is designed to free up board space by permitting offboard edge
mounting that affords reliable connection and easy access to install and replace batteries.
Adhesive
Dymax (Torrington, CT) introduced 9501-F adhesive for electric
vehicle battery assembly. The low-shrinkage product bonds secure-
ly to common substrates such as PC, PC/ABS, nickel plated steel, and
aluminum and is designed for fixturing cylindrical battery cells to
plastic bases and holders. It cures tack-free in seconds upon expo- 154 Hobart St., Hackensack, NJ 07601,USA
sure to UV/visible light energy and is also LED curable at 385-nm wavelength. The solvent-free, one- +1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com
component acrylated urethane has viscosity of 10,000 cP and fluoresces bright blue in color.
www.masterbond.com
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Welcome to your Digital Edition of

Tech Briefs, Motion Design, and

February 2022 www.techbriefs.com Vol. 46 No. 2

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48 NASA Spinoff: Satellite-Based Search and Rescue System

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35 Smart Displays Show Information Through Fabric

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NEW Compact DC Rack Mount Power Distribution Units

• Circuit breakers are field-configurable, no tools required

Learn more at transtector.com or

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How to Build a ‘Smart’ Hand (for Space) Here’s an Idea: Microneedles

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A Unique Material Transmits Heat in

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The Pursuit of an Uninterruptible Power Supply

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Company Description Target Markets

Transtector Systems specializes in protection of highly sensi-

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A new fabrication methodology ad-

Sound Waves Transport Droplets for Rewritable Lab-on-a-

E ngineers have demonstrated a versa-

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