Award Data

Surgical simulations aiming to support surgeon practices and medical education have attracted enormous research effort over the last two decades. However, the physical reality, especially on simulating aggregated tissue interaction, is still unsatisfactory. In this proposed work, an open source surgery simulation framework, SoFMIS, will be utilized and enhanced with tissue interaction models to a ...

Vibrant Corporation and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) propose to apply Process Compensated Resonance Testing (PCRT) to the DLA's need for an NDI method to detect counterfeit, nonconforming and improperly processed materiel. PCRT collects and analyzes the resonance frequencies of a component to detect structural defects, characterize material, analyze population variation, monitor manufacturin ...

The objective of this proposal is to develop three unique energy harvesting technologies utilizing our existing research strengths that will be of interest and utility to NASA applications and environmental conditions. By developing multiple technologies, NASA will be able to harvest energy from multiple waste energy sources, namely environmental vibrations, thermal energy, and solar flux. These d ...

With the capacity and performance of FPGAs suitable for space borne applications continuously increasing, the design of FPGAs is becoming increasingly complex involving trading off or simultaneous optimization of space, speed, and power. RNET and ANL are proposing to develop software infrastructure that facilitates automatic performance tuning of FPGAs in terms of speed, power, and size. We introd ...

TDA Research Inc.(TDA) in collaboration with University of Puerto Rico ? Mayaguez (UPRM is proposing to develop a highly efficient CO2 removal system based on UPRM proprietary strontium exchanged silico-alumino-phosphate (Sr-SAPO-34) for closed loop space craft cabin air re-vitalization during deep space missions.

Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) has been long regarded as the most attractive material for electro-optic modulation for high-performance optical communication systems of up to 100 GHz, as well as for its superior second-order optical non-linearity. The weakly confined LiNbO3 waveguides formed by diffusion or implantation of dopants do not lend themselves to high-level chip integration. One key novel tech ...

While much attention is necessarily focused on the evaluation and certification of the materials and processes involved in adhesive bonding, development is still needed in decreasing the cost, time, and complexity of the current repair concepts. A material and processing system is needed that allows the design, infusion, and cure of composite repairs without the current roadblocks imposed by ovens ...

Advanced turbomachinery components play a critical role in launch vehicle and spacecraft liquid rocket propulsion systems. To achieve desired efficiencies, extremely tight tolerances are often imposed between inducer blades and shrouds or other system components which sets up strong interactions that influence both the aerodynamics and the structural performance of blades and vanes. These transien ...

The liberation of particles induced by rocket plume flow from spacecraft landing on unprepared regolith of the Moon, Mars, and other destinations poses high mission risks for robotic and human exploration activities. This process occurs in a combination of "extreme environments" that combine low gravity, little or no atmosphere, with rocket exhaust gas flow that is supersonic and partially rarefie ...

Chemical contamination of spacecraft components as well as thermal and force loading from firing liquid propellant thrusters are critical concerns for in-space propulsion applications. Gas molecular contamination and liquid droplet deposition due to incomplete combustion threaten to damage surface materials, sensitive instruments and optical sensors, and poses major risks for mission success. Liqu ...