99--TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY ADVANCED ACTUATORS AND TRANSDUCERS

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. THE TECHNOLOGY: Scientists at NASA Langley Research Center have developed high-performance electromechanical devices based on transducers and actuators that can convert mechanical energy in the environment to electrical energy to power a device in an energy-efficient process. NASAs technology applies a new design for improved performance and maintains the ability to capitalize on future gains from breakthrough materials. NASAs energy-harvesting transducer employs two materials in a unique configuration to greatly enhance the ability to extract energy from mechanical stresses, gaining tens to hundreds of times more output energy than traditional applications. NASA uses both an active materials-based amplified mechanism and piezoelectric materials to efficiently harvest energy from environmental stresses such as common shocks and vibrations in shipboard or vehicular applications or from normal human walking. The device has a small physical footprint and low mass, allowing for integration into a number of systems where size is at a premium. Generated power could be simply stored in a battery or serve as a compact power source for wireless sensor networks for applications such as health monitoring, biomedical applications, and environmental safety alert systems. The HYBAS design includes a dual piezoelectric transducer combining an EAP and EAC. The dual elements are powered by a single electrical source, reducing size and mass as well as the electrical demands of the system, as compared to single-element designs: hybrid actuator systems provide more potential and require less power. By controlling the thickness and distribution of power between the two elements, the HYBAS component can be custom-engineered to achieve optimal design specifications. This technology offers continued improvements as advanced materials are developed that can take advantage of the design configuration. Advanced displacement and reduced power consumption are widely demanded in electronic, electro-optical, micro-electromechanical, and mechanical systems for a wide array of applications, including optical devices, drug delivery, underwater navigation, and aerospace technologies. To express interest in this opportunity, please respond to contact@example.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. Please also provide the nature of your interest in the technology along with a brief background of your company. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at http://technology.nasa.gov/ . These responses are provided to members of NASA Langleys Office of Strategic Analysis and Business Development OSACB for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. If direct licensing interest results from this posting, OSACB will follow the required formal licensing process of posting in the Federal Register. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.