Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2021 - 58

Facility Focus
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A sensor the size of a BAND-AID®
was
A thumbnail-sized chemical sensor can be worn
on outer garments to detect dangerous chemicals
more quickly and dramatically drop the
rate of false alarms. (Courtesy of CCDC-SC)
mal processes, high temperatures and
pressure, and inexpensive catalysts to
turn sewage sludge - and the energy and
carbon contained in it - into natural gas.
In addition, nitrates and phosphates
extracted during the new process can be
used in agriculture.
A partial hand prosthesis was created
that enables fingers to be attached to a
person's partial hand to replace some of
the functionality of the fingers. A wrist
band houses the actuator for thumb
movement and a small solenoid that locks
it in place. Built-in sensors enable the person
to press with the tiny remaining piece
of a finger, which will make the prosthetic
thumb move forward and backward.
A WPI mathematician is helping the
U.S. Army create a thumbnail-sized chem -
ical sensor that can be worn on outer garments
to detect dangerous chemicals
more quickly and drop the rate of false
alarms. The wearable sensor is built to
mimic the human nose. Each sensor
detects combinations of multiple molecules
- one might detect diesel fumes
and a specific chemical agent while another
might detect diesel fumes and humidity.
The results are combined to give a
more complete and accurate assessment
of the chemicals in the environment.
developed to measure a baby's blood
oxygen levels, a vital indication of the
lungs' effectiveness and whether the
baby's tissue is receiving adequate oxygen
supply. Unlike current systems used
in hospitals, this miniaturized wearable
device will be flexible and stretchable,
wireless, inexpensive, and mobile, pos -
sibly allowing the child to leave the hospital
and be monitored remotely.
An autonomous rover and payloaddeploying
drone were developed to work
together to search for and detonate
landmines. The rover detects and marks
the mines using an inexpensive metal
detector, which can sense as little as a
gram of metal two to three inches below
the ground. The drone then drops payloads
of small sandbags onto the mines
to safely detonate them.
WPI engineers created a 3D printing
technique that could be used to repair
vehicles and other critical technology in
the field, avoiding the sometimes extensive
wait for new parts and increasing the
readiness of military units. It uses a technique
called cold spray, which can be
used to repair metal parts or even make
new parts from scratch by building up
metal layer by layer in a 3D printing
process. The process can be reduced to a
portable handheld applicator for use in
the field.
To make NASA spacecraft lighter and
more damage tolerant, WPI developed
methods to detect imperfections in carbon
nanomaterials used to make composite
rocket fuel tanks and other spacecraft
structures. An algorithm significantly
enhances the resolution of density
scanning systems used to detect flaws in
Miralon®
- a strong, lightweight, flexible
nanomaterial. Miralon has been used
to wrap structural supports in NASA's
Juno probe orbiting Jupiter to help
dampen vibration and static discharge.
Designed to protect athletes from anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL) tears, a new shoe sole works
by limiting loads to the ankle and knee. The key
design element is a set of tiny flexible polymer
springs that wrap around posts that restrain, or
localize, their deformation. The shoe recovers its
initial configuration between steps.
58
Cov
Technology Transfer
The Office of Technology Commercialization
(OTC) identifies, evaluates,
values, protects, classifies, markets, and
licenses the intellectual property assets
developed at WPI. To learn about available
technologies, visit www.wpi.edu/
offices/technology-commercialization/
catalog.
To license a WPI invention, contact
Todd S. Keiller, Director of Intellectual
Property and Innovation, at tkeiller@
wpi.edu; 508-831-4907.
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Tech Briefs, August 2021
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Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2021

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