Innovators at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have developed extremely small antennas for bio-microelectromechanical systems (Bio-MEMS) that can be implanted in the human body, as well as a hand-held device that will power the implanted sensor, retrieve its data via telemetry, and transmit the information (such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen intake) wirelessly to an external system for further assessment and analysis. Particularly suited to the medical industry, the technology is highly applicable to remote, wireless monitoring of patients in a home or hospital, astronauts during spaceflight, or other situations in which wireless health monitoring is advantageous.

Researchers at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have patented a new method for fabricating soft tissue implants with microscopic surface roughness. The process utilizes atomic oxygen to bombard a masked untextured mold to create a surface with microscopic depressions. The resulting mold can be used to cast soft tissue implants with surface roughness. The rough surface of implants produced using this method may enable more favorable tissue response as well as decreased scar tissue and lowered risk of implant deformation over time due to capsule contracture. In addition, this method greatly improves the cost effectiveness and efficiency of producing textured soft tissue implants.

NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) innovators have developed an extensometer ideal for determining in vivo strain occurring in a material subjected to a load, particularly for mammalian bone. The method allows for calculation of magnitude and direction of strain, as well as the maximum shear strain and strain due to bending. Accurate measurement of bone strain is important in determining the relationship between mechanical loading and bone formation and remodeling, helping scientists to more fully understand culprit causes of bone loss as well as the precise ways in which loading aids bone formation and structure. GRC’s innovation consists of at least two pins inserted into the subject bone, and at least two capacitive sensors mounted across the pins to measure displacement due to a load, from which strain is calculated. The unique use of intracortical pins offers many advantages for accurate in vivo measurements compared with surface-mounted strain gauges.

Innovators at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have developed a Compact Microscope Imaging System (CMIS) that combines intelligent image processing with remote control capabilities and autonomous functionality. The CMIS scans, identifies, detects, and tracks microscopic changes and characteristics of surfaces such as cells and manufactured products that may be subject to difficult-to-detect imperfections. The CMIS enables observations and experiments utilizing a microscope without the need for constant human intervention and monitoring.

Innovators at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have developed a Compact Microscope Imaging System (CMIS) that combines intelligent image processing with remote control capabilities and autonomous functionality. The CMIS scans, identifies, detects, and tracks microscopic changes and characteristics of surfaces such as cells and manufactured products that may be subject to difficult-to-detect imperfections. It also features an Adaptive Morphological Feature Based Object Classifier to help accurately capture images. The CMIS enables observations and experiments utilizing a microscope without the need for constant human intervention and monitoring, helping to lower costs and improve the quality of such experiments.

Researchers at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have developed an optical sensor featuring a texturized fiber surface that makes it possible to monitor blood glucose with high accuracy using very small amounts of blood, thereby reducing patient pain. The invention features a solid, light-conducting fiber with a distal end comprised of cones or pillars placed closely together to create a textured surface. This surface effectively separates the cellular components of blood from the plasma and prevents them from interfering with the optical sensing of glucose. In addition, the high aspect ratio of the pillars facilitates a high surface area and makes it possible to use a very small amount of blood. This technology may also be used for optical sensing of blood plasma for additional diagnostics including detection of other analytes.

Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have patented a method and apparatus that removes all biologically active contaminants from the surface of surgical implants and other biomedical components or materials without causing degradation of the implant materials. Clinical evidence indicates that endotoxins and other bioactive contaminants exist on the surface of orthopedic implants such as those used for total hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasty. These contaminants and endotoxins consist of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and hydrocarbons that contribute to an inflammatory response to the implant and may necessitate implant removal. Glenn’s innovation makes it possible to completely clean both the implant (or other medical device) and its package components together by exposing them to atomic oxygen within an apparatus that includes a hermetically sealed chamber. The apparatus biocleans the chamber contents by oxidizing the biologically active organic materials and provides a visual indication of completed organic material removal. The apparatus also includes means for manipulating the device and container and hermetically sealing the cleaned device into the cleaned container to form a completely sanitary package. Gamma radiation is then used to sterilize the device in the sealed container.

Researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed an optical sensor featuring a texturized fiber surface that makes it possible to monitor blood glucose with high accuracy using very small amounts of blood, thereby reducing patient pain. The invention features a solid, light-conducting fiber with a distal end comprised of microcones or pillars etched closely together to create a textured surface. This surface effectively separates the cellular components of blood from the plasma and prevents them from interfering with the optical sensing of glucose. In addition, the high aspect ratio of the pillars facilitates a high surface area and makes it possible to use a very small amount of blood. This technology may also be used for optical sensing of blood plasma for additional diagnostics including detection of other analytes.

Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed a method of producing cone and pillar surfaces on polymethylmethacralate (PMMA) optical fibers, resulting in a process for monitoring blood glucose that requires a much smaller blood sample and therefore decreases patient pain. Electron beam evaporation is used to deposit a non-contiguous thin film of aluminum on the ends of the PMMA fibers. Subsequent exposure to hyperthermal atomic oxygen oxidizes the areas that are not protected by aluminum. The result is a greatly increased surface area with cones or pillars sufficiently close together so that the cellular components in blood cannot pass into the valleys between them. The optical fibers are then coated with appropriated surface chemistry so that they can optically sense the blood glucose level. This innovation overcomes the shortcomings of prior methods of producing a textured surface for small-sample glucose monitoring, which included cones that did not effectively prevent blood from mixing with plasma.