Innovators Worldwide Submit Ideas to NASA iTech, Competition Semifinalists Announced
Innovators around the world answered NASA iTech‘s call for inventive ideas that could benefit space exploration as well as solve challenges on Earth. Of the submissions to the second cycle of the competition in 2019, NASA has selected 25 semifinalists. An initiative by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA iTech engages entrepreneurs in the Agency’s mission and fosters innovative ideas that could be applied to future exploration of the Moon and Mars. Ideas submitted to this NASA iTech Cycle relate to four main technology areas, including improve energy storage density, power-efficient technologies, medical breakthroughs, and radiation – protection, mitigation and hardware. A fifth area, referred to as X-factor innovations, includes technologies that might not fit under the other topics but could significantly impact space exploration. Alertgy – Melbourne, Florida A wearable, continuous blood glucose monitor that provides accurate measurements without invasive probes or sensors. Aquarian Devices LLC – Boulder, Colorado A method for placing communications relay spacecraft in strategic locations throughout the solar system to improve communications between spacecraft and Earth. Capacitech Energy – Orlando A wire-shaped energy storage device. The device’s flexibility could enable new applications for supercapacitors. College of Engineering & Technology – Bhubaneswar, India A wireless system that uses stand-alone boxes that harvest energy from microbial fuel cells to monitor forest fires quickly and efficiently. Everix Inc. – Orlando Ultra-thin, flexible and shatter-free optical filters for use in wearable and disposable point-of-care devices. H-Trap One LLC – Las Cruces, New Mexico An innovative coating that enables safe, novel and low-cost solutions to protect hydrogen pipeline infrastructure. HE3DA USA Inc. – Reno, Nevada Innovative energy storage for planetary surface power applications that reduces dependence on ancillary systems. Infinite Composites Technologies – Tulsa, Oklahoma Proprietary materials and a patented production process for composite pressure vessels to lower weight, cost, and development time and allow for significant increases to launch vehicle mass and improved spacecraft efficiency. Kanteron Systems – Paterna-Valencia, Spain An innovative software and portable device that allows quick monitoring of radiation damage in astronauts to provide improved health care in space. Modularity Space – Daytona Beach, Florida A modular satellite, with a plug-and-play architecture that enables a payload hosting platform to go from initial customer contact to launch in less than 60 days. The satellite is designed to be serviceable in space, helping pave the way for more sustainable satellite systems. Moye Consultants – Tallahassee, Florida A simultaneous battery and capacitor design model that computes energy from the storage device’s electrical current and design. MyelinS – Munich, Germany Cutting-edge software technology that allows communication and collaboration between robots in space and humans in space. Nanobionic USA Inc. – New York, New York A fabric that temporarily improves endurance, muscle strength and reduces fatigue. OXOS Medical Inc. – Atlanta A digital, hand-held X-ray and fluoroscopy imaging device that runs on standard power, minimizes radiation exposure and is easy to operate. PolyMaterials App LLC – Tampa, Florida Innovative supercapacitors – a type of energy storage device – designed for applications ranging from consumer electronics to hybrid motor vehicles, power grids, and large appliances as well as power devices for space exploration. Rake Technologies – Winter Garden, Florida A wearable device that uses a passive tension balancing system to support a predetermined amount of weight without any effort. Savengy Technologies – Orlando Novel thermal process technologies for a compact system that can improve energy productivity and could solve fundamental challenges facing refining propellants in space. SolGro – Fort Worth, Texas Structures and greenhouse films that provide practical and efficient solutions for space farming by converting harmful, high-energy radiation into the light spectrum to increase growth of crops and plants. Soteria Battery Innovation Group – Greenville, South Carolina Technologies that prevent fires in lithium-ion batteries, making them safer, lighter, cheaper and more energy-dense. Space Industries Pty Ltd. – Rivervale, Australia A lunar mining vehicle to produce and return Helium-3 to Earth. The byproduct, water, could be used in-situ on the Moon for fuel, among other things. SpaceWave LLC – Melbourne, Florida A scalable charged particle radiation shield that can be designed to protect CubeSats, small satellites, and crewed spacecraft in low-Earth orbit or deep space. SurgePower Materials Inc. – San Marco, Texas A prototype demonstrating a new method to cost-effectively manufacture graphene from the cassava crop. This could facilitate the adoption of graphene in advanced technology areas such as composites. Tectus Corp. – Saratoga, California Next generation micro-LED displays for augmented reality applications. Thermophysical Lab – Aracoiaba da Serra, Brazil Metallic diamond alloys developed with new criteria and processes. Potential uses include industrial cutting tools, drilling materials, turbine engines, and radiation or high-temperature shields. United Aircraft Technologies – Troy, New York A new type of bolting system with an augmented reality monitoring system for wiring that reduces the weight of aircraft to improve fuel economy, improve maintenance, and reduce the environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions, among other things. NASA subject-matter experts will further review the 25 semifinalists based on their relevance, likelihood of success, and potential Earth- and space-bound applications. Ten Cycle II finalists will be announced no later than Sept. 20. These 10 finalists will be invited to present their ideas to NASA leadership, space industry leaders and potential investors at the 2019 NASA iTech Cycle II Forum to be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Oct. 7-8, 2019.About NASA iTech NASA iTech is a yearlong effort to find innovative ideas that address challenges and will fill gaps in five critical areas identified by NASA as having a potential impact on future exploration. NASA iTech is an initiative by the Space Technology Mission Directorate and managed by the  (NIA) in Hampton, Virginia. To learn more about the NASA iTech application process, visit: http://www.nasaitech.org/
Clare Skelly Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4273 clare.a.skelly@nasa.gov Harla Sherwood National Institute of Aerospace, Hampton, Virginia 757-636-6300 sherwood@nianet.org