Issued patent
Lightweight Fiber Optic Sensors for Real-Time Monitoring of Structural Health
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
Innovators at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center have developed a lightweight, robust fiber optic sensing system (FOSS) that represents a major breakthrough in sensing technology. The sensors, along with NASA's sophisticated algorithms, can be used to calculate a variety of critical parameters including shape, stress, temperature, pressure, strength, and operational load. This state-of-the-art sensor system is small, lightweight, easy to install, and fast—it processes information at rates of 100 times per second. For the first time ever, real-time strain measurements can be used to determine the shape of an aircraft's wing, monitor the structural integrity of bridges and pipelines, or ensure precise placement of the tiniest catheters, to name just a few potential applications.