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Spinoff story
Mini Heat Pipes Wick Away Heat in Brain Surgery
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Over the course of more than 40 SBIR contracts since the 1980s, many at Glenn Research Center, NASA has helped Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Thermacore advance the technology of heat pipes, a tool used to move heat so it can dissipate safely. In the last decade or so, the NASA-improved heat pipes have been adapted to medical uses, including in bipolar forceps used in brain surgery.