Nov. 7, 2008 -- Congratulations taxpayers! A group of patents, developed on your dime by a NASA researcher, sold at public auction last week in a new effort to parlay innovative technology into commercial goods and services. "It's nice to get funds back that we can pump back into the program, but our primary task is to get these technologies out and create jobs and help the economy," said Darryl Mitchell, a manager in NASA's Innovative Partnerships Programs office at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Mitchell was in Chicago last week to watch the bidding for a group of 10 NASA patents and a pending application that details methods and systems for analyzing non-stationary signals. The technology, known as the Hilbert-Huang Transform, was developed by NASA researcher Norden Huang, who devised the processes as a way to model ocean waves. Related Content: Joystick Takes Cues by Voice Irene Klotz's Blog: Free Space How Stuff Works: Patents "He originally wasn't going to submit his work (for a patent), Mitchell told Discovery News. "He didn't think he had anything special. He was actually encouraged by some colleagues who told him he had something really good there." Huang, along with NASA, will share in royalties derived from products and services that make use of his patented applications for analyzing signals. Mitchell sees a wide range of potential uses for the technology, such as noise-reduction devices like headphones, voice recognition software, medical devices and systems to monitor the health of machines, like cars or airplanes, based on vibration analysis. "You could see when a noise starts to change. Maybe a bearing is starting to fail," Mitchell said. More NewsMouse Cloned From Long-Frozen CellResearchers create a mouse from a long-frozen cell. Will the mammoth be next?'Bubble' Could Protect AstronautsScientists say a "bubble" around a Mars-bound spaceship could protect astronauts.Big Reduction of Snowmobiles in Yellowstone ProposedA new plan would cut snowmobile use by 40 percent in Yellowstone.Microbes: Fuel of the Future?A reddish South American microbe is literally breathing fuel, say scientists.DNA Links Remains to Steve FossetDNA tests on two bones found in California confirm they are those of Steve Fossett.Women Carry More Bacteria Than MenSome bacteria prefer women, suggests a new study. But why?Ancient 'Water Monster' Facing ExtinctionA foot-long salamander that was a key part of Aztec legend is threatened by extinction.Grand Canyon's Youth ConfirmedThe Grand Canyon is millions of years younger than previously thought, argue geologists.My Take: E-Voting Not User FriendlyOpinion: Electronic voting machines don't always capture the intent of voters.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.At 40, Brain and Body SlowThe part of the brain in charge of motion starts a gradual slide in middle age.Spiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates. |
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