Tech Briefs Magazine - July 2023 - 29

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
UNLEASH
SIMPLICITY AND
EFFICIENCY WITH
OUR COMPACT
GATE DRIVERS
Designed to reduce circuit
complexity, Allegro's isolated GaN gate driver solutions
integrate a gate driver and an isolated DC-DC
power supply in a single compact package. This results
in a hardware footprint that is 50 percent smaller,
reduced BOM, while speeding up the design cycle
and increasing power density. www.techbriefs.com/
allegro202307
Allegro MicroSystems
The Astronaut Smart Glove operating a drone on Mars is featured, among other anticipated exploration
capabilities and systems, in this recent oil painting by the author, titled " Exploring Mars. "
This painting was inspired by, and aims to update, the classic painting with the same title, created
in 1956 by the father of space exploration art, Chesley Bonestell. (Image: Pascal Lee)
Research Center. After a short period of
rapid prototyping to create a first iteration
of the ASG, the decision was made
to conduct a field test, using a Collins
Aerospace Moon/Mars engineering
concept EVA spacesuit, at the NASA
Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) Mars analog
field site on Devon Island in the
High Arctic.
In addition to the original strictly gesture-based
HMI, head-motion sensors
were also integrated into the suit allowing
the drone camera gimbal to be controlled
directly by the astronaut's head
motions. Tilt the head down, and the
gimbal motor will aim the camera down,
etc. The ASG system also includes vision-based
control via an in-suit augmented
reality (AR) interface allowing
real-time first-person view (FPV) flight
operations.
Ready for Mars, and Before
That, the Moon
The ASG amplifies the effects of subtle
finger, hand, and wrist gestures while
wearing existing rigid pressurized spacesuit
gloves. It requires no complex integration
of rigid mechanical moving
parts as in previously proposed solutions
such as EVA glove-embedded exoskeletons,
or a redesign of the EVA suit glove
altogether as in mechanical counterpressure
glove concepts. That is not to
say that the latter innovative approaches
have no future; merely that the ASG offers
a fast-track path to TRL (Technology
Readiness Level) maturation, and
therefore, the prospect of short-term
implementation in human Moon and
Mars exploration.
The ASG is indeed a timely development.
It is coming together as humanity
returns to the Moon and prepares for
Mars, as a growing number of complex
robotic systems will need to be operated
by explorers via simple yet robust and
intuitive interfaces, taking full advantage
of ubiquitous WiFi and satcom-rich
environments, and opportunities offered
by mature space exploration technologies
such as robotic arms, drones,
rovers, and other astronaut-assisting
space systems.
Science-fiction author Arthur C.
Clarke once said that " Any sufficiently
advanced technology is indistinguishable
from magic. " Magic was actually the
first word that came to mind when we
saw the ASG fly a drone for the first time.
We anticipate that the Moon and Mars
will soon experience that magic too.
This article was written by Pascal Lee,
a Planetary Scientist with the Mars Institute,
the SETI Institute, and NASA Ames
Research Center. Lee is also the Director
of the NASA Haughton-Mars Project, an
FAA-certificated helicopter commercial
pilot and flight instructor, and a FAA-registered
UAS operator. For more information,
visit www.marsinstitute.no/hmp.
Read more about the
astronaut smart glove
Tech Briefs, July 2023
www.techbriefs.com
MULTIPHYSICS
MODELING AND
SIMULATION
APPLICATIONS
COMSOL Multiphysics® is a
software environment for creating
physics-based models and simulation apps and
managing simulation projects. Add-on products provide
tools for electromagnetics, structural, acoustics,
fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical simulations.
Interfacing products offer a unified workflow with
all major technical computing and CAD tools. COMSOL
Compiler™ and COMSOL Server™ are used for
deploying simulation applications to colleagues and
customers. https://www.comsol.com/products
COMSOL, Inc.
COATING
OFFERS
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It is ideal for potting and encapsulation applications.
http://www.masterbond.com/tds/ep21arlv
Master Bond
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Tech Briefs Magazine - July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Tech Briefs Magazine - July 2023