TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Circumferential Scissor Spring Enhances Precision in Hand Controllers (MSC-TOPS-113)

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses.

THE TECHNOLOGY:

Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have designed a circumferential scissor spring mechanism, that when incorporated into a hand controller, improves the restorative force to a control sticks neutral position. The design also provides for operation on a more linear portion of the spring's force deflection curve, yielding better feedback to the user. Physical hand controllers, such as translational and rotational controllers, use a non-circumferential scissor spring arrangement to return the control stick to a neutral position, but the linear response of a typical scissor spring arrangement can reduce a users sense of control by allowing slack between deflections. This innovations design is driven by a spring mechanism whereby an expansion spring is looped around the channeled circumference of two rounded pivoting blades whose setup can be tuned to allow varying spring tension. This allows the user enhanced control stick sensitivity while operating drive systems, industrial automation, measuring technology, mobile machinery, and gaming systems. This technology is currently implemented on NASAs Orion Spacecraft training simulators using three-axis hand controllers.

To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/MSC-TOPS-113

If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/.

These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.