Micro-Accelerometers Monitor Equipment Health NASA Technology biological, chemical, and physical systems. For example, biotechnology research in space has focused on protein Objects that orbit the Earth, such as the crystal growth to see how cells interact with one another, International Space Station (ISS), provide a and combustion experiments examine how weightlessness Evigia [shrunk] the low-frequency unique environment called zero-g, or more affects the processes of ignition, flame spreading, and accelerometer from a device the size of correctly, microgravity. All objects in orbit are pulled by flame extinction. Researchers have even gleaned insight a desk telephone or tabletop to a microchip Earth’s gravity, but they achieve the lack of gravity when into how dangerous pathogens, such as Salmonella bacte- the size of a dime. they move at just the right speed (in the case of the ISS, ria (the infamous food-poisoning agent) spread and thrive around 17,500 miles per hour) so that the curve of their upon entering the human body. fall matches the curve of the Earth. The result is a per- But even in space, objects are not always free from petual free fall, creating weightlessness. gravitational effects. Acceleration forces, brought about Scientists at NASA perform a host of experiments in by anything from performing orbital maneuvers and cause a spacecraft to vibrate, causing small accelerations. microgravity in order to ascertain the effects of gravity on firing thrusters to opening and closing pumps, will These disturbances affect the microgravity environment. Despite their very low magnitudes, such vibrations may affect experiment outcomes. Protein crystals may unchar- acteristically branch off into different directions; in flame propagation, fires may burn unevenly. To measure these forces, devices called accelerom- eters are kept onboard to measure them. A traditional accelerometer contains a suspended round or cube proof mass. When the proof mass is excited and tries to move, the magnetic forces that suspend the mass increase and decrease to hold it in place. The current required to hold the mass in place is used to calculate the proportionate force. The forces are matched up with a log of docu- mented actions performed on the spacecraft in a given period, allowing scientists to attribute inconsistent results to acceleration blips. The drawback to these accelerometers is that they’re large and bulky—ranging from the size of a small desk telephone to a tabletop—and also very expensive, some- times costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. NASA wanted access to accelerometers that were smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective. “Every time you reduce your payload by a pound, you’re reducing the cost of flying these instruments,” said Bill Foster, an engineer at Glenn Research Center. “And because this is a support instru- NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg conducts a session with the Capillary Flow Experiment—designed to observe the flow of fluid, in ment and not the main science, you really want to have it particular capillary phenomena, in microgravity—in the Harmony node of the International Space Station. Accelerometers onboard be as small as possible.” measure slight gravitational disturbances, which, if left unaccounted for, can skew experiment outcomes. 124 Information Technology Spinoff 2013 Technology Transfer The space agency’s call was answered by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Evigia Systems. Founded in 2004, the company specializes in developing wireless sensing and tracking technologies. In 2005, Glenn awarded Evigia Systems Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding to develop an accelerometer based on microelec- tromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In describing MEMS technology, one should just think of very, very small machines. Components in these devices measure between 1 and 100 micrometers, or between 1- and 100-millionths of a meter. So when Evigia transformed the technology, it did so drastically, shrinking the low-frequency accelerometer from a device the size of a desk telephone or tabletop to a microchip the size of a dime. That meant that the enclosed proof mass was also made much, much smaller. But shrinking that proof mass also necessitated that the Evigia’s line of prognostic sensors, which incorporate NASA-funded technology, are used to monitor the performance of industrial sensor technology be that much more sensitive. “As soon equipment like the machinery used in this automotive plant. as you start reducing its size, you’re losing the amount of gravitational force that you’re picking up,” said Navid Yazdi, founder and president of Evigia Systems. The com- Benefits Evigia Systems added a gyroscope component to function pany compensated for that by placing the sensors closer to alongside the accelerometer, resulting in an instrument While NASA hasn’t yet integrated the MEMS accel- the proof mass, allowing them to perceive its movements capable of improving the navigation of air and space erometers on the ISS or other spacecraft, Evigia Systems vehicles and robotic devices. The Department of Defense more accurately. At the same time, the microchip’s com- has transferred technical knowledge gained from the is also now working with the company to develop the pact design stabilized the measurements against sensor partnership to its commercial products. For instance, the technology even further. drift, which can cause errors in the readings. company uses a lower-fidelity version of the accelerom- Yazdi says that the company’s partnerships with NASA While it’s evident that the MEMS accelerometer eter in its line of prognostic sensors, which are designed to and other agencies has been very beneficial because they is considerably smaller and lighter than its traditional monitor the integrity of industrial machinery by keeping have allowed Evigia Systems the opportunity to develop counterpart, the cost savings are also substantial: They track of various data, such as vibration (which uses the technologies that are risky and solve very specific, chal- are produced for less than $1,000 each. It’s because the device is manufactured in a similar fashion to accelerometer technology), temperature, humidity, and lenging problems. Once matured, these technologies can the integrated circuit chips that are used to run comput- mechanical shock. Sales from these products have led to be incorporated into new and improved products for the public. “Without these initial public-private partnerships, ers and cell phones. “We are able to place our sensors on the hiring of 5 employees, and Yazdi expects to hire 30 a lot of these innovations will not leave the labs,” he says. top of these chips, which have become inexpensive to more in the next 5 years. “They will stay here and not even get off the ground, make because of the economies of scale,” says Yazdi. “You Meanwhile, the company has also been working in much less to the market.” v can build many units at the same time, which cuts down collaboration with other government agencies to advance on costs.” the technology. Through a contract with the Air Force, Spinoff 2013 Information Technology 125