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Monthly Highlights from the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

MEL in the News

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NIST Studies How New Helium Ion Microscope Measures Up This new microscope technology uses helium ions to generate the signal used to image extremely small objects, a technique analogous to the scanning electron microscope, which was first introduced commercially in the 1960s. Paradoxically, although helium ions are far larger than electrons, they can provide higher resolution images with higher contrast. The depth of field is much better with the new technology too, so more of the image is in focus. "It is the physics," explains Andras Vladar, SEM project leader in NIST's Nanoscale-Metrology Group. "Ions have larger mass and shorter wavelength than electrons, so they can be better for imaging." The images, he says, appear almost three-dimensional, revealing details smaller than a nanometer-the distance spanned by only three atoms in the silicon crystal. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, Sept. 2008)

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Check Out Rescue Robots' Life-Saving Vision To save lives, search and rescue robots crawling through the rubble of a collapsed building or surveying a chemical spill area must be capable of beaming back clear, easily interpretable images of what they "see" to operators and emergency planners, working away from the immediate disaster site. A new ASTM International standard, developed under a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) coordinated program with first responders and manufacturers, offers a systematic way to evaluate the robot visual capability humans need to drive the device, search for victims and access general hazard conditions. Emergency personnel will be able to use the test data to select the best systems for their specific needs. Industry adoption of the standard is expected to accelerate innovation, development and deployment of the life-saving robots. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, June 2008)

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The international kilogram conundrum Forty feet underground, secured in a temperature- and humidity-controlled vault here, lies Kilogram No. 20.

It's an espresso-shot-sized, platinum-iridium cylinder that is the perfect embodiment of the kilogram -- almost perfect. (Los Angeles Times April 17, 2008) Read more.

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Manufacturing the Future Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D Report of the Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing R&D Committee on Technology National Science and Technology Council A new report published today identifies and describes research and development priorities for the future of three critical, high-tech U.S. manufacturing areas - hydrogen energy technologies, nanomanufacturing, and intelligent and integrated manufacturing. The report, was prepared by the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Manufacturing R&D of the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on Technology. Read more.

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‘Nitty-Gritty’ but Vital Data Helps Field Rescue Robot A new ASTM International standard for urban search and rescue robots and components tackles humble logistics problems that, left unsolved, could hamper the use of life-saving robots in major disasters. The advance, formally agreed to recently, is one result of a three-year National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) coordinated effort with first responders and robot manufacturers to develop urban search and rescue robot consensus standards. The new standard details specific ways to describe requirements for the storage, shipping and deployment of urban search and rescue robots. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, February 2008)

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NIST Encasement Now Protecting ‘America’s Birth Certificate’ hermetically sealed glass and aluminum encasement built by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will protect the first world map to label the lands of the New World as “America” when the “Exploring the Early Americas” exhibition opens Dec. 13, 2007, at the Library of Congress (LOC) in Washington, D.C. The 40-square-foot, state-of-the-art display case is the new home for the 1507 Waldseemüller map, often called “America’s birth certificate. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, December 2007)

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Bend It Like NIST: Nanoscale Soccer Debuts at RoboCup Imagine a mechanical Pelé or David Beckham six times smaller than an amoeba playing with a “soccer ball” no wider than a human hair on a field that can fit on a grain of rice. Purely science fiction? Not anymore. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is hosting the first ever nanoscale soccer games at the 2007 RoboCup in Atlanta, Ga. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, July 2007)

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New Book Explores Intelligent Vehicle Systems A new book edited by three National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers examines advances in autonomous vehicle technology, and anticipates likely progress toward "intelligent autopilots" for automobiles and trucks in the coming two decades. The book presents an in-depth look at theoretical foundations and engineering approaches that enable intelligent vehicle capabilities. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, May 2007)

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Measuring Device Aims to Up Hip Operation Success Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are developing state-of-the-art measuring techniques, similar to those used in making aerospace components fit together precisely, that soon could improve success rates for hip replacement surgery. At the request of a group of prominent orthopaedic surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the NIST researchers are working to improve calibrations and operating room testing of the Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS) tracking instruments surgeons use to plan the delicate, highly complex operation. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, April 2007)

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Conflicting Signals Can Confuse Rescue Robots Sensor-laden robots capable of vital search and rescue missions at disaster sites are no figment of a science fiction writer's imagination. Prototypes and commercial models of urban search and rescue (US&R) robots will soon begin to work rubble piles across the country. Too many of these lifesaving robots, however, could be too much of a good thing, according to researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), who report that the radio transmissions of multiple robots can interfere with each other and degrade search and rescue performance Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, March 2007)
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New Web Site Explores PSL’s for ‘Automated Reasoning’ A new MEL Web site showcases the latest advances and applications of the Process Specification Language (PSL) which the International Organization for Standardization formally recognized last August as international standard ISO 18629. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, March 2007)
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MEL to Preserve 1507 Map: America's "Birth Certificate" To preserve the document sometimes called "America's Birth Certificate," the Library of Congress has partnered with NIST to design a hermetically sealed encasement for the 12-sheet 1507 Waldseemeüller map, the first world map to call America 'America'. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, Dec. 2006)
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Making Robotic Movement of Goods More "Pallet-able" Under a cooperative research and development agreement with Transbotics, a Charlotte, N.C., AGV manufacturer, MEL is developing advanced sensor processing and modeling algorithms to help robot forklifts verify the location and orientation of pallets laden with goods.
Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, Sept. 2006)
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Robot Wheelchair May Give Patients More Independence MEL engineers are developing a robotic system that may offer wheelchair-dependent people independent, powered mobility. Read more. (NIST Tech Beat, Sept. 2006)

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Performance Standards for Urban Search and Rescue Robots in ASTM Standardization News (August 2006)

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NIST RoboCrane® Cuts Aircraft Maintenance Costs - (NIST TechBeat, July 2006)
A revolutionary robotic platform developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been adapted for the U.S. Air Force to address the critical, expensive, and nasty work of stripping old paint from large aircraft. Read more.
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The Language of Shapes - (Portland's Daily Journal of Commerce, July 2006)
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Expert Voices- (CIO Insight, July 2006)
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Modern Relics - NIST and others work on how to preserve data for later use - (Government Computer News, Volume 25, Issue No. 16, June 2006)
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Shared Theories on Thought Could Lead to Smart Machines - (ScienceDaily.com, May 2006)
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Teaching Computers Common Sense - (Scenta.co.uk, May 2006)
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Wearable Sensors to Improve Soldier Post-Action Reports - (NIST TechBeat, May 2006)
Future combat gear may feature wearable sensors, including cameras and audio pick-ups, to enhance the soldier's "situational awareness" and after-action reports as a result of the ASSIST project. Read more.
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Shared Theories on Thought Could Lead to Smart Machines - (NIST TechBeat, April 2006)
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NIST's Upper Ontology Summit Considered "A Watershed for the Semantic Web" - (dataWarehouse.com, April 2006)
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Interoperability Will Improve Health Care - (Government Health IT, March 2006)
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Helping Small Firms Run Large Supply Chains - (NIST TechBeat, January 2006)
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Found In Translation - (IEEE Intelligent Systems, December 2005)
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Paving the Road to Ubiquitous Computing (EETimes December 2005)
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Groups Join Forces for DHS Rescue Robot Standards - (NIST TechBeat, October 2005)
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Experts to Examine Virtual Enterprise Uses of Info Tech - (NIST TechBeat, September 2005)
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NIST Develops 'Toolbox' for Manufacturing Systems - (NIST TechBeat, August 2005)
Ask any handyman what’s the most important thing he needs to get the job done and he’ll probably say his toolbox. Thanks to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), there’s now a toolbox to help those involved in the development, validation and implementation of international standards for manufacturing systems. This toolbox is a Web site that contains links to databases, software packages, test suites and other information technology support products and tools that have been developed in recent years by NIST’s Manufacturing Systems Integration Division. Read more.
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New Infrared Tool Measures Silicon Wafer Thickness(NIST TechBeat, July 2005)
A new NIST calibration system under development used infrared laser light to precisely measure the thickness of 300 millimeter silicon wafers. Changes in color within the spatial map above represent changes in wafer thickness. Green represents the average wafer thickness, while red, orange and yellow areas are thicker, and turquoise and blue areas are thinner. Read more.
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NIST’s et.gov Site Opens Up New Frontiers - (Government Computer News, July 2005)
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Shadow Technique Improves Measurement of Micro Holes(NIST TechBeat, June 2005)
MEL researchers and collaborators have developed a new method for measuring the interior dimensions of small holes with an uncertainty of only 35 nanometers. Here, a glass probe is inserted into an optical "ferrule," a device for connecting optical fibers used in communications systems. Read more.
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Computers Get The Meaning - (Information Week, June 2005)
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High-Speed CMM Scanning...Really - (Quality Digest, June 2005)
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NIST Focuses on Measurements for New IT Technologies - (FCW.COM, May 2005)
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Metrology Guidelines - Dimensional Markup Language (DML) Developed - (Manufacturing Engineering, May 2005, Vol. 134, No. 5)
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Dogs and Robots Share NIST Special Test Arena(NIST TechBeat, April 2005)
Bomb and drug sniffing dogs are regular visitors to MEL for training, not for emergency work. Every month as many as 10 to 20 dogs and their handlers from federal agencies as well as from local county and municipal police departments visit the arenas that NIST uses to test and evaluate urban search and rescue and explosive ordnance disposal robots. Read more.
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Disruptive Technologies: Semantic Web - (Managing Automation, April 2005)
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Standards Demo: 6 Software Packages Operate 3 CMM - (Control Engineering, April 2005)
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AIAG's Metrology Interface Specification Could Save Industry Hundreds of Millions of Dollars - (AIAG Press Release, April 2005)
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Helping Future Engineers Use Today's Design Plans - (NIST TechBeat, February 2005)
Digital design software has virtually replaced blueprints across all manufacturing sectors. STEP (the Standard for the Exchange of Product Data), a universal format for product data that allows industrial partners with different proprietary software to understand and share engineering data, has accelerated this change. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and PDES, Inc., an industry consortium, have just introduced a new STEP standard that should help ensure that tomorrow's engineers will be able to understand today's complex designs. Read more.
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Devising Nano Vision for an Optical Microscope(NIST TechBeat, February 2005)
A new optical imaging technology under development at NIST may be able to image and measure features smaller than 10 nanometers. Read more.
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Economic Impact Studies

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Testbed to Link Metrology Tools/Software
The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory has established a testbed to help manufacturers improve the interoperability of their dimensional measurement systems. The testbed is using NIST-developed test methods and tools to verify that specific equipment and software conform to new industry standards designed to allow subsystems to "talk" to one another even if they come from different manufacturers.

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Software Corrects Chip Errors Early
Microchip miniaturization is making quality control-related measurement of features during the production process increasingly difficult. New software and research results should help manufacturers reduce errors in measuring microchip features.

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New Instrument Tests the Metal of WTC Steel
A new instrument that operates like an air-powered battering ram is being used by NIST scientists to study steel salvaged from the World Trade Center, a key element in the agency's two-year building and fire safety investigation of the Sept. 11 disaster.

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Date created: Feb/20/2001
Last updated: Sep. 11, 2008
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