Ignite the Night TAMPA
Focus Areas
• Power Generation/Energy
• Resource Optimization
• Small Satellite Technology
• Space-Age Packaging Solutions
• X-Factor Innovations
Winner
• Full Cycle Bioplastics
PRESENTERS
DisSolves
Edible Packaging
DisSolves makes a natural, edible packaging to pack single servings of powdered food products into pods, making them more environmentally friendly and convenient. DisSolves replaces the nonrecyclable foil packets currently used in beverage packaging with seaweed-based packaging created from renewable, sustainably harvested, and vegan ingredients. The packaging is so gentle on the environment that it is actually healthy for people to eat. With DisSolves’ pods, the end-user simply drops the serving in water, mixes, and enjoys.
Farad Power Inc.
High Energy Density Lithium-ion Batteries for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion
Farad Power Inc. is proposing the following configuration of Li-ion batteries:
• Carbon/Nb-doped Lithium Titanate composite (NTO) anode, and
• Carbon-coated high nickel cathode (NMC811).
The company has developed a patented process to synthesize carbon composites for LIB electrode applications. Farad Power plans to take advantage of Niobium’s (Nb) addiction to Lithium Titanate (LTO) by using an Nb-doped LTO powder as the additive in their furfuryl alcohol-based process to significantly improve battery discharge rate and capacity. The advantages of this synthesis approach include the use of a readily available, inexpensive carbon precursor derived from a renewable source (i.e., agricultural waste like sugarcane bagasse.) The approach also provides the ability to obtain a homogeneous mixture of the NTO powder within a carbon matrix, which allows better and more uniform distribution compared to other processes that mix two solid powders (such as carbon and LTO). Farad Power proposes to develop the C/NMC811 cathode – using the same process. Farad Power intends to meet the cell-level performance of 400 Wh/Kg, >2C rate and >10,000 cycle life using this configuration and commercialize the cells that are based on these materials.
View Farad Power Inc.'s Presentation
Fluid Technology Solutions Inc.
Emergency Water Recovery
Fluid Technology Solutions is a membrane technology company focused on forward osmosis applications. Their personal hydration products are simple “in-the-field” water purification technologies that score highly in portability, ease of use, efficacy and versatility regarding water source type. The products are highly effective against a variety of contaminants and require no power source to operate. They offer logistical advantages over transporting bottled water, frees up resources, saving footprint, fuel and minimizing risk. FTS’ hydration products are ideal for complying with regulations mandating emergency water supplies aboard aviation transport vehicles and life rafts.*
* Entry descriptions are based upon information provided by the company. No warranty is claimed by NASA iTech.
View Fluid Technology Solutions Inc.'s Presentation
Full Cycle Bioplastics
New Technology for Space-Age Packaging
Full Cycle’s technology addresses three global issues— plastic pollution, food waste, and climate change— by transforming organic waste into Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers. PHA is a naturally occurring polymer with material characteristics similar to petroleum-derived polymers. These characteristics make it a highly adaptable, non-toxic, and compostable replacement for oil-based plastics. The company uses a natural process to convert mixed feedstocks into consistent and fully tailorable product types. The Full Cycle process does not rely on cultivated food crops, arable land or GMO bacteria to produce PHA. Full Cycle’s PHA is a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to the existing global materials palette.
View Full Cycle Bioplastics' Presentation
MITO Material Solutions
Thermally Conductive and Electrically Insulating Composites (TCEIC)
With the incorporation of electrically insulating, thermally conducting composite materials, NASA can develop and integrate a sufficient energy storage system into aircraft structures for use in high-altitude, high-voltage power transmission to significantly reduce the aircraft’s weight and emissions. The problem with composites within this application is that they do not perform at the level needed. The solution is to utilize MITO’s dispersible, safe, cost-effective hybrid graphene-based additive, E-GO. E-GO can increase composite performance between 20-135% above baseline. Pairing it with a fluorinated graphene oxide derivative will increase the composite’s mechanical, thermal and electrical performance.
View MITO Material Solutions' Presentation
Morpheus Space
Strikingly Small & Efficient Propulsion Solutions Enabling Autonomous Satellites
Morpheus Space developed propulsion system technology during many years of research at the Institute of Aerospace Engineering of TU Dresden. At its core lies FEEP (field-emission electric propulsion) technology specially developed for miniaturized applications using the low-melting metallic gallium propellant, as well as a chip-based neutralizer with the corresponding supply and control electronics. All of the system’s components are optimized to deliver the best propulsion performance for the least amount of space, mass and necessary electrical power, which are the most valuable commodities onboard a nanosatellite. The system’s plug-and-play nature means the integration into a satellite platform is easy and highly customizable in order to fulfill the propulsion requirements of almost all low-Earth orbit missions.
View Morpheus Space's Presentation
Physia Inc.
Smart Medical Grade Health Monitoring Garment
Physia is a diagnostic garment company that provides a fashionable, cost-effective, practical, and user- friendly experience while changing the way people interact with clothing. With a focus on 12-lead ECG monitoring medical device shirts and overall health, their largest advantage is more sensors to collect more actionable and predictive data. Due to having more data points, Physia’s device can collect data that would normally have to be collected using several devices.
View Physia Inc.'s Presentation
Quest Remote Sensing Analytics
Precision Agriculture Service (AgSat)
Quest RSA will deliver a platform serving multiple end-user markets that will enhance traditional NASA exploration hardware and software architecture (observe, store, and forward) by integrating four distinctive technologies in a cube satellite that will:
• Target–Enable individual user-selected observational targets with high-resolution (<1 sq. meter) and multi-spectrum (8+) detection.
• Process–Deliver calibrated analytics with on-board computer integration of uploaded “ground-truth” sensor data with remote imaging data.
• Visualize–Provide machine intelligence data interpretation and representation.
• Communicate–Use new data encoding and decoding technology to deliver just-in-time menu-driven results to individual end-users from spacecraft at high-speed (5x-10x).
View Quest Remote Sensing Analytics' Presentation
Space Products and Innovation Inc. (SPiN)
MA61C
SPiN developed a universal adapter to rapidly connect and integrate subsystems with disparate hardware and software interfaces in a modular approach. This approach with off-the-shelf components can achieve a rapid, low-cost integration that is so demanded within new space and small satellite development. The challenge to this approach is integrating multiple subsystems with software incompatibility or seemingly minor hardware/documentation errors. The SPiN adapter, called MA61C, can provide all compatibility in both hardware and software domains without the need to change existing subsystems.
Spira Inc.
Carbon Isolation Algal Nutrient Orbital System (CIANOS)
Spira is developing an integrated system to efficiently remove waste atmospheric CO2 gas and generate food and O2 gas for astronauts during missions on spacecraft like the International Space Station (ISS). This involves the direct capture of CO2 from air via a novel, composite, hybrid sorbent-membrane cylindrical bed that is additively manufactured via 3D-printing technology. The technology converts CO2 into bicarbonate, which is then used to grow useful algae that produce replacements for artificial colors and animal proteins. This technology can be applied at-scale to begin reversing the effects of climate change on Earth.
