NASA ’s treasure breast of freely usable resources is n’t just good for your laptop ’s wallpaper . Last week , they released 56 of their antecedently patented technologies into the public domain for anybody to employ .
Along with this word , NASA also announced their newsearchable databasethat bear over 1,000 expired patent of invention already in the public domain . drug user can now can easily search through patent of invention class let in robotics , selective information engineering and software , communications , electronics , environment , materials , power multiplication , propulsion , medicine , and biotechnology .
Although many of the idea in the database were initially developed for use in space programs , many have wide applications . Just think , work from NASA has even helped create a cheaper method acting to putbubbles into beer .
Among the free - to - role technology in their database is a in high spirits - voltagewater purification system , a method acting to manufacturecarbon nanotube , and even a Jetsons - esque hypersonicflying vehiclefrom the 1930s ( see below ) .
epitome course credit : NASA
Private aerospace caller have already benefit from NASA patents . A good instance of this is the conception of inflatable TransHab space mental faculty initially patented by NASA in the nineties . Private start - up Bigelow Aerospace afterward buy the patent of invention , and they are now using the technologyto develop their ownexpandable and inflatable blank home ground .
In this case , the patent was purchased by Bigelow Aerospace for a chunky$17.8 million . But with the likes of more and more private companies launching themselves into the space game , the free - use of these technology could prove to be of smashing assist in the costly and competitive public of space exploration .
“ By gain these applied science available in the public orbit , we are help foster a new era of entrepreneurship that will again rate America at the forefront of high - technical school manufacturing and economical competitiveness , ” said Daniel Lockney , NASA ’s Technology Transfer program executive , in aNASA instruction . “ By releasing this collection into the public sphere , we are promote enterpriser to explore new mode to commercialise NASA technologies . ”
