Inventor: Langley Research Center, NASA
Invention: MFC (Macro-Fiber Composite)
Inventor’s Location: USA

NASA has announced its annual NASA Government Invention of the Year. This time, they have given it to an invention which is a device which can act like muscle and nerves to expand and contract surfaces. This was invented at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

They have named their invention as MFC (Macro-Fiber Composite). It is made up of ceramic fibers and can be attached to a structure to bend it, reduce vibrations and monitor force.

So, how do the ceramic fibers change shape? This is done by applying voltage to the MFC. The resulting force will be turned into a bending or twisting action on the material. The voltage generated will be proportional to the force applied to the material.

NASA foresees a lot of uses for MFC. It says MFC can be used for antennas, communication satellites, space station trusses, and solar sail support structures. Also, NASA sees a lot of industrial and research applications for their invention, in the areas of vibration monitoring and dampening.