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Engineering Laboratory

News and Updates

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New pipeline visualizes STEP and QIF data using augmented reality

August 25, 2021

Imagine a manufacturer picking up a machined part and being able to see data on that part’s geometry, how it’s assembled, and its product manufacturing

New version of the STEP File Analyzer and Viewer is released

August 23, 2021

STEP (ISO 10303) is a widely-used standard for representing and exchanging data about manufactured parts and assemblies. NIST and the Systems Integration

Common Solar Tech Can Power Smart Devices Indoors, NIST Study Finds

August 19, 2021

Any time you turn on a light at home or in the office, you are expending energy. But what if flipping the light switch meant producing energy too? We usually

Illustration of a burning tree generating embers next to a device composed of four cameras fixed to the ends of metal arms.

NIST’s Emberometer Could Gauge Threat of Wildfire-Spreading Embers

August 18, 2021

As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also

Person in hard hat is tapping concrete with a hammerlike device.

Aug. 11, 2021, Update on NIST’s Champlain Towers South Investigation

August 11, 2021

NIST continues its investigative work, studying the geologic characteristics underneath the collapsed building site, as well as the properties of the building’s

Palm trees stand in the foreground before a pile of debris with construction vehicles.

Update on NIST’s Investigation of the Champlain Towers South Collapse

July 16, 2021

NIST’s work right now is focused on ensuring that information and evidence related to the June 24, 2021, partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South

A man in a construction hat points to damage on a concrete column lying on the ground while another researcher looks on.

NIST Will Conduct Technical Investigation Into the Collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condominium

June 30, 2021

SURFSIDE, Fla. — Today the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it would launch a full technical

Potential Cost Savings as US Manufacturers Spend Billions on Machinery Maintenance

June 24, 2021

As discussed in NIST AMS 100-18 , the cost of machinery maintenance is not well understood; however, Census data estimates that $50 billion was spent on

Major New Building Standard Can Map Out Tornado Threat for the First Time

June 21, 2021

Of the natural hazards in Mother Nature’s arsenal, tornadoes are some of the most vicious. But while other hazards are regularly considered in building designs

Firefighters spray water into a burning concrete building with a sign saying "NIST Fire Research."

How AI Could Alert Firefighters of Imminent Danger

June 1, 2021

Firefighting is a race against time. Exactly how much time? For firefighters, that part is often unclear. Building fires can turn from bad to deadly in an

Flammability Reduction Group provides virtual seminar on Reducing the Fire Risk of Residential Upholstered Furniture Fires as part of SFPE Member Series

May 24, 2021

The “Low Heat Release Upholstered Furniture” project at the Fire Research Division (FRD) of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducts

New Research Could Help Manufacturers Avoid 3D-Printing Pitfall

May 19, 2021

A research team has found that a method commonly used to skirt one of metal 3D printing’s biggest problems may be far from a silver bullet. For manufacturers

Spotlight: Putting Materials to the Test With Our Advanced Weathering Machine

May 18, 2021

Not to be confused with the 1990s sci-fi film, NIST’s SPHERE (aka Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Exposure) puts materials through the

Spotlight: Joannie Chin’s Early Milestone in Body Armor Standards

May 18, 2021

Joannie Chin, the acting director of NIST’s Engineering Laboratory, is still a polymer scientist at heart. Take a closer look at the lifesaving mark she made on

NEW RELEASE: Guide to Sustainable Investment Analysis

March 24, 2021

NIST’s Applied Economic Office released a “ Guide for Environmentally Sustainable Investment Analysis” based on ASTM E3200. This guide presents techniques for

New Fire-Simulating Tool Could Improve In-Flight Fire Safety

March 24, 2021

Some of the most dangerous fires are the ones you don’t see coming. That goes not only for fires in buildings but for those kilometers off the ground, aboard

NIST Research Featured in Fire and Materials Journal Special Issue on Furniture Flammability

March 12, 2021

The NIST Flammability Reduction Group (FRG) recently contributed to the production of a Special Issue on Furniture Flammability in the Fire and Materials

The contrasting interiors of previous gels and the new seed gel show the different respective locations of their nanoparticles. Below we see representations of four different applications: filtration, smart windows, battery technology and tissue engineering.

Nanoparticle Gel Unites Oil and Water in Manufacturing-Friendly Approach

February 10, 2021

Oil and water may not mix, but adding the right nanoparticles to the recipe can convert these two immiscible fluids into an exotic gel with uses ranging from

New Timeline of Deadliest California Wildfire Could Guide Lifesaving Research and Action

February 8, 2021

On a brisk November morning in 2018, a fire sparked in a remote stretch of canyon in Butte County, California, a region nestled against the western slopes of

A view of rubble in the central business district of Christchurch, New Zealand, following a devastating earthquake.

New Report Charts Path Toward Superior Earthquake Recovery

January 27, 2021

For the last century, seismic building codes and practices have primarily focused on saving lives by reducing the likelihood of significant damage or structural

NIST Reports Progress in Learning from Hurricane Maria’s Impacts on Puerto Rico

January 22, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a report summarizing progress in its multi-year study of the impacts of Hurricane Maria

A man wearing a safety visor poses in front of lab equipment.

Spotlight: Highlights From Dave Deisenroth's Postdoctoral Experience at NIST

January 12, 2021

How would you assess the success of a postdoctoral associateship? We turn to the experiences of our own researchers, including Dave Deisenroth. Here at NIST

The New NIST Fire Calorimetry Database Is Available to Answer Your Burning Questions

January 7, 2021

This news article is reproduced from a blog post that originally appeared in the NIST TAKING MEASURE Just a Standard Blog on December 16 th, 2020. By: Matthew

Diagram shows a mattress being set on fire by gas burners in a standard flammability test.

Mattress Flammability Standard Is a Lifesaver, NIST Report Finds

November 18, 2020

No matter how soft and cozy, beds that have gone up in flames are a source of some of the deadliest fires in the U.S. As large pieces of furniture loaded with

Data Collection Instruments Published Using New NIST Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices Publication Series

November 16, 2020

The NIST Engineering Laboratory recently launched the Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and Best Practices publication series. This publication series is

Advanced communications
-Open Radio Access Network (Open-RAN)
-Quantum communications
-Spectrum sharing
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
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Buildings and Construction
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Chemistry
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Electronics
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Energy
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Environment
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Forensic Science
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Health
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Information technology
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--AI measurement and evaluation
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--Smart cities
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--Trustworthy networks
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-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
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-Federal information processing standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
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-Interoperability testing
-Location based services
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--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
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-Privacy
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-Video analytics
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Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing economics
-Manufacturing quality assurance
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Manipulation
--Mobility and industrial autonomous vehicles
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
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Neutron research
Performance excellence
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Physics
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Public safety
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