Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3m Innovative Properties Company

Midmark Corporation

Douglas P Hart

David E Altobelli

Federico Frigerio

Manas Chandran Menon

Douglas M Johnston

Daniel Vlasic

Janos Rohaly

Thomas John Brukilacchio

Ilya A Kriveshko

Davide M Marini

Peter Godart

Jason Z Fischman

Mary C Boyce

Eric Morgan

Brandon James Hopkins

Oscar C Yeh

Jean Sack

Andrew Whitehead

Thomas Bradford Milnes

Yang Shao-Horn

Eric B Paley

Theodore M Bloomstein

Steven V Weeks

Micah J Rosenbloom

Edward K Tekeian

Tong Zhang

Joseph Boerjes

EthelMae Victoria Dydek

Hugo M Ayala

Hugo A Ayala

Davide Marini

Steven J Weeks

Flow through reactors and related methods for use with slurries including water reactive particles are generally described.

Flow through fuel reactor

A stable aluminum slurry fuel and related systems and methods of use are provided herein. Certain embodiments of the disclosure are related to an aluminum slurry fuel comprising a plurality of aluminum particles dispersed in a carrier fluid. In some embodiments, the aluminum particles comprise an activating composition comprising gallium and/or indium. Additionally, methods of making and using the aluminum slurry fuel are presented herein. For instance, the resultant aluminum slurry fuel may react exothermically with water over a wide range of temperatures to produce hydrogen. The resulting slurry fuel may be used as an energy source for various applications and/or for generating hydrogen for other applications.

Aluminum slurry fuels and their methods of use

The devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are generally directed to using an increase in gas pressure (e.g., through an increase in heat) to move an actuator that at least partially defines a volume containing a feed fluid in fluid communication with a membrane. As the increase in gas pressure moves the actuator, pressure on the feed fluid in the volume may increase beyond a threshold pressure sufficient to move the feed fluid through the membrane. Movement of the feed fluid through the membrane may reduce a volumetric concentration of one or more components of the feed fluid to form a permeate. For example, the increase in pressure may drive the actuator to increase pressure on salt-water in the volume and, ultimately, move the salt-water through the membrane to form the permeate as part of a reverse osmosis process achieved without the use of a mechanical pump.

Pressure-driven treatment of fluid

Corrosion mitigation in a battery may include displacing a first flowable medium with a second flowable medium along a first electrode to interrupt fluid communication of the first flowable medium with the first electrode&#x2014;thus interrupting operation of the battery&#x2014;while a second electrode remains in contact with a flowable medium (e.g., one or more of the first flowable medium or another flowable medium, such as a gel). For example, a membrane (e.g., an underwater oleophobic material) may be disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. An oil may displace an aqueous electrolyte on a first side of the membrane toward a metallic electrode while the aqueous form of the electrolyte remains in contact with an air electrode on a second side of the separator membrane disposed toward the air electrode.

Corrosion mitigation of battery electrodes

Corrosion mitigation in a metal-air battery includes displacing an electrolyte within a gap of the metal-air battery with a liquid. The liquid may be substantially nonreactive with the electrolyte, and the anode of the metal-air battery is less reactive with the liquid than with the electrolyte. Upon displacement of the electrolyte from the gap, the liquid may remain in the gap of the metal-air battery to reduce the likelihood of corrosion of the anode and, therefore, reduce the power drain of the battery resulting from such corrosion. To return the metal-air battery to an activated state for generating power, the electrolyte may be moved back into the gap to displace the liquid. A fluid circuit may be in fluid communication with the gap and may displace one of the liquid and the electrolyte in the gap with the other one of the liquid and the electrolyte from the fluid circuit.

Corrosion mitigation in metal-air batteries

The attenuation and other optical properties of a medium are exploited to measure a thickness of the medium between a sensor and a target surface. Disclosed herein are various mediums, arrangements of hardware, and processing techniques that can be used to capture these thickness measurements and obtain three-dimensional images of the target surface in a variety of imaging contexts. This includes general techniques for imaging interior/concave surfaces as well as exterior/convex surfaces, as well as specific adaptations of these techniques to imaging ear canals, human dentition, and so forth.

Layered medium for three-dimensional imaging

The attenuation and other optical properties of a medium are exploited to measure a thickness of the medium between a sensor and a target surface. Disclosed herein are various mediums, arrangements of hardware, and processing techniques that can be used to capture these thickness measurements and obtain dynamic three-dimensional images of the target surface in a variety of imaging contexts. This includes general techniques for imaging interior/concave surfaces as well as exterior/convex surfaces, as well as specific adaptations of these techniques to imaging ear canals, human dentition, and so forth.

Selecting an earpiece based on dynamic data

Various improvements to inflatable membranes for use in three-dimensional imaging of interior spaces are disclosed. These improvements include, among other things, equipping the inflatable membrane with desirable optical features, such as fiducials, optical coatings, etc., that can be used to improve data acquisition.

Three dimensional scanning using membrane with optical features

Evaluating fit of an earpiece based on dynamic data

Various improvements to three dimensional imaging systems having inflatable membranes are disclosed. These improvements include, among other things, a proximity sensor that can be used to warn a user of the device when approaching a feature in a cavity, such as an eardrum in an ear canal; or optical sensors with an optical coating matching the refractive index of the medium in which the optical sensors are deployed, to improve data acquisition.

Enhanced sensors in three dimensional scanning system

Various improvements to inflatable membranes are disclosed. These improvements include, among other things, features on the membrane that can mitigate hazards such as bubble formation or frictional damage during inflation of the membrane.

Inflatable membrane with hazard mitigation

Various improvements to inflatable membranes are disclosed. These improvements include techniques for advantageously controlling the inflation of a membrane within a cavity, such as a human ear canal.

Inflatable membrane having non-uniform inflation characteristic

Positioning an input transducer for an earpiece based upon dynamic data

Growing community of inventors

Charlestown, MA, United States of America

Douglas P Hart