October 22, 2013, AUSTIN, TX, USA – 4DSP, a leading global developer of fiber optic strain, temperature and 3D shape sensing technology, today announced they have won the prestigious 2013 R&D 100 Award in conjunction with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. R&D Magazine recognized the organizations’ fiber optic sensing system (FOSS) as one of the most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.

Since 1963, the R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. Winners are selected by a distinguished independent judging panel and the editors of R&D Magazine.

“NASA is proud that NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in partnership with 4DSP, LLC recently received the 2013 R&D Award for the development and commercialization of the Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS)” said Daniel Lockney, Technology Transfer Program Executive, Office of the Chief Technologist, at NASA Headquarters.

“Through collaboration and the licensing of the FOSS by 4DSP LLC, the technology has been given the opportunity to reach those outside of the federal government and to ultimately benefit the Fiber Optic Industry. Commercialization of the FOSS technology exemplifies an important NASA goal which is to tangibly demonstrate taxpayer investment through technology transfer to the public sector”.

“We are honored to receive the 2013 R&D 100 Award with the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center,” said Pierrick Vulliez, CTO and Founder of 4DSP. “The excellent collaboration and partnership between our two organizations will benefit multiple industries and make available to the public a world-class technology which increases safety by revolutionizing structural health monitoring. The future of fiber optic sensing looks bright and we are delighted to be the pacesetters along with NASA”.

NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center licensed its lightweight, compact, ultra-efficient fiber optic sensor system to 4DSP allowing the company to develop a cutting-edge turnkey fiber optic sensing system (FOSS). This revolutionary fiber optic technology can be used for structural health monitoring and increases safety in aircraft, automobiles, bridges, pipelines, wind turbines, and in many other industries.

Several applications, including catheters in the medical field and drill heads in the oil and gas industry can also benefit from fiber optics sensing because of the technology’s ability to render shape real time. NASA’s fiber optics and high-speed algorithms are capable of interrogating tens of thousands of sensors at an unprecedented refresh rate of 100 samples per second.

This technology was developed initially for use in NASA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to provide accurate, real-time, in-flight determination of the shape of their highly flexible and highly deformable wings.

Since initiating their collaboration in 2007, 4DSP has delivered high end turnkey signal processing solutions to Dryden that have been outfitted with fiber optics. Together the organizations made the fibers interrogator even more compact and lightweight – leading to 4DSP commercializing a turnkey state-of-the-art acquisition and processing platform that incorporates the technology.

Early implementers of the fiber optic sensing system (FOSS) are Aerospace and Defense contractors, however the technology will also greatly benefit companies and organizations within industries which require real-time strain monitoring such as civil engineering, transportation, oil and gas, renewable energy as well as health and medicine.

About Sensuron

Sensuron is a leading global provider of fiber optic sensing systems that use light to test, measure and control applications across the aerospace, medical and energy industries. With seven years of experience working closely with NASA, Sensuron has a rich heritage in groundbreaking innovation and customer success.

Sensuron’s mission is to solve problems on a global scale by utilizing light-based technologies that ensure equipment is functional, reliable and safe. The company strives not only to provide the most sophisticated sensing platforms on the market, but also to serve today’s engineers by providing the information they require to advance their innovations. In these ways and many others, Sensuron continues to help customers achieve their objectives today and will do so for years to come.