Date: Apr 08, 2015 Author: Chelsea Diana Source: bizjournals (
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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has licensed patents on high-temperature thermoelectric materials to Evident Technologies, a Troy, New York startup.
Evident Technologies will use NASA-developed technology to launch a new line of commercial products.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has licensed patents on high-temperature thermoelectric materials to the Troy, New York nanotechnology company, according to a statement.
Evident was one of the region's first companies devoted to nanotechnology. A federal judge cleared Evident to emerge from bankruptcy in 2010 following excessive legal fees tied to a patent infringement lawsuit in Texas. The company will now go by the name Evident Thermoelectrics as they shift focus to that industry.
Thermoelectric materials convert heat into electricity. They can be used to increase efficiency and deliver low-cost solutions for harvesting waste heat.
Space missions that leave Earth's orbit often use thermoelectrics as their electrical power source. NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft use thermoelectric power systems to travel away from the sun, as well as the Mars Curiosity rover.
Evident will be the first to use NASA's technology to develop commercial, high-temperature thermoelectric modules. The company plans to launch new products using the technology within the next three months.
"We feel that there is an unmet need for customers who want to convert high-temperature heat into electricity" said Clint Ballinger, CEO of Evident Technologies in a statement. "We are excited to capitalize on these NASA advances and plan to launch commercial products very soon."
