NASA Makes 56 Patents Available in Public Domain to Benefit US Industries

Inventions related to magnetic levitation, carbon nanotubes and fertilizer production among newly available patents.

If you’ve ever dreamed of working with NASA technologies, now is the perfect time to start.

NASA recently released 56 formerly patented technologies into the public domain for unrestricted commercial use. 

These patents have been added to NASA’s ever-expanding Technology Transfer program, a searchable database which catalogs thousands of publicly available patents.

Some of the newest “gifts” to the public domain include:

Although these technologies were developed for NASA missions, the agency asserts that in addition to being useful for the burgeoning commercialization of space flight they may have non-aerospace applications.

The patents selected for the transfer to the public domain were chosen by NASA officials looking for technologies that offer potentially high unit values but are less likely to be licensed by private companies due to the low demand of end-products (i.e., spacecraft).

 

NASA: Helping or Hindering US Manufacturing?

“By making these technologies available in the public domain, we are helping foster a new era of entrepreneurship that will again place America at the forefront of high-tech manufacturing and economic competitiveness,” said Daniel Lockney, NASA’s Technology Transfer program executive.

Who stands to benefit most from NASA's public domain?

Who stands to benefit most from NASA’s public domain technologies?

“By releasing this collection into the public domain, we are encouraging entrepreneurs to explore new ways to commercialize NASA technologies,” Lockney added.

Although NASA’s aim of advancing American manufacturing is certainly laudable, releasing these technologies into the public domain is a questionable means to that end. Once the technologies are part of the public domain, they’re just as accessible to European or Asian manufacturers as they are to Americans.

One can’t help but wonder why these technologies were migrated to the public domain rather than NASA’s Patent Portfolio, which offers partnerships and licensing agreements to US citizens.

Written by

Ian Wright

Ian is a senior editor at engineering.com, covering additive manufacturing and 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. Ian holds bachelors and masters degrees in philosophy from McMaster University and spent six years pursuing a doctoral degree at York University before withdrawing in good standing.