Manhattan architects have to look up and down when clients want to expand because every square-foot of New York is built between the Hudson and East rivers.
The lack of green acres makes it an unusual setting for farming, but the industry has found unconventional places to break through. Rather than tilling Central Park, growers are stacking crops to take up less space and water.
The system they are using is called vertical farming.
The U.S. space agency is a leader in growing methods as it explores how to provide oxygen to astronauts in deep space. NASA has a data-driven model to produce lettuce. The smart farms are tucked inside vacant warehouses and supply grocery stores and restaurants throughout the city. Machine learning is being used to manage the crops at the company. A person can learn to identify tipburn by looking at the edges of lettuce leaves.
It sounds kind of high tech and a little science fiction, and it is, according to Dan Lockney, who heads NASA's technology transfer program.
The annual report published since 1976 highlights some of the commercializations of NASA ingenuity. The agency develops 1,600 to 1,800 new technologies each year. Software is free to the public because the federal government doesn't own it. NASA gives out patents for $2,500 to $10,000 upfront.
Using a NASA data-driven model, New York-based Bowery Farming Inc. grows vertical farms in vacant city buildings. Credit: Bowery Farming Inc.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineers in Southern California ship a prototype ventilator for coronavirus patients to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
NASA has created concepts, software, material, and equipment for over 50 years.
We can't just buy a space telescope at Target, or a spacesuit at the department store. Lockney said that The Gap doesn't make helmets for astronauts.
Congress created the space program to develop technology that could benefit people on the ground. Many people don't know that NASA led to a lot of innovations in everyday life. We are not talking about space pens, Tang, or any other powdered orange drink. The agency did not invent the astronauts arsenal, contrary to urban legend.
"The Gap doesn’t make astronaut helmets. We've got to make all this stuff ourselves."
NASA engineers invented a new high-pressure ventilator in a little over a month using less than 100 parts, none of which were needed in the supply chain for existing ventilator models. NASA gave the licenses for free after the new device was patented.
NASA has about 130 people who specialize in technology transfer and intellectual property. Potential customers for every invention are explored by the staff. Lockney said that work includes going out and pitching to businesses they think could use or sell it.
The new report, released earlier this week, features a section on spinoffs of tomorrow.
A system to open phones and computers with heartbeats.
A thin-film device can convert carbon dioxide into fuel.
NASA has a track record of spurring new ventures. The team attributes its success to the chip on its shoulder that has been there from the beginning.
It has been incumbent for NASA to answer the question of why they spend money in space when there are problems on Earth.
"NASA constantly has had the question asked of it, 'Why do we spend the money in space when we’ve got problems here on Earth?' It has been incumbent upon us to convince the naysayers."
The team has a prepared example in its back pocket for how NASA has touched the lives of firefighters. The fireproof suits and lightweight air tanks they use came from NASA, as did a portable device that can detect a human heartbeat at a noisy rescue site.
One in four startup companies received a license without an upfront royalty fee last year, according to Lockney. The first $5,000 is given back to the original inventor.
He claims that no one at NASA gets rich on these inventions.
Depending on the school, you may be able to cover a semester of tuition for your kids. Lockney said you might be able to buy a used motorcycle. We are here to do cool things.
