RELEASE NO: 97-132

John Vranish of Goddard Space Flight Center’s Electromechanical Systems branch in Greenbelt, Md., has been selected as a winner in the 1997 R&D 100 Awards program.

This program, initiated in 1963 by the editors of R&D Magazine, selects the 100 most technologically significant new products of each year. Products such as the flashcube, anti-lock brakes, and the ATM machine have been selected as winners in the past. This year, Vranish's 3-D roller locking sprag invention was selected to receive this prestigious award.

The 3-D sprag is a cam lock which is an upgrade to the old 2-D sprag currently in use across many different industries. The sprag's job is to allow a cog or wheel to move in one direction only. The sprag locks in place so that the wheel cannot turn in the opposite direction. This technology is especially useful for tools such as wrenches for both space and commercial use, pull starters in gasoline motors, automatic transmissions, and household tools in which a cog must only move in one direction. The old 2-D locking sprag was useful, but experienced many problems in such areas as cog slippage and lubrication. The 2-D sprag only allowed for locking on the top and bottom.

Vranish comments, "Of course, we are very pleased about the award. It was a team effort and I am pleased to be a part of that team." But Vranish credits Goddard's own Office of Commercial Programs for its ability to get the word out on this invention. "Without this office getting NASA publicity on the 3-D Sprag and their ability to interest industry in commercializing it, this invention may have been a boon to NASA alone."

The Technology Utilization (TU) Office, which is part of Goddard’s Office of Commercial Programs, assists inventors in many ways including funding for the invention and the marketing of the product. The TU office is instrumental in providing a forum such as trade shows to present the invention to industry and helps to secure patents for the invention. The 3-D sprag has had one patent approved and an additional two patents have been requested. One patent is for a circular racheting tool and the other for a one-way clutch used on bicycles and cars--no more rolling back on hills at a stop light.

Ed Powers, chief of the Mechanical Systems Division, understands the importance of the connection between the inventor and the TU office. He notes, "Bridging the gap between where the inventors concludes his work and the technology utilization office takes the lead in getting that invention to perform Earth-bound applications is consistent with NASA's strategic plan to provide great engineers and ingenuity to use all the talents necessary to help out NASA and industry." Powers also was eager to praise Vranish's work as well. " John's a perfect example of the ingenious engineer who transcends our narrow world of space to applications here on Earth and in doing so enable all the wonderful things we can expect in the 21st century. He has a wonderful ability to get the best out of his people and he epitomizes what 'team effort' is all about, doing so in his own modest way," said Powers.

Nona Minnifield, who is the assistant chief of the Goddard TU office comments, "We are all proud of John and the work he accomplishes for NASA and for industry. John's work is a perfect example of how Goddard is working with inventors and industry to see that the technologies developed for our missions are transferred into industry to assure U.S. commercial competitiveness and robustness."

The R&D 100 awards were conceived by Neil Ruzic, an engineer and researcher at Chicago's Armour Institute who founded Industrial Research magazine in 1959. In 1963, the awards were initiated as the "I-R 100's". These were renamed in 1988 to the more familiar "R&D 100's", and are considered by some to be the "Oscars of Invention" and the "Nobel Prizes of applied research." This is Goddard's third R&D 100 since the inception of the awards. The 1997 awards banquet will take place in September 1997 at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

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