summer 2010 - penn state industrial research office newsletter

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From the Director / Tech Transfer News Briefs. 2 Center for Research in Design and Innovation: Studying People, Products and Their Environment. 4 Spark Plasma Sintering Emerges As New Technology. 5 Penn State Named ACORE Member of the Month. 6 Upcoming Events. 7 IMAGINATION: A Robust Image-based CAPTCHA Generation System. 8 I ndustrial R esearch O ffice N ewsletter Summer 2010 Advanced Emissions Testing Facility Now Housed at Penn State Page 3 Also Inside... T H E P E N N S Y L V A N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

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This edition of The IRON from Penn State features the Center for Research in Design and Innovation, Spark Plasma Sintering Emerges As New Technology, Penn State is ACORE’s Member of the Month, and IMAGINATION: An Image-based CAPTCHA Web Security System.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

From the Director / Tech Transfer News Briefs. 2

Center for Research in Design and Innovation: Studying People, Products and Their Environment. 4

Spark Plasma Sintering Emerges As New Technology. 5

Penn State Named ACORE Member of the Month. 6

Upcoming Events. 7

IMAGINATION: A Robust Image-based CAPTCHA Generation System. 8

Industr ia l Research O f f i ce News le t ter S u m m e r 2 0 1 0

Advanced Emissions Testing Facility Now Housed at Penn State Page 3

Also Ins ide. . .

T H E P E N N S Y L V A N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

Page 2: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

hicle’s fuel consumption and emissions while maintaining its utility, safety and performance.In addition to taking third place overall, the Penn State team won awards for best social media program, best AVL drive quality and best technical report. It also placed second in A123 battery design, third in outreach and was the runner up in the well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions, best tailpipe emissions and best fuel consumption catego-ries.

http://live.psu.edu/story/46999

Smeal MBA Students Present IMAGINATION Web Security System to Boston Venture CapitalistsIn early April 2010, a team of students from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business presented IMAGINATION, an image-based CAPTCHA (Com-pletely Automated Public Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart) system, at the University Research and Entrepreneurship Symposium in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This annual invitation-only conference brings together university entrepreneurs and Boston venture capital-ists, with almost 300 attendees this year.The IMAGINATION (IMAge Generation for INternet AuthenticaTION) system, designed by Penn State faculty members James Wang and Jia Li, and graduate student Ritendra Datta, is a new form of CAPTCHA less vulnerable to online automated programs, often called “bots.” The sys-tem uses images rather than text – computers can easily decode text – and requires no typing. Users simply click through a two-step process; one step might involve, say, identifying a picture as a dog or a cat. As simple as it sounds for a human, it’s baffling for a computer.

See page 8 for more information

Penn State College of Medicine Receives $54 Million Grant for Asthma ResearchReceiving one of the largest grants in the college’s history, the Depart-ment of Public Health Sciences will act as the data coordinating center for the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s AsthmaNet. Asthma-Net is a research collaboration of multiple clinical centers across the na-tion that conducts clinical trials to address new treatments and asthma management.

http://live.psu.edu/story/47730

Penn State Receives Two DOE ARPA-E AwardsOn July 12, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced 43 cutting-edge research projects that aim to dramatically improve how the U.S. uses and produces energy. Funded with $92 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the selections focus on accelerating innovation in green technology while increas-ing America’s competitiveness in grid scale energy storage, power electronics and building efficiency. Penn State received two of the 43 awards.

Penn State is the lead research organization for the project “Gas Cy-cles: One-ton (3.5 kW thermal) Thermoacoustic Air Conditioner,” with partners ThermoAcoustics Corporation and Heatcraft Worldwide Re-frigeration. Led by Penn State professor of Acoustics Steven Garrett, the $2.99 million project will scale up an existing thermoacoustic chiller system to produce an air conditioning unit that recycles sound for cool-ing. It will use no exotic materials that increase cost or reciprocating seals that limit service life.

For Penn State’s second project, “Fuel Cell: Transformative Renewable Energy Storage Devices Based on Neutral Water,” University research-ers Chao-Yang Wang and Mike Hickner will develop—along with proj-ect lead Proton Energy—an advanced energy storage device that incor-porates a regenerative fuel cell. Like batteries, fuel cells use chemical reactions to produce electricity. Many fuel cells require expensive pre-cious metals such as platinum to operate. In this novel design, a unique component will be developed that allows the fuel cell to operate with-out significant use of precious metals. This innovation will dramatically reduce cost, and enable the economical use of this fuel cell system for electricity storage on the grid.

http:// arpa-e.energy.gov

Penn State Team Finishes Third in National EcoCAR Contest Penn State’s entry placed third overall in the national EcoCAR: The NeXT Challenge’s Year Two Finals, held May 17-27.

The three-year competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of En-ergy and General Motors, challenges engineering students from across North America to re-engineer a GM-donated car to minimize the ve-

“Even if we don’t have a lot of money we can still be innovative,” says Open Innovation guru Henry Chesbrough. The global economic crisis is a good opportunity for companies to open up, collaborate, and find new partnerships[1].

What an encouraging statement from Dr. Chesbrough. I have been following his work and have read and discussed his books with my staff since they are so relevant to our mission. Open Innovation is a growing business theme being utilized all over the world by companies of all sizes. It is also a part of our daily activities in the Industrial Research Office. We work with companies both large and small and we are constantly sharing new research breakthroughs, new ideas for collaborations, and

new intellectual property that is available for licensing; we’re even brokering connections/introductions between small and large companies. All of this is done in an attempt to keep our partners up to date on new opportunities and to assist in their open innovation strategies.

In these slow economic times, we need to continue to partner and leverage our relationships for growth and new business. Every day we are discovering new faculty expertise and new capabilities within our research centers and facilities. I hope that you find the articles and information in this issue of The IRON useful, and that it moves you to contact our office to learn more about the ways Penn State can be incorporated into your business strategies.

f r o m t h e d i r e c t o r - T a n n a P u g h , I n d u s t r i a l R e s e a r c h O f f i c e

T E c H T r A N S F E r N E w S B r i E F S

[1] Jiménez, C. (2010, July 22). Recession is a time for innovation. Science|Business. Retrieved August 18, 2010, from http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net/ebulletins/showissue.php3?page=/548/5993/18989

[email protected]

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Page 3: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

vehicles. The research will include studying alternative fuels with a goal of providing cleaner fuels for the future.

The vehicles are tested during simulated driving cycles on a 350 HP, large-roll (72-inch diameter) chassis dynamometer suitable for heavy-vehicle emissions testing. The computer-controlled dynamometer is capable of simulating over-the-road operation for a variety of vehicles and driving cycles, including climbing and going down hills. The facility also includes a heavy-duty diesel and gasoline dilution tunnel and related emissions measuring equipment.

Penn State Partners With VolvoThe Volvo Group has chosen Penn State as its first academic preferred partner in North America to explore and

resolve some of the issues in commercial transportation markets around the world. One goal includes developing technologies to reduce emissions.

The first research project under the Volvo partnership was initiated by The Larson Institute this past Spring, with Klinikowski and Suresh Iyer leading the effort. It involves testing a 2010 Mack Truck fueled with conventional diesel and biodiesel. Andre

Boehman, professor of Fuel Science, is also involved in the analysis of fuel and oil samples.

“There’s great potential for industry, whether it’s for buses, heavy-duty trucks, or off-road equipment with this state-of-the-art testing capability,” says John Siggins, Associate Director of Penn State’s Industrial Research Office. Regarding the bus testing for the FTA, Penn State offers an unbiased account and reports problems to the FTA, he says. “And companies that might fail a test have the chance to come back with a new design and get tested again.”

Furthermore, the EPA could start cracking down more on commercial vehicles, according to Siggins. More emissions testing of major construction equipment could be coming.

David Klinikowski | [email protected]

Emissions testing for commercial vehicles is gaining ground at Penn State, as the University has the most advanced testing facility in the nation, according to

David Klinikowski, director, Center for Bus Research and Testing at Penn State’s Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. The Larson Institute is a major interdisciplinary research center of Penn State, administered through the College of Engineering. The Institute’s annual activities have included more than 150 projects and $8 million in external research expenditures (for contracts valued at more than $40 million).

The emissions testing facility is housed in the 10,000-square-foot Vehicle Testing Laboratory at The Larson Institute Test Track. The laboratory provides capability for testing heavy-duty diesel and alternative-fueled buses for a variety of tailpipe emissions including particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide.

Fuels that can be tested include diesel, gasoline, compressed natural gas, propane, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol and hybrids. Staff at the facility will also study fuel consumption and can perform pre- and post-catalyst tests to evaluate the performance of catalytic converters.

The laboratory, which cost $3.1 million to build, is equipped with four test and maintenance bays and provides ample space for vehicle maintenance and testing. Funding for construction was provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as part of the allocation for the Bus Research and Testing Program. FTA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Several other facilities of this type do exist, but Penn State has the only facility approved for testing by the FTA,” Klinikowski says. “This unique facility augments the institute’s considerable test track and vehicle research capabilities,” he says. The emissions testing facility has been operating since December 2009.

The goal of this new emissions test facility is to provide emissions data that will compare new and different models of buses and other medium- and heavy-duty commercial

Advanced Emissions Testing Facility Now Housed at Penn State

“...Penn State has the only facility

approved for testing by the Federal Transit

Administration.”~David Klinikowski, Penn State

Heavy-duty chassis dynamometer located at the Penn State Emissions Testing Facility.

S u m m e r 2 0 1 0 T h e i r O N 3

Page 4: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

centered fields such as ergonomics, human factors and biomechanics.

Parkinson and researchers at the Center collaborate with companies such as Herman Miller, a company that sells various types of office furniture and promotes ergonomic solutions, the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts in Harrisburg, and local start-up companies looking to jumpstart their development activities.

Design Tools Use Virtual EnvironmentParkinson uses various design tools in his work. One example would be the use of three-dimensional manikins, also known as Digital Human Modeling (DHM). These are software representations of humans that enable designers to visualize the effectiveness of a design before a physical prototype is constructed. DHM programs such as Jack, Ramsis, and Safework are derived from the same types of technology as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programs and actually allow users to import their 3-D CAD models into a virtual environment. Therefore, digital human models of various sizes can then be placed into this environment along with the CAD model for design analysis. Although they are commonly used in many industries, Parkinson’s unique contribution is the ability to conduct “virtual fitting trials” involving thousands of digital human models.

The DHM programs can address many design concerns. For example, automotive companies can use DHM to examine if the current seat adjustability will allow a wide range of users to reach all of the needed controls. DHM not only benefits the end user. It is also useful from the manufacturing and maintenance standpoint, making sure people can reach components for either assembly or repair.

Furthermore, people can use DHM to optimize workplace or workstation design to reduce health or safety concerns. The advantage of this design tool is being able to do this using a computer rather than a physical prototype. This results in a faster, higher quality, and more accessible design at a lower cost.

Matt Parkinson | [email protected] | www.openlab.psu.edu

How people interface with products, tasks and their environment sums up the type of work and research that Matt Parkinson, director of the Center for

Research in Design and Innovation, is spearheading. His goal is to focus on a multi-disciplinary approach to studying humans and their environment and then translate that into better functioning products. These might include products such as ergonomic chairs for a business office or seats on an airplane.

Parkinson is an assistant professor of Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering at Penn State. He directs the recently established Center, which houses 12 different labs with various research objectives. Teams are cross-disciplinary in nature and consider all aspects of the design, creation, fabrication and marketing of innovative products. “Our greatest asset is the ability to collaborate with each other across these many disciplines. It adds to our creativity in our research and our classroom teaching,” he says.

The Center includes faculty from five colleges: Engineering, Arts and Architecture, Information Sciences and Technology, Liberal Arts, and the Smeal College of Business. Also included are partners from the Hershey Medical Center.

Parkinson created the OPEN Design Lab five years ago, one of the 12 labs housed in the Center. Other labs within the Center include Design Studies Research Group, Human Performance

Assessment and Modeling, and Leadership and Innovation Laboratory.

In 2008, Parkinson received the National Science Foundation’s award for early career development. His proposal, “Foundations for Designing for Human Variability (DfHV),” will be funded until 2014. This work will enable the improved design of products, tasks and environments, making them more accessible and effective for populations that are increasingly diverse. He also wants to focus on populations whose needs are often not well-considered, including the aging population and people with disabilities. DfHV combines rigorous design tools such as optimization, robust design, and statistical modeling with human-

center for research in Design and innovationStudying People, Products and Their Environment

myAnthro-Basic iPhone App, devel-oped my Matt Parkinson, estimates body segment lengths using a simple technique called “proportionality constants.”

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Page 5: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

management microelectronics, turbine power, and ultrahigh temperature ceramic tiles for use by NASA and the Air Force.

FAST compacts fully dense bodies from metal powders, composites, alloys and ceramics—even polymers bonded to metals are easy to manufacture—in shorter time and at lower temperatures than with any other technique. FAST opens up new opportunities in synthesizing new compounds and the manufacturing of functional gradient materials.

Many materials have relatively high melting points and thus require higher sintering and HIPping (Hot Isostatic Pressing) temperatures, leading to longer sintering times and significant grain coarsening. In order to maintain nanograined microstructures in the compacted and sintered products, FAST offers reduced sintering time.

Three major process variables—pressure, temperature, and high-density current—can be applied concurrently during compaction and sintering of power in FAST. The role of current is very important in the sintering process. During the compaction process, DC current can be applied in various modes from continuous to pulse mode with different frequencies and pulse duration. The selection of current density mode, pulse duration and amplitude will depend upon the material property and size of the powder particles. The sintering equipment is available in many different sizes, with different diameters of the dies, pressure ranges and capacity in amperage.

The benefit is not only savings in time and energy, but the microstructure of the compacted compounds is different. Due to the rapid densification at relatively low temperature, limited grain growth is taking place. This means that the grain size from the powder particles is preserved in the sintered body. This results in superior physical and mechanical properties, including very strong and hard materials.

Jogender Singh | 814-863-9898 | [email protected]

Components and products that are stronger and more durable—and need less energy to produce—are now possible due to a process called Field Assisted

Sintering Technology (FAST).

FAST has been developed and matured by the Japanese in the sintering of ceramic, metallic, and composite materials in a very short processing time (a few minutes), as compared to hours and days using conventional processes. “This is an emerging disruptive manufacturing technology that has created an opportunity to make components more cost effectively,” says Jogender Singh, Chief Scientist and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State.

Many research laboratories have given different names to FAST including spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, plasma assisted sintering, pulsed electric current sintering (PECS), and electric pulse assisted consolidation (EPAC).

Penn State currently has a small R&D sintering unit that was partially funded by the U.S. Navy’s ManTech office. The unit has a 25-ton load capacity that allows prototyping of components up to 80 mm diameter (Figure 1, left). The Navy also recently funded a larger industrial-scale unit at Penn State with a 250-ton capacity (Figure 2, top right). It will allow fabricating components up to 12” in diameter and will be operational by the end of this year. Penn State is the only academic institution in the world with two FAST units for conducting research and prototyping components.

The benefits of the FAST process include shorter processing cycle time, lower sintering temperature, 30 to 40 percent less energy consumption, and the ability to retain nanograined microstructure in components. “The process provides flexibility in engineering components with better performance that isn’t possible in the conventional manufacturing method,” Singh says. “Penn State is now in a position to work on this cutting-edge research to provide educational training to students that is needed in industry and the government.”

Applications for FAST include body-armor protection, thermoelectric materials to harvest energy, fuel-cell capabilities, infrared windows, cutting tools, thermal

Spark Plasma Sintering Emerges As New Technology

Figure 2. FCT Systeme GmbH Type HP D Spark plasma sintering furnace for field assisted sintering technique, 250-ton capacity unit.

Figure 1. FCT Systeme GmbH Type HP D 25-ton capacity unit.

S u m m e r 2 0 1 0 T h e i r O N 5

Page 6: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

In recognition of Penn State’s long-standing commitment to developing alternative fuels, their interest in alternative fuel vehicles, and devotion to energy efficiency, The

Pennsylvania State University is ACORE’s newest member of the month.

Penn State is well-known as a large research university, but one could also think of it as a small town with over 1,000 buildings, its own power plants, a fleet of cars and trucks, and over 14,000 acres of forests and farmland. Because of its size, University researchers and operations staff work hand-in-glove to continuously achieve a wide range of campus sustainability goals.

“Penn State’s primary role is to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, managers and policymakers, many of whom will be working in the renewable energy sector,” says Tom Richard, Director, Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment. “Not only does every graduate master the intricacies of their chosen major, but they also have fluency in the basic energy and sustainability literacy needed to be a productive citizen in the 21st century.”

University students compete in the major alternative vehicle competitions every year, and have won third place in the

EcoCAR standings in year two of this multi-year DOE/General Motors-sponsored event. This year, Penn State also hosted the Tour de Sol, the longest standing alternative vehicle rally in the U.S., which highlighted their solar,

hybrid and battery research. In addition, the University has research programs with major vehicle, fuel, and battery manufacturers, including the SuperTruck program with Volvo, for whom they serve as the North American preferred academic partner.

The University’s many partnerships serve as proof of their leadership position at the forefront of alternative fuel and vehicle development. Penn State’s vehicle fleet includes hydrogen-powered buses and vans, electric service vehicles, and trucks and tractors that run on either biodiesel (B5 to B100) or straight vegetable oil (SVO100). “The biodiesel Penn State consumes comes both from oilseed crops like canola grown at the University and from recycled cafeteria grease,”

said Richard. “Penn State has active research programs that have been on-going for 30 years in biofuel production, on topics ranging from fundamental plant biology, to field trials in perennial grasses and short rotation woody crops, and in both thermochemical and biochemical conversion.”

In addition to their renewable energy R&D, Penn State strives to improve their campus energy efficiency. “Led by faculty in architectural engineering, the University boasts substantial DOE-funded programs in distributed energy generation, solar, and SmartGrid technologies in partnership with a range of companies, and with active redevelopment projects in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,” expounded Richard. New buildings at Penn State are required to be LEED certified, and the University has developed an even more stringent set of metrics for their buildings that extend beyond LEED standards. They have also continued to retrofit older buildings with energy efficient systems including lighting, HVAC controls, and district chilled water for air conditioning as they work to interface building systems with human systems. Penn State extends their commitment to energy efficiency beyond the boundaries of the University through their recently-launched National Energy Leadership Corps, a service learning program for undergraduates that targets limited-resource communities to supply energy audits, weatherization, and other energy efficient and cost-saving retrofits.

“The University continues to invest in all dimensions of sustainability, from green purchasing and recycling, to pollinator gardens and green roofs, composting, and ‘trash to treasure’ programs that are models for congressional cafeterias in DC, the U.S. Department of Defense, and other Big Ten universities,” Richard summed up.

For these many notable efforts, a remarkable commitment to the environment, and their innovative approach to eliminating renewable energy barriers, ACORE is proud to name The Pennsylvania State University as our newest Member of the Month.

www.acore.org

M e M b e r o f t h e M o n t h

Fueling the industry with Knowledgeby Jeff Will, American Council on Renewable Energy

THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dubbed ‘Snake in the Glass’ by World Architec-ture Network, an aerial view of the green roof on the Lewis Katz Building at Penn State.

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Page 7: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

State Science and Technology institute (SSTi) Annual conferenceOmni William Penn Hotel • Pittsburgh, PA • September 14-16, 2010

The Penn State Center–Engaging Pittsburgh and the Industrial Research Office are sponsoring the 14th Annual SSTI Conference. Pittsburgh becomes the first city to repeat as host of the conference (also hosted in 2001), which draws a national and international audience of roughly 400 professionals. SSTI is a national nonprofit organization that leads, supports and strengthens efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation. The organization offers communication, education and research services that are needed to help build tech-based economies. The annual conference attracts policy makers, government officials, economic development leaders, academicians and technology transfer professionals from around the U.S. and abroad.

www.ssticonference.org

upcoming events

University Turbine Systems Research WorkshopNittany Lion Inn • State College, PA • October 19-21, 2010

The DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is hosting its annual workshop at the Nittany Lion Inn from October 19-21. Current topics on the agenda include hydrogen turbine development for IGCC with CCS, smart grid implications for gas turbine tech-nology, perspectives on legislative activity from the Gas Turbine Association, perspectives on R&D needs for GT power generation in a carbon constrained world, and molecular dynamics modeling and advanced power generation applications.

www.netl.doe.gov/events/10conferences/utsr

High Performance Building Systems workshopThe Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel • State College, PA • September 9-10, 2010

The fall 2010 workshop of the Penn State Center for High Performance Building Systems (CHiPBS) will focus on current research projects underway as well as plans for future projects related to High Performance Building Systems (HPBS) technologies, integrated design, and deep retrofit.

The goal of the CHiPBS research is to position members as the leading global providers of HPBS design processes, design tools, innovative building materials, component, subsystem, and dynamic control technologies. Cost for the workshop is free for Penn State employees and students and CHiPBS members, and $65 for all others. Register online by Thursday, September 2.

www.research.psu.edu/events/chipbs

community wind Across America conferenceThe Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel • State College, PA

November 30 - December 1, 2010

This regional conference will bring agriculture and wind energy together to advance opportunities for locally-owned clean energy production and rural economic development. Attendees will share experiences and information to harness the growing momentum for new models, new policies, and new projects. We will:

• Present and discuss innovative financial models and business structures for community wind energy development.

• Identify public policies that benefit community wind energy and address barriers to its expansion.

• Further the dialogue on how to add value for communities from wind development through enhanced participation, ownership, business opportunities, and local benefits.

• Convene experts to provide practical tools and sound information on how to develop community wind projects and small wind turbines.

The conference is recommended for farmers, ranchers, rural landowners, economic development professionals, elected officials, business leaders, tribal representatives, investors, bankers, town planners, community leaders and any other interested individuals.

www.windustry.org/cwaa

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Page 8: Summer 2010 - Penn State Industrial Research Office Newsletter

IMAGINATION: A Robust Image-based CAPTCHA Generation SystemInventors: James Wang, Professor of Information Science and Technology; Jia Li, Associate Professor of StatisticsPenn State Invention Disclosure No. 3125

BackgroundWebsites have often been attacked by malicious programs that register on a massive scale. This has driven many websites to require an authentication process whereby a test is given to tell humans and computers apart to help prevent automated use of the website by computers. When a computer pro-gram is able to generate such tests and evaluate the result, it is known as a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart). CAPTCHA-based security helps to ensure that such attacks are not possible without human intervention, which in turn makes them ineffec-tive. A CAPTCHA acts as a security mechanism by requiring a correct answer to a question which only a human can answer any better than a random guess. Most current CAPTCHAs are text-based and implementations can be found while registering for a new Yahoo! Account or signing up for PayPal. However, text-based CAPTCHAs are increasingly being broken into by using automated computers using object-recognition techniques with high accu-racies. This reduces the reliability of security protocols based on text-based CAPTCHAs.

Invention DescriptionWe have created a system for the generation of attack-resistant, user-friend-ly, image-based CAPTCHAs. This new IMAGINATION (IMAge Generation for INternet AuthenticaTION) system, produces controlled distortions on ran-domly chosen images and present them to the user in the form of a mosaic. The images are distorted in a way that precludes the use of state-of-the-art computer image recognition technologies. In a preferred implementation of our technology, we use a two step verification process. In the first step, the user clicks near the center of any picture in the mosaic. In the second step, the user is asked to identify a distorted image by selection from a list. This two-round click-and-annotate process makes the CAPTCHA user friendly and very effective. Technology can be tested at www.alipr.com/captcha.

Contact For Licensing InformationBradley Swope, Sr. Technology Licensing OfficerIntellectual Property OfficeThe Pennsylvania State [email protected] • 814-863-5987

Discover 250 more licensable technologies on our websitewww.research.psu.edu/technologies

The Innovation Park at Penn State

Featured InventionInnovation Park at Penn State is a 118-acre business park that provides companies with multiple real estate options and access to Penn State resources and the support services.

www.innovationpark.psu.edu

This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Penn-sylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employ-ment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, dis-ability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. Discrimination or ha-rassment against faculty, staff or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondis-crimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-2801, Tel (814) 865-4700/V, (814) 863-1150/TTY. U.Ed. RES 11-05.

Subscribe to the e-Edition of The IRON atwww.research.psu.edu/theiron.

The IRON is published three times per year: Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Industrial Research OfficeThe Pennsylvania State University119 Technology Center BuildingUniversity Park, PA [email protected]

Send comments or suggestions for The IRON to:Gregory Angle, [email protected] Associate

I n d u s t r i a l R e s e a r c h O f f i c e N e w s l e t t e rThe IRON

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