Automakers in Europe and perhaps elsewhere may soon be using fasteners developed for the International Space Station and NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission to save weight. The European Space Agency's technology broker, MST Aerospace, has pushed bolts containing an internal strain-measurement sensor into the auto industry, where they may have applications in drive trains and axles. Manufactured by Germany's Intellifast, the bolts carry a small ultrasound sensor in their heads that provide direct uniform stress readings, instead of the scattered results obtained with a coupling liquid and external meter.
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