Publications and patents¶
Fusion¶
Tokamak automated maintenance patents¶
Techniques for removing a vacuum vessel from a tokamak and related systems and methods
Matthew Vernacchia, Theodore Wyeth, Patent US12488904B2, 2023.
Techniques for automated maintenance of a tokamak and related systems and methods
Brandon Sorbom, Robert Mumgaard, Daniel Brunner, Alexander Creely, Cody Dennett, Matthew Vernacchia, Caroline Sorensen, Theodore Wyeth, Patent US12456555B2, 2025.
Developed robotic tokamak vacuum-vessel replacement concept; simpler and faster than prior art; reduces power-plant downtime. I owned the concept-of-operations for separating the tokamak halves and rotating out the vessel, and drew key figures.
Matthew Vernacchia, Theodore Wyeth, Patent US12488904B2, 2023.
Techniques for automated maintenance of a tokamak and related systems and methods
Brandon Sorbom, Robert Mumgaard, Daniel Brunner, Alexander Creely, Cody Dennett, Matthew Vernacchia, Caroline Sorensen, Theodore Wyeth, Patent US12456555B2, 2025.
Developed robotic tokamak vacuum-vessel replacement concept; simpler and faster than prior art; reduces power-plant downtime. I owned the concept-of-operations for separating the tokamak halves and rotating out the vessel, and drew key figures.
Design, Fabrication, and Assembly of the SPARC Toroidal Field Model Coil¶
Rui Vieira, ... Matthew Vernacchia, ... Zachary Hartwig, IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, 2024.
A van-sized 20-tesla magnet, this model coil was the first large-scale demo of CFS's magnets. I built superconducting-tape-selection optimizer.
doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2024.3356571 (open access)
A van-sized 20-tesla magnet, this model coil was the first large-scale demo of CFS's magnets. I built superconducting-tape-selection optimizer.
doi.org/10.1109/tasc.2024.3356571 (open access)
Rocket-Propelled Aircraft¶
Low-Thrust Solid Rocket Motors for Small, Fast Aircraft Propulsion: Design and Development¶
Matthew Vernacchia, Kelly Mathesius, R. John Hansman, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, 2022.
Designed and tested ultra-slow-burn solid motors for kg-scale transonic UAVs; modeled motor + aircraft sizing.
doi.org/10.2514/1.b38104 (paid), (open access link)
Designed and tested ultra-slow-burn solid motors for kg-scale transonic UAVs; modeled motor + aircraft sizing.
doi.org/10.2514/1.b38104 (paid), (open access link)
Slow-Burn Ammonium Perchlorate Propellants with Oxamide: Burn Rate Model, Testing, and Applications¶
Matthew Vernacchia, Kelly Mathesius, R. John Hansman, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, 2021.
Developed adjustable-burn-rate solid rocket propellant. Measured burn rates in a "strand burner" and motor firings. Derived a novel model of oxamide's effect on burn rate.
doi.org/10.2514/1.B38106 (paid), (open access link)
Developed adjustable-burn-rate solid rocket propellant. Measured burn rates in a "strand burner" and motor firings. Derived a novel model of oxamide's effect on burn rate.
doi.org/10.2514/1.B38106 (paid), (open access link)
Development of low-thrust solid rocket motors for small, fast aircraft propulsion¶
Matthew Vernacchia, Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2020.
pdf available here
pdf available here
Development, modeling and testing of a slow-burning solid rocket propulsion system¶
Matthew Vernacchia, MS Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017.
pdf available here
pdf available here
Space Exploration¶
Strategies for reuse of launch vehicle first stages¶
Matthew Vernacchia, Kelly Mathesius, International Astronautical Congress, 2018.
pdf available here
pdf available here
Enabling deep space exploration with an in-space propellant depot supplied from lunar ice¶
Sophia Casanova, Jack Henry de Frahan, Vinicius Guimaraes Goecks, ... Matthew Vernacchia, ..., AIAA SPACE Forum, 2017.
DOI: 10.2514/6.2017-5376, pdf available here
DOI: 10.2514/6.2017-5376, pdf available here
The Lunarport concept, a launch and supply station for deep space missions¶
A comparative study of the two concepts elaborated at the 2017 Caltech Space Challenge.
Jerome Gilleron, Danielle DeLatte, Donal O’Sullivan, Pádraig Lysandrou, Joseph Sparta, Gary Li, ... Matthew Vernacchia, ..., IAA Symposium on the Future of Space Exploration Towards the Moon Village & Beyond, 2017.
Robotics¶
Systems and methods for obtaining user command from gaze direction¶
Matthew Vernacchia, US Patent 8 723 798, 2014. link
Gesture-based robot control with variable autonomy from the JPL BioSleeve¶
Michael T Wolf, Christopher Assad, Matthew Vernacchia, Joshua Fromm, Henna L Jethani, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2013.
DOI: 10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630718, pdf available here
DOI: 10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630718, pdf available here
Decoding static and dynamic arm and hand gestures from the JPL BioSleeve¶
Michael T Wolf, Christopher Assad, Adrian Stoica, Kisung You, Henna L Jethani, Matthew Vernacchia, Joshua Fromm, Yumi Iwashia, 2013.
DOI: 10.1109/AERO.2013.6497171
DOI: 10.1109/AERO.2013.6497171