Execution of optimal guidance and control algorithms in real time with a microprocessor is possible using polynomial networks to store, in compact and almost instantly retrievable form, information about a large number of pre-computed optimum two-point boundary-value (tpbv)solutions. these solutions… More

The proposed research is for development of abductive and inductive reasoning algorithms that will aid in the development of flight control system (fcs) maintenance diagnostic systems and that will overcome many of the limitations of existing diagnostic technology. a focus of the effort will be the… More

To reduce rotorcraft-cabin noise and vibration via active anti-sound techniques this project investigates adaptive, nonlinear, polynomial network-prediction and noise-cancellation algorithms. in recent years, there has been a considerable amount of work on the use of statistica signal-processing… More

1Hull-mounted sonar sensors are subjected to a number of shipborne noise phenomena due to coupling through their mechanical mounts. Such noise is complex, composed primarily of engine noise, wave induced hull vibrations, and other hydrodynamic pressure-induced noise due to propeller cavitation and… More

The vibration signatures (mechanical, acoustic, and electromagnetic) produced by machine components may be used for machinery diagnostics. By regularly measuring vibration levels, defects can be detected and diagnosed before causing extensive damage or failure, a process known as predictive… More

The position control of aircraft is inherently a two-point boundary-value problem, and aircraft rate and attitude control are desirably treated as such. The aircraft maneuvers from an initial state vector at a given initial time to a final state vector at a given or optimiized final time. The final… More

Reconfigurable, flight control systems offer significant improvements in survivability, reliability, and maintainability of military aircraft and in the safety of flight operations of both military and commercial aircraft. however, on-line learning must be included to realize the full potential of… More

Technical advances made in related topics now point the way for optimum continuous, on-line, real-time, self designing flight control systems. These advances include (1) algorithms using neural networks to enhance on-line parameter estimation and continuous control reconfiguration, (2) analytically… More

Shipboard electrical casualty faults can produce destructive voltage transients and outages that impair ship capacity for casualty fight through. Recent work on relay algorithms to detect faults and coordinate multiple circuit protection devices (CPDs) has demonstrated high-speed relay algorithms… More

State-of-the-art real-time diagnostic systems generally consist of two integrated components: fault detection and fault classification (isolation) systems. Although such systems may be able to recognize failure precursors, they have no mechanism for exploiting diagnostic information for prognostic… More

Due to recent advances in high-performance rare earth magnet materials, permanent magnet (PM) machines are one of the fastest growing electrical machine markets. PM machines provide the excitation field without the significant excitation losses of field-excited machines, nearly eliminate rotor… More

Rotorcraft limit envelopes are complex and difficult for pilot compliance. Exceedances are unsafe and shorten useful life of the aircraft, while piloting that isn't close to limits cannot fully exploit performance capabilities. Accurate, automatic limit-onset prediction/detection would alert the… More

The control of high-performance aircraft presents a number of challenges including multiple nonlinear subsystems, rapidly changing dynamics, unstable and/or non- minimum-phase modes, and performance criteria that change as a function of mission or pilot preference. As a result, flight control laws… More

The Cesium vapor magnotometer and ground-penetrating radar senors currently used to identify subsurface Unexploded Ordnance locations also respond to underground clutter and anomalies. The ultimate objective of this project is to develop a classifier or discriminator that has the potential… More

Statistically sound approaches to making interfrences regarding simulation model validation, rather than reliance upon subjective appeal, are needed. Fundamentally, the question of interest is whether a model reflects reality to the required degree of accuracy. The utility (and hence validity) of… More

The central focus of the work proposed herein is the application of neural network estimation and classification methodologies to emergency medical care. On the pre-hospital scene, first-aid workers must, often in a matter of seconds with spare information at hand, make critical decisions… More

This proposal relates to autonomous guidance of air-to-surface miniaturized munitions and sub-munitions, including (1) a class of I-250 bombs and (2) a class of boosted kinetic energy penetrators. Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to demonstrate the advantages of optimum inverse guidance that… More

Simulation-based optimization techniques that enlist reinforcement learning controllers are ideally suited for complex and multi-objective optimization problems that cannot be solved easily using traditional techniques, especially when the stochastic natures or the environment, resources, and… More

American health care is in the midst of momentous change. Quality improvement principles are being used increasingly to enhance productivity and efficiency of health care delivery and to help contain costs. In producing patient outcomes and resource utilization measures, it is vital to control… More

Shipboard electrical casualty faults can produce destructive voltage transients and outages that impair ship capacity for casualty fight through. Recent work on relay algorithms to detect faults and coordinate multiple circuit protection devices (CPDs) has demonstrated high-speed relay algorithms… More

State-of-the-art real-time diagnostic systems generally consist of two integrated components: fault detection and fault classification (isolation) systems. Although such systems may be able to recognize failure precursors, they have no mechanism for exploiting diagnostic information for prognostic… More

Many modern systems rely on multiple innovative actuators and effectors to improve performance, versatility, and survivability. In systems where several actuators or actuator combinations are capable of affecting the behavior of a single controlled varaible, an opportunity exists to … More

American health care is in the midst of momentous change. Quality improvement principles are being used increasingly to enhance productivity and efficiency of health care delivery and to help contain costs. In producing patient outcomes and resource utilization measures, it is vital to control… More

Autonomous control of uninhabited air vehicles (UAVs) presents a number of challenges, including detecting failures across the entire flight regime/mission envelope, differentiating between behavioral changes due to failures and those due to uncertainties, real-time control law redesign, and… More

Flight test experience shows that for highly-agile controllers, pilots who do not -induced oscillations (PIOs) due to actuator rate limits and other system lags. The problem is further exacerbated in remotely-piloted vehicles where pilots… More

Not Available The IR Devices, Modules, and Materials Group at Structured Materials Industries (SMI) proposes the development of high efficiency tandem cells based on antimonide materials for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications. The structure of this device will be a dual-junction monolithic… More

Not Available In Phase I of the program, we will demonstrate fabrication of IR-transparent, dense, nanocrystalline (< 100 nm) aluminum oxide (Al2O3) discs by microwave sintering of nanopowder compacts. Such a material is a potential replacement for the more expensive sapphire (single crystal Al2O3)… More

Interest in increased flight safety, aircraft survivability, and performance improvements has led to significant advances in the design of adaptive fault tolerant (reconfigurable) control systems. However, there is a substantial gap between the researchand application of these methods. One reason… More

The proposed SBIR Phase II effort to develop a Personal Health and Fitness Wizard (PHFW) will, within the first year, year a fully functional Internet-based site the provides individual users with easily accessible, tailored guidance concerning theirpersonal health and fitness. The PHFW will to… More

The flight envelope for X-34 ranges from subsonic to hypersonic with altitudes up to 50 miles. Designing a guidance law that performs across this broad flight envelope presents several challenges. Robustness to uncertain aerodynamics is of paramount importance because of the sparse amount of wind… More

It is known that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) exposure causes seizures in animals and humans, although the mechanism by which this occurs is still incompletely understood. Oxygen toxicity is a concern, for example, in certain types of military divingoperations, as well in treating patients in clinical… More

A method is needed by which to identify elderly persons who fall frequently. There are presently no tools to objectively record fall frequency and severity in the home or nursing care environments. A device that could (at a minimum) be used to count fall frequency and record the times of fall events… More

Reconfiguration for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) presents a number of unique challenges not addressed in prior fixed-wing reconfigurable controls work, including the need to adapt trajectory profiles quickly to achieve revised mission objectives safely.Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) has teamed… More

Reconfiguration for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) presents a number of unique challenges not addressed in prior fixed-wing reconfigurable controls work, including the need to adapt trajectory profiles quickly to achieve revised mission objectives safely.Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) has teamed… More

Development and demonstration of a non-invasive and clinically practical device for quantifying resistance to passive motion in patients with muscle spasticity is proposed herein. Spasticity is a disabling consequence of disease or injury to the central nervous system and/or muscle, such as… More

The flight envelope for X-34 ranges from subsonic to hypersonic with altitudes up to 50 miles. Designing a guidance law that performs across this broad flight envelope presents several challenges. Robustness to uncertain aerodynamics is of paramount importance because of the sparse amount of wind… More

The flight envelope for X-34 ranges from subsonic to hypersonic with altitudes up to 50 miles. Designing a guidance law that performs across this broad flight envelope presents several challenges. Robustness to uncertain aerodynamics is of paramount importance because of the sparse amount of wind… More

Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) proposes an aggressive Phase I effort to develop novel adaptive, integrated guidance, control, and estimation algorithms for ballistic-missile interceptors with stringent hit-to-kill requirements. The approach combines recentadvances in nonlinear control (backstepping)… More

Permanent Magnet Motor (PMM) technology, already used in demanding applications by the U.S. Navy and by the oil drilling industry, may be expanded to replace electro-hydraulic steering gear on DDG 51 class ships. PMM steering can potentially provide suchbenefits as improved dynamic performance,… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Falls are a leading cause of disability and even death in the elderly. A method is needed by which to identify elderly persons who frequently experience falls or near falls (e.g., slips, stumbles, etc.). There are presently no tools to objectively record such… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): The goal of the research proposed herein is to develop a low-cost, user-friendly, computer-based imaging system for use by women to reduce anxiety and distress relating to alopecia (hair loss) prior to or following chemotherapy. It has been reported that 47%… More

The objective of the work proposed herein is to develop and demonstrate an approach for the fast protection of shipboard electrical power systems based on a novel high-speed relay (HSR) algorithm. The algorithm quickly and correctly detects and isolatesfaults, long before current levels reach… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Development and demonstration of a wireless system for measuring and recording surface myoelectric (EMG) activity is proposed herein. The system will use low-profile, low-power, Remote Sensor Units (RSUs) worn by the subject to pre-process, digitize, temporarily… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Development and demonstration of a wireless system for measuring and recording surface myoelectric (EMG) activity is proposed herein. The system will use low-profile, low-power, Remote Sensor Units (RSUs) worn by the subject to pre-process, digitize, temporarily… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Falls are a leading cause of disability and even death in the elderly. A method is needed by which to identify elderly persons who frequently experience falls or near falls (e.g., slips, stumbles, etc.). There are presently no tools to objectively record such… More

The ideal prognostic system would be generic, requiring no domain-specific knowledge for its application. The prognostic system must also perform across all operating regimes without generating an excessive number of false alarms, and must successfullydiagnose problems. The semi-empirical technique… More

The objectives of this SBIR Phase I research program are to design and implement an unobtrusive methodology that can be used to rapidly and easily predict individual and team cognitive readiness to perform critical missions. The methodology proposedherein provides a rich decisional framework for… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent research has demonstrated the utility of spatio-temporal gait measures in augmenting the prospective evaluation of fall risk in the elderly. Although significant gains in fall risk evaluation in clinical and community-dwelling settings appears to be… More

The Software Protection Initiative (SPI) calls for an ability to

Barron Associates' original high-speed relay (HSR) algorithm is currently in service in two power system fault detection and isolation products. These products are used in low-voltage, ungrounded systems with radial architectures. This STTR research program will result in three primary enabling… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the research proposed herein is to develop a low-cost, user-friendly, computer-based imaging system for use by women to reduce anxiety and distress relating to alopecia (hair loss) prior to or following chemotherapy. It has been reported that 47… More

Active flow control using synthetic jet actuators has been the subject of significant research in recent years due to its immense potential to expand the operating regimes of traditional aircraft and enable unconventional designs driven by nonaerodynamic operational considerations. Barron… More

As the complexity of flight controllers grows so does the cost associated with verification and validation (V&V). Current-generation controllers are already reaching a level of complexity that pushes the envelopes of existing V&V approaches, and there is little hope for affordable V&V of… More

Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to develop a novel on-line trajectory optimization approach for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) under failure scenarios, targeting alternative abort-landing sites. Key features of the proposed approach are: An innovative on-line optimization approach: By describing… More

To remain competitive, the US aerospace industry must continually improve system performance (e.g. increased adaptation and autonomy), enhance safety (e.g., fault tolerant systems), and reduce costs. These improvements demand avionics software that is orders of magnitude more complex than that used… More

Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) proposes to develop an affordable assistive technology in the form of a motorized joystick with position sensors and associated software that will permit the remediably disabled to operate computers, household appliances, machinery, powered wheelchairs, and other… More

Under this STTR Phase I program, we propose to develop and demonstrate dual-use Reconfigurable Electrical Power System (REPS) technology that will provide the intelligence and capability to automatically and dynamically reconfigure naval and commercial marine shipboard power systems (SPSs) while… More

The Software Protection Initiative (SPI) calls for an ability to "lock-down or authenticate" a particular application executable to a specific computing platform. Current practices to achieve this capability include (1) electronic licensing protocols, (2) hardware dongles, (3) disk volume IDs and,… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent advances in the size and performance of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based inertial instruments enable the development of a prosthesis to provide information about head motion to vestibulopathic patients. One class of candidate users is… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research involves the development of an efficient, portable, personal digital assistant (PDA) to assist physicians and other medical personnel assess pain. Item response theory (IRT) and computerized adaptive testing (CAT) are the core… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Instruments to assess food intake and dietary habits are used in a variety of research settings. Examples of such instruments include: (1) food frequency questionnaires, in which individuals are asked to report their normal intake frequency for specific foods… More

Thermal imaging of the face and head for the purpose of deception detection has shown significant promise in recent studies. This technique could be used to enhance polygraph examinations and, because it is noninvasive, could also potentially be used for mass screening at critical security… More

A primary obstacle that must be overcome in order for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to be able to provide valuable service to the fleet is the need for maintenance personnel onboard the vessel. Failure of a single key component that could easily be replaced or repaired on a manned vessel could… More

Supercavitation is a state in which a gas cavity substantially encompasses a body immersed in a liquid. The consequence for underwater bodies is that drag over the non-wetted surface is drastically reduced, and this can be exploited to develop rapid reaction defensive weapons for submarines. In… More

As the Navy expands its presence in shallow coastal waters, new technologies are required to address the precise and aggressive maneuvering desirable for many littoral mission scenarios. This translates directly to higher performance requirements for a ship's guidance, navigation, and control… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The combined adverse health effects of obesity, physical inactivity, and poor diet are well established and are thought to be associated with at least 20 different diseases and health disorders. Furthermore it has been estimated that obesity, sedentary lifestyle,… More

The oculomotor response to angular head movement, or the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), is a measure of the accuracy of communication between the inner ear and the eyes that has been demonstrated for head rotation in yaw, pitch, and roll. Current "high-frequency" VOR testing methods are… More

As the complexity of flight controllers grows, so does the cost associated with verification and validation (V&V). Current-generation controllers are already reaching a level of complexity that pushes the envelopes of existing V&V approaches, with little hope for affordable V&V of next-generation… More

Next-generation aerospace systems will require increased autonomy to modify system behavior based on changing mission requirements, environmental factors, and system performance. For example, intelligent systems have been employed to improve safety by adaptively compensating for unexpected failures… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An easy to use, low-cost system is needed for measuring and assessing gait kinematic parameters for purposes of screening for fall risk in clinical settings (e.g., physician's offices) and senior-care facilities, as well as for use by researchers. Such a system… More

The U.S. Navy is currently developing Unmanned Sea Surface Vehicles (USSVs) that could potentially perform vital functions, such as fleet security and mine reconnaissance. A primary obstacle that must be overcome in order for USSVs to provide valuable service to the fleet is the lack of maintenance… More

The control of modern underwater vehicles presents a number of challenges, including significant nonlinearities in the vehicle dynamics and a potentially large suite of control effectors with widely differing properties. Current generation control architectures for submarines are often… More

A high-speed supercavitating torpedo is an advanced weapons concept under consideration by the US Navy. Supercavitation is a state in which a gas cavity substantially encompasses a body immersed in a liquid, and the consequence for underwater bodies is a marked drag reduction over the non-wetted… More

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is the Department of Defense's next generation strike aircraft, featuring advanced airframe, logistics, avionics, propulsion, stealth, and firepower systems. With a focus on cost reduction, the JSF Program is being developed with integrated Prognostics and Health… More

Wind shear, icing, wake vortices from ship superstructures or other aircraft, actuator malfunctions, or component failures can all contribute to upset conditions. For piloted aircraft, prevention of or recovery from these events is challenging because of the nonlinear dynamics encountered at angles… More

Next generation U.S. Navy shipboard control systems are being designed to provide much higher levels of machinery automation than their predecessors. The U.S. Navy is investing in these sophisticated systems with expectations of improved system performance and reliability. Moreover, reductions in… More

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is envisioned as a comprehensive system for detecting and isolating failures, recommending condition-based maintenance (CBM), and estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of critical components. Barron Associates, Inc.… More

The remote identification of surfaced swimmers in a harbor environment is a critical requirement for a comprehensive waterside security system. This requirement can be clearly divided into detection and classification objectives. Detection in this context means identifying the presence of a target… More

There is a recognized need to monitor the medical condition (i.e., physical and mental health) of soldiers and veterans recovering from battle-related injuries to detect problems with their recuperation. In particular, a low-cost, noninvasive "trip-wire" system is required that functions as a… More

The fundamental objective of the research effort proposed herein is to provide guidance to combat medics in making field treatment and triage decisions. Combat medics must prioritize patients according to the need for: (1) immediate medical intervention, and/or (2) immediate evacuation and surgical… More

DARPA wishes to develop an orthogonal communication system that is impervious to interference. This system must provide covert communication capabilities for tactical environments in the L and S bands. To this end, Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) proposes to investigate Sub-Space Hopped Orthogonal… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Barren Associates, Inc. proposes to develop the Telecare (TLC) home monitor, a system targeted for use by physicians and home service providers that care for elderly individuals. The TLC monitor will track the frequency of occurrence of fall and near-fall… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Noninvasive and unobtrusive instrumentation is needed to monitor individuals in clinical and natural settings for such purposes as monitoring for medication side effects, monitoring post-operative and chronic patients, and for diagnosing and treating various… More

A morphing aircraft tailors its configuration to optimize performance at very dissimilar flight conditions. To lay the foundation for a truly multi-role aircraft, research efforts are currently focusing on technologies that enable substantial changes to the wing configuration, including 200 percent… More

As the complexity of flight controllers grows so does the cost associated with verification and validation (V&V). Current-generation controllers are reaching a level of complexity that pushes the envelopes of existing V&V approaches, and without improved approaches there is little hope for… More

Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) and its subcontractor, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), propose to develop an autonomous health monitoring system capable of diagnosing system failures and predicting the remaining life of hybrid propulsion vehicle systems. The research and development effort will… More

Active flow control using synthetic jet actuators has been the subject of significant research in recent years. Modulated input signals to achieve flow control objectives have been shown to be highly nonlinear and complex. Developing a comprehensive, wind tunnel-validated model of synthetic jet… More

As the complexity of flight controllers grows so does the cost associated with verification and validation (V&V). Current-generation controllers are reaching levels of complexity that push the envelopes of existing V&V approaches, and further increases in controller complexity are required to… More

Morphing air vehicles constitute an emerging class of aircraft capable of substantial changes in geometry during flight enabling improved performance characteristics and smaller fleets of versatile vehicles. The proposed effort will develop advanced control technologies for morphing aircraft that… More

"Black-box" attacks have the potential to significantly diminish the technological advantage of the U.S. military while requiring relatively modest resources on the part of an adversary. The "black-box" attack is an attempt to understand the functionality of a system from an input-output… More

The Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) provides the U.S. Navy with the latest digital tactical reconnaissance capability. The SHARP can be mounted on multiple airborne platforms and utilizes an electro-optical/infrared sensor system to provide high resolution imagery in support of time sensitive… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary/Abstract Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to develop a Telephone Monitor for the Elderly (TELEHOME), a low-profile, waist-worn, wireless personal monitor with built-in speakerphone. Functions provided by the TELEHOME system include: (1)… More

Barron Associates and Dr. Ping Lu of Iowa State University propose to develop adaptive guidance and trajectory generation algorithms covering ascent, entry, and terminal flight phases for next generation space vehicles. These algorithms will be developed for both onboard implementation and for a… More

The increased aircraft safety potential of active flow control using synthetic jets - specifically, using synthetic jets on the leading edge of the wing to delay flow separation - is of critical importance. Delaying flow separation could allow an aircraft to recover from adverse conditions that… More

An adaptive flight control concept is proposed to better compensate for disturbances on the rotorcraft due to ship airwake effects and the moving ship deck during helicopter or tiltrotor shipboard operations. The flight controller could ultimately be used on a fully autonomous system or in a… More

Because flutter can lead to catastrophic failure of the aircraft structure, reliable prediction of the aeroelastic behavior of the aircraft is vitally important to provide information about the boundaries of the flight envelope outside which the aircraft is susceptible to flutter. In spite of major… More

A simulation tool will be developed to study multiple pursuit/evasion problems. The approach will be hier-archical, with a central command element that communicates with sensor components to process surveil-lance modes, implement target tracking, direct interceptor assignments, and command launch… More

The Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) provides the U.S. Navy with the latest digital tactical reconnaissance capability. NAVAIR wishes to make SHARP data available to a larger number of surface terminals, thus expanding the SHARP Close Air Support mission capability. Coupled with concurrent… More

Military operations in littoral and riverine environments are increasingly important, and unmanned underwater riverine craft (UURC) are likely to play a key role in such operations providing surveillance, delivering payloads (including human divers), etc. Operation in the riverine environment,… More

Model-based machinery diagnostic and prognostic techniques depend upon high-quality mathematical models of the plant. Modeling uncertainties and errors decrease system sensitivity to faults and decrease the accuracy of failure prognoses. However, the behavior of many physical systems changes… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of the proposed RandD program is to develop and demonstrate a new approach for objectively measuring the functional impact of pain, and changes thereto, during the course of a patient's treatment. The a pproach is intended to be a supplement to… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Due to improvements in obstetrical and neonatal care, and an associated decrease in perinatal mortality, as well as increased risks associated with in vitro fertilization procedures, the number of preterm (lt 37 weeks p ostmenstrual age) very low birth weight (lt… More

For manned aircraft, loss of control during flight is a major cause for aviation accidents; for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the dangers associated with upset recovery are greater due to (a) the increased likelihood that a smaller aircraft will experience an upset in the first place, and (b) the… More

The remote identification of surfaced swimmers in a harbor environment is a critical requirement for a comprehensive waterside security system. This requirement can be clearly divided into detection and classification objectives. Detection in this context means identifying the presence of a target… More

Under this SBIR effort, NAVAIR wishes to "maximize the effective use of TAC RECCE imagery data for use in multi-sensor fusion and target cuing" by supplementing the legacy SHARP system with a FORCEnet-compatible communication capability. The expanded FORCEnet functionality will greatly increase the… More

The proposed SBIR Phase I plan of research seeks to develop and demonstrate an integrated architecture designed to compensate for combined propulsion, airframe, effector, and structural damage caused by catastrophic system failure or an intentionally hostile act. Whereas prior damage-adaptive… More

A prototype Rapid Mission Planning and Operations software tool is being developed in the Phase I ef-fort. It is proposed here to continue this effort, greatly maturing the software tool and establishing its benefits in a real-world, high-fidelity mission planning demonstration. We refer to this… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this multi-phase SBIR research effort is to create a PDA-based instrument for the comprehensive assessment of chronic pain (i.e., the location, quality, intensity, distress, interference, and beliefs dimensions) that offers improved accuracy… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research involves the development of assistive technology that is based upon a force-feedback joystick. The Barron Associates Joystick Appliance (BAJA) is targeted at individuals with neuromuscular problem s in their arms and/or hands and will… More

Increasingly, enemy forces employ technologies that either depend on RF communications or produce detectable RF signatures. Thus, there are many types of RF signals and signatures that can be detected over a variety of different frequency bands and environments by RF sensors. When received, this… More

It is well-understood that actuator nonlinearities, such as free-play, can induce limit cycle oscillations (LCO) in otherwise stable closed-loop systems. In flight control systems, free-play specifications are often set conservatively in order to preclude free-play-induced LCO. However,… More

The ability to accurately anticipate target behavior on the basis of surveillance data is critical in many military and civilian contexts. Information regarding target behavior may be drawn from a variety of sources, each of which suffers from uncertainties in the form of noise, inaccuracies, and… More

Vehicle fuel efficiency is a complex function of many variables, including vehicle condition, vehicle loading, engine condition, terrain, fuel type, and driving style. High fuel costs increase the need to optimize fuel efficiency with respect to as many variables as possible. An affordable,… More

Advanced diagnostic systems have the potential to improve safety, increase availability, and reduce maintenance costs in aerospace vehicle and a variety of other mechanical system. Numerous recent research efforts have produced a variety of diagnostic algorithms that show significant promise, but… More

The overall objective of this STTR effort is to evaluate and demonstrate the potential for well-designed, strategically-located synthetic jet actuators to provide improved aircraft safety by: (1) delaying wing stall and improving aircraft controllability at high angles of attack and (2) providing… More

Over the past decade, researchers have been making great strides in the development of algorithms that detect and compensate for damaged aircraft. Before these algorithms can be used in civil aviation, progress is needed to (a) ensure that these innovative and frequently non-deterministic… More

Aircraft research, development, and testing programs require high-fidelity simulations and aerodynamic models. However, once flight testing begins the process of updating the simulation to match flight-test results is often ad hoc, labor intensive, and costly. Recent research has been investigating… More

Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are presently restricted from operating within the vast National Airspace System (NAS) covering most of North America. The proposed effort seeks to develop FAA-certifiable collision avoidance and separation assurance algorithms that guarantee safe interoperation of… More

The overall objective of this research program is to improve the affordability, survivability, and service life of next generation aircraft through the use of ADAPT --- an integrated adaptive diagnostic and prognostic toolbox. The specific focus of the research effort is adaptive diagnostic and… More

TCDL systems provide forward-deployed ground and airborne platforms with high-rate communication capabilities, supporting vital tactical data links. Currently, omni-directional TCDL antennas employed on airborne platforms maintain link closure for level flight, but struggle to maintain the link… More

The strength of the United States military is highly dependent upon the continued superiority of intellectual resources and technology in the battle arena. Emerging trends indicate that fewer students are pursuing education in the sciences and technology. In an effort to reverse this trend,… More

There is a need for a computing infrastructure that supports the power, weight, security, and certification requirements of the growing UAV community. To address this need, Barron Associates will develop a fault-tolerant platform, suitable for eventual certification, providing security and… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research involves the development of assistive technology that is based upon a force-feedback joystick. The Barron Associates Joystick Appliance (BAJA) is targeted at individuals with neuromuscular problem s in their arms and/or hands and will… More

The potentially catastrophic results of entering the flutter regime mean that flutter flight testing of aircraft carries significant risk, and accurate predictions of flutter behavior are highly valuable. Recent advances have yielded aeroelastic models that are quite accurate, but these models are… More

The Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) provides the U.S. Navy with the latest digital tactical reconnaissance capability. NAVAIR wishes to make SHARP data available to a larger number of surface terminals, thus expanding the SHARP Close Air Support mission capability. Coupled with concurrent… More

A prototype adaptive flight control concept was developed in Phase I which better compensates for dis-turbances on the rotorcraft due to ship airwake effects and the moving ship deck during helicopter or tiltrotor shipboard operations. It is proposed to further mature the algorithms associated with… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed research program focuses on the development of a wireless Small Animal Physiological Monitor (SAM). The SAM system will provide the capability to monitor up to 32 laboratory animals (initially rats and mice ) simultaneously, with continuous… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this multi-phase SBIR research effort is to develop a handheld fall risk assessment instrument for use by health and elder care providers. Falls occur in up to 30% of those over the age of 65 and up to 40% for people over the age of 80. Falls… More

The potential benefits of advanced algorithms for diagnostics and prognostics, inner-loop control, and other flight critical systems have been demonstrated in a number of research efforts. Because many of the new algorithms differ significantly from the approaches used in most operational vehicles,… More

Flight in the hypersonic regime is critical to NASA's goals because access to earth orbit and re-entry from orbit to earth or to other planets with atmospheres require flight through this regime. Hypersonic flight poses a wide array of difficulties, including significant guidance and control… More

It is well-understood that actuator nonlinearities, such as free-play, can induce limit cycle oscillations (LCO) in otherwise stable closed-loop systems. In flight control systems, free-play specifications are set conservatively in order to preclude free-play-induced LCO. However, conservative… More

Aircraft research, development, and testing programs require high-fidelity simulations and aerodynamic models. However, once flight testing begins the process of updating the simulation to match flight-test results is often ad hoc, labor intensive, and costly. Recent research is investigating… More

The ability to accurately anticipate target behavior on the basis of surveillance data is critical in many military and civilian contexts. Information regarding target behavior may be drawn from a variety of sources, each of which suffers from uncertainties in the form of noise, inaccuracies, and… More

Many roadblocks exist to bringing promising synthetic jet actuator flow control technology to fruition in a military application, including environmental sensitivity, scalability to a full-size aircraft, narrow dynamic range, and variability of performance between nominally identical actuators due… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Recent advances in the size and performance of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based inertial instruments enable the development of a balance prosthesis to provide feedback regarding head orientation to patients with chronic balance dysfunction. There is… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This SBIR Phase I application addresses the development of an integrated, multi-purpose Sleep and Physical Activity Recording and Technical Analysis (SPARTA) system that can be used to independently assess both sleep (d uration, quality, and timing) and physical… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Obstructive sleep-disordered breathing (OSDB) is common in children and is now recognized as having substantial neurocognitive, neurobehavioral, and cardiovascular consequences. There are major limitations in diagnosing OSDB in children, who often do not have… More

SBIR Topic N092-093 clearly describes the roadblocks that must be overcome in order to provide 3D surface mapping of corrosion on complex curved surfaces. Barron Associates and Southwest Research Institute propose innovations in sensing, control, and signal processing that will serve as the… More

Optimal seafloor mapping via an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) requires the solution and integration of two underlying problems: (1) autonomous underwater navigation and path planning and (2) accurate seafloor sensing and map construction. Each of these problems has been studied extensively;… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The majority of elders prefer to lead an independent lifestyle, with a minimum of caregiver intervention. Many seniors, however, are frail and suffer from imbalance as a result of their health status; they are at risk f or falls and would benefit from having some… More

The Barron Associates/Virginia Tech team believes that intelligent use of ambient riverine environmental factors together with novel drifter design and low-energy articulation is the key to enabling large non-overlapping river coverage. The proposed phase I research program focuses on (1)… More

Hot Corrosion of turbine engine components has been studied for many years. The underlying mechan-isms of Type I Hot Corrosion and Type II Hot Corrosion are increasingly well-understood. Nickel-based superalloys have shown strong resistance to high temperature oxidation attack and, of course,… More

For manned aircraft, loss of control in flight and controlled flight into terrain are two main causes for aviation accidents. Recently, the authors have developed systems that autonomously execute recovery strategies to rapidly restore nominal flight without overcommanding the aircraft, exacerbating… More

Barron Associates, in partnership with the University of Washington, proposes integrating a small vibrating element into an EVA glove to create a surrogate for the tactile sense lost behind the insulating and protective layers. This vibrotactile display will stimulate the neuro-receptors in the… More

Flight deck systems, like many safety critical systems, often involve complex interactions between multiple human operators, automated subsystems, and physical structures. Individual components are extensively evaluated and are often redundantly deployed, so catastrophic failures predominately arise… More

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) brings significant advancements to the current management of the National Airspace (NAS). These fundamental changes have significant implications for safety and security, which, in turn, require new, more flexible techniques for the… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed Phase II research program focuses on the development of a wireless Small Animal Physiological Monitor (SAM). The SAM system will provide the capability to monitor up to 16 laboratory animals (initially rats and mice) simultaneously, with continuous… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to develop a TELEpHOne Monitor for the Elderly (TELEHOME), a low-profile, body-worn, wireless personal monitor with built-in speakerphone. Functions provided by the TELEHOME system inclu de: (1) monitoring/alerting for fall… More

Barron Associates Incorporated proposes development of a hybrid satellite threat and anomaly diagnostics system that leverages the advantages of constraint-based inference engines as well as specialized quantitative model-based and process history-based techniques. The hybrid methodology… More

The United States Air Force has a clear need for new unmanned assets that integrate with current assets in a mixed-initiative framework. The autonomy required by such assets, combined with the elevation of many mission-critical applications to flight-critical status, levies significant additional… More

The overall goal of the proposed research effort is the development of APICS - an Adaptive Platform-Independent Control System for launch and recovery of submersible remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). APICS will operate in constant tension mode during launch and recovery and also in active heave… More

An affordable, retrofittable vehicle performance and fuel economy maximization system would have widespread application to military tactical and non-tactical ground vehicles as well as commercial vehicles. Barron Associates, Inc. and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) conducted a successful Phase I… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Convergence disorders and refractive amblyopia are among the most common and treatable vision problems seen in general optometric clinical practice. Oce- and home-based vision therapy (OBVT and HBVT, respectively) are s tandard treatments for such disorders.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is responsible for more than 500,000 hospitalizations and over 100,000 deaths in the United States annually. COPD is currently the fourth leading cause of death; it is projected to become the third leading cause of… More

Numerous advances have been made in recent years in the areas of flight deck design, aircraft modeling, resilient control, and vehicle health management. The combination of these complementary technologies promises to revolutionize aircraft systems and operations safety in the decades ahead. … More

Hot Corrosion of turbine engine components has been studied for many years. The underlying mechan-isms of Type I Hot Corrosion and Type II Hot Corrosion are increasingly well-understood. Modern turbine engine designs that seek to achieve better fuel efficiency in part by increasing turbine inlet… More

Building on our successful Phase I Tactile Data Entry program, Barron Associates proposes development of a Glove-Enabled Computer Operations (GECO) system to permit suited crewmembers to perform virtual keyboard/mouse interactions using an instrumented EVA glove. The Phase II system will use… More

Loss of control is a significant cause of aviation accidents attributed to a large percentage of fatalities in the commercial aviation sector. Recently, Barron Associates, Inc. (BAI) has developed a system for unmanned aerial vehicles that autonomously executes recovery strategies to rapidly restore… More

The United States air transportation system is not performing adequately even as aircraft operations increase. To address this problem, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Joint Planning and Development Office are developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). NextGen… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Convergence disorders and refractive amblyopia are among the most common and treatable vision problems seen in general optometric clinical practice. Oce- and home-based vision therapy (OBVT and HBVT, respectively) are standard treatments for such disorders.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Due to improvements in obstetrical and neonatal care, and an associated decrease in perinatal mortality, as well as increased risks associated with in vitro fertilization procedures, the number of preterm (lt 37 weekspostmenstrual age) very low birth weight (lt … More

"Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to develop the Rugged Automated Training (RAT) system, a cost-effective, rugged, automated environment to train and deploy small animals to detect landmines and other compounds of interest, and to evaluate their performance. The RAT system will train animals… More

A key barrier to expanding the missions performed by UASs is ensuring safe interoperation with other manned and unmanned vehicles. In critical avoidance scenarios, UASs in autonomous flight do not currently employ the same level of situational awareness and decision-making offered by a human pilot… More

ABSTRACT: Barron Associates, Inc. proposes to develop a foundational capability for unifying distributed heterogeneous surveillance data sources, producing and delivering highly refined results contextualized across the entire battlespace in real time. This project will result in a framework that… More

Barron Associates, Inc. has proposed a unique and innovative design for precision-guided sonobuoy delivery. The basic glide harness design uses a novel split wing design that maximizes both wing area and span in a concise package, thus greatly improving the aerodynamic performance and range… More

Barron Associates and its team propose a novel system design that facilitates autonomous inspection of arbitrarily-shaped tanks, voids and other structures. The portable system is designed to reduce labor and cost to the Navy from required repeated inspections and allows inspection of tanks or voids… More

ABSTRACT: Barron Associates Incorporated proposes flight hardware implementation and on-orbit demonstration of our hybrid methodology for threat and fault diagnosis. The effort advances the readiness of critical technologies for autonomous threat/anomaly detection and isolation through modeling,… More

The overall objective of this Phase II research is the development of an automated system capable of obtaining images of potentially corroded airframe components at micron-scale resolution. In Phase I, the research team of Barron Associates, Inc. and its subcontractor, Southwest Research Institute… More

Launch and recovery of tethered remotely operated submersible vehicles is a challenging engineering problem requiring careful design and integration of hardware, software, and control algorithms. As succinctly described in the solicitation for SBIR topic N093-215, manual operation of the launch and… More

Dropsondes are one of the primary atmospheric measurement tools available to researchers. Current dropsondes are deployed with a free fall parachute trajectory, allowing no flight path control and requiring the deployment aircraft to fly close to the target. Adding a guided range capability to the… More

Loss-Of-Control-In-flight (LOC-I) has been a longstanding contributor to fatal aircraft accidents. However, recent high-profile incidents, including Colgan Air Flight 3407 and Air France Flight 447, have underscored the importance of mitigating the LOC-I risk. In both of these incidents, it is clear… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Falls and fall-related injuries in seniors are more common than strokes and can have equally serious consequences; they represent a signicant health care problem with a substantial associated morbidity and reduction inoverall mobility and function. Thirty percent… More

Limb loss affects approximately 1.9 million people in the United States, 400,000 of whom have amputations above the knee. It is well established that lower-limb amputees show greater metabolic demands during gait and more limited mobility compared to non-disabled individuals. At present, there is no… More

ABSTRACT: In the proposed Fusion of Information for Response to Space Threats (FIRST) program, Barron Associates will develop an autonomous software agent for the on-board fusion of anti-satellite (ASAT) threat information. FIRST enables autonomous ASAT assessment and response by rapidly providing… More

ABSTRACT: The overall objective of this effort is to develop the system architecture and embedded algorithms for intelligent store launch capability in the next generation of smart bomb racks. Barron Associates is teaming with Nielsen Engineering (NEAR) to investigate options for dynamically… More

Barron Associates has teamed with Professor Alfred Gates to develop a unique armament that launches from the barrel of a M320, deploys aerodynamic surfaces to become an efficient high-speed glider, and finally transitions to a hovering configuration capable of remote reconnaissance and surveillance.… More

Barron Associates proposes to develop and demonstrate algorithms for detecting events involving one or more objects in a sensor data stream and mechanisms for post-deployment training of those algorithms by analysts. The algorithm training approach will be highly efficient, requiring minimal… More

Barron Associates, Inc. has developed a unique and innovative design for precision-guided sonobuoy delivery. A compact glide-kit encloses the sonobuoy and deploys aerodynamic surfaces in-flight to provide glide and maneuver capability. The glide-kit fits within a compact design volume and has… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Virtual Occupational Therapy Assistant (VOTA) leverages advances in human motion tracking, multi-user virtual environments, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to provide cost effective clinical rehabilitation and teletherapy options for the… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Every year approximately 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), one of the most common neuromuscular diseases. The disease ultimately affects nearly all voluntary muscles, and patients typically lose the ability… More