"High performance motors are in extreme demand for use in navy underwater flow applications. Specifically, compact motors are needed that are conformable to unusual shapes and sizes, and can deliver higher torque and power than a similarly sized EM motor.A direct-drive smart material motor will be… More

Hydraulic actuators, with the associated hydraulic reservoir and high-pressure lines, perform the rudder-control actuation on the LCAC vehicle. Frequent maintenance and related costs are the primary driver in seeking an alternative self-contained electricactuator to take advantage of recent… More

A method is needed to measure the location of a submerged body relative to a tethered buoy. The application targeted in this proposal is unmanned crawling robots used to localize submerged mines and other targets. The crawlers require a 60-70 foot tether, creating a large error circle when… More

75353-Low cost, self-powered wireless sensors that never require battery changing or other maintenance are needed for U.S. industrial production lines, in cars and buildings, and power generation systems. Systems of these sensors will enable a revolution in industrial efficiency, safety, and… More

A method is needed to measure the location of a submerged body relative to a tethered buoy. The initial defined Navy need for this technology is underwater unmanned vehicles used in mine identification and neutralization. Crawling vehicles require a 60-70 foot tether, while swimming vehicles… More

KCF Technologies will develop compact Broadband Vibration Power Harvesting devices to enable Navy distributed wireless sensor systems. Building on KCF's ongoing work in low-cost vibration power harvesting for industrial wireless sensors, a primary technical advance is to develop a harvester with… More

KCF Technologies will develop an energy scavenging device as a component in the ankle of a lower extremity prosthetic limb. The component will be designed and demonstrated on a C-Leg, in collaboration with Otto Bock USA. The component will capture and store energy during normal activities such as… More

KCF Technologies will combine our experience in single-crystal piezoelectric devices and vibration power harvesting to develop ultra-compact vibration power harvesting devices to enable self-powered sensors on aircraft systems. Single-crystal piezoelectric materials enable this technology to meet… More

KCF Technologies, in collaboration with Star-H and Penn State ARL, will fabricate a tethered antenna to support two-way RF communication and GPS reception. In addition, the module will incorporate a "watch circle error" position correction using KCF Smart Tether sensors on the tether, to project… More

KCF Technologies is proposing to develop a novel tool for tracking the fatigue life of rotorcraft components. The tool will consist of a suite of wireless data acquisition sensors, diagnostic and prognostic fatigue life algorithms, and a data management system for storing and accessing component… More

In this Phase II project and included Options, KCF Technologies will further develop, produce and demonstrate ultra-compact power harvesting devices enabled by single-crystal piezoelectrics. This technology builds upon KCF's leadership in vibration power harvesting for industrial and shipboard… More

KCF Technologies will develop a sensor system for assessment of the health of Navy helicopter rotor components and management of their past, current, and projected life. Establishing this system will extend the life of components, reduce scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and improve aircraft… More

KCF Technologies is proposing to leverage our leadership in power harvesting to develop magnetic field harvesting devices for submarine wireless sensors. The project responds to a Navy opportunity for reducing sensor maintenance and installation cost by providing enabling technology for eliminating… More

KCF Technologies in partnership with Insitu, Inc. proposes an ultra-light, quasi-active noise control method for quiet Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's). The main motivation of this proposed effort is reducing the SPL's of the radiated tones of UAV's, since stealth is critical to the success of their… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to demonstrate an electro-active polymer-based energy harvesting system to power portable electronics and remote devices. As portable wireless electronics and wireless sensors become ubiquitous, their power sources (batteries) continue… More

The primary purpose of the KCF Technologies Retractable UUV Antenna Buoy with Smart Tether GPS is to allow RF communication and GPS position update for a UUV without surfacing the vehicle. This can be done periodically by alternately surfacing and retracting the antenna, or the antenna can remain… More

Application of wireless sensors in industrial markets is generally more technically challenging due to the need for a higher level of robustness and tolerance to harsh environmental conditions. Although numerous wireless sensor products exist for industrial wireless sensing, powering the sensors and… More

KCF Technologies in partnership with Stevens Institute of Technology proposes a desktop manufacturing, micro-robot unit to perform advanced adaptive energy harvesting material fabrication and assembly. The primary solution is based on Professor David Cappelleri"s micro-robot/micro-manipulation… More

OBJECTIVE: To provide innovative technologies and system components which increase the lifetime and utility of various systems within DTRA"s Tag, Track, and Locate (TTL) portfolio to combat weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The specific innovations sought under this topic are improved… More

KCF Technologies proposes to develop a robust and efficient sound generator for separation/isolation of aerosols. The critical limitations in the performance of conventional piezoelectric sound generators include degradation in performance over long periods of operation, poor electro-acoustic… More

This Phase II SBIR proposal is responsive to a Navy need for powering battery-free wireless sensors on submarines. The Phase I work effort that supports this proposal demonstrated that it is feasible to harvest power levels sufficiently high to power wireless sensors from perturbations in a… More

In this Phase II project and included Option, KCF Technologies"will further develop, produce and demonstrate ultra-light, quasi-active noise control method for quieting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The project will be used to fabricate a fully-integrated prototype to be installed in a… More

This Phase II SBIR proposal responds to a CBD need for improved Acoustically Enhanced Impaction (AEI) air purification in support of low pressure drop filtration. Prior to the SBIR Phase I effort, a first generation/benchmark (AEI) system developed by Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA)… More