Award Data

A new optics technology platform will be developed that reduces the cost of dual-band short-wave infrared (SWIR) and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) optics for high-performance wide field of view (WFOV) imaging. The use of infrared optics has been increasingly adopted by the military, but the cost of wideband infrared optical systems remains a challenge. This study proposes to increase the available DOF ...

The primary technical objective of the proposed effort will be to investigate integration of optical gain medium with thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (TFLNOI) optical waveguides. Recent developments in crystal ion-sliced (CIS) TFLNOI have enabled a new class of electro-optic modulators and photonic integrated circuits with tighter mode confinement, a compact footprint, ultra-high bandwidth, ...

??????? The proposed effort aims to develop a technology platform that can deposit non-toxic infrared optical materials on existing substrates to refurbish MWIR and LWIR optical components. The challenge lies in matching the refractive index, dispersion, and partial-dispersion properties of the existing lens or optical substrate, which requires precise deposition of custom optical feedstock compos ...

As the proliferation of video sensors continues, it becomes increasingly difficult to simultaneously monitor available video feeds to extract meaningful information. While automated analytics tools help, there is value to having a single, integrated view of a scene - a composite of the available cameras. These cameras may have different resolutions, framerates, and fields of view while operating i ...

This project aims to develop additively manufactured gradient index (GRIN) lenses for wideband use in naval communications, radar, or electronic surveillance. The lenses will be made using nanocomposite materials, and direct print multi-materials additive manufacturing. The goal is to achieve at least a 10-to-1 bandwidth, with a wideband 2-40 GHz operation. The lenses will be thin and conformal wi ...

The munitions lifting assembly sunshade cover (Thermavent-SD) is a lightweight Static Dissipative (SD) cover system for use on the A/E32K-11 Munitions Lifting Assembly (MLA).  It is designed to provide >70% solar radiation blockage while functioning in a wide range of environments consistent with military operations.  The Thermavent-SD cover will be designed to be authorized for use by the Naval ...

Modern lithium ion batteries are known for their poor safety performance, with many reports of battery failure and fire having been reported. One of the major causes of battery fire is from the use of flammable solvents, such as organic carbonates, as the electrolyte. These hazards have long limited the usage of batteries in dangerous conditions, such as on the battlefield. To combat this issue, t ...

Commercial vacuum melting grew substantially in popularity in the 1950s in the demand for superalloys. The techniques remain popular in all high-performance metal due to their high level of control over composition, cleanliness, and homogeneity. The US Navy commonly uses Alloy 53 (AMS 6308) in safety critical applications such as helicopter rotors which is produced using a double vacuum melt VIM ( ...

Overwatch Imaging proposes to adapt its automated sensor control and image analysis capability from its commercial, AI/ML-enabled software to provide an automated surveillance and detection capability for the US Navy and other users from platforms equipped with full motion video (FMV) sensors. Overwatch Imaging has developed an automated maritime search software that controls FMV sensors to scan a ...

U.S. Coast Guard personnel monitoring radio transmissions of vessels at sea must be able to identify distress calls despite interference, degraded conditions, and the stressed speech of those in emergency situations. However, not all distress calls are genuine. Hoax calls can be intended as malicious pranks, due to intoxication, or to distract Coast Guard assets from other tasks such as drug inter ...