Award Data

There are many challenges in addressing the problem of Political Will. The first is developing a clear, complete, consensual definition of Political Will driven by both theory and field practice. But a larger challenge is deconstructing and unpacking the Political Science and Social Science concept of Political Will into its complex constituent elements in order to arrive at their computational, r ...

We currently have thousands of security cameras in the war zone. Automated Target Recognition (ATR) is essential for reducing the manpower required for monitoring the security cameras. Having human operators staring at video screens for hours at a time is not an effective use of our forces. ATR is a terrific force-multiplier since it reduces the number of security personnel required to monitor sur ...

The objective of the proposed effort is to develop a systematic approach for building reduced-order models (nonlinear coupled finite-degree-of-freedom equations) capable of reliably modeling and predicting limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) and using these models in LCO management procedures. The models will be developed by combining (a) physical observations from ground vibration, wind tunnel, and ...

Hearing protection for personnel working in high-noise environments presents an important challenge for the scientific and engineering community. Air Force maintenance personnel working in close proximity to operating jet aircraft can be exposed to sound levels approaching 150 dBA. At these levels, the attenuation provided by hearing protection devices (HPDs) is limited by bone-conducted sound th ...

We propose to embed quantum dots in resonant optical cavities to sharpen their spectral respone and provide a mechanism to spatially vary it across an infrared detector array. This project will combine the self-assembled-quantum-dot epitaxy expertise of Professor Towe's group at Carnegie Mellon University with the infrared focal plane array design, fabrication, and test expertise of QmagiQ. Phas ...

This Phase II STTR proposal continues development and implementation of novel powered prosthetic foot-ankle components for use by military and civilian personnel with lower-limb loss in typical military and civilian environments. A cost-effective, biomimetic, dynamic foot-ankle system is proposed that improves walking speed, gait metabolism, and prosthesis control compared to current passive foot ...

Power generation, power distribution and electric propulsion on ships and aerospace vehicles could be made smaller, lighter, more efficient, more versatile, and lower maintenance by operating these systems—partly or entirely—at cryogenic temperatures. Our goal is to demonstrate the advantages of cryogenic operation in regard to electronic components, specifically semiconductor devices (power d ...

Though low pressure plasmas have found wide applications in materials processing and play a key role in manufacturing semiconductor devices, operating the plasma at reduced pressure has several drawbacks. Vacuum systems are expensive and require maintenance. Load locks and robotic assemblies must be used to shuttle materials in and out of vacuum and essentially it is a batch process. Also the size ...