Award Data

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: Commercially available unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) are not well designed to meet requirements for many atmospheric measurement applications, including deployment from ships, long endurance, and low cost. Existing multi-rotor systems suffer from limited payload and endurance. Existing fixed wing systems offer improved endurance and payload, but require significant support h ...

A Multimodal Acoustic Tool for Inline Pipe Inspection 3/19/2018 The US energy transport pipeline system is a longstanding distribution network with most of its still standing pipes being installed between the 1950s–1970s. Due to degradation mechanisms, such as embrittlement, capable of causing a two-fold reduction in fracture toughness, pipe rupture is a major risk. Current nondestructive ins ...

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: NOAA is pursuing sustained, in-situ sensing technology to support improved atmospheric modeling of the upper ocean boundary environment, including the air-sea interface, during turbulent storms. Improved atmospheric modeling in this critical region will lead to better forecasting and support NOAA's mandate to protect property and save lives. Small, unmanned aircraft, equipped w ...

Our goal is to create a demonstrable software system that we call IntelliFusion, which fuses Connected Vehicle data with data from traditional inductive loop detectors and uses this data to improve traffic control at intersections across the country. Our work will improve the safety of intersections and improve the mobility of traffic through adaptive traffic control which uses data produced by I ...

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TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: NOAA and the National Weather Service maintain an immense network of automated maritime, surface, and upper-air observing stations throughout the world and at great expense. These automated stations provide regularly updated data for both short-term weather prediction and long-term climate models. Maritime and surface observations occur as frequently as every 10 to 20 minutes, ...

Proposal title: Broken Rail Detection from Flashing Rear End Device Broken rails are a common cause of mainline derailments and a particular concern given the increasing use of our rail system for passenger traffic and petroleum products. The progressive nature of the defects provides an opportunity for early detection of cracks before they become significant enough to cause a derailment. Unfortu ...

McQ will develop a complete conceptual design for a Buoy Guard System (BGS). This system will detect the presence of intruders at and on the buoy. It will initiate deterrent actions to persuade and force the intruders away from the buoy. It will also collect imagery and other data about the intruders and about their activities associated with the buoy. This data, along with the basic warning w ...

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: Creare proposes to develop a self-sustained small-scale power conversion system to power NOAA’s weather monitoring network stations located in harsh uninhabited locations. Our miniature heat engine will take advantage of the existing year-round thermal gradients found between water and air in Arctic regions. Our baseline approach is the development of a compact Turbo-Rankine ...

The objective of this DoT SBIR program is to further establish the technical foundation of low friction HybridSil® Slippery Overturn Automobile Protection (SOAP) coatings on concrete barriers for drastic reductions in vehicle rollover potential and significantly increased concrete impact durability thus, enabling the rapid commercial integration of these coatings. To meet this challenge, NanoSoni ...