Award Data

If given the opportunity, a terrorist organization such as al Qaeda could unleash Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) material in future attacks. Accordingly, future CBRN combat system requirements include an online network of traditional and non-traditional CBRN sensors to improve situation awareness and response to a CBRN event. The key to exploiting this advanced capability, h ...

Although the market clearly has several ride quality meters commercially available, the FRA wishes to investigate the possibility of designing a very compact and ultra portable ride quality meter (UPRQM) for allowing railroad inspectors to assess ride safety and quality on revenue trains as well as track locations responsible for the worst ride. Given the emergence of micro-electro-mechanical sys ...

In 2006, the FRA introduced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to enhance intra-train communications on Tier I passenger cars. This rulemaking would promote the safety of passengers and crew members in passenger train emergencies by enhancing FRA's regulations for passenger train emergency systems. The rulemaking specifically addresses passenger train emergency communication systems, includi ...

One of the causes of derailments occurs when the track gage is no longer compliant with the FRA track safety standards for gage measurments. Ensuring track gage is in compliance with the FRA track safety standards is therefore of paramount importance to the FRA. Currently, the FRA wishes to develop a non-contact track gage measurement system that overcomes the limitations of current systems (unr ...

A major obstacle to non-invasive treatment of brain injury and disease is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which prevents many intravenously injected therapeutics from being taken into the brain. In this program, Luna Innovations and Virginia Tech propose to develop a novel liposome-based delivery system capable of delivering any of a variety of neuroprotective agents of use against organophosphate ...

Maintaining a high level of visibility in ballistic visors and respiratory protection systems is very difficult under inclement operational conditions. In particular, the transparent lenses will fog up with high humidity in the environment or breathing. There have been significant efforts in the development of hydrophilic coatings that will ‘wet out’ in high humidity to prevent fogging on tr ...

This proposal seeks to produce a unique thermographic coating inspection system that is customized for the inspection of bridge coatings. This system uses active thermography where IR sources are used to provide controlled heating to a coating system. The presence of a defect in a coating system will result in differences in heat flow, which can be imaged with an infrared camera. An off-the-she ...

NanoGriptech LLC proposes to develop repeatable skin adhesives using technology inspired by the feet of geckos and insects. These adhesives will be integrated into full facemask respirators to reduce or replace head harness straps, which are currently used to hold the facemasks in place. Expected benefits are improved fit, resistance to shifting, improved sealing, and reduced discomfort and tiss ...

Planphoria will research, define and develp methods to turn our nation's roadways into a giant energy collection and transference system that produces low cost electrical energy close to point of use. Though roadway environmental conditions change, and different roadway requirements vastly differ from the requirements of other roadways, we will determine the feasibility of this concept by leading ...

This proposal describes the application of a mature nanotechnology-based crack arrest / structural repair technology as a novel crack arrestor tool for high-strength pipelines. The crack arrestor would comprise a thin layer or sleeve of electrodeposited nanocrystalline material applied to the outside of the pipe either in the coating mill during fabrication or in-field during or following constru ...