Award Data

In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the University of Michigan (UM) detail the development of a compact, portable, and low cost in-process weld defects detection system. Key innovations of the proposed system include: a) weld defects monitoring based on plasma emission characteristics; b) use the electron temperature of the plasma as an indicator of the weld quality, c) use multiple plasma ...

The proposed SBIR Phase I program is to develop a novel nanobulb flotation method with high efficiency and rare earth mineral recovery rate comparing to conventional methods. Significant efforts will focus on the studies of fundamental surface chemistry o

In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. details the development of a novel, low cost and handheld microwave sensor for the detection and evaluation of incipient composite heat damage. The merits of the proposed sensor and its advantages over other techniques are listed below: a) Compact, handheld and low cost, b) Sensitive for incipient heat damage detection, c) Capable of quantitative analysis of the ...

Due to their high specific strength and light weight properties, polymer matrix composites (PMCs) are increasingly used in a wide variety of military and civilian aircrafts. The mechanical strength of PMCs can be dramatically compromised when such materials are exposed to various heat sources during operation and maintenance. It has been shown that PMCs can lose up to 80% of their mechanical stren ...

For this project, we plan to collaborate with researchers in the neuroscience department at the University of Delaware to develop an FPGA-based embedded computer, inspired in the brains small vertebrates (fish). The mechanisms of object detection and avoidance in fish have been extensively studied by our Delaware collaborators. The midbrain optic tectum is a biological multimodal navigation cont ...

Electronically steered antenna arrays capable of forming multiple beams enable tracking and concurrent sensing of multiple, spatially diverse targets, thus providing significant advantage over dish antennas that have fixed, narrow beam patterns. To address the needs of the DoD, such antenna arrays must demonstrate high gain, low noise figure, and ultra-wideband operation. We have identified the an ...

In the proposed effort, we will leverage this extensive experience and capabilities to realize a frequency agile mmW radiometer that can cover the range of DC-110 GHz and can be scaled to DC-200 GHz under Phase II. Ours is a photonic system that multiplies and up-coverts a low-frequency reference signal onto an optical carrier (laser) using EO modulation, then uses the modulation sidebands to inj ...

PSI will leverage our extensive experience and unique capabilities in MMW photonics to design a compact, lightweight, frequency-agile MMW source combining wide, continuous, rapid tunability with superb phase noise and moderate output power. Such a source will have extensive commercial applications in next-generation wireless communications, as well as military applications including reconfigurable ...

SemiSouth Laboratories, Inc. (SemiSouth), a leading developer and manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power-electronics device technology, proposes the development of a low-cost hybrid switch based on the company’s silicon carbide high-voltage junction field effect transistor (JFET) products. SemiSouth has two principal objectives for Phase I. First, to establish the feasibility of the propose ...

In Phase I we have developed an integrated software and hardware solution to identify personnel who have a natural aptitude for a cognitive skill. The goal of Phase II is to develop a screening tool by expanding previous multi-dimensional approach developed in Phase I and predict vigilance skill performance and aptitude for enlisted classification and officer career path aptitude assessments. The ...