List

The proposed solution provides a low-cost practical air-droppable package for existing polar ice meteorological sensor systems. The buoy package will be configured for deployment from a fixed wing aircraft. Descent is stabilized and slowed by a parachute deployed after launch, and designed for a descent rate of 20 ft/s or less. When deployed on the ice, the buoy will erect to the vertical for o ...

Accurate, high resolution, continuous monitoring of the lower atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and ocean surface wind fields within tropical cyclones is required to improve intensity forecasting. This proposed Phase II effort will build on the Phase I project successes to realize an operational airborne imaging Doppler radar (AWRAP) capable of providing these winds with up to 15-meter vertical re ...

Reliable automated collection and measurement of precipitation from moored buoys has been an elusive goal. Operation of open aperture collectors on ocean platforms is problematic, requiring constant human attention and intervention to prevent sea spray from contaminating the collected samples, and for dealing with freezing conditions in colder climates. Approaches are described that have the pot ...

There is little question that drowsy driving and driver inattention are significant problems leading to large numbers of accident and loss of life. These sentiments are strongly confirmed in two recently published NHTSA reports make clear the relationship between driver inattention and vehicle crashes and near-crashes. Our approach will be based on measuring the standard measures of fatigue and ...

This proposal relates to the application of electromagnetic imaging of pipelines and coatings for damage detection, condition assessment and enhanced decision support and life management. JENTEK's inductive Meandering Winding Magnetometer (MWM) sensor and MWM-Arrays have demonstrated sensitivity and resolution capability superior to conventional nondestructive examination technology in a number o ...

Railroad Freight car safety and maintenance cost is directly related to knowledge of the actual braking force provided by a brake shoe. If the brake force is too low, safety is at risk. If the brake shoe is replaced before the end of it's lifetime to ensure safety, maintenance and thus operating costs are increased. Currently there is no system in place to monitor brake shoe force during train ...

In Phase I, we have developed new pedestrian detection and tracking techniques based on stereo images. Our system comprises a number of key modules including (1) disparity layered thresholding method that can be used to extract the potential pedestrian(s) layer by layer; (2) pedestrian detectiona and discrimination using 3D convex feature that can be used to detect the pedestrian in each disparity ...

TIAX LLC proposes a Phase I SBIR project that will result in a preliminary conceptual design for rail passenger cab car pilots that will reduce the risk for derailment following a grade crossing collision with an automobile. Several tasks are proposed, including: a review of existing pilot designs by contacting car builders and operators; a review of grade crossing accidents; the development of ...

Up until the early twentieth century, several commodity chemicals were produced by the pyrolysis of hardwoods (e.g., methanol, acetic acid, acetone) or the extraction of softwoods (turpentine, terpenes, rosins, pitches, and tars). The expected long term increase in petroleum and natural gas prices will cause a gradual but steady return to biomass feedstocks over the next several decades. Other dri ...

Emission of ammonia to the atmosphere is a major environmental concern and a potential health hazard, but the accurate measurement of ammonia sources requires improved instrumentation. There is an immediate need for such instrumentation for both monitoring and research in agriculture, climate change, global warming, atmospheric chemistry, automobile monitoring, and health. Ammonia is a public heal ...