Award Data

The Ultra Portable Ride Quality Meter (UPRQM) is a cost-effective, flexible tool that can evolve (with minimal effort) as new GPS and accelerometer devices become commercially available. Each generation of these sensor devices is more responsive, more sensitive, and more accurate than the last generation. The time between generations is also decreasing such that accelerometer and GPS technology ...

Deep submergence vehicles must perform in demanding marine environments to safely and effectively carry out special operations. These vehicles are subjected to damaging hydrodynamic and wave impact loading that may weaken or fail the structure. Luna Innovations proposes a distributed health monitoring system to monitor localized strain and damage within the vehicle’s structure and predict its ...

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 ...

Positioning and navigation have become a mainstay of everyday life in the U.S.; applications of interest include navigation of vehicles of all kinds, infrastructure mapping, and safety of life systems. Many of these recent applications have become possible through the GPS. With the recognized vulnerabilities of GPS, it is evident that equivalent backup systems must be developed. One possible so ...

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 ...

HUMRRO INTERNATIONAL, INCORPORATED PROPOSES TO DEVELOP AND EVALUATE THREE PROTOTYPE VIDEODISC-BASED MODULES FOR USE IN MAINTAINING THE SKILLS OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS (EMTS). TOPICS FOR THE PROTOTYPE MODULES WILL BE SELECTED BASED ON NEEDS IDENTIFIED IN OTHER RESEARCH. EXISTING VIDEODISCS WHICH ILLUSTRATE EMERGENCY SCENES WILL BE REPROGRAMMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH ALGORITHIMS WHICH SPECIFY AP ...

MAJOR AIDS TO NAVIGATION (ATON) ARE ESSENTIAL SIGNPOSTS FOR SAFE PASSAGE ALONG COASTAL AND OFFSHORE SEAWAYS. PRESENTLY, THEIR SIGNALS ARE POWERED BY ON-SITE ENGINE GENERATORS REQUIRING CONSIDERABLE AND COSTLY MAINTENANCE. ATON AUTONOMY WILL BE GREATLY INCREASED WITH DEEP DISCHARGE BATTERY TECHNOLOGY PROVIDING THAT ON-SITE CHARGING SOURCES ARE USED. AMONG NATURALLY AVAILABLE SOURCES, THE UNCEASING ...

A NEED EXISTS FOR A COMPACT, PORTABLE SYSTEM CAPABLE OF MEASURING DYNAMIC STRESSES INDUCED BY HEAVY TRUCKS IN THE STRU- TURAL MEMBERS OF BRIDGES. USE OF STATE-OF-OF THE-ART ELEC- TRONIC CIRCUITRY NOW ALLOWS CONSTRUCTION OF A HYBRID ANALOG-DIGITAL INDICATOR THATCAN DISPLAY THE PEAK STRESSES A BRIDGEEXPERIENCES BY USING DATA FROM STRAIN SENSORS ATTACHED TO THE BRIDGE. THE FEASIBILITY OF BUILDING SUC ...

Transecurity is a company whose mission is to commercialize technology developed at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. VTTI researchers and engineers have made significant breakthroughs in driver monitoring, crash risk assessment, and crash avoidance technology including drowsy driver monitoring and warning systems. Technical solutions under development include machine vision-based lane ...

A RELATIVELY UNDOCUMENTED PROBLEM OF UNAUTHORIZED RELEASE OFSAFETY BELT AND CAR SAFETY SEAT (CSS) HARNESS BUCKLES BY YOUNG CHILDREN HAS BEEN REPORTED BY PARENTS TO THE NHTSA AND TO CSS EDUCATORS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DOCUMENT THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM AND DEVELOP AND TEST COGNITIVE SKILL BASED SOLUTIONS TO IT. WORK WILL INCLUDE A SURVEY OF CSS USERS; VISUAL OBSERVATION O ...