Award Data

The process by which weapon systems go from point of manufacture to field usage is not a simple one. Devices can be held in storage for decades before use, and they can be subjected to significant and potentially damaging environmental conditions throughout the systems lifecycle. Latent and intermittent failures occur, and it is difficult to detect these malfunctions without actively monitoring ...

Optonicus proposes development of the TAP-LAM (Test Article Printing with Laser Additive Manufacturing for Threat Surrogate Target Production) powder bed fusion and directed energy depositions systems. The TAP-LAM metal additive manufacturing system will advance strategic missile defense system testing capabilities by improving 3D printing methods to rapidly produce large-scale threat surrogate ta ...

Recognizing faces in low-light and nighttime conditions is a challenging problem due to the noisy and poor quality nature of the images.Thermal imaging is often used to obtain facial biometric in such conditions. Thermal face images, while having a strong signature at nighttime, are not typically maintained in biometric-enabled watch lists and so must be compared with visible-light face images to ...

The objective of this proposal is to develop instrumentation and algorithms for acquiring facial features for facial recognition in low- and no-light conditions.We will use cross-spectrum matching by exploiting infrared polarimetric imagery which tends to show features that match more closely visible imagery than conventional infrared.In addition to thermal infrared, we will also test subjects in ...

The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop proof of concept of a software programmable X-Band radar system using low cost antenna array technology with digital beamforming architecture based on multiple receiver channels. The performance objectives will aim at a minimum of 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and a minimum instantaneous dynamic range of 52 dB. The objective of the t ...

West Coast Solutions (WCS), in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology and Creare LLC, proposes an adaptation of our SmallSat Stirling Cryocooler (SSC) technology in response to STTR Topic MDA17-T003: High-Efficiency, Low-Volume, Space-Qualified Cryogenic-Coolers. In Phase 1 we will scale up a design currently in development for NASA to meet the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) topic re ...

The Iris Technology team which also include Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) and the University of Wisconsin, is attacking the problem of high-efficiency, low-volume, space-qualified cryocooler systems.The team has a firm starting point by leveraging the Northrop Grumman Microcryocooler and the Iris Technology mLCCE (Miniature Low Cost Control Electronics).TMU enhancement will start with ...

The development and integration of three unique and innovative algorithm prototypes into a"Fused Track and Characterization Schema"are proposed. This Schema will encompass the determination of signatures and characteristics of objects that can be identified by RF and EO/IR Sensors in order to enable multi-sensor data fusion and correlation. The first algorithm, the"3D Pose Estimation"Algorithm, p ...

The occurrence of combustion instability has long been a matter of serious concern in the development of liquid-propellant rocket engines due to the high rate of energy release in a confined volume in which energy losses are relatively small. Positive feedback between the acoustic waves and unsteady combustion could lead to the destruction of an engine in a fraction of a second. The situation is ...

Inlustra Technologies and the University of Notre Dame propose a Phase I STTR program that, combined with a subsequent Phase II effort, will result in methods for the scalable production of semi-insulating non-polar GaN substrates. These substrates will be utilized in the fabrication of high-power/high-frequency AlGaN-GaN electronic devices capable of reliable operation under high thermal load. ...