Award Data

Quantum Ventura Inc in collaboration with CalTech propose to develop a meta optic element to reduce the power consumption requirements and latency in high-speed target recognition applications including hypesonic vehicles. As part of Phase 1 effort, we plan to develop and demonstrate a thin (

Terrain strength data are critical inputs to autonomous maneuverability and off-road mobility platforms. Soil strength is a complex variable that varies in both space and time and is a function of the soil composition, density, structure, and moisture content. Because of the interplay of these factors, estimation of terrain strength using remote sensing is unlikely to be successful if it relies on ...

This program will develop a novel, low environment, safety, and occupational health (ESOH) risk coating system capable of mitigating the long wave infrared (LWIR) signature of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This will be achieved through a first in class biosynthetic approach to graft the biosynthetic pathway of the bio-pigment xanthommatin into a microbial host. The pigment produced through t ...

The new Bottom Attach munitions for the Close Terrain-Shaping Obstacles (CTSO) program, currently under development by the Army, requires that reserve batteries operate 30 days after activation in a low power sleep mode, while providing multiple high-power pulses. This operational profile requires batteries with energy and power densities beyond the limits of the current liquid reserve batteries. ...

As the use of machine learning (ML) models proliferates in commercial and defense applications, the United States Army (Army) faces significant challenges in evaluating the effectiveness, robustness, and safety of these ML models in armament systems. For the Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Armaments Center, the decision to enable automated choices in these systems, which encompass l ...

Tungsten (W) has been considered for warhead applications as it has a high density, potentially resulting increased lethality from small, low drag, high kinetic energy fragments at increased or predictable standoff distances.  Injection molding (IM) is considered to be the low-cost fabrication high production volume approach for production providing features that promote fragmentation without m ...

Inspection is central to maintaining the quality of products both during manufacturing and in storage. Non-destructive inspection of the internals of a product often requires imaging of the product by particles with low interaction cross section, such as X-rays. In Computed Tomography (CT), the 3D image is reconstructed using measurements of transmission using a large number of angles (projections ...

In the proposed effort, Clemson University COMSET, Corcoran Engineering, and Freedom Photonics will develop chip-scale directed energy microsystems using coherent beam combining of single mode lasers to provide a high-power output beam with excellent beam quality and high brightness.  To create this high--performance Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC), we will design, fabricate and demonstrate a h ...

The basic idea of a morphing aircraft wherein the vehicle changes its configuration to optimally perform in multiple flight segments holds the promise of achieving unprecedented levels of efficiency.  Morphing is most promising for small UAVs and taking inspiration from birds, we can exploit large shape changes, rapid inertia changes, articulation etc., to fly in congested urban and indoor spaces ...

Physical Sciences Inc. and Prof. Seth Bank at the University of Texas Austin will develop thin-absorber avalanche photodiodes based on digital alloys of AlInAsSb for high-performance photodetection between 2.0 – 2.5 μm. The AlInAsSb quaternary alloy system allows for compositional grading throughout the device structure, enabling novel photodiode architectures inaccessible with other III-V allo ...