Award Data

Software is rarely written entirely from scratch. Typically, third-party commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are integrated into larger software systems used both in the commercial sector and in critical infrastructure. Third-party components often come in binary form, e.g., as dynamically linked libraries, Active X controls, or plain executables. That is, the source code for those componen ...

Our team proposes to develop, test, and commercialize a Micro Air Vehicle Tether Recovery APparatus (MAVTRAP). This system operates by deploying an instrumented MAV capture device attached via a tether system from a mothership unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The instrumented MAV capture device contains an integrated avionics suite. Our team will determine and control the precise mother ship UAV loi ...

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks technical investigations related to the development and application of advanced electronic materials, processes, and devices to meet its need for radiation hardened, high performance electronics for critical space and missile applications. With the advent of smaller transistor dimensions and reductions in price per bit, significant changes in materials and pr ...

We will demonstrate the feasibility of detecting tactically meaningful complex events in sensor input streams using an efficient pattern matching technology embodied in the Soar cognitive architecture. Our focus in Phase I will be on video streams, such as those that might be produced by unattended ground sensors or unmanned aerial systems. To reduce risk, we propose devoting a portion of our effo ...

The proposed research program focuses on design, fabrication, and characterization of quantum-dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) which features bias-tunable parameters, including the spectral response, optical gain, and operating time. Wide variations of detector parameters can be realized through the bias-tunable potential barriers surrounding quantum dots. Changes in bias will transform the ba ...

Thermo-mechanical processes of turbine disks have been progressively improved to meet microstructural requirements tailored for advanced, sustainable high temperature performances. However, the chemistry of typical Ni-base turbine disk alloys is very complex, and yields a variety of phases and microstructural anomalies under different thermo-mechanical heat treatments. These microstructural hetero ...

This Phase I STTR program seeks a new fabrication method to produce stronger (>100 kpsi) and tougher (>10 MPa m1/2) ultra high temperature Ta-Hf-C-based composites (UHTC) with an outstanding oxidation resistance for use as thermal protection systems for hypersonic applications, as well as for advanced rocket nozzle throat components. UES will apply a novel "Top Down" approach to control the micro ...

Military applications for CBRNE/GWTO and C4ISR require R&D for materials to protect personnel and equipment. However, challenges remain in experimental synthesis and characterization of new materials, such as providing insight into observed properties for further advancement. Thus, it is essential to develop a predictive modeling and simulation approach that will not only provide a fundamental u ...

The ever-decreasing size of the electronic microchips and the ever-increasing density of electronic components required to support future Air Force platforms are creating the problem of substantial localized heat generation that can impair component operation. State of the art thermal interface materials (TIMs), that are used to dissipate heat from the source to the spreader in a microchip, are se ...

Michigan Aerospace Corporation proposes to develop an optical MEMS based skin friction sensor specifically designed for hypersonic applications. This instrument will be capable of shear stress resolutions as small as 0.01 Pa, have a high dynamic range, and data rates in excess of 100 Hz. The sensor will be compact and tolerant of the extreme environmental conditions of hypersonic propulsion test f ...