Award Data

The Navy has been developing superconducting systems, based on high-temperature superconductors (HTS), for future use on Navy ships. One of the challenges associated with superconducting magnets is the possibility of a quench, which is an event where a local hot spot develops within the superconductor that quickly spreads throughout the device, driving it into its normal and dissipative state. Sen ...

Vescent Photonics and MIT Lincoln Labs (MIT-LL) propose to develop a quantum-based vector magnetometer with low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP+C) for Navy applications. The proposed system will rely on probing magnetically-sensitive, atomic-like transitions of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to provide stable, high-bandwidth readout of the vector magnetic field with sub-picotesla sen ...

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) research has typically addressed understanding how to maximize performance for an AM material, taking into account microstructural anisotropy, residual stress, defects (such as pores and lack of fusion defects), and surface finish. Optimizing a part then requires significant post processing such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP), heat treatment and surface finishing ...

Next-generation naval ships will require electric machinery with at least 50% greater power density than is available today. Such machines must deliver up to 10’s of MW at 100-200 rpm with very high energy efficiency, extremely low noise signature, and reasonable cost. Electrostatic machine technology is often overlooked but is perfectly suited to achieving these goals. C-Motive Technologies pro ...

Large aerospace composite structures currently require autoclaves and ovens to achieve desired performance which are expensive to purchase, costly to operate, and often limit part size and production rate. Ovens and autoclaves rely on convective heating which is inefficient, consumes large amounts of energy, and can be difficult to predict. Alternative cure processes using external heaters or hot ...

Research is currently identifying new biochemical markers to help monitor cognition and stress in the human body and enhance human performance. Traditional biometric markers like heart rate, temperature, oxygen partial pressure, blood glucose, electrolyte concentration, and others have been correlated with cognition and stress states. However, the correlation is indirect. Molecular biomarkers with ...

The prolific nature of Advanced Battlefield and Ground surveillance radar (BSR/GSR) in military markets is driving the need to develop new methods of reducing infantry forces’ radar cross section (RCS) in effort to avoid detection and more freely move throughout the battlespace. One approach to combat the growing threat of BSR/GSR surveillance is through the development of advanced textiles that ...

Automatic high-value target trackers have a number of uses, including real-time sensor slewing on user-nominated targets, offline forensic investigations into where a specific target traveled, and assisting with automated missions running on remote platforms. Instead of automatically tracking all targets within a scene, it can be beneficial to focus on a single or small number of critical targets ...

For this research program, Mainstream will collaborate with Colorado State University (CSU) to develop a nanostructured heater capable of curing aerospace grade composites out-of-autoclave (OOA). The use of autoclaves is the primary cost driver in composite manufacturing due to size limitations, long processing times, and inefficient energy usage. Therefore, the Navy is looking to develop a nanost ...

We propose the development of a membraneless water purification system using continuous, self-contained, vacuum-assisted diffusiophoresis. Using diffusiophoresis allows the system to clean water contaminated with particulates and bacteria without membranes or filters, while producing a stream of fresh, drinkable water. The system will operate using only electricity supplied by portable batteries/s ...