Existing miniature fuzes tend to be costly, inaccurate, difficult to use, and insufficiently small or sophisticated for advanced munition applications. In alliance with fuze manufacturing experts, Tanner Research proposes to develop a novel mortar fuze with integrated safe and arm (S&A), and fuzing mechanisms based on micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Our innovation is to incorporate a smart, programmable MEMS S&A device in the mortar fuze that minimizes size and weight, increases reliability and safety, improves timing accuracy, and reduces component and system cost. Due to its small mass and mechanical nature, our S&A device will be insensitive to electro-magnetic radiation and able to survive high-g accelerations, while minimizing collateral damage.Tanner Research has demonstrated expertise in the designs of MEMS, integrated circuits, electronics systems, and packaging. During an Air Force Phase I SBIR, we have already developed several designs of MEMS fuze systems and performed feasibility tests with spot charges. Our device will be fabricated using commonly available fabrication equipment to ensure low-cost production and ease of manufacturing and technology transfer. Our S&A design will enable the integration of sensors and electronics with a fuzing device in a compact volume (fraction of a cubic inch).Explosives are commonly used by expert operators in mining, construction, and demolition, rescue/emergency operations, and the entertainment industry. Novel, low-cost, and reliable S&A devices can improve the safety and cost of all electronically-controlled explosive systems, protecting both expert and novice users. In today's rapidly changing global operations environments, teams often must be assembled and individuals re-trained quickly for new force requirements, new systems, and changing missions. The goal of this research is to produce innovative computer software for individual assessment and team selection, for adaptive learning, and for cognitive performance support environments that exploit the power, economy, and customization enabled by ADL. A suite of recently developed and proposed cognitive tools based on Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) can contribute importantly to this goal. LSA is a machine-learning system that can build assessment, tutorial, and knowledge-mining agents automatically from existing instructional and archival text in almost any domain. These intelligent agents are constructed in far less time and expense, and with much less need for rare specialists as has previously been possible. In the combined Phase I and II effort, we will create a prototype of an integrated system, called Military Knowledge Forum (MKF). In Phase I we will plan the system, and perfect or develop several critical LSA-based components that also stand alone as useful ADL/cognitive readiness tools. In Phase II, we will create or perfect additional tools and join them into a total distributed group learning and cognitive support environment.Almost every present-day industry or business has a need to train widely distributed personnel frequently in new operating procedures and group problem-solving methods. They must be able to select, re-train and support adaptable individuals and teams. The individuals and teams must be possess and be capable of verbally communicating all necessary task-relevant knowledge. No integratable set of adaptive automatic assessment, tutorial, knowledge resource, and cooperative problem-solving support capabilities, such as those that would be developed for the envisaged Military Knowledge Forum system described herein, exists. The development of technology of this kind would help government and private-sector organizations meet the needs of rapidly changing markets, technologies, and labor forces in a timely, effective and economical manner.In Phase I, features and functionalities suitable for use either in the envisioned integrated system or in other ADL systems will be demonstrated as stand-alone web-based applications. Some, such as the automatic free-response assessment tool, will be of immediate utility in marketed or marketable commercial and military training systems. Component LSA-based adaptive assessment and tutorial tools from this project, even without combining into an integrated system, will be of significant commercial value for development of ADL and private-sector cognitive readiness and distance-education systems.KAT would embed some of these new capabilities in its own current and future Internet-based educational testing and tutorial services, and offer both piece-part components and appropriate versions of integrated learning environments for purchase or licensing by military, corporate, and other training and assessment organizations. X-ray imaging has become an essential tool in various medical, industrial, and military applications. In its most advanced form, this method combines the shape information obtained in the imaging process with spectral information obtained bymeasuring the attenuation of the x-rays at different energies. Immediate discernment of material composition defects and anomalies at production rates in all kinds of products requires fast imaging. Therefore, ultra-fast hyperspectral imaging will be an important next step in this field. CdZnTe is the detector of choice at present for hyperspectral imaging because it works at room temperature with excellent energy resolution and it has a large atomic number (Z), which is essential for high sensitivity detection of x-rays. However, polarization in these detectors at high x-ray rates is hampering the application of CdZnTe to hyperspectral imaging. We propose to study this effect in CdZnTe detector arrays and develop polarization free detector arrays for room temperature ultra-fast hyperspectral x-ray imaging. Commercial Applications: The first application we propose is for automatic baggage inspection for contraband such as explosives, agricultural products, drugs and currency. Today, baggage inspection is limited to transmission/absorption image reconstruction. To detect, identify, characterize and quantify the various items, the system must also be able to detect and quantify the energies of the characteristic x-rays that are produced by the items in the bag, box or container.Federal Government Use: High-quality, CZT-based, detection systems can be used by both government and industry. Baggage inspection is a prime example of government use. Other applications, such as the medical and industrial imaging, are also of major interest to federal, state, and local government agencies. Therefore, the government sector can be a major market for the proposed detector system. Current acoustic unattended ground sensor systems have the capability of detecting, characterizing and localizing vehicle targets with relatively large surveillance areas. One of the major shortfalls of these systems is their inability to perform effectively in multi-target clutter environments. Specifically, the system ability to estimate the number and types of targets when groups of targets are present such as convoys with closely spaced vehicles is limited. The proposed effort presents a multi-target counting (MTC) algorithm based on beam steering and a fuzzy logic volume of noise estimate to attack this problem. One of the keys to the proposed solution is a simulation embedded in the algorithm which allows for iterative estimates of the types and number of targets to in a surveillance area. The algorithm will be tested using simulation techniques previously developed for use with the US Army Scout UAV program, LOSAS (currently a successful Phase II program at SARA). SARA brings over 40 years of combined acoustics experience to bear on the problem leveraging their familiarity with target signatures, sensor technologies, advanced algorithm development and acoustic sensor system architecture.Potential applications will come from organizations requiring acoustic information from remote locations for the performance of their responsibilities. These would include US Army and US Marine special ops, infantry, artillery forward observers, and intelligence; and an assortment of government/private agencies responsible for law enforcement, border surveillance (alien and drug interdiction), remote search and rescue, airport noise monitoring, and environmental assessment. The explosive growth in information technology provides a tremendous opportunity for enhancing US warfighting capabilities. The associated digitization of the battlespace, in tandem with deployment of highly capable sensor systems, provides a tremendous opportunity to enhance battlespace operations. Additionally, the use and proliferation of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and digital mapping can further enhance military situation awareness and visualization. These advances have substantial application for the development of improved tactical fire control support systems for target-rich multi-shooter environments. Here we propose an Integrated Software Environment (ISE) for Battlespace Digital Mapping and Target Range Acquisition. Our novel system integrates: an in-house battlefield simulation and visualization software environment with an embedded COTS-based GIS processing for digital mapping support and target range acquisition; and a geometric approach for target location prediction augmented with conventional estimation algorithms. We see considerable potential for this approach in enhancing fire control support systems and addressing information dominated battlespace requirements.Our Phase I effort will: 1) identify system requirements and scope; 2) formulate and design a limited-scope prototype ISE ; 3) develop a working concept prototype; 4) demonstrate its use and assess overall feasibility in a selected scenario; and 5) develop requirements for follow-on development and commercialization.We see several potential applications of the developed technology. Direct application of the developed ISE exists to DoD C2 and fire control support systems. Generalization of the developed GIS processing and visualization system to other domains, in particular, law enforcement and search and rescue is also apparent. Additionally, we see opportunities for enhancement of our Intelligent Agent Toolkit (IAT) product via the incorporation of the software development environment and visualization components of the proposed ISE. Decision aids, in the perspective of the soldier, exist to assist him in seven distinct operational areas - Plan, Deploy, Detect, Evaluate, Decide, Deliver, and Sustain. These represent "stages" of military operations - and at any stage the soldier may be required to fall back to planning, and a repeat of the process. Decision aids must be accessible to the soldier in such a way as to easily, and intuitively, allow for the soldier to request and obtain assistance. The objective of this effort is the development of a tool for Intelligent Decision Aiding of Remotely Deployed Munitions and Sensor operations, where controlled by a man-in-the-loop controller. Intelligent aiding of munitions planning and effective employment includes target area coverage, enemy movement, placement/engagement area selection as well as generation of tactical messages for fire support and control of fires. The resulting decision aiding subsystem will be created by using a combination of analytical and cognitive decision processes implemented in reusable software components conforming to Appendix F of the JTA-A, and implemented so as to be installed on the control stations associated with remote munitions and sensor systems. Application Programmer Interfaces will be provided for crew interaction using intuitive and user-friendly methods. A military combat unit must "see" the battlefield better than the enemy, decide sooner than the enemy to what to do, "move" to see the enemy and fight effectively and "shoot" to destroy the enemy. As the US Army moves toward weapons systems for the digital battlefield, newer, lighter weight and more capable hardware is emerging. These digital data sources may not realize better "seeing", that is, situational awareness. Cognitive task load will be overwhelming if the crew is to interpret and distill the data, deciding what to do fast. Well-informed troops will outstrip a rogue enemy in a combat environment. It's all about whom gets into firing position, first. We propose to first integrate the incoming data to assist the crew in reducing the great amount of incoming data into a timely, relevant, situational awareness picture (the "see" task) and secondly, provide the crew an corresponding, real-time course-of-action aiding based upon the awareness and the crew's mission objectives. Together, these two opportunities form the "Shoot & Scoot Assistant". We will define an agent architecture that supports reuse, all mission phases and conforms to the Technical Architecture.Non-military applications of the agent-based decision aid are the category of where high personal risk needs a "battle-drill" decision aid. Examples include a very wide range of adaptable aids. For example: (1) highway patrolman using a police car aid with digital links during a chase reduces lethal consequences to the patrolman or public, (2) a plant operator's console aid at an industrial production line where fast-acting decisions during automated assembly when equipment malfunctions reduce product waste and increases employee safety and (3) airline flight crew warning, caution & advisory systems reduces crew workload during moments of high stress. Glass and polymer coatings applied to sapphire or other hard transparent ceramics offer several very low-cost approaches for optical finishing. In Phase I, MSI will investigate (A) polishing the applied coatings, (B) bonding of polished glass faceplates, (C) replicating optically smooth surfaces using polished mandrels, and (D) very thin coatings as applied. The resulting windows will be characterized with the objectives to achieve high in-line transmittance, low haze, and angular image resolution quality of less than 1 milliradian. All processes developed will be compatible with the PVB bonding/autoclaving used for assembling transparent armor systems. In the Phase I Option, the most promising approaches will be further optimized and preliminary production cost estimates will be made. In Phase II, MSI will scale-up the most successful low-cost optical finishing processes to 12 x 14 inch windows while the optical quality is increased to at least 80% in-line transmission and less than 5% haze. Commercialization of this technology will be facilitated through MSI's on-going business relationship with Raytheon Optical Systems, Inc.This program will provide new low-cost methods for achieving optically transparent hard ceramic windows by eliminating the expensive and time consuming polishing of the sapphire or ALON itself. As a result, transparent armor will be available at substantially reduced costs, thereby opening up new markets for these products. By so expanding the range of applications, the cost of light-weight, large-area transparent armor panels for military land vehicles and aircraft will be further reduced. Commercial personnel security vehicles will also benefit from the technology developed in this program. The sapphire and/or ALON transparent armor will offer protection against small caliber armor piercing projectiles at substantially reduced weight and thickness. The design of can combustors are increasingly relying on computer codes that predict the performance of these systems, thus reducing development costs. However, experimental data are needed to validate the computer models, provide closure to the turbulence parameters used in the models and provide useful information about the combustor geometry and the flow initial and boundary conditions. Measurements of the instantaneous velocity vector, temperature, and species concentrations are essential to completely validate CFD codes. Our approach is to use diode array velocimetry (DAV) to measure the instantaneous velocity vector, and lamp induced fluorescence to measure the instantaneous temperature/species concentrations. The proposed approach will result in a reliable sensor system for obtaining the desired combustor properties (velocity, temperature, and species). The resulting sensor system could be applied in the field for engine health diagnostics.An inexpensive laser velocity/temperature/species instrument that does not require laser coherence is in demand for many applications other than the combustion chamber of gas turbines and advanced propulsion systems. Volumetric flow rate measurements is one of the large commercial markets for DAV. Volumetric flow rate measurements are needed for: (1) natural gas custody transfer and/or distribution stations, (2) the flue gases emitted from the smoke stacks, (3) gas turbine engine health diagnostics, (4) air intake for jet airplanes. The inexpensive feature of DAV technique will render it the instrument of choice in wind tunnel and laboratory measurements. The incoherence nature of DAV technique will make it a potential candidate for an optical air data sensor for use aboard aircrafts. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop body armor capable of defeating high power rifle threats that are designed as armor piercing; in a flexible manner, that is thinner, lighter, multiple threat resistant, and capable of sustained multiple repeat hits. This armor will also be configured in two formats: conceallable and overt tactical. This armor will be substantially superior to current utilized plate technology with its limited capabilities.Potential post military applications would be flexible and rigid varieties of the same armor, designed for attachment to vehicular, vessel and aircraft upgrade armor applications. This has exceptionally mid to long term enhancements for the U.S. military. This leads to the recapitalization requirement the U.S. Army has to ensure that its equipment remains safe to operate and to provide soldiers with reliable and effective systems to go to war. This new felxible high power armor piercing rifle protection system can be easily integrated into current body armor systems that currently employ a plate component; that is either damaged, missing or ballistically inferior to the current deployment requirement. This makes recapitilization for body armo and hard armor upgrades economically feasible, as it can be interfaced through replacement, extended service programs, pre-planned product improvements, and technology insertion.Potential commercial applications would be all fields of law enforcement such as federal, state and local jurisdictions, to coperate high-risk security concerns. Both of these would also have international markets. Military concerns such as overmatching, could be ensured by offering a lower threat defeating material substrate composite. The post applications are very diverse, but well within current and future demand. The main objective of the Phase 1 of the present proposal will be demonstration of feasibility of multi-functional highly nonlinear materials for photonics and opto-electronics that possess high sensitivity and allow multiple control opportunities of their responses to electromagnetic influences (such as laser beams, electric and magnetic fields). As prime candidate for such materials we will study liquid crystals (LC) that incorporate internal structure made of nanoparticulate networks. We will use proprietary LC with photo-excitation enhanced record high optical nonlinearity as host material, and nanoparticles of various origins such as dielectric, electroconductive, semiconductive, and magnetic for building reconfigurable networks inside LC. The opto-electronic properties of such a material system will be characterized by spatial distribution and dynamics of LC orientation, by the geometry and the dynamics of the structure of the internal network, and inter-coupling between the network and the LC. Such combination will result in the highest number of both control and behavior parameters among all known opto-electronic materials. Coupling and interaction between the network and the LC will ensure sensitivity of the material to a variety of electromagnetic influences and the capability of electronically and optically switchable reconfiguration of the orientation pattern of the LC.Highly nonlinear LC with reconfigurable internal structure will advance opto-electronics beyond their present boundaries of laser beam and optical information control and display. The most versatile multifunctional optical components with strongest light modulating capability will enhance operation of commercial and defense optical systems. Atmospheric Glow Technologies proposes to develop an innovative Mobile AtmosphericGlow Decontamination (MAGDEC) system based upon the patented One Atmosphere UniformGlow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) technology. This advanced system will be a deployablemilitary protection system that will decontaminate highly toxic chemicals andmicroorganisms on sensitive equipment, personnel protective equipment, and aircraft,vehicle, and shelter interiors. Phase I efforts will focus on neutralization ofchemicals while Phase II efforts will extend studies to biological warfare agentsincluding spores, building upon the proven efficacy of the OAUGDP against a widerange of microorganisms. Phase II work will conclude with testing additionalsimulants and, where possible, CBW agents themselves in collaboration withresearchers at Aberdeen Proving Ground.The completion of this Phase I effort will result in the design of the MAGDEC systemfor the decontamination of chemical warfare agents. The success of the Phase I andPhase II projects will provide the military with a singular means to achievebiological and chemical decontamination of equipment ranging from robust vehiclesto sensitive electronic equipment within minutes with no significant productionof harmful by-products. An additional arena of use for our design could includedomestic Hazardous Materials Management Teams charged with decontaminating buildings or industrial sites following spills or terrorist events. To meet key Army needs for advanced materials, ReyTech is pursuing a multi-phase SBIR project focused on developing multifunctional, ultra-high-performance fibers containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). As envisioned, this novel technology can be used to produce fibers possessing electronic and structural properties superior to those of conventional fibers based on carbon, polymers, ceramics, or currently available composites. The results obtained during Phase I clearly validate ReyTech's approach and provide a solid foundation for Phase II work. Heterogeneous integration of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) with polymer based electro-optic (EO) modulators is proposed, to produce compact and deployable modulators for RF photonics applications. Current technology allows fabrication of compact and light-weight modulators, but these interferometric devices are still not truly deployable, because they require control and feedback electronics for balancing and stabilization. EO polymer technology capable of producing 100GHz, sub-one-volt modulators will be combined with MEMS technology that provides high Q resonators and filters that operate in the KHz-MHz frequencies. The approach is to mechanically balance an EO modulator using a MEMS resonant structure, and integrate balancing circuitry (which includes high Q MEMS band-pass filters) by either integrating on the same substrate or via flip-chip bonding, contained in the same modulator package. DC biasing and RF modulation are separated, eliminating the need for wide-band biasing components, and avoiding bias drift problems that are common in electrical biasing. This work builds on the success of the Phase I effort, where mechanical biasing and heterogeneous integration are experimentally demonstrated. Successful completion of this work will allow 2 to 3 orders of magnitude reduction in size, mass and power consumption over current methods, and will enable low cost fabrication of high-frequency modulators. The objective of this Small Business Innovation Research project is to develop a visual CAD software tool for the design of large-scale active radio frequency antenna arrays. A circuit-based global modeling strategy is proposed that can integrate the analyses of spatially distributed electromagnetic structures, linear passive networks and nonlinear active circuits within a unified framework that can even incorporate thermal analysis in a self-consistent manner. The proposed strategy can be utilized in both frequency and time domains. The Phase I study so far has demonstrated the feasibility of interfacing full-wave frequency domain electromagnetic simulators with a general-purpose linear/nonlinear circuit simulator that uses a harmonic balance technique. In the proposed Phase II, the full-wave simulation engines will be fully integrated with the nonlinear circuit simulator within a unified design environment. A time domain capability will also be added to address certain classes of nonlinear structures and their transient analysis. The developed software will be validated extensively using a number of test structures including active antenna arrays and nonlinear microwave circuits. The object-oriented architecture of emPiCASSO, our commercial antenna CAD tool, will be used as the foundation of the proposed software. In response to possible biological warfare (BW) attack, accurate sample acquisition and rapid detection of point microbial contamination on military equipment, housing and supplies is required for personnel safety and early response strategies. A novel hand-held, wet-vacuum sampling unit (VSU) is proposed, which will allow application of sterile rinse solutions onto diverse material surfaces or textures to promote detachment and recovery of biological agents (BA). Dried material of interest may be pre-hydrated without vacuum as needed to improve microbial detachment. Liquid-suspended BA's are collected and filtered onto a 47mm disc filter within the VSU in a single operation. Liquid transport or resuscitation media may be added. Simple removal of the VSU's final filter will accommodate conventional or rapid detection method (RDM) processing. The feasibility of utilizing Solid Phase Laser Cytometry for rapid detection of microbes directly on the VSU's filter is also proposed. In future R&D, procedure development is anticipated to back-flush microbes off the VSU's filter for PCR, ELISA and other RDM or further processing in liquid. This unique system is projected to offer a more reliable sample acquisition alternative to military and civilian environmental and health safety officers to counter acts of bioterrorism or hostile BW attacks.The proposed microbial sampling system will provide improved health and safety potential for military and civilian personnel by allowing more rapid and accurate sample acquisition and monitoring of contamination from biological warfare and terrorist threats or attacks. Other government and civilian agencies involved in food safety issues resulting from pathogenic contamination of food or food-preparation surfaces and environments will also benefit from the commercial availability of this improved microbial sampling and detection system. Higher inlet operational temperatures for turbine engines is expected to provide significant benefits in fuel efficiency and performance for both military and commercial air vehicles. To accomplish this goal, new generation of thermal barrier coatings with superior reliability and durability will be needed. While the currently-used zirconia-based thermal barrier coatings provide excellent thermal protection, they suffer from thermomechanical degradation during exposure at elevated temperatures. In this Phase I effort, a crystal chemistry approach is being explored to examine a new family of layered perovskites. Key properties of these highly anisotropic materials include low thermal conductivity (0.7 W/M.K @ 13000C), tailorable CTE to match substrate, and inherent toughness/compliance primarily imparted through weak bonding between interbasal planes. In Phase I, coatings will be developed by plasma spray techniques with subsequent characterization of microstructure, texture, and thermal conductivity. The objective is to induce microstructurally designed features via texture and porosity to further lower thermal conductivity and to improve mechanical properties. The multifunctional nature of these materials will allow for their use in a broad range of applications.Potential commercial applications include TBC coatings for helicopter engines, diesel engine components for low wear and friction, and coatings for MEMS and microturbines. U.S. Army attack helicopters are arguably among the most lethal, responsive and flexible components of U.S. armed forces today, and the Comanche weapon system will see that they remain so for the foreseeable future. To live up to its potential, however, the Comanche must also be survivable on the modern battlefield, which in turn demands fast and accurate organic tactical decision making processes and supporting information technologies/tools/systems. An automated Comanche survivability and tactics expert planner (C-STEP) is needed to recognize battlefield situations, support identification of routes and tactics that reduces/minimizes detection by threats, increases survivability, and maximizes target detection and Comanche lethality. An easy-to-use, intuitive automated tool that could aid the Comanche pilot in either pre-planned or real-time selection and evaluation of alternative routes/tactics according to user-selected criteria will be tremendously valuable to Comanche pilots. A tool that could also automatically find and display optimal routes and tactics according to user-selectable criteria will be even more valuable, with the potential to increase the probability of success of any Comanche mission where survivability is an issue. This research will research and prove the concept of such a C-STEP tool.Commercial applications of automated real-time adaptive decision support include transportation applications analogous to the Comanche expert planner problem and financial industry applications where complexity and time-sensitivity make human performance problematic. During Phase I, feasibility was demonstrated for a prototype wing-store unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to be deployed from a widely fielded weapons launcher system. The proposed Phase II effort integrates a number of candidate electro-optical sensor payloads to fly and demonstrate their efficacy in terms of system performance and utility for route and battlespace reconnaissance and battle damage assessment missions. A guidance, navigation and control system will be demonstrated to support autonomous deployment of the wing-store UAV and position the sensor "over the target." Tests will include day, twilight, and night conditions to determine the performance of the candidate sensors using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The utilization of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) technology to support the life cycle development, fielding, training and sustainment of military systems has demonstrated tremendous benefit as M&S applications have matured. The benefits of interoperability between M&S applications and Command and Control (C2) systems are becoming increasingly more evident as successful implementations are developed and used in Army experiments and exercises. As M&S technology improves, more successful use has been applied across domains and the benefit of interoperability, particularly in time, cost and effectiveness, has been demonstrated. The purpose of the Phase I effort is to investigate approaches for defining interoperability standards between M&S applications and Army C2 systems for planning and decision support. This will focus on Army C2 systems and constructive force-on-force simulation systems that are used for analysis, training, and as scenario drivers (e.g., OneSAF, Janus, Eagle, WARSIM 2000). This will be accomplished by developing an object model that captures the common data representation requirements to promote better interoperability between M&S applications and C2 systems. ACS will use an innovative approach for this problem through specification of the C2 representation from a purely data perspective that is independent of a particular simulation interoperability architecture.Will leverage significant investment in simulation technology to provide capabilities as part of Future Combat Systems (FCS) that will allow warfighters to "train as they fight." Mini Mitter Co., Inc. will design a body temperature telemetry system that will provide the US Army with an innovative and cost-effective method for monitoring body core temperature and skin temperature of soldiers in the field. We will demonstrate the feasibility of a system supporting ingestible pill thermometers as well as multiple skin patch thermometers with on-board transmitters. The precision thermometer sensors and the thermometer packaging will be derived from Mini Mitter's proprietary temperature transmitters. A body-worn receiver will identify individual thermometers and automatically calibrate each sensor. Periodic radio-frequency transmission techniques will multiplex thermometers and eliminate cross talk between their transmitters. Microelectronic assembly techniques with simplified manufacturing processes will meet the US Army's price objectives of $10 - $20 per thermometer. Mini Mitter's solution will apply directly to the US Army's Warfighter Physiological Status Monitoring program. Phase I objectives are: (1) verify that our existing technologies can support the performance requirements, (2) determine a method of data transmission, and (3) compose a high-level engineering plan for system development in Phase II. Mini Mitter's unique combination of experienced physiologists and strong engineering staff creates an optimal environment for success, providing the scientific and technical expertise to design this system.Mini-Mitter has identified several market segments that will benefit from the development of a General Purpose Miniature Thermometer for Remote Monitoring. These segments include Military Operations, Medical Clinical Research, Hospitals, and Industrial Heat Stress monitoring. The most important and most immediate are the military applications. Key military operational applications include (1) scientific research to evaluate the effects of thermal stress on physical performance; (2) improving the guidelines for troop training regimens; and (3) monitoring of the soldier's physiological data for evaluating the combat efficiency, mission readiness, and safety of troops. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) will camouflage solar panels by modifying the reflective properties of the photovoltaic (PV) silicon cells. In current solar panels, multilayer thin film antireflective coatings and cut-off filters reject some visible wavelengths (mostly blue-green) transmit near-IR, giving them a highly reflective, specular blue-green spectral signature. POC proposes to develop a new holographic coating technology, multiplexing subtractive and additive reflection holographic structures. This can produce solar cells in any color (including black) by combining (multiplexing) three narrowbands primary color holographic coatings, which are flexible environmentally stable, rugged, nonspecular (diffuse), and exhibit no color shift with changes in incidence angle or temperature. The proposed holographic coating is commercially attractive because of its low-cost material and fabrication and compatibility with state-of-the-art solar cell technology. In Phase I, POC will investigate the proposed concept by theoretical analysis and computer simulation, and by experimentally fabricating solar cell coatings in at least four colors: black, green, brown, and tan, and will demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.The proposed spectral camouflage holographic coating will be a new generation of camouflage material, which can be applied to many kinds military equipment, vehicles, command posts, and field stations. The technology developed for camouflaging solar panels will also make solar panels that are integral to buildings aesthetically appealing. The growing digitization of the battlefield gives the intelligence analyst a unique opportunity to access large amounts of information collected over time across a variety of sensors to achieve an unparalleled level of tactical situation awareness. However, before using this array of dynamically changing tactical information, the data must be correlated and fused, and, most of all, managed in a truth maintenance system (TMS) ensuring logical data consistency. Rather than adopting a highly inefficient logic-based theorem-proving approach to maintain consistency across the entire database, we propose a Bayesian belief network (BN) approach that focuses truth maintenance only on the portions of the fused data relevant to the current assessment task. Each BN is constructed to assess a specific high-level situation in the form of the commander's priority intelligence requirement (PIR). Before posting incoming evidence at a BN node, a truth maintenance procedure is invoked to detect information inconsistency between the node's current state and the state of the evidence to be posted. In the case of inconsistency, the truth maintenance procedure isolates only relevant inconsistent nodes based on the causal dependency of the network. The proposed network-based TMS thus incrementally maintains only consistent BN states to ensure trustworthy situation assessment.Commercial applications of the proposed approach to truth maintenance in situation assessment incorporating Bayesian belief network technology exist in many areas including operation centers for complex process control (e.g., nuclear power plants), financial services, credit verification, loan approval, and rail and air traffic management centers. A belief network based situation assessment procedure that focuses only on the relevant data can also solve the information overload problem in high-value complex operational environments. Observera, Inc. has teamed with the Sarnoff Corporation to research, design and prototype a real-time image restoration system for large format, low noise IR focal plane arrays (FPA). Phase I will identify and prototype an image restoration algorithm that is capable of increasing the target acquisition range of third generation FLIR systems by 50%. The Phase I "option effort" will look at multiple image restoration techniques as a means of improving image quality. A real-time image restoration system will also be designed that meets the latency requirements with less than 2 frame delay between input of image and output of restored image. The Phase II effort will be characterized by rapid prototyping methodologies, spiral development, and real-time processing objectives. The Observera/Sarnoff Team has a strong record of past performance and proven capability in commercializing advanced imaging and video technologies. Our extensive experience in algorithm/hardware evaluation, real-time video exploitation, advanced image processing, and high-performance computing hardware technology make our team uniquely qualified for this task.Super resolution technology will be incorporated into our commercial video processing hardware and software. This effort will allow high-resolution displays for low-resolution video and digital cameras and allow aerial video images to be more fully utilized for intelligence, targeting, damage assessment and battlespace awareness. Civilian applications for our products include land-use management, utility and transportation corridor monitoring, surveillance, and environmental protection. IP is today's dominant networking protocol. Newer version of this protocol is expected to be used in the next generation wire and wireless networks. However, the lack of quality of Service (QoS) and data security are the two major shortcomings of the IP protocol. Unauthorized data or resource access on IP networks has been facilitated by the lack of these services. Trlokom proposes to develop a system that integrates data security and QoS. Our system will use dedicated hardware to improve the cryptographic data processing to the wirespeed. Strong authentication of the data packets transmitted over the network will form a natural defense against the network based attacks, such as the DoS attacks. The APIs for RSVP and Differentiated Services (DS) will be used to provide QoS for the applications. The QoS and security support in our system will ensure proper functioning of the applications even when the network is under an attack. Our proposed system can also be used for building interactive video applications, virtual private networks (VPNs), and multi-level security systems at a low cost. At the end of Phase I, we will deliver an architecture to provide security and QoS to the applications in the IP networks.A security system with QoS and hardware crypto accelerator can be used for variousapplications, such as virtual private networks, multi-level security system, multi-media multicast etc. This system will provide end-to-end security and QoS thatis easy to use at a reduced cost. The Army has identified the need for open standards based multimedia terminals that integrate voice, video and data to implement multimedia applications for battlefield environments. H.323 is expected to be one of the predominant terminal standards for implementing such applications over the Army's integrated services networks of the future. The major technical challenges that must be addressed to enable the deployment of battlefield multimedia applications over such networks are: 1) ability to efficiently integrate with existing multimedia terminals on circuit switched networks 2) development of end-to-end security mechanisms for multimedia streams, (from SBU through Top Secret levels) over integrated networks and 3) the development of mechanisms for bandwidth-efficient transport of real-time multimedia (video, audio, data) streams with predefined QoS requirements over bandwidth-constrained IP backbone network. The Phase I SBIR effort successfully designed and established the feasibility of building programmable distributed gateway architecture, called SAINCaP (Secure Architecture for Integrated Circuit and Packet Switching Applications), to address these requirements. SAINCaP is a highly adaptable architecture that is designed to accommodate technology evolution. The Phase II effort will build a functioning prototype of SAINCaP. This prototype implementation of SAINCaP will then be transitioned into a commercial product during Phase III. Many systems have been developed for Government as well as commercial applications, for Intrusion Detection (ID) on single hosts or LANs. However, there are two problems yet to be solved: (1) the amount of bandwidth needed to transport the information to a central location is substantial and (2) the high personnel expertise needed to examine the data (e.g., Systems logs) to detect intrusions. The main objective of this Phase I is to examine the applicability of Artificial Intelligence techniques including Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic Sets and Genetic Algorithms in solving the intrusion detection problems. The Prediction Systems, Inc/New Jersey Institute of Technology (PSI/NJIT) team proposes to execute a study of the applicability of using neural network synergistically with other AI techniques towards Computer Network Intrusion Detection. Additionally, the PSI/NJIT team proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach for the Army's Tactical Internet (TI) using the Hierarchical Intrusion Detection Engine (HIDE) presented in this prosposal. The TI was selected mainly because of its high level of challenge, at least equal or higher to that posed by the commercial wireless networks, that stresses the problems associated with bandwidth and personal expertise. The PSI/NJIT posseses vast experience of all related fields. BENEFITS: Intrusion Detection for wireless communication networks, dynamic network management of communication systems, display of security network information, real-time control systems for security applications. We will develop and deliver a 1280x1024-pixel indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) photodiode array sensitive to the 0.9 ?m to 1.7 ?m short wave infrared wavelength band. This will be the largest SWIR infrared array ever fabricated. Upon completion of Phase II, devices will be available for integration with matching silicon readout circuits for high sensitivity, high dynamic ranging imaging at elevated temperatures (>295K), ideal for night vision imaging, covert surveillance, and eye-safe range-gated imaging. Innovations include miniaturization of the individual InGaAs p-i-n photodiodes, minimization of the spacing between the photodiodes in the array, development of corresponding indium bump technology, and use of large (75 mm - 100 mm diameter) epitaxial wafers. During Phase I we will focus on establishing design rules for miniature InGaAs pixels with goals of reducing the geometry from 24 ?m pixel pitch (the current state-of-the-art) to 10 ?m junctions, and to applying 8 ?m tall, 4 ?m diameter indium bumps. During Phase II, we will expand the Phase I design results to produce a full 1280x1024 array on 75 mm and 100 mm diameter epitaxial wafers. This program will benefit from several Sensors Unlimited R&D programs, including our 100 mm diameter InP/InGaAs wafer processing. BENEFITS: The output of this program will be a high spatial resolution, wide field-of-view InGaAs SWIR photodiode array operating at room temperature. In addition, this program will lower device cost through the development of small pixel size. These advances will promote commercial applications such as police surveillance, food processing, semiconductor wafer inspection, pulp and paper manufacturing, and industrial thermal imaging. The objective of this proposal is to create a single, self-contained, portable apparatus (BIOSCAN apparatus), able to detect a biological agent rapidly, with no requirement for technical skill or use of other laboratory instruments such as pipettors or centrifuges. The fully automated BIOSCAN will carry out all operations within environmentally sealed disposable devices, so as to avoid the risks of exposure of personnel to infectious agents and contamination by carryover DNA. The BIOSCAN will 1) extract and purify RNA and DNA from blood, swabs, tissues, faeces, soil and environmental extracts; 2) combine purified nucleic acids (NA) with components of NA tests to enable amplification of target NA sequences of biological agents; 3) detect amplified target NA sequences within a sealed sample chamber using fluorescence. The BIOSCAN will combine patented Amplitechr high speed thermal cycling technology with AutoLyserr nucleic acid purification technology (patents pending), to detect signature DNA or RNA sequences of threat agent viruses, bacteria, parasites, or other human pathogens, within as little as 20 minutes following presentation of a raw sample. During each run, positive DNA controls as well as 3 pathogen sequences can be detected by spectral analysis of fluorescence. BENEFITS: The BIOSCAN apparatus described here will confer large benefits in a number of important areas of Defense and Medicine. It will enable threat agents to be detected quickly in a battlefield setting, as well as detection in cases of a suspected bio-terrorist attack. The BIOSCAN will also constitute an effective weapon against endemic infectious diseases, and will allow rapid identification of pathogens for the treatment of sepsis and wounds. The BIOSCAN will employ novel features not commercially available elsewhere, owing to an exclusive technology license available to XOHOX, Inc. One example is the BIOSCAN's patented ultra-high speed thermal cycler, which is 5 times faster than any commercially available hot air thermal cyclers, at this time. The BIOSCAN has safety features which other air cyclers lack, including having fully automated, closed sample handling, no use of breakable capillary tubes, and no venting of hot air to the outside environment, thereby protecting the user from DNA contamination. The BIOSCAN does not require any manual technical skills, the use of a centrifuge, or the use of other lab instruments. Sample solutions are loaded automatically in a sealed device. Nucleic acids are purified from raw samples using the proven AutoLyserr technology and automatically injected into the thermal cycling compartment within one portable apparatus. It is anticipated that the unique benefits of speed, safety, lack of skills required, automation and ease of use will make the BIOSCAN a commercially successful product in numerous markets such as diagnostics, ecology, wildlife protection, veterinary science and forensics. The local measurement of meteorological parameters is important to Army infantry operations. The parameters include wind speed and direction, air and mean radiant temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation and precipitation rate. This data is useful in predicting environmental effects on troop exhaustion, predicting the dispersion and lifetime of any chemical weapons released in the vicinity of the troops, and general weather monitoring. ADA proposes to develop a Microenvironmental Sensor Package (MSP) which can measure these parameters in a compact, rugged, and inexpensive package with no moving parts. The package will incorporate competitively selected commercial sensors for each measurement, with the exception of a sonic anemometer which will be designed in-house. In Phase I, candidate sensors will be evaluated for all parameters. These sensors will then be incorporated into a prototype MSP which will undergo limited testing to complete proof-of-concept demonstration. A computer-based receiving system will be employed for these Phase I tests. Phase I Option work would involve prototyping the associated handheld terminal which will be used in the field to interrogate the MSPs. Phase II completes the final designs for the MSP and associated handheld terminal, and includes field demonstrations and preparation for Phase III production. BENEFITS: The MSP will enable real-time monitoring of meteorological conditions across the battlefield, with numerous applications toward improving the well being of soldiers. It will be readily adapted to other markets such as firefighting, chemical plant monitoring, and home weather stations. Asbestos containing materials have been used in buildings in many applications for insulation and fire proofing such as pipe insulation, vinyl asbestos tiles, transite boards. Asbestos fibers are hazardous and EPA in No. 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61 regulates asbestos-containing material (ACM). Currently the ACM are encapsulated in place, which merely postpones the final solution, which is removal of ACM. In situ treatment using acids and fluoride ions has been used successfully in the laboratory for chemical digestion of ACM. However, in bulk construction material, other constituents such as gypsum, vermiculites are also present. The presence of these materials makes the acid digestion more difficult. It is proposed in this research that microwave-coupling compounds will be added to the chemical digestion process to enhance the chemical reaction because of local heat. The feasibility of using ultrasonic vibration in conjunction with microwave energy to enhance the chemical digestion of ACM in construction materials will be investigated. BENEFITS: At present the cost of asbestos removal is prohibitive. Current techniques for removing asbestos containing materials (ACM) require the construction of airtight barriers, labor intensive scraping of the ACM and costly environmental and worker protection. Development and testing of an in situ chemical digestion process for ACM will greatly reduce the cost of asbestos abatement. The DoD owns more than 2 billion square feet of buildings and structures, which have some ACM. It is estimated that the cost to the DoD for asbestos inspection, training, in place management, and abatement will exceed $ 1 billion. In situ digestion by chemicals has the potential of cost avoidance of 20 percent, or $200 million. Specifically CREI hopes to achieve the following during Phase III. The proposed system will allow tracking the movement of chemical clouds in real time from a safe standoff distance. The instruments used are passive standoff chemical agent detectors already fielded (M21). Each instrument individually can only measure the total of all the chemical in its line-of-site; the distance to the cloud is unknown. By merging data from multiple vantage points (either one instrument moving past the cloud or two or more instruments spaced so as to view the cloud from different directions) a map of the cloud location can be generated. The equipment required for the proposed system is either government-off-the-shelf or commerically available. Also, the data fusion techniques (tomography) have been demonstrated previously in the medical field. The proposed system represents a low risk solution to the problem of remotely tracking toxic and hazardous chemical clouds. BENEFITS: The Chemical Tracking System would be able to monitor the movement of many chemical clouds of either military or industrial origin. Since the technique is standoff, the personnel are not exposed to toxic hazards while they follow the cloud. Also the equipment works on-the-move which allows rapid response to emergency situations (plant explosion, tank car accident, chemical terrorism). This proposal introduces an innovative idea to generate a very high output power from a clad-pumped multicore fiber laser array embedded in a common low loss cladding with a unique "isometric" structure. An injection technique is used to actively phase lock the array emitting in the in-phase supermode. A double-clad multicore fiber laser array consisting of a total of seven single-mode fibers spaced within a circle of 28 micron in diameter will be used. A computer analysis of the far-field radiation patterns indicated that a high brightness laser beam with an amplitude 40 dB greater than the side lobes, can be obtained form this multicore fiber laser array for the in-phase supermode with a V-value of ~2 and a core separation of 1.5 times the core diameter. We have also analyzed threshold requirements for generating supermodes by using coupled mode theory. Results indicate that the thresholds for the higher order supermodes are lower than that of the fundamental supermode. Therefore, an injection-locking technique must be developed to suppress the higher order supermodes. Under the Phase I-SBIR, various injection schemes will be explored for the purpose of establishing a stable laser oscillation in the fundamental in-phase super mode of phase locked, clad-pumped fiber laser array. Other important issues to be addressed in Phase I are: the optimum core size and core separation for scaling the output power from a clad-pumped fiber laser array up to 1 kW, and the cladding dimension which can reliably accommodate the pump laser power to 1.6 kW at 915 nm without causing catastrophic damage to the cladding material. Benefits-high power, small spot, compact package, low weight, flexible power delivery. Applications-precision drilling, high-speed cutting and welding of dissimilar materials. Recent advances in electromagnetic technology clearly lend themselves to application in space-based data storage/retrieval systems. Commercial data storage systems provide low cost, long-life operation and strong logic/control systems, but employ mechanical bearings that limit their resistance to shock and life expectancy. A similar system ruggedized for space via integrated magnetic motor-bearing technology and combined with a flexible control interface system to handle format conversions would offer dramatic improvement in on-board space systems. The objective of this project is to design and implement a system toprovide accurate position and situational awareness for an unmannedground vehicle (UGV). These tasks will be accomplished by a modularsystem where each module will accomplish the functions of (1)navigation (2) scene understanding and (3) situational awareness. Inorder to accomplish these functions, we will design and develop threemodules. The Positioning Sensor Module (PSM) will address navigation,Local-scene Sensor Module (LSM) will address scene understanding andthe Internal Representation Module (IRM) will address situationalawareness.The focus of Phase I will be on: (1) demonstrating the capability ofthe scene understanding tasks (the Local-scene Sensor Module) and (2)the design of an architecture for the three modules (PSM fornavigation, LSM for scene understanding, and IRM for situationalawareness).Phase II will focus on all the modules and demonstrate their capabilities via field tests using on a UGV.The project team is composed of Scientific Systems Company Inc (SSCI),The Sarnoff Corporation and the Center for Self-Organizing andIntelligent Systems (CSOIS) at Utah State University.This SBIR projectwill complement these ongoing efforts between CSOIS and TACOM and focus on developing the position sensing and situational awareness system.During the course of this project the CSOIS UGVs will serve as aplatform for the basis of our design and demonstrations.The development of the above core technologies in positionsensing and situational awareness for a UGV will serve as a foundationfor Phase III commercialization. Commercial application of thistechnology exist in several areas such as: remote sensing, road andbridge inspection, buried and/or hazardous waste detection, unmanned space exploration, and counter terrorism. This work will design, develop, and implement a system-level electromagnetic simulation framework that increases the productivity of all participants in an EM analysis of a complex system by providing a collaborative engineering environment in which the participants easily construct simulation models, share and re-use data, create computational capabilities that utilize a suite of EM modeling tools, and produce engineering results from the electromagnetic simulation outputs. The heart of the Framework is a rule-based, whole-object conversion process that takes Computer Aided Design (CAD) geometry and material data and transforms it into valid, electromagnetic geometry and material modeling components. The CAD converter creates a parametric model, which the user manipulates by varying embedded parameters. When the model is correct, a rule-based gridding approach is used to create a valid EM input for the desired computer code, such as GEMACS, NEC, XPATCH, EIGER, or VOLMAX. The overall Framework provides components for database/library, modeling rules, a "model builder," and "application builder," and a visualizer, in addition to the CAD-to-EM converter. In this Phase I SBIR research, MRC proposes to develop new information protection andassurance technology based on robust and fragile digital watermarking. In particular,we will develop secure image authentication and integrity verification techniquescapable of localizing changes in images and estimating the extent of the modifications.The techniques will be compatible with the public key encryption infrastructure andwill enable convenient secure distribution of imagry between all military subjectsincluding mobile battlefield agents. Also, a new class of self-embedding techniqueswill be developed that will enable images to repair themselves after intentional orunintentional damage. Such smart images will significantly increase the security andreliability of data transmission from and to agents in the battlefield. We furtherpropose a class of robust watermarking techniques that can be combined with the fragile authentication watermarks to build hybrid watermarking schemes capable ofdistinguishing innocent (or allowed) changes including lossy compression or imageenhancement, from malicious changes, such as feature removal or adding. Finally, allproposed watermarking techniques will be flexible, expandable, applicable to allimage formats, and compatible with all existing and future battlefield agents. Thewatermarking algorithms will be implemented in a software product running on Windows95/98/2000/NT platforms.Cryptographically secure fragile authentication techniques, hybrid watermarkingschemes, and self-embedding techniques have important applications in a variety ofcommercial areas, including trusted imagery in court, secure hardware/image links,intelligent imagery, and secure image author/image links. Companies that deal withencryption, intellectual property protection, multimedia, internet commerce,steganography, and general imagery could all benefit from development of the proposedtechnologies. The authentication algorithms developed from this research could alsobe implemented directly in the hardware of secure surveillance digital cameras andvideo-cameras. Aimed at knowledge management, IEM's innovative knowledge Vortal accomplishes all of the essential elements central to knowledge management. Our design connects to relevant sources of knowledge such as subject matter experts (SMEs), allows a uniform and easy method to enter knowledge, and extracts/grabs pieces of useful knowledge from diversely located SMEs. Furthermore, our system indexes, categorizes, sorts, labels, abstracts the knowledge, makes knowledge(information) available to the users in easy, learnable manner; and updates, improves, maintains the knowledge base. The proposed design include over a dozen innovations including: artificial intelligence based expert system, innovative knowledge search, and powerful information delivery methods.In the Phase I effort, IEM will prototype all of the innovative features and create a prototype knowledge management site to study its operation and usefulness. The prototype site will serve as the basis of the Phase II design and implementation. This project will be done with the help of our partner, Smart Force, the largest e-Learning company in the world (IDC).Some of the applications for DOD as well as commercial markets include: a revolutionary e-learning model suitable for many other e-learning sites, creation of help desk type online facilities, knowledge repository sites for just about any topic, and improved knowledge search mechanism This proposed Phase I addresses the development and testing of catalysts for the low temperature decomposition of competitive impulse noncarcinogenic hypergolic (CINCH) fuels developed by the Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) for use in a liquid-gas generator. The catalysts will consist of solid solutions of metal oxides supporting precious metals. The supports will be prepared by coprecipitation techniques and the metals applied by standard decomposition techniques. It is anticipated that these catalysts will readily decompose liquid CINCH fuels forming expanded gases which will be delivered by a liquid gas generator. Phase I will consist of the coarse screening of 18 - 24 catalysts representing a spectrum of compositions from a general composition anticipated to possess a refractory nature in addition to decomposition activity. Identification of preferred variants will be followed by their optimization. A gas generator will designed for use with CINCH fuels and the preferred catalyst(s). Use in high specific impulse systems or long life thrusters is anticipated. These catalysts are expected to possess high activity not only for these reactions, but also for catalytic combustion.Catalysts to result from completion of this program will find application for decomposition of liquid fuels as well as for ignition of monopropellant mixtures in rockets. Other potential applications include ammonia cracking and the catalytic combustion of effluents originating from incinerators and combustion sources. Use of the catalysts for combustion of propellants in gas turbines and other power generators is another promising application. These materials will also be of potential utility for the removal of VOCs and nitrogen oxides from gaseous effluent streams. The materials would be of interest to the military as well as aerospace and waste disposal industries. Multiple tactical Army missions can be performed with a single missile if the propulsion system is capable of a wide variety of thrust versus time histories. Phase I of this SBIR investigated the theoretical feasibility of a Constant Pressure Throttling Gel Engine (CPTGE) with 10/1 throttling. The engine incorporated a spring-actuated pintle designed to adjust the engine throat area to maintain nearly constant chamber pressure. To achieve acceptable liquid injector pressure drops over the 10/1 throttling range, a multi-passage injector was conceived to produce gel propellant injection and atomization with high combustion efficiency. The Phase I study also examined specific impulse over the throttling range. This Phase II effort will experimentally test the conceptual flight weight CPTGE designed in Phase I using heat sink hardware. The planned tests will use both cold gas and hot firings to injector operation and efficiency, specific impulse variation with throttling, and the operating characteristics of the spring loaded pintle. The CPTGE will be sized to and evaluated for a small Army tactical missile application. The resulting experimental data will calibrate the CFD and other analyses used to design the engine and provide techniques for designing and evaluating this and other pintle controlled throttling engines. BENEFITS: The direct application of this engine is in small Army tactical missiles, which can perform several missions thereby, reducing the additional cost of multiple missile development. Logistical expenses in transportation, storage and training would be reduced. Gel propellants reduce hazards in the event of an unplanned propellant spillage. Accurate determination of battery state-of-charge remains a weak link in the assessment of battery condition or state-of-health. US Nanocorp and Villanova University have collaborated under US SOCOM Phase I and II SBIR programs to develop a newly patented fuzzy logic methodology to determine battery SOC in both primary and rechargeable systems for a variety of battery chemistries, including Pb-acid, NiCd, NiMH, and Li-ion. In the Phase I Army program, the objectives were to i) design a smart battery charge controller, ii)develop fuzzy logic algorithms for Pb-acid batteries, and iii) consider issues relating to communications over a smart battery bus and packaging the device into a Pb-acid battery. The goals and objectives of the phase II program will be to i) develop accurate fuzzy logic models for Pb-acid batteries, ii) develop an optimal smart battery controller IC chip for SLI batteries, iii) collaborate with Texas Instruments to use an existing platform for SLI Pb-acid battery applications, and iv) design the packaging for a smart battery controller to be integrated into a Pb-acid battery. Tactical and operational missions require equipment powered by lightweight, high output 50 to 150+ BHP engines. Engine powered equipment in this size is predominately 2-cycle diesel. Department of Defense (DoD) has mandated the use of heavy fuels: jet and diesel. Next generation fuel efficient, lightweight, high power density (1.5 HP/in3 disp.), heavy fuel engines (HFE) are needed. TARDEC will research opposed-piston (OP) 2-cycle diesel engines incorporating advanced 2- and 4-cycle diesel technologies. Design concepts will be evaluated by building a single cylinder research engine. AED Corp.'s proposed design combines its extensive hardware developed HFE direct-injected controlled combustion engine technology with electronically controlled common rail fuel injection, variable nozzle turbocharger, cooled articulated pistons, and high turbulent combustion chamber. Using Detroit Diesel Corp.'s (DDC) production 2-cycle components, the engine's design will facilitate hardware changes needed to evaluate critical design variables (i.e. crankshaft phasing). Operating on a controlled dual combustion thermodynamic cycle limiting maximum cylinder pressure, exceptionally high power density, low fuel consumption, and low emissions are predicted. Phase I work has confirmed that DDC 71 & 92 series components can make up the majority of components in the mechanical engine structure. Proof of concept will occur during the Phase I Option, Concept Engine Testing. The Phase II fully instrumented Advanced Demonstrator Model (ADM) design, build, development and operational testing will evaluate and optimize the OP engine to determine its potential for future military and commercial use. SSPI proposes to developa SIGINT tool thatwould produce high-accuracy emitter position estimatesfor a large class of measurement types including propagation time (PT),time difference of arrival (TDOA), frequency difference ofarrival (FDOA), and angle of arrival (AOA). If the sourceis known to be near the surface of the earth and a digitizedterrain map is provided, this information can be used to enhancethe quality of the estimate. The robustnessand general applicability of the proposed Maximum Likelihoodapproach make it ideally suitedfor high-accuracy geolocation through the combining of multiple geo-observables from distinct types of SIGINT sensors.The proposed general-purpose geolocation technique can be used for law enforcement and emergency services to locate a transmitter. The technique is also applicable for FCC to locate unauthorized transmitters. Another potentional applicationis to locate malfunctioning or modified radios in a cellular or PCS communicationssystem. The U.S. Army has expressed a need for improved real-time target acquisition capabilities of strategic systems for tactical applications such as battlefield data collection, reconnaissance, and search and rescue operations. To address this need, Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) proposes to develop a super-resolution processor module that will greatly improve the imagery of third-generation, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor systems. The IOS Super-Resolution (SuRe) processor will be a digital signal processor (DSP) chip that will implement a state-of-the-art restoration and super-resolution algorithm in real time. The processor will significantly extend the range of third-generation FLIR sensors, significantly increasing their capabilities for target surveillance and tracking. An image restoration algorithm capable of processing the output of a staring, focal-plane array with a time delay of less than two frames will be demonstrated during Phase I. During the project, IOS will conduct market analysis and identify financial and other support to ensure the successful commercialization of the SuRe processor.The ability of the SuRe processor to function in real time and its significant benefits in size, weight, and cost will make it extremely competitive in many areas where the enhancement of acquired imagery data is desired.In addition to greatly enhancing the target surveillance and tracking capabilities of military sensors, the SuRe processor will be beneficial in non-military applications such as: air traffic control (landing aids and runaway monitoring); improved video cameras for surveillance and security applications; enhanced imagery devices for industrial product inspections and quality control; and numerous civilian airborne-surveillance tasks such as crop and forest monitoring, and the monitoring of land-use. There is a demonstrated need to protect power lines from disruptions to the Earth's magnetic field which can induce currents in the electrical conductors of such communications systems and pipelines. These disruptions can be caused by high altitude detonation of nuclear weapons or by solar activity. These geomagnetically-induced currents (GICs) cause saturation of the transformers, resulting in increased heating, generation of harmonics, and reactive power demand, each of which can lead to problems with system operation and dramatically increased corrosion rates of metallic pipelines.During the Baseline program, Engineering Matters will develop protective system designs for transformers and transmission lines in conjunction with our commercial utility teammate. We will then demonstrate the success of these designs in tests using sub-scale systems. During the Optional Task, we will design an additional technique to protect rotating synchronous generators.Electric system infrastructure preservation and reliable delivery of high quality electric power will be aided by the development of GIC mitigation techniques. This small business innovation research phase-I project will provide the design and the proof-of-principle demonstration of high-performance wide-angle, broadband (over the visible spectrum) polarizing beam-splitters. The proposed polarizing beam-splitters (PBSs) use nano-wire-grid as the polarization element, and hence is coined nano-wire-grid PBS (NWG-PBS). The proposed research will optimize the design of the geometry (size, pitch and shape) of the metal wire girds and supporting dielectric materials, as well as the selection of these materials, to achieve the desired extinction ratio, splitting efficiency, and transmittance in the wavelength range from near-infrared down to 400 nm. The designs will be first tested using simulation tools, then will be fabricated and characterized experimentally. The key tool of the fabrication is nanoimprint lithography, which can allow low-cost, high throughput patterning of sub-10 nm features over a large area- one of the expertise of Nanonex Corporation.The proposed NWG-PBS has many superior performances over existing PBSs, including (1) high polarization efficiency (> 99%) and high extinction ratio (> 100:1) for both s- and p- polarizations throughout the visible spectrum; (2) high transmission and reflection efficiencies (both > 95%); (3) large working incident angle range (0?¤45?) and acceptance angle throughout the visible spectrum; (4) large clear working aperture (up to 5 inches in diameter); (5) ultra-thin active layer (< 0.5 micron); and (6) capability of integration with other devices. The proposed NWG-PBSs have many significant applications, which include projection TVs, liquid crystal displays & projectors, color copies/color printers, communications and computing components and vision systems. This proposed device, if successfully developed, would revolutionize the optics industry by significantly improving the performance of numerous optical & electro-optical products for both civilian and military applications. There are no rapid prototyping methods that can directly create sintered ceramic or refractory metal components. Busek proposes to develop a micro sized plasma torch system to facilitate the direct writing/sintering of refractory components. The potential advantages of this technique are clear; the part is ready for use upon release from the build, there is no post-processing step, where a part may shrink or distort. For this and other reasons, a micro-plasma torch prototyping technique can show distinct advantages over laser sintering and other competing three-dimensional printing processes. The goal of the proposed program is to develop a miniaturized, high power density plasma micro-torch system for application to direct writing of high melting point (>2000 degrees Celsius) components. The micro torch will be demonstrated using silicon and hafnium carbide powders. In Phase I, Busek will produce a micro scale plasma torch and test its ability to fabricate simple objects. In continued work, the torch will be incorporated into a low cost system using commercially available stages and drivers. BENEFITS: Busek's plasma torch direct writing sintering technology has the potential to form dense parts and functionally gradient components directly from powders. This process is ideal for prototyping of high temperature ceramic and refractory metal parts. A system based on this micro-torch will be immediately useful to ceramic manufacturers. Recent advancements in integrated circuit miniaturization and network topologies in the communications industry have given rise to the development of products providing short range (less than ten meters) wireless connectivity for both voice and data communications. Several industry initiatives, among them Bluetooth and HomeRF, have created de facto standards for RF systems that operate using spread spectrum modes in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands of frequencies, at very low power levels. One promising application for this emerging technology is in the area of wireless personal area networks (WPANs). Trident proposes exploiting this technology to provide secure wireless voice and data links between soldier-borne systems such as combat net radios, personal GPS units (PLGR), and digital message transfer devices (DMTDs), as well as tetherless intercom connections for vehicle crews and associated dismounted personnel. These links will enhance operational efficiency by eliminating cabled connections and providing dynamically self-configuring personal voice and data network connectivity on the battlefield. Trident will exploit its background in portable SA/C2 systems to develop a solution that integrates readily into the Army's battlefield digitization effort.The successful completion of this project will provide the Army with a flexible, practical solution for short-range wireless voice and data connectivity. This capability will reduce task complexity and enhance operational efficiency associated with tactical communications for both mounted and dismounted personnel. The resulting system would be immediately applicable for use by other military services (USMC, SOCOM), and has direct applications for a variety of commercial markets, from wireless industrial control systems to personal voice and data connectivity for mobile internet and intranet users. This program proposes to study, develop, simulate, fabricate and test a ground based receiver-signal processor system architecture capable of detecting, measuring the angle of arrival and uniquely identifying the emissions of a modern LPI radar altimeter. The basis for the program is the use of high probability of intercept receiver technology to scan wide frequency ranges in msec time periods with sensitivity, when combined with a low gain DF antenna, of at least -118 dBmi. This acquisition receiver will be integrated with digital receiver/processor technology to provide paremeter and direction measurements to identify the signal type and direction.Monitoring and control of modern cellular and satellite LPI type narrow and wide band mobile communications signals. As wireless communications Systems move to higher carrier frequencies, advantages of direct-sequence methods are reduced due to the decrease in channel coherence tie. Frequency hopping techniques will be required to gain advantages of spread spectrum Systems and minimize multi-user access interference. Channel dynamics increase with higher frequency operation and provide a significant obstacle to current receive processing techniques. CO-Channel interference is emerging as one of the greatest impacts to digital data communications systems. A new approach to receiver design. applying Per Survivor Processing (PSP), offers the opportunity to achieve dramatic Performance improvements (e.g. improved acquisition, &/or interference rejection) when a large number of users, difficult dynamics and/or large channel Uncertainties are present Further, PSP excels when the channel characteristics, the number of interferes or reflections, & other key signal parameters are unknown. Application of PSP is now feasible due to the rapidly increasing computational power and decreasing price of modern digital technology. Extensive Phase I simulation has demonstrated the advantages of PSP applied to frequency hopping systems operating in high dynamic CO-Channel interference environments. The focus of the proposed. Phase II work will be to develop proof of-concept hardware prototypes capable of demonstrating these advantages in real-time. BENEFITS: The primary benefit of this multi-phased SBIR program is the implementation of high-performance, robust and cost effective Processing to enhance the performance and capacity of mobile frequency hopped communication systems. Mobile network protocols that are self configuring and robust are called for in a variety of commercial Situations, and represent a significant hurdle for current commercial wireless Systems. Therefore, successful new methodologies for frequency hopping radio networks will have significant commercial potential for high carrier frequency multi-user Systems. MaxPower is proposing a Phase II program which is an Integrated approach towards developing a high capacity-high rate Li-ion cell capable of operation from ambient temperatures to -40C. The Li-ion system proposed has extended cycle life capability for standard communications and electronic application at the c/5 rate, and cycle life capability for standard rate applications (e.g. Pulse power and satellite communications). MaxPower's approach involves four tasks: 1) R&D an anodes (i.e. 2-Phase materials); 2) R&D on LiCo02 and LIC0(0.2)Ni(08)O2 two-phase materials (inert ceramic additives incorporated as a second phase); 3) New binder materials for increased concentration of active materials in electrode structures, 4) Development of technology for the construction of BB-2590 Li-ion cells with the new materials developed in Tasks 1-3. These cells will have energy and power densities exceeding, respectively, 100 Wh/kg and 40 w/kg, and will deliver useful capacities at temperatures down to -40 C. These "dual use" Li-ion cells will have cycle lives of 250 for high rate (5C) applications. BENEFITS: An expanded Li-ion cell technology base with respect to enhanced energy and rate capabilities in general, and operability over the entire military temperature rang, in particular, will help push the Li-ion rechargeable batteries toward wide dual (military and commercial) market acceptance. All types of portable devices and equipment, wireless communication including satellite communication devices, are key commercial applications. Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) proposes to design and develop a handheld terminal that is easily carried and used by soldiers operating in view of an High Altitude Endurance (MAE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) such as the Global Hawk or DarkStar. Communications through the UAV relay will use a high-speed wireless data link with data rates at or above T-1. The wireless link will be LPI/LPD via the use of spread spectrum techniques. SRC's handheld terminal will have networking capabilities enabling it to receive broadcasts from remote stations via the UAV relay and the Airborne Communications Node (ACN) payload. Various types of data will be processed, similar in content and operation of the Internet and World Wide Web. Among the many possible data types, the hand-held terminal shall be capable of receiving high quality compressed video from the UAV, for immediate display or storage for later use. A reach-back link will be provided allowing the hand-held terminal to interact with the remote station or other hand-held terminals. SRC proposes that the reach-back link use variable data rates and adaptive transmit power to maximize operating time before battery replacement or recharge. As part of the ACN team, SRC can make the Hand-held Terminal for Battlefield Broadcast part of that program by offering the technology as part of a Royalty Free loan for proof of concept use. BENEFITS: A hand-held terminal capable of receiving broadcast messages including compressed video, graphics and other data from a UAV will significantly increase the military's battlefield awareness and reaction time. Commercial Applications include Medical Response Teams, Remotely Operated Vehicles, Remote Broadcast Television, Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, and Industrial Security. RBD Government Systems (RBD) proposes to develop a modular, man-in-the- loop, embedded simulation system for Individual Combatant (IC) mission planning and rehearsal. The system will be designed to simulate and stimulate Force XXI soldier systems from programs such as the Land Warrior (LW), the Objective Individual Combatant Weapon (OICW), the Small Unit Operations (SUO) program, and the Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) ACTD. The purpose of the system is to provide the individual soldier and small unit with the capability to reconfigure Go-to-war soldier transportable systems for mission planning and rehearsal, enabling individual soldiers to be networked and interact seamlessly within the virtual environment while en route to a combat situation. The embedded simulation system will be PC-based and will be compliant with the High Level Architecture (HLA). Phase I efforts will focus on the analysis and system design of a virtual embedded simulation for Land Warrior, including computer generated forces on synthetic battlefields. Additional system configurations and implementation plans will be developed for the OICW, SUO and MOUT programs. The system design and execution plan developed in Phase I will provide the framework and will facilitate the construction of an actual embedded simulation system in Phase II. BENEFITS: Commercial potential exists for mission rehearsal of law enforcement officers, security personnel, or border patrols in dangerous, urban situations such as hostage rescue, anti-terrorist and crime-fighting activities. Development of VICTER will support the OSCR Program by improving the operational performance of the soldier while reducing overall training costs. A Semiotic Design Methodology for Data SonificationDisplay of complex information through sound, or Data Sonification (DS), is a promising technology that remains relatively unexploited in both military and non-military information systems. The primary reason for this deficit is the lack of satisfactory design knowledge, methods, and process for economically and reliably deploying DS applications. We propose to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel, unified design methodology for Data Sonification (DS) based on a fundamental theory of sign systems, or "semiotics". Using semiotic theory as a framework, CHI proposes to integrate and extend DS-relevant research and practices into a comprehensive, systematic, end-to-end process for deploying DS applications.This effort will enhance development of DS applications through: maximum use of existing design knowledge, greater synergy of all design phases based on a common theoretical foundation, reduced time and cost to deploy DS applications, and better integration of DS in multi-modal workstation design. This enhanced development capability would open up new opportunities for commercialization of DS technology in a broad range of applications, including data mining, process control, simulation and modeling, software engineering, education and training, and games. In addition, DS has broad applicability anywhere the user is visually disabled or in reduced-visibility environments. The innovations herein described are specific methods to use active networks hosting mobile agents to achieve efficient, flexible, survivable wireless communication networks. The methods proposed use mobile agents interacting using a contract net paradigm to maintain dynamic knowledge of the network connectivity, to select near optimal routes, and to provide bandwidth and latency control for a wide range of instantaneous user requirements. A specific method which we have used very successfully in other domains is also detailed to provide in-network data mining for certain classes of data anomalies. This capability will allow the network to detect situations requiring increased priority and possibly modifications to packet destinations. Lastly, this proposal describes a fundamental problem with fully decentralized networks, gives data to support its occurrence, and proposes a specific method to reduce the occurrence and mitigate the impact of this problem. During the proposed Phase 1 work, these innovations will be investigated using proprietary tools designed specifically to build mobile agent systems. These tools will simplify the development of a network simulation, and will also simplify the development of the agent code that will form the basis of the active network.IAI has investigated one small application for robust wireless networks for wireless interconnection of hospital equipment, and for high value inventory tracking within hospitals. Even this tiny domain is estimated to be in the several billion dollar range. Our main objective will be to investigate and develop an affordable, high performance organic material formulation and application/molding process that will significantly advance the state-of-the-art in current encapsulation material performance for non-hermetic integrated circuits (ICs). The new encapsulants will be permeable to moisture and have controlled coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and modulus of elasticity properties that minimize stress between the printed circuit board (PCB) substrate and integrated circuit. Fillers will be used to improve thermal conductivity and reduce the thermal expansion coefficient. Additives will be used to improve the adhesion and fire retardance. The developed encapsulants will be tested by the encapsulation of small parts by UDC and testing by end users. At the end of Phase I, we will provide a report with results and conclusions, and a Phase II plan, schedule and cost estimate.This program will provide a high performance non-hermetic electronic encapsulants. These encapsulants will improve the performance, lower the cost, and improve reliability of nearly all electronic components used in weapon systems. Encapsulants for microcircuits are urgently needed throughout the commercial sector as well as in defense. Examples include computers, cell phones, and all devices with microcircuits. This technology will provide lower cost and higher performance in all of these applications. This research will revolutionize commercial software for heat conduction by using non-Fourier conduction to predict transient temperatures in solids. Here "non-Fourier" refers to applications where the standard model of Fourier's law fails to provide accurate predictions. Using non-Fourier conduction is revolutionary because commercial software currently uses Fourier's law despite the growing number of applications that can be correctly simulated only with non-Fourier conduction. Incorporating non-Fourier conduction into these simulations can improve the accuracy of predictions that rely on temperature, including thermal stress, solid-phase reactions, and phase changes. Also, the effects of non-Fourier conduction can be exploited to devise new materials and processes not obvious with Fourier conduction. The key objectives for Phase I are to: (i) Provide an analytical expression for determining the relative importance of non-Fourier and Fourier conduction, (ii) Demonstrate a technique for numerically solving non-Fourier problems as a precursor to software development in Phase II, (iii) Determine the conditions for which non-Fourier conduction is important to help identify experiments needed in Phase II to validate non-Fourier software.The non-Fourier software resulting from this research will have an impact across an enormous range of applications, such as improving the performance of rocket nozzles and heat shields constructed of composite materials, optimizing the ignition of granular propellants in rocket motors, advancing the laser-fabrication and repair of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and microchips, designing better clothing to protect against thermal burns, and guiding laser surgery. CTI has demonstrated helicopter signature detection using both long and short pulse lidars. A long-pulse lidar is optimal for sensing increases in spectral width, however this signature is susceptible to wind turbulence and shear clutter. Short pulse lidars are optimal for inflow-signature detection, however they require much longer update times. To satisfy these two competing effects, CTI proposes to develop a novel agile-pulse dual-mode coherent lidar. In the turbulence-detection mode, the scan rate of this compact 5 W lidar will exceed 90 degrees in 15 sec, while providing 5 m cross range resolution at 5 km. CTI will leverage its experience in the field of wake-vortex detection and tracking to develop advanced algorithms for the reduction of clutter-induced false alarms. Inflow-signature detection will be accomplished using a short-pulse. Here, update rates less than 10 seconds per LOS are expected. In both modes, a velocity precision better than 20 cm/s at ranges in excess of 5 km is expected. In Phase I CTI will develop, test and refine advanced clutter rejection algorithms utilizing previously and newly acquired data sets and develop a preliminary lidar design. In Phase II CTI will develop, test, and demonstrate the prototype sensor and implement the advanced clutter-rejection algorithms in CTI's real-time signal processor.The proposed Phase I/II program will result in the development of a compact, agile-pulse, efficient, high power eyesafe coherent lidar. This technology will have application in many military as well as commercial settings. Potential commercial applications include clear-air-turbulence detection, general aviation wind shear detection, airport wind surveillance, and environmental monitoring. Military applications include helicopter signature detection and correction for precision airdrop and ballistics weapon systems. Angiogenesis is a critical component in many physiological and pathological processes, such as in cancer metastasis, and in the healing of wounds, bone fractures, ulcers, and other angiogenesis related diseases. There is, however, no software specifically designed for analyzing angiogenesis. Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc. (IOS) proposes to develop innovative, user-friendly software for the automatic, reliable, rapid, sensitive, and accurate analysis of MRA images. This software will use neural networks to classify the data acquired from the imaging analysis, and thus provide a method for the identification and analysis of angiogenesis and the diagnosis of cancer. This software will be useful for the diagnosis of early cancer growth and metastatic tumors, and will enhance the capability of current imaging modalities of MRA for cancer diagnosis. This software will also have the potential for use in the diagnoses of other angiogenesis related diseases. Building on the successful results of Phase I, in Phase II IOS will finish the development of a complete intelligent imaging system suitable for investigational use in radiological practice, and will initiate U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-compliant clinical trials of the system. The objective of this project is to develop a new disinfectant/sterilization system that can be easily deployed to support troops in the field. The standard method of sterilizing medical instruments, by high temperature steam autoclave, is impractical for many field uses due to size, weight, and power constraints. Liquid sterilization methods can be used to sterilize medical equipment when autoclaving is impractical. However, existing liquid sterilants have a number of limitations. Many liquid sterilants are unstable, contain ingredients that are potentially harmful to personnel, or are difficult and costly to transport. Thus, there is a continuing need for a new practical, safe, sterilants for medical instruments in challenging environments. This project concerns development of a novel cold sterilant formulation consisting of a stable dry powder. Large volumes of liquid sterilant can be prepared from potable water, thereby minimizing logistic demands. The proposed formulation is stable at room temperature and is effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms, including bacterial spores. Preliminary testing of the formulation indicates a high potential for sterilization of medical equipment in 30 minutes at room temperature. The prospects for regulatory acceptance are high because the ingredients have little potential to impact on human health. The proposed research will demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, focusing on sterilization verification and stability testing protocols. A powdered sterilization formulation has significant dual use applications in medical situations in an austere environment. In addition to military uses, the resulting technology has numerous uses in the private sector including, industrial hygiene, food safety, hospital infection control, hazardous spill cleanup, and emergency response management. Lynntech's management team is experienced in obtaining private sector funding for technology commercialization through strategic partnerships with companies serving the infection control market. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy in the United States. With the exception of lung cancer, it is the leading cause of death in men in the country. By age 80, the risk of developing prostate cancer is estimated to be 1 in 7. Despite increased public awareness, regular check-ups, and improved therapeutic interventions greater than 31,000 American men will die from prostate cancer during calendar year 2000. The current proposal seeks to develop a new form of immunotherapy using dendritic cell (DC) based DNA vaccines to combat this serious disease. During Phase I, DC were isolated and transfected with 3 genes believed important in cytotoxic T cell (TC) killing of prostate cancer cells. The transfected DC remained functional and further enhanced TC proliferation rates by 40-50% versus controls. In addition, initial results showed that TC which had been cultured with the transfected DC caused 16-40% cytotoxicity in target prostate tumor cells. Phase II research will continue to lay the groundwork for an improved DNA vaccine against prostate cancer. Prostate tumors will be established in SCID mice and animal experiments will be performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the proposed immunotherapeutic approach. The team of STAR-H Corporation and the Electrical Engineering Department of The Pennsylvania State University propose to develop for the Army a high performance, wide band, VHF/UHF receiving and transmitting antenna, or suite of antennas, that can cover an unusually broad range of frequencies and be worn by a soldier in the field. It will be light in weight, weatherproof, launderable, efficient and as nearly omni-directionable as possible. The enabling technology originated in a totally different field, thermal radiators for NASA lunar and Martian power plants, and lends itself well to this new purpose. The proposed technical approach is inherently low in cost, readily adaptable to quantity production and compliant. Preliminary models of the new antenna have been designed, fabricated and tested over a ten kilometer range at power levels from 1 to 35 watts in the UHF portion of the spectrum, meeting several of the Army's goals in advance.The proposed antenna has potential beyond its military significance. It is expected to be adaptable for use for relaying cell phone and data communications inside buildings and tunnels. Toyon Research proposes to develop a fusion module that fuses measurements collected by an arbitrary number of sensors over time to provide target recognition of airborne targets. The fusion module will consist of a Bayesian Network and a statistical database. The Bayesian Network will update beliefs about what type of target is being measured by taking into consideration a priori information regarding the types of airborne objects in an area and the capabilities of the sensors providing measurements. Additionally, the network will consider the degree to which a particular measurement matches the expected signal of each type of target of interest. The statistical database will provide information regarding the expected performance characteristics of the sensors and the degree to which a particular measurement matches expectations. One of the important advantages of our approach is that information from sensors which provide data at different levels in a target-class hierarchy can be effectively fused. For instance, data from a sensor which distinguishes a jet aircraft from a prop aircraft can be fused with data from a sensor which distinguishes an F-15 from an F-16. We propose to develop an initial version of the fusion module and provide a demonstration of its capabilities on an example problem during Phase I.The successful completion of this research will result in the development of a fusion module which can fuse measurements collected by an arbitrary number of sensors over time to robustly provide non-cooperative target recognition of airborne objects. Non-military applications of this technology include air traffic control, counter-drug operations, and medical diagnostics. The majority of the smart weapons that constitute the primary threat to ground combat vehicles incorporate infrared (IR) seekers that use thermal sources as their targeting reference. Therefore, in order to increase the survivability and combat effectiveness of military ground vehicles, it is desirable to reduce the vehicle's thermal emissions. The visual and infrared images in Figure 1 show how the hot engine exhaust outlet on the front right portion of the M-113 creates the most significant input to the overall IR image. Although a variety of combat vehicle exhaust suppressors have already been developed, this program will put together a systematic, integrated approach for the development of a host of exhaust suppressors for present and future vehicles. This program will investigate exhaust suppression virtual design, and exhaust suppression optimization by using and integrating modeling techniques with hot flow testing. Commercial applications could include thermal energy control, heat shielding, exhaust flow analysis, and engine cooling system design. The primary area would be in the automotive field, however, other applications may be found in the fields of transportation, manufacturing and power generation. A novel approach for the development of high performance brake components isproposed based on gasar technology. The approach involves filling of highly porous gasar matrices made of wear-resistance alloys with abrasive powder to create new bake components. Gasar technology provides the capabilities to control pores sizes, shape, quantity, and orientation in one-step process. The porous monolithic structure resulted due to the interaction of hydrogen with melts provides unique service properties such as high durability, high thermal conductivity, and plasticity. The combination of the metal matrix and abrasive powder in one composite will result in improved braking performance and reliability. The proposed fabrication technique is versatile and it allows not only the production of braking components but also many other metals and ceramics composites.The successful completion of Phase I will demonstrate the feasibility of using gasar technology for the development of high performance brake components. Gasar ttechnology is relatively cost efficient than other manufacturing methods for porousmaterials. Therefore, brake components made from gasars can be used in both military and commercial vehicles such as aircrafts, vehicle fleets, racing cars, cars, trucks, etc. There is a need for Spatial Light Modulators (SLM)'s that have a few nanometers phase resolution' have > 128X128 pixels, are fast (>500 Hz), have at least 2-pi range of modulation, and have continuous phase capability. Devices of this type would have applications in the areas of displays, simulators, photolithography, optical interconnects, wave front cameras, adaptive optics systems, telecommunications, and noninvasive medical procedures. In order to meet this need, we will develop a 128 by 128 element SLM that meets the above requirements using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The SLM will be an array of micromirrors, which move vertically in response to an electronic signal, and change the phase of light. It is development will be accomplished by first, during Phase 1, developing the components that will be needed to fabricate the device. These components are an electronic multiplexer capable of addressing the pixels and a pixel that is small enough that a 128 by 128 array is feasible to manufacture. Then, during Phase 1 Option, we will fabricate the first prototype. During Phase 2, and Phase 3, we will test the prototype, refine the design, and start applying the device to solve problems for some of the applications identified above. BENEFITS: A large array of SLM's integrated with electronics and optics on chip can perform many system functions such as image signal processing, optical computing such as correlation, holographic displays, and adaptive programmable optical interconnects. This device will be ideal for these applications. Light-weight rapid deployment military vehicles will require a high degree of crew survivability, by remoting crew members and providing vehicle control in addition to realistic imagery feedback. The problem is that realistic 3-D imagery is impossible to collect, transmit and reconstruct, without an inordinate amount of equipment, bandwidth and costs. As a result the operator is aped to make mistakes in interpreting the scenery. For these systems to be feasible for both military and commercial use, they must be implemented in a reasonable cost, package size, power consumption, and work in variety of environments both day and night. Sensors will be used to measure objects and terrain features then processed to identify driving obstacles and hazards. These features will then be denoted on the actual driving camera's video in an unobtrusive manner alerting the operator of danger areas. This unique solution will not increase the bandwidth requirement, and with newer generations of sensors and processors, can be realized and tested. BENEFITS: This system is not unique to tactical vehicles; therefore, it could be easily adapted to industrial vehicles used in hazardous environments, minimizing civilian endangerment. By providing these capabilities, the + crew would not only benefit from receiving driveable video and audio from the vehicle, but the enhanced options will aid in their decisions to perform their mission, resulting in increased productivity. The ability to rapidly adapt mission plans is key to modern operational success. Although this is particularly true for combat forces, it is equally critical for the logistics structure that supports them. Although the availability of logistic decision support systems is increasing, an information overloaded digital battlefield hampers their effective use. This information overload includes both data quantity (large amounts of information of varying type) and quality (information of varying relevance and usefulness). In addition, the dynamic nature of much of this data further compounds the problem.Software agent technologies may offer some hope of mitigating logistics information overload. Technology Service Corporation (TSC) believes that an end-to-end agent design approach that integrates reasoning models, ontology requirements and communication mechanisms will produce the best results. To this end, TSC proposes to identify, define and demonstrate software agent applicability to logistics using its Logistic Site Planning and Operation Tool (LOGSPOT; currently being developed under another Army SBIR) as the baseline system. Since LOGSPOT development will occur in parallel with the proposed effort, the synergy between the efforts should help ensure the straightforward insertion of identified agent technologies during Phase 2.Anticipated benefits of the research include the identification of agent technologies to mitigate much of the up-front data management, collection and synthesis operator activities currently part of the LOGSPOT. Because TSC plans to commercialize the LOGSPOT technology, any identified and inserted agent technologies will also be commercialized. The proposed research is to develop highly proton conductive and thermally stable inorganic electrolyte for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) based on functionalized POM membrane. POM has been proven to have high room temperature proton conductivity (0.17S/cm) and much lower cost than Nafion. Main drawback of POM is poor film forming capability and high solubility in water. Its conductivity is also sensitive to humidity and temperature. Functionalized POM inorganic polymeric network (1) will provide POM with membrane forming capability. (2) the ionic conductivity will be further improved, because anions are integrated into network backbone and thus immobilized; protons are the only movable ions in the polymeric system. The conductivity will be competitive with state-of-art PEMs. (3) hydrates form hydrogen bond with bridge ligand and polymeric network, therefore hydrates can be stabilized and protected to higher temperature. No water management system is needed to achieve high proton conductivity.Developments in fuel cell power sources will have immediate impact on a wide range of commercial power sources from computer power to emergency medical power supplies to recreational power uses. Potential fuel savings by higher efficiency power production via subject technology. Successful research would reduce significantly the cost due to battery consumption in the field. Develop and test antennas suitable for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with signals intelligence and communications payloads and the potential to be used with other systems. New ideas are stressed to achieve antenna miniaturization and wide bandwidths.The development of a miniaturized broadband antenna covering VHF/UHF frequencies for potential DF systems holds the potential for applications in wireless 911 emergency location of cell phones, as well as for military ship and battlefield systems. The miniaturized boradband VHF/UHF communications system antenna holds promise for law enforcement, wireless, and military applications in aircraft as well as ship and vehicular applications. This proposal suggests an approach for determining interoperability between disparate distributed modeling and simulation software. The approach is based on the network-level analysis of the information sent between the constituent hosts of the distributed simulation and modeling systems, developer-provided descriptions of data format, and research into an information ontology that can help define the commonality between the disparate systems.Software that can successfully ascertain the interoperability between simulation systems can be used to dramatically reduce the time required to integrate disparate systems. The integration time is reduced because the system integrators can quickly determine what data can be interchanged, the format of the interchanged data, and data timing. Beyond simulation systems, such a tool can be used to assess the interoperability of any disparate distributed systems. Automating system interoperability is a powerful tool for system integrators. Systran Federal Corp. (SFC), the spun-off sister-company of Systran Corporation, which is a Products Development Company specializing in real-time networking (i.e., SCRAMNetŸ), proposes a novel architecture for Next Generation Distributed Simulation Technology. This innovation is based on providing "Native Stream ATM Communication" to High Level Architecture (HLA) Run Time Infrastructure (RTI) objects. Such native ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) protocol communication capability to HLA/RTI objects will be easily provided since SFC has developed "state-of-the-art" ATM network interface cards and the required driver software (i.e., SFC has the source code) on an Army funded SBIR (Contract DAA B07-98-C-B305), which is scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2000. This innovation is also based on the "novel" idea of connecting HLA/RTI objects with multiple networks simultaneously so that communicating objects can pick and choose the most suitable network for the data to be communicated. Parallel simultaneous multiple network connectivity between HLA/RTI objects will be provided to ATM networks through "Native ATM" protocol, to shared-memory network SCRAMNet, and to IP networks through SFC-developed "high-performance" CORBA middleware (ORB_IT). "Native ATM protocol" connectivity will be provided either directly between HLA/RTI objects at the application level, or through ORB_IT with ability to manage QoS.The proposed novel architecture would permit HLA/RTI objects to interact and exchange information with minimal latency using multiple networks simultaneously. The objects would be able to exchange voice and video iso-chronously and in real-time. The objects would be able to select the most appropriate network to exchange data and meet QoS criteria, such as, latency, bandwidth utilization, etc. In the Phase 11 of this program, we plan to design, fabricate and test a mid-format 320x256, two-color QWIP focal plane array (FPA). The ReadOut Integrated Circuit (ROIC) will include advanced signal processing needed for optimum performance in terms of cost, size, weight, complexity, and reliability of the high-quality two-color camera. QWIP photodetector arrays fabricated from large bandgap materials (Ga/As/AlGaAs) which are easily grown and processed to produce large uniform focal plane arrays tuned to detect light at wavelengths from 3 to 20 um. A two-color infra-red FPA is fabricated by growing two stacks of quantum wells adjusted for the detection of two different wavelengths, one in the Long-Wavelength Infra-Red band (LWIR) and the other in the Mid-Wavelength Infra-Red band (MWIR). We have demonstrated during the Phase I of this program the feasibility of integrating in the ROIC state-of-the-art circuitry to optimize the next generation of high performance QWIP focal plane arrays, specifically detector interface optimization, background suppression and an on-chip high resolution ADC. During the Phase II, the ROIC design will be completed, fabricated and hybridized to a 2-color QWIP detector. The performance of 2-color infrared camera completed under this program will be thoroughly characterized to validate the concept of the next generation of 2-color, off-the-shelf, hand-held infrared camera to be commercialized during the Phase III. The unit cell consists of a double detector interface circuit, providing independent detector bias voltages with on-chip adjustment for the two stacked quantum well photodetectors as well as independent integration time. Charge skimming technique and on-chip adjustable gain are two complementary approaches integrated to optimize the signal to noise ratio for different IR scene level. This would allow the FPA to suppress background and to operate eventually at higher temperatures (i.e. with larger dark current). A 14-bit, very low power, high-speed pipeline ADC will be integrated on-chip reducing cost, noise pickup, reliability and system complexity of FPA. The array will be read out at the rate of 30 to 60 frames per second. The readout circuit will also include features such as flexible integration control, dynamic image transposition (invert-revert) and dynamic windowing. The mid-format, 2-color QWIP detector will be fabricated by Lockheed Martin Sanders and hybridized to the ROIC with indium bumps. Complete characterization and imaging results, demonstrating the full capability of the 2-color focal plane array will be reported. BENEFITS: The two-color camera built and tested during the Phase II will be the first step toward the commercialization phase of the first off-the-shelf hand-held two-color camera (Phase III of the SBIR). Commercial, low cost, high performance, mid-format, two-color QWIP focal plane arrays and systems built around these IR sensors will find many applications in manufacturing industries, law enforcement, medical, environmental and agricultural. Multimedia applications are driving future wireless networks toward supporting data bearing services. Digital data transfer requires a much lower target BER and higher throughput than does a voice only application. In a wireless network, the communication environment is changing continuously. It is difficult to design a communication link that performs well under all possible conditions. Frequency hopping systems have been shown to be a feasible solution in multiple access systems while providing advantages against jamming/interference. Other strategies can be employed in conjunction with FH to improve system performance. However, these strategies typically sacrifice throughput and spectral efficiency. Under the conventional design paradigm, the link design is usually fixed a priori. Because channel conditions can change, the effectiveness of a combined spreading, coding, and modulation scheme can be improved if the transmitted waveform can adapt to channel conditions and achieve the most efficient use of channel capacity. LinCom proposes the development of a multi-adaptive protocol in which channel measurements are employed to adapt the FH spreading strategy, modulation, and coding to dynamically maximize throughput. BENEFITS: The development of MASSCoM will enable the deployment of a robust wireless communication system, which could support digital data transport. This would enable fixed and mobile terminals in military battlefield applications and in commercial applications such as PCS to provide multimedia capability. Advanced autonomous detection of chemical warfare agents and other organic materials has long been a major military concern and is becoming an increasingly realistic threat. In this proposed Phase II program Foster-Miller, Inc. will complete the development of a unique robust miniature mid-infrared spectrometer covering the atmospheric window infrared wavelengths between 7.5 and 14.3 microns. It features no moving parts and a low-cost, high sensitivity uncooled linear array detector. Optical performance capabilities approach those of much larger, more expensive FTIR instruments, making it possible to passively detect chemical agent plumes against a cold sky background. The entire spectrometer including optics and electronics will be smaller than a VHS tape cassette and weigh less than 2 lb. This novel monolithic construction IR spectrometer lends itself to air drop deployment and autonomous operation on a battlefield, thus providing the earliest possible warning of hostile chemical agent activity. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes a small, innovative, lightweight, multi-configuration sensor to monitor the lower energy (0.5 to 1000 keV) charged particle environment in the magnetosphere and the solar wind. We will develop a sensor that is compatible with the weight, volume, and power requirements of nanosatellites. The PSI sensor design does not rely upon a magnetic sector to discriminate between particle types; rather it takes advantage of the cross-section characteristics of different particles and scintillator properties to discriminate. We will use thin films of metals and plastic scintillators to create particle-specific detectors. The detectors are fiber-optically coupled to a position sensitive-photomultiplier tube. The result is a tremendous savings in weight and volume. Commercial applications include the sale of flight sensors for dedicated space weather monitoring, or as piggyback sensors on future government satellites. A simplified sensor could be marketed to commercial satellite vendors as part of an on-board, real-time alarm of geomagnetic disturbances. These data would be a great value to the government agencies tasked with reporting and forecasting space weather conditions, such as NOAA and the AF 55th Space Weather Squadron. This project seeks to exploit the properties of carbon nanofibers to minimize both differential and absolute charging of satellites, and the dangers presented by such charging. This will be accomplished by inclusion of nanofibers into insulating materials such as kapton and teflon to allow these materials to bleed charge directly and reliably. Current forms of conductive kapton have problems with reduced mechanical properties and electrical failure at elevated temperature. The high aspect ratio of the nanofibers will overcome these difficulties, providing reliable conductivity over a wide temperature range without degradation of mechanical properties. In addition to providing conductivity, the nanofibers will reduce the threshold for electrostatic discharge (ESD) by an order of magnitude or more, decreasing the amplitude and danger presented by ESD, thereby reducing the performance requirements for filters that protect electronics from ESD transients. As an option task, materials including nanofibers intercalated with alkali metal compounds will be tested to reduce overall spacecraft charging by greatly enhancing secondary electron emission. The materials developed will be useful on both military and commercial satellites for mitigation of charging. Nanofiber loaded kapton and teflon will also have terrestrial uses in applications that require anti-static protection. This Phase II project is a natural continuation and extension of the Phase I effort of the development of an Autonomous Multi-Mode Collision Avoidance System Using EO/GPS/Micro MEMS-IMU with a passive/low probability of intercept (LPI) capability related Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and manned airborne systems operating as teams in the same airspace. The overall objective of the Phase II project is to advance the capabilities and milestones demonstrated in Phase I into a practical Autonomous Integrated GPS/Micro IMU/imaging Passive Collision Avoidance System, which will be designed, fabricated, tested, delivered, and integrated into an existing UAV system and manned aircraft including training and technical supports. The size and cost of the proposed system will shrink dramatically by means of advanced hardware/software (HW/SW) design and system integration techniques, including Micro MEMS-IMU design, GPS chip set design, tiny CCD-array cameras, FPGA design, FPGA-ASIC conversion design, and embedded real-time software design. The phase II effort will yield several commercial products: Autonomous Integrated GPS/Micro MEMS-IMU/Imaging Passive Collision Avoidance Microsystem, Integrated Collision Avoidance Guidance/Navigation /Control Microsystem, Integrated GPS/Micro MEMS-IMU Navigation Microsystem. These commercial products marry the flexibility and cost incentives found in commercial systems with the uncompromising reliability required by demanding military environments. BENEFITS: This project will lead to several important commercial products including Autonomous Integrated GPS/Micro IMU/Imaging Passive Collision Avoidance Microsystem, Integrated Collision Avoidance Guidance/Navigation/Control Micro system, Integrated GPS/IMU Navigation Microsystem, which have a wide variety of commercial applications including the automotive industry, the aviation industry, robotics, intelligent transportation systems, rail, watercraft, etc. IJ Research, Inc. proposes to develop a high temperature integrated power packaging system for Hybrid Electric Drive Propulsion Systems. It includes a hybrid MCM package housing a 6-switch bridge IGBT inverter and a integrated low-cost microchannel heat sink into the package body. Advanced ceramics and composites are selected for the packaging system for the miniaturization, weight and cost saving. The proposed microchannel heat sink uses water ethylene glycol coolant such that the existing engine cooling system on the vehicle can be utilized to provide the coolant circulation. This integrated design is aimed to save the weight and volume of this packaging system to the maximum extent to meet the current Future Combat System requirements. The cost of the proposed microchannel heat sink is estimated to be a very small fraction of the LLNL microgroove heat sinks based on the selected material and fabrication technique. The thermal resistance of the heat sink will be at the level of 0.02 degrees Celsius/(W/cm2). The dual purpose design enables this packaging system to be used both for the silicon devices at the power rating of 750 hp 3-phase AC and for the future SiC devices at 1500 hp and hither. BENEFITS: Power conditioning packaging systems based on this proposal could be used in civilian and military electric drive vehicles. A series of derivatives of this packaging system could be used in a large number of electric motor controls. High interest on this technology has been drawn from power electronic manufacturers. Rapid commercialization of this technology is extremely likely. Ceramic-lined ports will provide the necessary technological edge to the next generation of high performance military diesel engines by increasing engine efficiency, reducing the burden on the cooling system, and increasing life expectancy of the engine parts. The primary criteria for selecting a ceramic material for a port liner are, low thermal conductivity, thermal and environmental stability, and resilience to thermal cycling. Due to their low thermal expansion, high melting temperatures, and excellent thermal shock resistance, NZP ceramics are very attractive for use as liners. The NZP lined composite ports need to be fabricated using processes such as metal casting. Even though thermal shock resistance is not a major concern with NZPs, the mismatch of thermal expansions between the metal and NZP ceramic leads to failure-causing shrinkage stresses. LoTEC, Inc. proposes to develop a new technology Involving NZP ceramic-lined ports for advanced military diesel engines and other related applications. During Phase I research, LoTEC has demonstrated the promise of an innovated design and fabrication process to achieve a 'manufacture friendly" technology. The Phase II effort will focus on Innovative design development, process and materials optimization using iterations of engineering analysis, casting trials and materials development. BENEFITS: Although the primary application that results from this technology would be intake and exhaust port insulation for high performance diesel engines, other prospective applications such as manifold insulation, cylinder liners, piston caps, etc. also exist. The use of NZP based insulation's in the diesel engine will lead to substantial cost savings resulting from improved efficiency, simplified cooling Systems, and longer life of certain engine components. This effort will also help the proliferation of the NZP technology in other commercial areas such as heat treating tooling, and high temperature components where thermal shock resistance is critical. PCA proposes conducting research towards a software system to analyze test program set (TPS) source code and extract, synthesize, and analyze test parameters, interface characteristics, and switching requirements. It will then compare this data against an interface specification database for a designated Automatic Test System (ATS) to generate a pin mapping and interface definition file that may be used to 1) reprogram or re-host the original TPS, and 2) design Interface Connection Device (ICD) hardware. Research will investigate the feasibility of 1) developing specialized compiler technology to extract required TPS data, 3) mapping Unit-Under-Test (UUT) input/output (I/O) pin data from one ATS to another, and 4) mapping I/O data to ATS interfaces whose standards are in flux. Research will also investigate methods and formats for outputting data to Computer- Aided Design (CAD) software to automatically design an ICD for the target ATS. Our Phase I research goal will be to define requirements for a prototype software that may be productized under Phase II to support the rapid rehost of TPSs from one ATS to another. The prototype will be demonstrated using TPSs to be rehosted from a legacy Army ATS to the Integrated Family of Test Equipment (IFTE). BENEFITS: Successful results of this research will benefit and promise savings to the DOD, aviation maintainers, automotive electronics diagnosticians, and commercial electronics manufacturers vendors who test, repair, and maintain complex electronic systems. Savings are estimated on the order of tens of millions of dollars per year. The typical mission requirements of supersonic and hypersonic flight impose complex aerodynamic and thermal loads on the airframe structure These multidisciplinary problems currently require inefficient interfacing between analysis groups to solve. This proposed effort will ascertain the feasibility of coupling the aerodynamic and thrill load calculation analysis codes with structural response codes, tailored toward high speed flight. To minimize cost, current and past efforts of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and NASA will be thoroughly considered, since the software developed under their efforts is generally freely available to US government and industry users. A number of existing flowfield and heat transfer analysis codes will be evaluated. The evaluation process will assure accurate and robust prediction methods for a variety of systems. Among the physics to be included in the chosen codes are real gas effects, free molecular and transition regime flow, enhanced heating near aerodynamic control surfaces, weather effects, and ablation. An integration routine will be created to transfer the analysis results to the ABAQUS structural response code. The result is an integrated package that can be used to quickly solve multidisciplinary problems at low cost. BENEFITS: Utilization of the product proposed will reduce the time and cost to develop high-speed missile airframes. Triton Systems, with its key team members, responds to the Army's need for improved fuel and water collapsible storage tanks, by proposing to improve tank fabric strength and seam strength, and to introduce a smart sensor seam warning system based on demonstrated Triton technology. We will improve the strength, barrier and UV stability properties of commercial polyurethanes using nano engineering. We will improve seam bonding with an incorporated polymeric susceptor added to a urethane to improve microwave bonding control and uniformity. We have demonstrated and will further develop a new bi-functional leak detection system with both color change and electrical conductivity change to alert leak potential and location. On Phase I we will show proof of principle in cooperation with Seaman Corp. and GTA Containers, Inc. Improved coated fabric and seam properties will demonstrated, and the leak detection methods proven in model use experiments. On a Phase I Option we will construct, with team members, a 100 gallon prototype tank. On Phase II we will produce improved collapsible storage tanks using the most promising Triton Systems technologies, to obtain Army qualification. In Phase III, with team partners, we will commercialize collapsible storage tank products for Government and private sector use. BENEFITS: This Phase I program will lead to safer and longer-lived collapsible water and fuel tanks for Army and commercial use in the field. The commercial potentials are significant for each of the component improvements, in sensor, coated fabric, and seam construction. A tank with a combination of improvements would provide substantial commercials sales in an existing market. The objective of this proposal is to develop and demonstrate a novel interconnect bonding method. This method utilizes radio frequency (RF) and high frequency (HF) electromagnetic waves in single-mode cavity (SMC). This process has the capability to achieve interconnect bonding between stacked sensors, and could be customized formulti-waveband detector arrays. While this method preserves the fill factor in all detector wavebands, it also has the advantages of lower temperature processing, and reduction of the interconnect bump thickness by an order of magnitude. One ultimate goal of this process is exclude the indium bump bonding process and its associated costs. Replacing the indium metal by a higher melting temperature metal (e.g. Al) would immediately enhance the mechanical strength of the device. This technology was originally used for MEMS applications. There is still interest from various academic groups for applications in various multi wafer sensors and actuators.This technology could also become a replacement technology for ball grid array (BGA)and wire bonding technology. In 1998, companies that supply these devices to the IC industry had over $900 million in sales. The Semiconductor International Association estimates that this market segment will to grow by 19% to 35% annually for the next five years. When the new BGA technology was introduced 5 years ago, it achieved a 10% market penetration by today. Since microwave bonding is limited only by metallithography and is a massively parallel process it is superior to BGA bonding in terms of minimum bond size and maximum bonding speed. In addition, the development of new bonding techniques is important to the overall diversification of the semiconductor industry. Next generation space infrared sensing instruments and spacecraft cryocooling systems will require drastic improvements in cryocooling technology in terms of performance and ease of integration. Although flexible or structural isolation joints are required in optical benches and/or kinematically mounted instruments, gimbaled cryogenic infrared payloads have additional and difficult-to-meet requirements for 2-axis motion and low torque. The ability to provide cooling for on-gimbal cryogenic optics/sensors with spacecraft-mounted coolers will result in revolutionary improvements in a number of areas. The difficulty of making a cryogenic thermal connection across any type of flexible joint, much less a gimbaled joint, cannot be overstated. Because of the cryogenic nature of the connection, thermal joint flexibility, durability, reliability, material compatibility, differential expansion/contraction, and parasitic heat loss, are all highly complex, temperature-dependent technical concerns. At present, a solution that can meet this technical need does not exist and the technology base to solve this problem is incomplete.An advanced concept of Cryogenic Loop Heat Pipe (CLHP) is proposed to transport cryogenic cooling across a gimbaled joint. The CLHP system will have low parasitics, high cooling efficiency, repeatable operation, and long-lasting flexibility is a revolutionary technical need that can enable spacebased infrared sensor missions for the Air Force. The proposed CLHP is highly applicable to surveillance spacecraft that perform Space-Based Intelligence missions such as detection/tracking of strategic ballistic missiles and detection/tracking of surface ships and submarines. The ability to mount instrument (or fore-optics) cryocoolers off-gimbal will eliminate on-gimbal cryocooler jitter and significantly improve the ability of the gimbaled sensor to acquire and track a potential target. In response to the Air Force SBIR topic AF01-169, Sterling Semiconductor proposes a The objective of this proposed program is to design an object-oriented architecture for satellite communications management using world wide web (WWW) technology. The design will be an object oriented three-tier data base architecture based on the Java language. The architecture will consist of four parts: The monitoring subsystem, the coordination subsystem, the simulation subsystem, and the user interface subsystem. They will interact with each other as well as with the Automated Communications Management System (ACMS). The developed system will utilize the ACMS data base as its primary source of information. Two prototypes will emerge from Phase I, the coordination management system and the simulati tool. Each prototype will benefit military as well as future commercial satellite communica management systems. Telemetry of data from an air vehicle to ground processing and display facilities is required in many test and training missions. The test and training communities have seen a twenty fold increase in the telemetry data rates over the past 10 years. When this increase in need is coupled with the reduction in available spectrum, caused by the sell-off of government spectrum, the combination creates a major test and training cost and schedule impact to major weapons system programs. Advances in technology may make the application of directional antennas to telemetry practical. WEO proposes to develop an affordable, directional airborne telemetry antenna to functionally replace existing omni-directional antennas on a variety of test vehicles. The approach is based mainly on a helmet-mounted beam-steered array WEO recently developed for the US Army, which represents the first affordable battery-operated smart array antenna. With respect to geolocation and adaptive beam control, the proposed research will also draw heavily from WEO's 3-year experience in developing an ultra-wideband photonically-controlled phased array. This beam-steered array antenna will allow the ranges to support more missions without additional spectrum by letting multiple telemetry users to operate on the same frequency, on the same range, with different acquisition antennas. Small, directional antennas could potentially revolutionize the commercial communications industry. Initial commercial applications include commercial airliners, freight companies, and telecommunications companies (proposing the use of UAVs and LEO satellites as data relays). We propose to design, fabricate and deliver a unique quasi-unipQlar high temperature and high speed 411-SiC power diode with greatly improved performance in total current for motor control applications using a novel ion implantation approach and a modified highly effective edge termination approach. Experimental effort will be the major concentration although theoretical work will also be performed to compare with experimental results, and more importantly to guide optimization activities in Phase II. The quasi-unipolar diode has been successfully demonstrated in Phase I with a lower reverse leakage current a lower forward voltage drop, a higher switching speed and a lower switching loss. In Phase II we will further develop the fabrication processes for the proposed diodes concentrating on minimizing reverse leakage current, maximizing power density, and demonstrating high speed switching as well as high temperature capability. We will design, fabricate and deliver high current, 4OAdc 4H- SiC quasi-unipolar diodes for operation from a 6OOVdc bus and 3OAdc 4H-SiC quasi-unipolar diodes for operation from a 1,OOOVdc bus. A multi-cell module will also be developed to demonstrate l2OAdc-6OOVdc operation. The quasi-unipolar diodes will be integrated with Si IGBTs for insertion into government hybrid vehicle motor controllers to demonstrate the advantages of a SiC-diode/Si-IGBT package for near term applications. BENEFITS: High performance quasi-unipolar SiC diodes capable of operation at much higher power densities and temperatures with drastically reduced DC and AC power losses. Applications exist in numerous high temperature and compact power systems including motor control and power supply for military tanks and commercial electric vehicles. The efficiency and productivity of collaborative efforts among CAD designers who utilize specialized best-of-breed commercial software design and analysis tools is severely hampered by a host of daunting challenges, including incompatible geometries, data formats and representational mechanisms compounded by inconsistent (or absent) schemes for maintaining relationships between geometric entities during import/export operations. TACOM is developing the Automotive Product Development Framework (APDF), which will solve many of these issues by creating a novel common reference geometry in which all relevant model constraint boundaries can be stored. This geometry will enable key model data to be exchanged with a variety of commercial CAD software systems. During SBIR A98-080 Phase I, the feasibility was demonstrated of developing an enhanced version of AeroHydro's proven Relational Geometry surface modeling product for use as the core engine of the Geometry Exchange Manager (GEM), a key enabling component of the APDF. During Phase II a detailed plan will be constructed, including schedule and cost, for the development of a commercial software middleware product based on Relational Geometry that will enable the GEM to perform all functions necessary to successfully play its key role in the APDF. In addition, a product prototype will be developed to demonstrate key functions and capabilities. BENEFITS: The deliverables from this project phase will have direct application in a variety of DoD projects including the Army vehicle design programs. In the commercial sector, they will provide the core enabling technology of a collaborative design product that will revolutionize the $4B commercial 3-D CAD modeling software market. Conservative estimates of the market for this new product suggest an annual sales potential of $50M with annual growth in excess of 40%. Increased demands on the reliability of solid state electronics operating in an enriched electromagnetic environment necessitates the development of protection devices that cover a broad frequency band and that protect against high powers and pulses with very short rise times. Current limiters have not been able to provide this wide range of protection. The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate a Fractal Limiter Device (FLD) that will protect sensitive electronic systems from various forms of high power Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). The physical realization of such a device is accomplished by exploiting the fundamental properties of fractal antennas and signals (i.e., their geometrical similarity). In this proposal, it will be shown that the geometrical self-similarity of radiation patterns emitted by fractal antennas allows one to construct transmit and receive fractal antenna elements that function as a receiver protection device (i.e., limiter). The FLD offers substantial advantages over traditional limiters in that it will exhibit faster response times (picoseconds) and will provide reliable protection from a wider variety of high power external signal interference. The objective of Phase I is to prove, through assembly and test, that a FLD can be produced that will mitigate the effects of various forms of high power electromagnetic pulses on electronics.The need for cost effective limiter devices exhibiting fast response times and high power handling capabilities is continually growing in both commercial and defense electronics markets. Specific FLD applications include protection of communication receivers, computer networks, radio and television receivers, and medical diagnostic equipment. To maximize the performance of the next generation of vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), the Army needs an integrated design tool. Employing the latest advances in computer conceptual design and simulation techniques, ThermoAnalytics, Inc. (TAI) proposes to create a tool to allow designers to simultaneously optimize drivetrain performance, thermal management, and signature control. TAI will integrate two of their software packages: HEVSIM, a HEV design and simulation package, and MuSES, a powerful thermal analysis and signature prediction tool. TAI will also add in new and innovative modules. To design cooling and exhaust systems, TAI will develop a fluid flow analyzer. This CFD code will be tailored to these specific flow problems, thus allowing the code to be tuned for fast and easy use. To solve for volumetric heat transfer in thick armor blocks, TAI will use the boundary element method (BEM). Compared with conventional finite element techniques, BEM is faster and more tolerant of mesh imperfections. Overall, the GUI-based vehicle design tool will provide continuous performance feedback to the user throughout the design process, guiding the user through parameter trades and design space explorations. The end result will be robust vehicle designs optimized for performance, efficiency, and survivability.The proposed engineering tool can be applied to the design of both new vehicles and retrofits of existing vehicles. The tool can be used for vehicle subsystem design, infrared signature prediction, and to analyze the impacts of material and coating degradation. With its ability to model the whole environment and its impact on vehicle performance, the tool can assess how a vehicle will perform under differing climates and weather. The techniques developed for rapid simulation of the thermal vegetation background can be applied to real-time simulators. The mobility module can be used to assess vehicle mobility for various terrains and conditions. Additional military benefits include signature reduction due to coating suppression (camouflage and BRDF tools), shaping (Eclectic), exhaust suppression (1D and 3D fluid codes), and mission analysis for advanced powertrains such as HEV (silent mode, length of mission, power for weapons vs. mobility). Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a major component of the document management workflow in both Army and civilian scenarios. It is also one of its weakest links, having no turnkey or standardized solution. The performance of OCR software is further stressed by the need to automatically parse volumes of "legacy" documents captured with old technology or being multi-generation copies of the originals. Even modern document imaging systems still produce various artifacts, such as curved baselines, uneven illumination, low contrast, etc. The Army Digitization Master Plan '96 advocates the simultaneous integration of complementary Horizontal Technology Integration technologies into key combat service support (CSS) systems. TRADOC pamphlet 525-66 "Military Operations Future Operational Capability" identifies two relevant FOCs. IS 97-003, Logistics Command, Control, Communication and Automation (C3A), describes the capability to establish total integrated CSS situation awareness and decision aids using low-cost seamless, wireless communication links. IS 97-005, Intelligent CSS Agents, describes the capability to quickly customize low bandwidth, intelligent agents to assist soldiers in managing CSS data. The explosion of information that is likely to occur in the digital battlefield of tomorrow will make it more difficult to present information to the battle staff in a way that allows immediate comprehension, assessment and decision-making. In such a tactical battlefield environment, information will need to be condensed to filter out irrelevant information, compressed for low bandwidth transmission, and transformed for coherent presentation on small handheld information devices and/or wearable computers. We propose to leverage emerging and evolving Internet technologies such as Java based mobile software agents to develop a tailored technology solution set for tactical battlefield information integration. We will apply this technology solution set to the CSS Battlefield Operating System (BOS) area. BENEFITS: A low bandwidth Internet technology solution for information integration, initially targeted towards the logistics needs of agencies such as delivery services (eg., FedEx, UPS) is expected. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to investigate unique integrated optic gas sensors (IOGS) for real-time monitoring of hazardous chemicals in a fire/thermal/smoke environment. POC's proposed IOGS will: (1) use the most compact optic waveguide array, both passive and active types, as the core portion of sensor to provide true pocket-size, lightweight, and comprehensive multiple sensor units; (2) use the state of the art wafer fusion technology as the key approach of sensor fabrication to provide the principal integrated sensor system, including light sources, guided-wave sensor array, and photodetecor array to realize the optical system-on-a-chip; and (3) use POC's proprietary intelligent neural network (INN) algorithm as the software base of sensor signal-processing to provide real-time, multiple chemical element monitoring, discrimination, and classification with high sensitivity and accuracy. In the Phase II investigation, POC will: (1) improve the waveguide sensor array structure; (2) adapt an optimized wafer fusion process to improve sensor system integration; (3) improve and expand our INN algorithm for the required chemical-compound-sensing applications; (4) demonstate the sensor system's capability of real-time sensing of substances of military interest, and, finally, (5) conduct, present, and document all scientific test results on the developed personal monitoring sampling sensors. This proposal responds to a key challenge faced by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in fielding L-band HPM devices: i.e., how to incorporate a high peak-power (>100 MW), pencil-beam (G ~ 30 dB) antenna, which is also light-weight (250 kg), steerable, and compact enough to be deployed on a standard Army land vehicle or air platform. To prove feasibility, SARA Inc plans a three-pronged attack, employing analytical, numerical, and piece-part experimental characteri-zations of the key subsystems comprising our proposed approach, which combines a high-power feed, interface, and polari-zation-transforming elements into a compact folded-path reflector. The novel combination of these components should very effectively address ARL's rigorous requirements. The Phase I research will provide the basis for the prototype antennas to be characterized at ARL in Phase II. BENEFITS: In addition to meeting ARL's specific antenna needs for L-band HPM sources in DEW applications, it is anticipated that much of this research will be applicable to other frequency bands and pulse formats, supporting other DEW applications. Applications to high-power pulsed radar, communications, and RF-beaming (remote power transmission) are also possible. Missions for Special Operations Forces (SOF) are distinctive in their heavy joint service participation, their strict timing constraints, and their peculiar equipment requirements. Lift support planning for multiple SOF missions requires flexible asset scheduling, intelligent asset tracking and routing, and multiple-resource problem-solving. Fully automated planning, though, is inefficient and inappropriate for exploring all the options for meeting lift commitments. SY Technology, Inc. proposes to assess the feasibility for portable instrumentation that will enhance a soldier's ability to see through battlefield aerosols and obscurants. The proposed polarimetric imager will consist of a polarized source and a suitable polarization detection imaging system. The Phase I will primarily consist of a measurements program on appropriate aerosols throughout the spectrum to determine the optimal choice of wavelength, illumination polarization state, and detected polarization state. The combinations of scattering media and spectral range in which polarization can enhance contrast will be identified and suitable system concepts will be developed. In the Phase I Option, a complete system design will be completed including component specifications, schematics, data reduction algorithms, and calibration procedures. The Phase II work will implement the design; calibrate, test, and demonstrate the instrumentation; and explore commercial applications for the techniques developed in this work. The measurements will take advantage of SY Technology's capability and expertise in polarization measurements and instrument design. This effort will also capitalize on recent experiments in this area using instrumentation available at SY Technology, Inc. and other government partners through research and development agreements.It is anticipated that the imaging polarimeter will significantly enhance a soldier's ability to see through conventional and IR obscurants on the battlefield. Potential commercial applications include aiding a firefighter's ability to see in smoke filled areas, imaging through fog for aircraft and automobiles, ice detection, humanitarian de-mining, remote sensing, and medical imaging. Project Venus is proposed to meet expanding demands on current overloaded helmet systems. It is a lightweight total head modular system emphasizing protection and human factors concerns. Comfort is key for the technology-and-user-driven appliance that will create a pride of ownership - no helmet is worth much if soldiers will not wear it when needed. The modular architecture has two basic properties: a stand-alone system and interactive subsystems performed on the hypothesis that increased design reuse of subsystems and parts of existing helmet designs have a vast heritage. Clean Sheet Approach integrates the ABC learning curve (American, British & Canadian), ACG vast experiences and feedback from the end-users. Project Venus offers: (1) a modular styled helmet shape, opposite from "porridge-bowl" and "liberty bell" forms with a new surface finish, biomimicked smart materials replacing foams, chin strapless, shoulder-wrap, and with human factorial comfort providing protection to total head and upper proximity, (2) a ballistic and structural performance are improved by replacing outer 1/3rd with a carbon epoxy, maintaining `swatch fabric system, and replacing KM2 with Zylon fiber, (3) a modular Visual and Virtual Sensory Ensemble offering flat, 3-D geospatial helmet displays, and (4) a completely modular portable, self-powered ear-level communication system providing two-way communication, two-way video, 3-D audio processing, noise reduction and enhanced hearing using COTS PC and wireless technologies. BENEFITS: ACG, in its experience with previous products, has formulated that the helmets core technology and unique new design will be general enough to ensure commercial success. ACG will extensively use industrial design as an important tool for both satisfying customer needs and differentiating their products from those of their competition. ACG design will communicate a mature visual quality helmet in addition to its utility and low cost. Navigation and Communication for the detached force element have critical in the emerging harsh disjointed battlefield of Joint Vision 2010. The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System, which is the basis for the US and NATO Standard Link 16 provides both Anti-jam communications with rates up to 1.5 MBPS as well as accurate relative navigation. Link 16 was also selected by the JSTARS and AWACS sensor/C3I platforms to distribute the air and ground situation intelligence. Link 16 can also provide an AJ communications channel to seed a GPS receiver to allow it to operate in a more jammed environment as ViaSat is addressing for the Navy. ViaSat proposes to address the "Need for a Lightweight Integrated Navigation and Communications Radio System" with an integrated L-band GPS and Link 16. This effort will draw on activities for the Navy to reduce the ViaSat MIDS terminal to less than 50 cubic inches for missile applications and the commercial drive to reduce GPS receivers further. The market generated by missiles and Army ground force elements will make such a terminal a very high probability commercial success, lowering the total acquisition and Life Cycle Costs to the Government. BENEFITS: The Lightweight Integrated Link 16/GPS Radio System will provide an anti-jam, LPI US/NATO interoperable radio system for joint and coalition actions. It will employ commercial based components from the PCS phone and GPS navigation businesses to greatly reduce the cost to the Military. Commonality across the l-band GPS and Link 16 functions will reduce military logistics item management. The Link 16/GPS navigation linkage will potentially provide a commercial benefit to the Civil Aircraft landing business as it transitions to the Local Area Augmentation System. To ensure that the Army of the 2lst century is ready for the challenges that await it, the people best suited for the Army of the future must be selected now. unfortunately, we cannot know who is best suited for tomorrow's Army until they perform in these future jobs. To evaluate individuals' performance in the future Army, we propose to develop a synthetic environment that will simulate circumstances that require the characteristics necessary for the soldier of the Future. This synthetic testbed - the Simulation Testbed for Evaluating Performance (STEP) - will use an innovative, hybrid approach that combines constructive simulation to decompose and configure the elements of synthetic tasks that capture future job requirements, and virtual simulation to create a work environment that combines those elements to create a performance assessment testbed representative of tomorrow's Army jobs. Example task elements include information management, decision making, problem solving, leadership, and situation assessment. This approach was demonstrated in Phase I, and it will be implemented in Phase II. Our multidisciplinary project team combines extensive experience in assessing and modeling the job skills of today's soldiers (Micro Analysis and Design) with a proven simulation-based approach for measuring soldier performance in simulated environments (Aptima) BENEFITS: A flexible tool that allows a user to define, simulate, and analyze performance in a complex, fast-paced, technology-intensive, simulated setting will be valuable to both government and industry for predicting how technology will change work (affecting things such as selection, training, skill needs, and product design) and how to proactively prepare for it. The key innovation of this proposal is the use of Ultra-wideband (UWB) Time Modulated Impulse Radar. Within the last few years low cost ultra-high precision oscillators have become available, and these now make it possible to build UWB radar systems which have no base band frequency. The only signals transmitted are single pulses which can be generated by a single transistor which is either on or off. Impulses in the time domain generate very wide bandwidth signals in the frequency domain, and the signals generated by our current hardware have bandwidths in the several gigahertz range. UWB is able to penetrate foliage because of its low frequency components, which allows pulses to easily pass through foliage, or even walls, tree trunks, and concrete. In the system we propose, these pulses are generated in a pseudo-random sequence, making them virtually impossible to detect, and very difficult to jam. The energy from each pulse may be far below the noise level and is only detectable if you know exactly when to listen for the pulse, and can average many pulses together. BENEFITS: Our partner company, Time Domain Corporation (TDC), is the patent holder on much of the technology for UWB Time Modulated Impulse Radar and Impulse Communication. They have $15 million in private funds and have already begun marketing several products. IAI will work with TDC to commercialize the technology for a terrain preview sensor, and in several other niche areas. Physical Optics Corporation proposes to develop a transmissive tunable polarization filter for infrared imaging. Current polarization filters are largely limited to operation at visible wavelengths, and those for infrared wavelengths are based on wiregrids and are unsuitable for real-time polarimetric imaging. The proposed tunable infrared polarization filter is based on Tunable Refractive Birefringent Optic technology, integrating a microwedge array with liquid crystal. The compact, low-voltage liquid crystal tunable polarization filter (LCTPF) to be used in this device is superior to others in that it is highly efficient and has a high extinction ratio, wide wavelength coverage, a large aperture, and a large acceptance angle. The LCTPF itself is commercially attractive because it will be producible at low cost using mature fabrication techniques and commercial materials. In Phase I, we will design and analyze the performance of the LCTPF, and demonstrate a proof-of-concept device at near infrared wavelengths. BENEFITS: This project will lead to low-cost, high performance, large aperture tunable IR polarization filter technology that can be applied to many IR imaging systems. Commercial applications include ice detection on planes, roads and bridges, geological remote sensing, pollution monitoring, nondestructive testing, and medical imaging. The Phase I objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS*) process as a method to fabricate an advanced trialloy compressor impeller for advanced Army turbo shaft applications. LENS* technology will be the key to the success of the project; it has the ability to bond high performance titanium alloys together to obtain unique and exceptional properties in both the parent materials and the bond region. The LENS* process uses a high power laser beam to deposit layers of metal to form a solid metal object directly from a CAD solid model in a fashion similar to rapid prototyping methods. The Rolls-Royce Allison 250-C30 impellers to be addressed by this proposal will be comprised of gamma titanium aluminide airfoil shell bonded to an orthorhombic titanium aluminide bore. The impellers will feature high impact tolerant airfoil leading edges at the inducer. This will be achieved by laser fusion of a relatively tough Ti-6242 insert on to the gamma titanium aluminide airfoil shell. The exducer portion of the flowpath shell, being gamma titanium aluminide, will exhibit excellent creep and oxidation resistance, while the orthorhombic titanium aluminide bore will have superior burst and low cycle fatigue capabilities. BENEFITS: The LENS* technology to be developed in this program will be novel and unique for gas turbine applications and will provide an enabling capability for the fabrication of high performance aerospace structures for both military and commercial propulsion systems. The technology will also have major relevance to advanced airframe components where it can be used to achieve improved fly-to-buy ratios and tailored mechanical properties for optimum performance. The Phase II objective is to develop a fully integrated system that fabricates a The overall objective of this SBIR Phase II research project is to explore the feasibility of the development and application of novel imaging sensors in space/weight critical environment, such as those of compact aerial vehicles. This technology would be useful to military, law enforcement, and commercial interests. The technical objectives of this Phase II proposal are to construct a hardware system demonstrating the desired functionality, including imaging the 120 degree field of view with the necessary resolution and sensitivity, auto-navigation, collision avoidance and attitude control. This system will be capable of full pan and zoom operation over the field of view achieving the desired data compression for the limited transmission rate. This system will not meet the weight and power requirements; however it will demonstrate that these requirements can be met through the use of additional custom ASICS. Today's ground vehicles primarily utilize the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) for positioning and navigation (POS/NAV) which produces moderately accurate results. High accuracy POS/NAV can readily be achieved using integrated systems that are large, heavy, and prohibitively expensive for large scale deployment. Modern battlefield scenarios would greatly benefit if all ground vehicles could determine their position with high accuracy. To achieve this goal, the GPS system can be augmented with low-cost sensors which individually yield only moderately accurate data, but integrated together would provide a highly accurate result. We propose to model and implement a system which uses low cost accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and vehicle wheel sensors coupled with high fidelity models of the earth's gravity and magnetic fields. Using low-cost, high performance digital signal processors (DSPs), sophisticated filters can produce high fidelity position and heading information. In addition, the use of these passive sensors would also provide POS/NAV services in cases where GPS signals are unavailable due to satellite signal availability problems, enemy jamming conditions, and obstacles such as buildings common in "urban canyon" environments. BENEFITS: The avaibility of a high accuracy, low cost GPS/INS navigation system has great potential in the consumer automobile market for in-car navigation and as a key component of intelligent highway systems. The Phase I work demonstrated real-time recognition and automatic learning of The Air Force is soliciting a new adaptive optics system that will be able to completely compensate for atmospheric turbulence over the path of a high-power laser beam. Atmospheric turbulence results in phase distortion and intensity scintillation of the probing beam at the entrance pupil of the beam directing system. Due to the high-power of the laser beam, it is impossible to use any absorption or dispersion techniques to create the required amplitude distribution. Only a deformable mirror technique can be used for beam energy redistribution. POC proposes a method for calculation of the phase deformation required at one mirror to compensate the amplitude distribution at the entrance pupil of the system. The analysis of the deformable mirror's flexibility will determine the number of deformable mirrors required to perform the amplitude distribution at the entrance pupil. In Phase I of this project, we will develop an optical system design and test the design through simulation and modeling. The proposed beam-forming method can find numerous applications -- the Starfire Optical Range Program, boost surveillance and tracking systems and others. For civil applications, laser communication systems with AO closed-loops will benefit from the proposed beam forming. It is proposed to development of a large-scale production apparatus that produces single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and catalytic multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT) on a continuous process basis. A novel and flexible reactor design will be investigated. The proposed reactor design will allow the control of production parameters including catalyst type and particle size, the type of carbon source, catalyst/carbon ratio, temperature of reaction and reaction time. The apparatus will be designed for continuous operation and product collection, which promises high production rates and low cost, and assures a successful Phase II scale-up to produce commercial quantities of this novel and versatile material.Large scale production of low cost, high yield, and controlled properties nanotubes can open up the potential commercialization of these novel materials. Nanotubes have the potential applications as cold electron field emitter, gas storage media, and as nanoreinforcement for advanced polymer composites. Research issues pertaining to the development of an obstacle avoidance system for a highly autonomous miniature rotary wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) performing the urban battlefield reconnaissance mission are proposed. The research objective is to develop the obstacle avoidance technologies, including the overall system architecture, sensors and sensor data processing algorithms, obstacle avoidance rules, logic and computational algorithms, and autopilot structure including control laws and interfaces with sensors and actuators. The research is facilitated by building on the results of extensive previous development in guidance systems for Nap-of-the-Earth (NOE) terrain following helicopters and our earlier efforts in autonomous flights of fixed wing and rotary wing UAVs. NOE helicopters share the same requirements for detecting obstacles and planning and executing avoidance routes using a high agility autopilot. Options for sensors, sensor data processing, avoidance route planning, and autopilot algorithms are outlined. The result of this project will be candidate obstacle avoidance rule sets, autopilot algorithms, and sensor data characterizations to be evaluated in follow-on simulation effort with eventual implementation on a small helicopter during the Phase II of this SBIR effort. This research will facilitate the development of low cost man-portable UAVs for operation in cluttered urban environments, which can perform the reconnaissance mission with more speed and reduced personal risk versus sending a human reconnaissance team. Commercial applications may include mapping of hazardous or unreachable areas and police reconnaissance. In the domain of weapon/fire control systems, embedded software will be a key cost driver in the next generation. Furthermore, the omnipresence of embedded systems in today's market (from home appliances to spacecraft) and the quality requirements these systems are expected to meet, put a great emphasis on the techniques that are deployed to develop these systems. It has been recognized that development of standardized product line architecture with supporting infrastructure technology, tools, and design methodology can be an enabler to control embedded software cost and complexity. This effort proposes the development of standardized infrastructure technology, tools, and design methodology to effectively manage and control the cost and complexity of software used in embedded combat vehicle and indirect fire weapon applications. We will assess the feasibility of an integrated tool environment for end-to-end support of architecture-centric software development process based on the experiential knowledge accumulated over half a dozen product line engineering efforts. BENEFITS: This effort will provide the basis for standardized development of embedded applications (DoD and Commercial) using reusable assets resulting in tremendous cost savings in software development, testing, deployment, and maintenance/support activities. The first objective of the proposed research is to develop a framework that organizes and evaluates empirical findings and theoretical concepts in areas relevant to critical thinking processes and critical thinking training. The second objective is to apply and test the framework by systematically prioritizing open research questions in terms of their practical importance for the development of Army critical thinking training, and by selecting several such questions for investigation in Phase II. These objectives will be achieved by means of four basic tasks and two optional tasks: (1) Creation of an advisory board of prominent researchers in relevant areas; (2) identification and analysis of key critical thinking issues, positions, and arguments; (3) integration of key issues into a comprehensive framework; (4) prioritization and selection of research issues for Phase II; (5) (optional) implementation of a graphical, interactive, and collaborative user interface for the critical thinking framework; and (6) (optional) use of the automated tool for more detailed modeling of the selected research Phase II research issues. BENEFITS: Rapid change and uncertainty in the business environment have made critical thinking a highly prized skill at all levels in today's business. We will actively pursue sales of the critical thinking training developed in Phase II among a variety of potential commercial customers. These may include airline pilot training, air traffic control, nuclear power plant operation, law enforcement, hospital emergency room physicians, business executives, financial traders, strategic planners, and many others. The GPS has become an essential component of the Warfighting apparatus of the United States. Although the system has had outstanding success in enhancing Warfighting capability, it is recognized that there are weaknesses in the system that must be removed if needed performance is to be realized in the 21st century. Currently, the greatest need in navigation is jamming resistant technology. Narrowband sources of interference can easily be countered using nonlinear adaptive frequency domain filtering/processing techniques, namely frequency domain excision (FFT-based excision). As jamming power increases, the need exists for filters with jamming suppression capabilities approaching 60 dB. Simulations have shown that these suppressions can be obtained by processing in the frequency domain. Current FFTs dissipate excessive amounts of power and are therefore not applicable in relatively small (handheld) GPS receivers and satellite nodes. Our proposed effort will examine performance/power trades, apply an innovative extremely low power option, and develop a product specification. Low Power FFT/IFFT Processor will enable antijam electronics in handheld GPS receivers. Current antijam electronics dissipate too much power for this application. Affordable and reliable technology is needed for fabrication of micro- and nanotip field emitters from wide band gap semiconductors (WBGS), which could enable new high current electron sources for severe operating conditions, such as high temperature and harsh electromagnetic radiation. Although several approaches for making field emitter arrays were demonstrated up to date, their emission threshold, sustainable current density, and survivability are not sufficient for many military and commercial applications. The proposed effort seeks to develop novel arrays of aligned WBGS nanoemitters, prepared in self-organized nanoporous ceramic substrate. The arrays will be integrated into field emission cathodes for vacuum field effect transistors and other vacuum microelectronic devices, operating in harsh environments. The approach is compatible with conventional microfabrication, economical and scaleable to large areas. The Phase I will demonstrate the proof-of-concept by fabricating and evaluating a prototype of a vacuum field emission microdiode with integrated array of WBGS nanoemitters. Phase II will design, fabricate and demonstrate the operation of vacuum field effect transistors in harsh conditions, provide packaged prototypes to the Air Force and to industrial partners for evaluation, and initiate commercialization effort. WBGS nanotip field emitters that combine low emission threshold with high current density, emission uniformity, and long lifetime could potentially have a strong impact on electron emission sources and radiation hard low power vacuum microelectronic components for satellite communications, space surveillance and recognizance, radars, electrostatic thrusters, deep dwell drilling, and nuclear reactors. Spin-offs include flat panel displays, inertial sensors, high fidelity electronic components, etc. QUEST Integrated, Inc., proposes the development of a Thermal Analysis Microscope (TAM) based system for the identification of flaws located under Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBC). Use of this technology will enable in-situ inspection of various flaws such as cracks on the turbine blades and delamination between the TBC and the bond coating without the need to remove the existing TBC. In Phase I, we will determine the feasibility of the thermal analysis microscopy to identify flaws located under TBCs on test coupons. To verify the performance of this technology, advanced waterjets will be used to remove the existing TBC on the coupons without damaging the underlying substrate material. Once the TBC has been removed, conventional means will then be employed to identify existing flaws and these data will be compared to TAM imagery. We will also define a conceptual standalone system for demonstrating this technology with actual in-situ systems. This device will provide the DoD and NASA with an accurate cost-effective, and safe nondestructive inspection method to identify flaws underneath Thermal Barrier Coatings. The commercial applications include in-situ sub-coating flaw detection in a number of industries including aerospace, automotive, and shipping. While explosive munitions are quite effective at causing damage due to blast and fragments, their radius of damage is somewhat limited. We seek here to introduce a method of increasing the damage radius by adding an RF weapon system to the munition, consisting of an impulse source and a broadband antenna. By this technique, additional damage will be created in the area by upsetting computers and communications systems in the vicinity of the attack. A key part of the RF weapon system is the antenna. We propose incorporating an antenna into the parachute of a munition as it approaches its target. Such a device would be similar in form to a collapsible impulse radiating antenna (CIRA) that is currently manufactured and sold by Farr Research. The parachute would be fabricated in part from a conducting ripstop nylon that would simulate a parabolic reflector. We call the combination of parachute and IRA the Para-IRA. During Phase I we will build a prototype antenna on a small scale. We will test the device at our time domain test facility, and we will provide a preliminary design for a larger-scale design. We will talk with parachute manufacturers to investigate the challenges of incorporating an antenna into a standard parachute design. This research will lead to a new design for an ultra-wideband antenna embedded into a parachute. This device will be one part of a hybrid system that combines an UWB RF weapon with a high explosive munition. Such a weapon extends the damage radius beyond that of a simple explosive munition. Silicon carbide has long held the promise of founding a new generation of higher-density power electronics and its beneficial characteristics of higher temperature and higher frequency operation have been demonstrated. The question of how to package and apply SiC devices to take best advantage of these beneficial characteristics is largely unanswered. With the recent availability of prototype power devices, however, it is now possible to build a practical power-electronics circuit using SiC devices and explore its operational bounds in an attempt to provide these answers. A hybrid-electric vehicle motor drive, which potentially has widespread future use in both military and commercial vehicles, has been identified as a suitable application for this research. The construction and evaluation of a SiC based inverter driving a hybrid-vehicle induction motor is proposed.A significant increase in power density of power electronics would be of great benefit in reducing size and cost. Power-density improvement is presently limited by silicon device operating temperature and heat removal technology, both of which are receiving research attention. Silicon carbide with its higher operating temperature offers the hope for a step increase in power density. This project will be one of the first efforts to bring silicon carbide out of the research laboratory and into a practical realm and will benefit others in industry seeking higher power density or extended temperature range operation. For Federal agencies' management programs, there exists aspecific need for an integrated software analysis suite which can:(1) process online information relevant to their needs,(2) provide pattern and trend identification, and(3) link solicitations and requirements documents to open-source suppliers,research and development capabilities.Automated information retrieval and document classification hasbecome one of the most important technologies for web-basedapplications.Integration of data mining algorithms with textual analysissystems, termed Text Data Mining (TDM), represents a promisingapproach to such a knowledge management problem.The objective of this Phase I research is todesign an overall system architecturefor an Information Intelligence-based Program Management System, andinvestigate classification and clustering techniquesto analyze document collections, classify incoming documentsand identify trends within the subject areas.In particular, we will investigate the use of selected statistical,Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Neural Networks (NN) techniques forimproving the classification and clustering performance of TDM systems.Profesors Daniella Rus (Dartmouth College) and Joydeep Ghosh (University of Texas)will provide consulting support for this Phase I.The Phase I base will investigate the feasibility of the proposedapproaches for TDM. The Phase I option will create a detaileddesign specification for a prototype IIPMS.Commercial applications of the proposed technology include all private sector companies, federal and state agencies with either technology requirements, or products and services for sale.It will appeal to high-technology businesses, prime contractors,small/medium companies,individual consultants, innovators, university and federalresearch institutions as a cost-effective alternative to traditional(in-house) sales and marketing.Federal, state and local agencies, prime contractors andother businesses are increasingly in favor of acquisition and licensing oftechnology items instead of in-house engineering (buy vs. build).The total potential market for the company's products and services isestimated to be over one million subscribers worldwide. This proposal will address the payloads and the integration issues associated with small unit UGV robot systems defined as systems that could be disassembled and backpacked or hand carried to a forward position. These robots will support dismounted and mounted infantry and will be particularly useful in urban and dense forest terrain that will not be directly addressed by the larger FCS systems. The focus will be on developing an ability to hotswap payloads in a self configuring plug and play format. The payloads will be automated to the degree possible, as will the Operator control unit. Three payloads will be selected and the physical, electrical and software integration techniques will be demonstrated. (P-00809) Small robotics has the potential of extending the soldier's reach and minimizing his risk. A modular robot that can be reconfigured in the field will greatly expand the utility of the base system. By automating the swap-out configuration, less training and stress will be placed on the solider/operator, resulting in a more reliable system. The U.S. Army has 21 ammunition plants in the U.S. along with a large number of Army Depots and Forts. It is estimated that 40 of these installations reqire clean up of explosives such as TNT, RDX and their partai; breakdown products such as TNB. A low cost method for treatment of explosives in-situ for soils and groundwater is needed.Anaerobic reductive transformation appears to be a promising option based on successful use of this technology for treatment of explosives containing wastewaters such as pinkwater. Better information on the factors that will control the rate and extent of explosives treatment in-situ is needed before proceeding to the field.The objectives of this proposed effort is to examine both nitrate reducing and methanogenic anaerobic conditions with a suite of different possible electron donors to determine the best conditions for proceding to field tests in future work.The information and know how developed as a part of this proposed effort will provide the base of information needed to proceed to field testing. This same information will be extremely useful in optimizing and improving on-site treatment of munitions effluents such as pinkwater. This same approach of reductive transformation in-situ will have further application for the treatment of other recalcitrant compounds such as pesticides. Most computer programs require both keyboard data entry and Point-and-Click (PAC) operations with a mouse or trackball device to operate efficiently. In a moving environment such as an airplane, car, bus, or armored vehicle, PAC operations become more difficult. Speech recognition can replace tedious data entry, and with domain specific grammar corrections it can ensure spoken data and dictation are recognized and entered properly. Adding a secondary device to complement speech input, which could perform all the PAC operations efficiently and require no steady hand movements, would permit full use of a computer in moving vehicles. The use of a multiple-controller approach enables the interaction to be tailored to the task and environmental constraints, as well as user preferences. A natural language software-based speech recognizer in combination with eye-tracking, facial gesture, brain wave and neuromuscular sensor technologies are to be configured in a variety of ways to provide the required functionality. Unique to this proposal is the development of an integrated set of human-computer control suite technologies using standard Application Program Interfaces (APIs) in the commercial Windows and Unix environment that are compatible with the Army Technical Architecture for efficient hands-free operation of computer systems. Some PAC needs could be met by using a combination of eye movement, facial muscle, and brain wave bio-potential combined technologies detected at the forehead, to generate computer inputs. Both the frequency bands and electrical signal content levels derived from these sensors have shown progress in the selective mind and voluntary neuromuscular control of a computer display pointer and clicking on a displayed selection. Projective task analysis, driven by a decision support activity scenario, will be conducted for various combinations of interface technologies to derive an effective and feasible PAC conceptual design integrated with natural language. Quantitative performance and qualitative human interaction analysis will be documented and provided with the conceptual design.This research would be helpful for the military in controlling combat simulations and interacting with command and control consoles, it would also make a useful commercial gaming device and afford many handicapped individuals, who cannot efficiently use a mouse, trackball, or keyboard; the opportunity to access the next generation internet. The US Army has an immediate need to minimize the manpower required to perform field material handling applications in forward supply operations. Replacing the existing manual equipment is not cost effective. This program aims to provide the Army with a generic, open-architecture, component based control system that can be readily and economically adapted to a broad range of existing field material handling systems. The program builds on technology previously developed for the Army by RRC and others, providing the final components needed for deployment in the field.RRC has demonstrated in a previous program that through the application of robotic control and sensor technology, an existing manual material handling system can be modified to perform many tasks autonomously. However, an operator is still required to teleoperate portions of the tasks and monitor operation to avoid collisions. While the system reduces the manpower required to perform the tasks, several areas of improvement have been identified that will increase an operator's efficiency including; enhancements to the man machine interface and application development environment, implementation of obstacle avoidance and compliance control strategies and knowledge based programming techniques. These advancements complete the technology to enable Army deployment of practical field material handling systems. In addition to the material handling applications within the military complex, the development of a generic open architecture control system with advanced user interface features has significant government and commercial market potential in any application demanding robotic manipulation in unstructured and/or hazardous environments, such as assembly, welding, cutting, stripping, cleaning and coating operations. Target sectors include the environmental remediation industry; civil infrastructure and commercial construction industry; and shipbuilding and aircraft industry. We propose to research and develop an integrated, multi-sensor Electronic Sight Unit (ESU) to replace the current opto- mechanical M67 mortar sight. While the technologies are familiar individually (GPS attitude, magnetometers, optical encoders, MEMS and fiber optic inertial sensors), we will demonstrate full function indirect and direct lay fire control solutions with a fraction of the weight and cost of today's equipment. By combining these new technologies with a low power microcontroller and sensor fusion algorithms, we can transform the handheld 60 mm M1 mortar into a precision direct-fire weapon. This program is aimed at the development of low loss (less than 1dB), wide band, true-time-delay phase shifter circuits using thin-film BST (Barium Strontium Titanate, a tunable dielectric). Recent advances in BST deposition technology have led to dramatic improvements in material quality, making BST suitable for millimeter-wave circuit components. First, we will develop physics-based equivalent-circuit models for passive structures on a variety of substrates, and optimize BST varactors for low loss in the Ka-band. In addition, we will model distributed-circuit delay-lines using physics-based equivalent-circuit models for BST and MMIC varactors. This will quantify frequency and temperature-dependence of insertion loss and phase delay in a 50-Ohm environment in terms of device and embedding circuit parameters. Modeling of IMD in distributed-circuit phase shifters to quantify IP3 in terms of fundamental parameters such as tunability, breakdown field, and loss will be performed. Additionally, proposed constant-phase shifting devices will be investigated.The drastic cost reduction of phased array antennas requires a paradigm shift in design strategy. Phase shifters are a critical component of a phased array that enables the antenna to actively steer a beam and is also the cost driver of the array. Phase shifters have significant RF loss and therefore amplification must be provided in front of the phase shifter to compensate for this loss. Theoretically if a phase shifter could be designed with little or no loss up to 80% of the amplifiers could be deleted from a phased array system. This proposed SBIR program is therefore targeting a critical problem and technology barrier that will enable new paradigm shifts in phased-array development, opening up a potentially vast market. High-performance, low cost monolithic radio-frequency integrated circuits (RFIC) have many applications for ARMY, other DOD components, and commercial site. The need for RFIC operating in the high mm-wave range stresses the current GaAs based PHEMT technology to its limits, and has spurred development effort of InP based HEMT/PHEMT. The cost of InP based HEMT/PHEMT is very high due to expensive, much smaller and less robust substrate, and the InP-specific fabrication steps. Calculations predict that TlGaAs based PHEMT on GaAs has better device performance figures over current GaAs based PHEMT and is comparable to InP based HEMT. When considering the mature GaAs MESFET and PHEMT technology with 4 inch and 6 inch fab lines, retaining GaAs substrate in manufacturing operation, as opposed to switching to InP substrates, is highly desirable. ELI proposes to develop a TlGaAs based PHEMT on GaAs substrate. TlGaAs on GaAs PHEMT will offer many advantages over present technologies. These include improved performance with reduced cost, better reliability, and lower leakage currents. In phase I, TlGaAs/GaAs 2DEG growth and characterizations will be carried out, and high performance PHEMT device will be realized in phase II.TlGaAs based high speed, low cost PHEMT has many applications in both military and commercial sectors. These applications include but are not limited to hand-held personnel communication systems, automotive collision warning radars, digital radios, satellite communication system, phased-array radar, and wireless local area network(WLAN) Powder injection molding (PIM), a relatively new material shaping process, uses the shaping advantages of plastic injection molding but expands the applications to numerous advanced engineering materials such as metals and alloys, ceramics, intermetallic compounds, and composites. A number of these advanced materials have potential applications both in the military and commercial sector. The applications of PIM have been limited due to the inability of the process to produce small number of large complex shaped components of advanced materials, in an economical manner (using low cost tooling and powders) using an environmental friendly process. Phase I studies have investigated and proven that large PIM components can be molded and processed from advanced materials, using a combination of innovative low/medium pressure injection molding and inexpensive tooling. Phase II will build on the concept of fabricating large, near-net shaped PIM components made from advanced materials in an economical and environmentally friendly way. This will be achieved through the innovative combination of new low viscosity feedstock that lends itself to a novel environmentally friendly organic binder extraction process, use of low/medium pressure injection molding, use of low cost soft tooling and powder, and exploration of both conventional and microwave assisted sintering. We propose a magnetometer using a MEMS sensor and CMOS signal conditioning circuitry to detect magnetic anomalies generated by the presence and movement of vehicles and troops. The minimum detectable signal is 1 nT and the signal output sampling periods are 1, 2, or 10 seconds with a serial formatted output. The device has a field life of up to 12 months depending upon the energy of batteries. This magnetometer is autonomous and operates with nanopower CMOS internal circuits detecting threshold magnetic fields preset in the range generally below 100 nTesla Rejection is provided to discriminate out the earth field as high as 100 microTesla. Higher frequency acoustics and vibrations filtered.This magnetometer is highly complimentary to the NJM Sense-it TM line of remote readout microsensors. The dual use technology will permit retrofitting of the magnetic sensor module directly into many of the existing military and non-military magnetometer products. The NJM magnetometer module will greatly reduce the price for 1nT sensors and should therefore open up markets that previously were not cost effective. These markets include further penetration into the consumer magnetometer and industrial material sensor /surveillance/security markets. This proposal concerns the use of nuclear isomers as an energy storage system for defense and space applications. Nuclear isomers offer the potential to store energy at densities that are 10^4 times higher per pound ( ~ 10^9 J/g) than chemical systems. Nuclear isomers are long lived ( > 1 ns) excited states of nuclei that release their excess energy by electromagnetic decay. The importance of isomers for energy storage depends both on their availability and on the ability to stimulate the release of their stored energy. (Stimulated release of energy from nuclear isomers is also an important condition for the implementation of concepts related to gamma ray lasers. ) One of the most interesting isomers in terms of half-life (T1/2 = 31 y) and energy storage per nucleus ( ~ 2.446 MeV) is 178m2Hf. This proposal examines important aspects of a nuclear isomer energy storage system based on this isomer with particular emphasis on optimization of beam based methods of isomer production, concentration of isomer, and examination of methods for optimizing the stimulated release of its energy. These and various other aspects related to the application of isomer energy storage systems are the subject of this proposal.If successful, this research project would provide a lightweight energy storage system that has important benefits for increrasing mobility and providing future advanced battle systems that are smaller, lighter and more lethal than existing chemical systems. Existing aerosol generators cannot meet the Army's need for sufficiently high output, monodisperse aerosols for use in room-size test chambers. MesoSystems Technology, Inc. (MesoSystems) will utilize the design principles produced from a smaller ink jet aerosol generator (IJAG) recently patented by DoD. (MesoSystems is negotiating for a license for this technology that produces a low particulate output). MesoSystems proposes to scale-up this invention to produce an IJAG design capable of being used for chamber tests. Viability of vegetative cells such as Erwinia herbicola (Eh) has been demonstrated with the small IJAG unit. The proposed high output design uses recently produced ink jet nozzle assemblies composed of greater than 150 nozzles that could produce in excess of 1.5 million particles per minute. In Phase I, we will assemble and test a proof-of-principle aerosol generator to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. This full-scale prototype will be commercialized in Phase II by packaging IJAG units with our micromachined aerosol collector sales. The resulting high output IJAG will be simple to operate, compact, and provide highly monodisperse aerosols at very high concentrations.The proposed aerosol generator will meet or exceed the Army's requirements. The design is scalable and could be used in a variety of applications, including testing of ventilation systems, dispersion of agents for agriculture, materials processing, and biomedical research. Modern rotorcraft, when operating near performance boundaries typical ofhigh-speed or maneuvering flight, can experience complex and highlynon-linear aerodynamics phenomena which induce exceptionally high loads onthe rotor system. The strong interaction between the aerodynamics and thestructural dynamics can lead to violent vibrations, reduced handlingqualities, and a reduction in fatigue life. The principle mechanism of thisbehavior is dynamic stall, which involves a cyclic event of massive flowseparation, vortex shedding and convection over the blade surface. The multidisciplinary nature of the problem necessitates atightly coupled predictive capability.Conventional Navier-Stokes approaches have shown promise but their computational cost isprohibitive.Flow Analysis, Inc. (FAI) has developed a technique for predicting dynamicstall using the Vorticity Confinement method incorporated into a compressible flow solver.This approach requires far fewer computational resources when compared to conventional methods.The proposed effort involvesthe integration of the Vorticity Confinement method and a structural dynamics code in a tightlycoupled fashion. Through the judicious use of parallel processing resources, scalable performance can be achieved, making this approachcomputationally practical. The method will be demonstrated on a scalesuitable for a Phase I level of effort and sufficient for proof of concept.The successful completion of the research will result in the developmentof a code that uses a state-of-the-art comprehensive method tightlycoupled to a high-fidelity aerodynamics method, with a unique and efficientdynamic stall predictive capability. The code will demonstrate excellentperformance and scalability on parallel computers, and with theproper hardware and operating system environment, on workstation or PCclusters. This will provide the Army and U.S. Aviation industry a toolfor improved predictions of high speed and maneuvering flight, immediately at the conclusion of the Phase II effort. Further extensions, in Phase II and Phase III, will provide computational tools that will have many commercialization benefits, including aircraft aeroelastic applications. Developing Cognitive Decision Aiding (CDA) systems (e.g., Rotorcraft Pilot's Associate) costly knowledge acquisition and engineering. Many emerging technologies combined with pure research would provide dramatic improvements for tools and processes to build CDA systems. We believe that order of magnitude improvements would be realized through a prototype incorporating the followingtechnologies: <Ul><li>Integrating Software Engineering (SE), knowledge engineering and project management concerns. <li>Natural language understanding of requirements.<li>"Sugared" formal analysis of requirements.<li>Mechanisms to resolve differences among expert opinions.<li>Intelligent decision aids to offer plans for interviewing.<li>Extensibility mechanisms to various commercial and research KA, SE, and project management products.<li>Network-based operation.<li>Automated support for common ontologies.<li>Automated scheduling and communication among team members.<li>Automated, personalized tools for acquiring and documenting knowledge.</ul>KASET will incorporate substantial amounts of software in order facilitate CDA systems, such as versions of the RPA for new platforms. KASET will employ a standards-based architecture (e.g., CORBA, SQL, Java, DII/COE, HPKB) to facilitate integrating diverse components. Network-based operation will support distributed team members. Fundamental concepts in KASET are collaboration, personalization, and formality.KASET will comprise a software environment that expedites creation of Cognitive Decision Aiding. Its strongest competitive advantagaes will apply to high-risk applications developers (government, telecommunications, etc.), which use formal specification methods since they cannot risk downtime. Annual Commercial sales could reach $10 million to $100 million. High-performance high-strength aircraft components can suffer catastrophic failure as a result of fatigue at very small cracks. Detecting fatigue or creep at an early stage can eliminate loss or fatal damage to a multimillion dollar machine and save lives. Current maintenance techniques for inspecting components for creep or fatigue damage require disassembly of aircraft systems/subsystems contributing to operation and support (O&S) costs and maintenance downtime. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a digital integrated shearographic camera (DISC) for real-time inspection of aircraft components, including turbine/compressor blades inside turbine engines, to detect both superficial and buried defects. DISC integrates several system functions in an innovative single element. Digital processing of the shearograms extracts detailed quantitative measures of microstrain at each flaw location. The borescope-based handheld device will give the DISC access to perform measurements in difficult-to-reach areas. The system will be designed to address U.S. Army Operating and Support Cost Reduction (OSCR) initiatives. In Phase I, POC will procure and develop the essential hardware and software, and will demonstrate the capability to detect microstrains in aircraft components in situ. Transition from Phase I design to Phase II prototype development will be initiated in the option period.The proposed digital shearographic camera has wide potential in both military and civilian applications, including in aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and NASA, and in commercial engine and aircraft manufacturing. The instrument can also be used for defect measurement on automobile bodies and wheels, other machines, buildings, and infrastructure. In this proposal, DTI will leverage its expertise in electromechanics and aerodyamics to explore the concept of a continuously deformable Leading Edge ElectroMagnetic Airfoil(LEEMA).The airfoil, embedded in the rotor blade, will be deformed by coils and magnets embedded in flexible and fixed structures of the airfoil. Key elements of the research will include determining optimum size, weight, power, structural configuration, and reliability of this innovative airfoil system. In the Phase I option, DTI will evaluate candidate actual mainline helicopter airfoil shapes exhibiting high peak lift coefficients for advancing and receding blade shape that can be mimicked by a single deformable leading edge airfoil.In addition to the rotorcraft performance improvements described above, a leading edge variable airfoil improves aerodynamic efficiency and has significant potential economic and human factors benefits including:_o Reduced fuel consumption_o Higher cruise speed_o Reduced vibration resulting in improved component lifetime and reduction in maintenance_o Improved passenger and crew comfortLong term, successful development of this technology has significant application throughout military and civilian rotorcraft aviation because it addresses one of the key technical barriers to rotorcraft technology - the inherent limitations in rotor aerodynamic performance. Current audio generation technology, in combination with recent advances in human factors design principles for auditory alerting systems, offers the potential fora new design, an Integrated Warning Caution and Advisory (IWCA) system which willenhance crew situational awareness during responses to abnormal and emergencysituations. The objective of this Phase I effort is to determine the feasibilityof designing and building a prototype IWCA which could function within the systemsarchitectures of current and future Army helicopters.An IWCA would provide improved crew alerting functions for the Army's severaldifferent helicopters. There is also a potential benefit for Department of Defense aircraft in general. Likewise, in the commercial aviation sector, anIWCA could provide the alerting functions that are now performed by a federatedsystem of individual alerting systems. The goal for the next generation transmitter in laser range finders is to reduce size, cost, weight, and complexity while increasing the robustness and operational lifetime. Current laser transmitters contain numerous free-space optical components which require a skilled technician to assemble and maintain. Coherent Technologies, Inc. (CTI) proposes to develop a new miniature, monolithic Er-doped direct 1.5-micron laser that can be assembled with permanent optical alignment. The design is based on a new waveguide laser concept that has not been previously demonstrated and has significant advantages over planar waveguide and bulk laser designs. The transmitter will (1) use a high efficiency, single diode laser pump that has an operating lifetime of hundreds of billions of shots, (2) produce a significantly lower heat load than flashlamp-pumped lasers, and (3) have a high efficiency for longer battery lifetime. The transmitter is capable of 10 mJ output energy in a TEM00 beam and sub-10 ns pulse width with a final cost estimate (in quantity) of less than $1000/transmitter. CTI's proven ability to design and engineer rugged and compact laser ranging systems for demanding environments will ensure a successful overall development program.Anticipated applications include (1) Laser range finder transmitters for multiple platforms, (2) Low cost transmitters for other eye-safe laser remote sensing applications, (3) Laser sources for commercial markets such as materials processing, medical, and instrumentation. The recent trend in the Department of Defense Agencies is to reduce costs associated with simulation systems, while maintaining quality. Such simulation systems as the Paint the Night simulator require the use of an expensive high-end processing system to apply sensor effects to real-time simulated sensor data. This study will focus on some of the latest technologies to determine which architecture presents the best chance of meeting the following ambitious specifications.The PC card should be able to manipulate each pixel of an over-sampled 1280 x 1024 image by means of two 10 x 10 convolutions for blurring effects and a frame add for additive noise. All operators are desired to be floating-point. A frame rate of 30 Hz is required, but a rate of 60 Hz is desired. Incoming image data will be at 3 times the output resolution to ensure that no aliasing effects are introduced into the signal. The system will be capable of overlaying symbols over the graphics as desired. The processed image should be converted into a RS-170 format (Black & White TV) for output to a monitor. Our envisioned PCI-based sensor effects card would provide the capability of high resolution, high speed, and a sensor simulation device in less expensive package then the existing configuration. To develop an integrated services architecture to handle the integration of multimedia (voice, video, data) over the Army tactical network with predictable quality of service (QoS), Broadata Communications, Inc. (BCI) proposes to develop a time coupled packetized streaming (TCPS) protocol to work under the multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network architecture. The TCPS allows the time characteristics of multimedia information embedded in the data packets, thus providing guaranteed real time end-to-end multimedia data delivery services. To provide the feasibility of the proposed TCPS protocol in Phase I, the foundation of the TCPS protocol will be developed. Based on the developed TCPS protocol, a computer simulation will be created to analyze the performance of the TCPS for end-to-end real time multimedia data services. The goal of this project is to develop a practical implementation plan of the TCPS technology.In addition to the Army tactical network applications, the TCPS approach can be also used for many real time multimedia applications in commercial audio/video streaming over the Internet. The use of novel Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in solid form within heating and cooling systems offers the potential for reducing initial system construction costs and increasing efficiency. Current PCMs cause problems such as fouling, segregation and high slurry viscosity within the heat exchanger system. Foster-Miller proposes to extend our successful microencapsulation technology to produce robust polymer microcapsules that contain high loadings of PCM selected for a specific temperature range. The robust, microencapsulated PCMs (RMPCMs) will contain hydrophilic surfaces that exhibit low sliding friction and drag, producing RMPCM slurries with high fluidity. RMPCMs will exhibit near neutral buoyancy, high toughness to avoid fracture during long-term cycling and stability at operating temperature. Our economical microencapsulation process can be scaled-up to large quantities in conventional equipment. In Phase I, we will select one PCM with the appropriate transition temperature range and produce a series of RMPCM test samples of varying size, shell thickness and PCM loading. RMPCM slurry fluidity, stability, thermal energy transfer efficiency and resistance to fracture during repeated cycling will be demonstrated within a test system. Our team includes experts in polymers, microencapsulation, thermal energy systems and slurry flow and a heat exchanger fluid manufacturer. (P-00885)The proposed robust, microencapsulated phase change materials will enable the design and construction of simpler, more efficient, lower-cost and more compact thermal energy systems than are now available. Commercial applications include central heating and cooling systems, chilled water systems for large buildings, and secondary loop refrigeration systems. Eikos will exploit the power of microarray technology to rapidly identify and isolate a wide variety of ultra-stable organophosphorous anhydrolases (OPA's) to formulate an enzyme cocktail capable of decontaminating OP nerve and blistering agents across a spectrum of temperatures and pH's without loss of activity or denaturation. Extremozymes (enzymes isolated from extremophiles) are infinitely more active and less susceptible to denaturation in traditionally inhospitable environments such as non-neutral pH, oxidizing conditions, and high and low temperatures. Therefore, these enzymes are ideally suited for enzymatic catalysis in the field. The arduous task of isolating such enzymes has precluded their widespread use in industrial catalysis. The emergence of microarray technology has made it possible to quickly and efficiently screen an enormous number of organisms for any activity of interest. Eikos will fabricate an OPA specific microarray and screen multiple extremophilic organisms for the presence of detoxifying enzymes. Genetic information determined with the microarray will then be used to swiftly isolate each enzyme. A collection of enzymes collected in this manner will possess the catalytic ability to detoxify OP nerve and blistering agents in almost any environment. The combination of microarray technology and extraordinary extremozyme stability will revolutionize industrial enzymatic catalysis.An extremophile array will be capable of screening for not only OPAs, but also polymerases, proteases, restriction enzymes, etc. and will find utility in commercial and industrial markets. Industrial enzymes represent a $2 billion annual market. Most notable markets include detergents manufacturing with a vested interest in high temperature proteases, environmental chemistry interested in bioremediation, the pharmaceutical industry interested in novel natural product synthesis, and energy related fields interested in the natural gas production of many extremophilic bacteria. A novel Fourier transform-infrared spectrometer will be developed. The instrument is modular, rugged, compact, and optically stable. Large volume pricing will be less than $4000 per unit. Two months of Phase I effort have demonstrated conclusively the feasibility of three critical technical objectives, generating strong commercial interest. Confidence is high that the remaining objectives will be achieved during the final four months of Phase I. The optical scanning is generated by rotation of a refractive element, giving excellent immunity to vibration. The electronics incorporate a novel architecture based on a digital signal processor, facilitating powerful data processing and sensor network applications. The reference laser is an inexpensive, highly efficient semiconductor, stabilized for part-per-million wavenumber calibration by an inexpensive quartz etalon. ORBITEC proposes to analytically model and empirically develop the mixing and combustion of thixotropic gel propellants in the combustion chamber flow field generated by innovative vortex injection schemes. The new mode of propellant injection uses a combination of approaches. One approach was patented by the U.S. Army. The other approach, patent pending, was evolved by ORBITEC. In both methods the gels are injected circumferentially tangent to the chamber inner wall, inducing a swirling flow. Streaming the propellants on the wall provides required shear to keep the thixotropes liquefied to allow mixing and dispersion on the wall. The thin liquid film of propellants is vaporized and brought to ignition temperature by the adjacent swirling combustion. The ORBITEC method forms co-axial vortexes. The wall vortex spirals upwards, while the core vortex spirals down. One or more commercial codes will be used to model the injection and mixing of the thixotropic fluids. Propellant vaporization and combustion in the flow field will also be modeled. Customized subroutines will be used to treat geometry variations, propellant alternatives, and to link the commercial codes. In Phase II, chamber hot-fire testing will validate the model.The near term goal of this modeling work is to provide for, and optimize, the use of gelled propellants in combustion devices such as rocket engines and air breathing propulsion systems. Gels may also find use in fuels for industrial gas turbines, and in oil-fired central power stations where gels may allow coal powders to be suspended in liquid fuels to lower costs of energy production. A verified model that optimizes gel engine designs will help to minimize the cost and development times required for advanced missile propulsion systems. Systems using gelled propellants have the potential to replace solid rocket motor propulsion systems in many cases. The superior performance and control precision provided by gels greatly increase application flexibility and kill probability. Evolution of a common missile utilizing gelled propellants to replace several current single purpose systems would provide considerable cost savings to the Government. A common propulsion technology may also possibly be horizontally integrated into several existing systems, enhancing their performance and extending their service life while at the same time reducing cost. Gels are inherently more safe than liquid propellants because of reduced spill and leak potential. They also vaporize more slowly because of their inhibited ability to disperse under gravity or surface wetting into thin films. This reduces the potential to release explosive vapor clouds. Gels are also of importance because of their ability to hold solid particulate in suspension. This characteristic allows metal powders to be added to liquid fuels for greatly increased density impulse for volume limited rocket propulsion systems. NASA also has a demonstrated need for gelled propellant propulsion technology for booster and in-space engine systems where reliability, safety and low cost are paramount considerations. An interesting sidelight is that gels enhance space storability of propellants by reducing sensitivity to leakage, and by reducing slosh and migration of propellants in the tank at zero-G. Eikos Inc. proposes to use a functionalized version of Nanoshield? (polymer nanocomposites developed by Eikos Inc.) which when formulated with commercially available conformal coatings will provide EMI shielding to CCA's (circuit card assemblies). The additives in Nanoshield? are used in such small amounts that coating properties (i.e. viscosity, transparency, etc.) and cost will not be appreciably affected. Formulating Nanoshield? with commercially available conformal coatings means that there will be no need to develop, change, or modify existing resin systems or application devices (which can be quite costly). Another advantage of developing this additive is that it could potentially reduce shielding requirements by as much as 50% thus reducing the mass, volume, and cost of military and commercial electronic devices. These coatings may also reduce the need for additional shielding that may be required as lower voltage integrated circuits are designed into military and civilian electronic systems.The potential of formulating Nanoshield? into commercial conformal coatings for producing materials that will provide EMI shielding to circuit card assemblies (CCA's). This method of incorporated EMI shielding to commercial conformal coatings opens the door for the production of lighter and less costly civilian and military CCA's. There is enormous interest in products intended to minimize the effects of EMI in a variety of industries, ranging from satellites to the automotive industry. Catalog vendors list hundreds of types of EMI shielding products, many could be supplanted by this technology. Most of the research and development of these products has been done domestically, and the U.S. remains the largest producer of EMI goods. Furthermore, this country is still the largest single market for ESD products. Estimates of the size of the EMI market well over $100 million. The Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) has developed a series of low toxicity, tertiary amine azides - called CINCH (Competitive Impulse Non-Carcinogenic Hypergol) fuel - that are suitable replacements for hydrazines as hypergolic fuels and liquid gas generator fuels. The catalyst used for the state-of-the-art monopropellant hydrazine facilitates hydrazine decomposition at -40?F. This same catalyst requires excessively high temperatures (300-400?F) to decompose the CINCH fuel, resulting in unnecessary operational costs. It would be desirable to have a catalyst that is specific to the CINCH fuel that would cause it to decompose at -40?F. METSS proposes to conduct a catalytic material study based upon the properties of the amine azides and demonstrate that effective catalysts can be synthesized that will decompose CINCH at -40?F. Specifically, the work performed under the proposed program will emphasize the inorganic salt nature of amine azides and recent developments in nitrogen fixation chemistry to accomplish this task. Based on our expertise in this area, METSS believes that the proposed efforts will result in a high activity, low cost catalyst that will decompose the CINCH fuel in a manner consistent with the current hydrazine-catalyst system.This project will demonstrate a complete and cost effective replacement technology. With the appropriate catalyst, the CINCH fuel could be used domestically in satellites for thrust vector control and in reaction control systems to replace hydrazine thrusters. This chemistry could also lead to the development of an azide-sensitive coatings which could be used for fiber optics or other sensors for in military and commercial applications (e.g., automotive air-bags). Commercially available processing equipment and the existing commercial market make the transition of this methodology into the commercial environment technically and financially feasible. The Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program proposed herein by DE Technologies, Inc. (DET) will identify and evaluate candidate material systems and manufacturing approaches for integral heatshield/airframe designs. Material and process trade studies will be performed to identify the most economical and technically feasible materials, geometries and process parameters. An integrated design for manufacturing methodology will be employed to develop an integral winding/braiding fabrication method. Parametric thermo-mechanical analyses will be conducted to evaluate candidate material systems and fiber reinforcement architectures. Fabrication of prototype heatshield/airframe components and thermostructural characterization testing will be performed as part of the Phase II development program.In addition to the primary application for tactical missile structures, the proposed manufacturing technology would also have application to future high acceleration launch vehicles and high-speed civil transport vehicles. The low-cost performing and co-curing processes to be developed would also lead to lightweight, integrated structures for numerous applications including automotive structures, civil infrastructure, biomedical products and sporting goods, for example. Demand for electrical power in portable and temporary installations continues to increase, which adds significant logistical burden in terms of weight, maintenance, and fuel demand. Power demands include command & control operations, medical operations, lighting, chemical/biological filtering, and communications. Iowa Thin Film Technologies (ITFT) manufactures a unique, flexible, thin film photovoltaic material on plastic which could be incorporated into the skins of military tentage to significantly reduce this logistical burden. ITFT's technology is a monolithically integrated module on plastic film manufactured using a roll-to-roll process. These factors combine to give extreme flexibility, light weight, and durability while maintaining a low manufacturing cost. This proposal addresses the R&D work needed to develop the technology for integrating the photovoltaic into tent skins without seriously compromising current tentage characteristics. In this phase we propose to identify candidate materials and process steps for incorporating our flexible thin film PV modules into tent panels and to demonstrate feasibility by fabricating samples of the top candidates and evaluating these samples for their mechanical properties and processing scalability.This project is expected to result in production of tentage with integrated photovoltaics to supply power for lighting and operations. This technology for incorporating photovoltaics with fabrics could be extended into garments, packs, or lightweight, compact fold-up arrays for powering communications or other personnel carried electronics. Extension of this technology to non-military applications include emergency shelters for disaster relief and portable power for cellular phones and laptop computers. The Army's current and future needs in complex modeling and simulation (M&S) efforts require increasing access to critical environmental information stored in a disparate and distributed set of databases across organizations. These distributed data sources are problematic in terms of flexible access, visualization, and customization of the data required for high-fidelity interoperable simulation systems. To address these issues, we propose to design and demonstrate feasibility of a Warehouse Infrastructure for Simulating the Environment (WISE), which creates and manages an integrated repository from heterogeneous environmental data sources. The motivation behind the proposed warehouse is to provide simulation engineers a uniform logical abstraction or model of the universally available data, leveraging on the Synthetic Environment Data Representation and Interchange Specification (SEDRIS) for object-oriented data modeling and interchange. M&S developers will be able to create their own views of the heterogeneous and distributed data and be relieved from the tedious manual search and data extraction process of currently existing database systems. We believe that our proposed warehouse infrastructure WISE will provide an extensive, efficient, and relevant environmental data support functions that will facilitate efficient M&S development, and thereby contribute to the rapid generation of synthetic battlespaces for future training and mission rehearsal needs.As much as 90% of the world's data is currently residing outside relational database systems. It is also estimated that 80% of corporate legacy data is held on old hierarchical or network types of DBMS. Thus the need for an appropriate data warehouse technology is vital to integrate these data sources into the emerging object-oriented standard. The Meta Group, a technology consulting firm in Westport, Connecticut, recently found that 95% of 250 information technology professionals it surveyed said that their organizations have created or plan to create a data warehouse. Our proposed architecture will serve such a huge object-oriented data warehouse market. DVC will develop a prototype implementation of a platform independent, generic, configurable software library to provide the ability to add sophisticated spatial access methods to an existing IG. This library will spatially group all data registered with it and provide a number of spatial access methods. Spatial access methods include insertion and removal of objects, range queries, and intersection queries. These methods would be independent from the database runtime structure and format used by an IG. The objective of this proposal focuses on expanding the development of an integrated, high speed data network model at the White Sands Missile Range-Test Support Network to simulate other targeted Army locations, such as the Aberdeen Test Center, the National Training Center, the Yuma Proving Grounds and the Fort Dix, NJ Range Complex. The project will continue to utilize the standard commercial modeling and simulation technology, OPNET Modeler, which is compliant with Government architecture requirements and Open System Interconnection (OSI) standards including Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). OPNET's proposed solution includes the research and development of a network model scenario at the new range locations to assess bandwidth utilization, bottlenecks in the current environment and the impact of deploying network technologies by a simulation expert. Network models will be expanded from Phase I to include the modeling of mobile communications in addition to the current fixed architecture and provide an interface with knowledge based network management systems. Ultimately, project results will support simulation based acquisition of future range systems. Adiabatics, Inc. has been involved in the field of ceramic composite coatings and high temperature uncooled Low Heat Rejection (LHR) diesel engine development for the past 15 years. Recent developments in previous high temperature tribology study has shed new light on the possiblity of coming up with a viable solution for the high temperature tribology puzzle.Adiabatics' proposes a 3 "pronge" systematic solution to this problem. In the Phase I effort, we propose to test and optimize new technology Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) films. The first of these DLCs is a low temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process that allows a very hard uniform DLC layer in comparison to preliminary ion beam assisted DLCs we have previously tested. Though our tests are preliminary, we believe this coating is far superior to the DLCs tested by previous reseach and development facilities. In addition, we seek to procure, test and optimize a pulse laser vacuum deposition DLC that again has superior properties to the traditional ion beam assisted DLC. The technology is avialable from the former Soviet Union and both technologies would be a major advancement in applying high temperature capable tribology surfaces to piston ring. From our experience in high temperature tribology and preliminary tests running against an Iron Titanate (Fe2TiO5) cylinder liner coating developed and optimized in a previous TARDEC tribology program we feel the means of achieving success of TARDEC specified targets is at hand. Lubricant is also a primary constituent in the success of meeting the high temperature goals set forth in this proposal. We feel again we are close to a solution using Hatco basestocks and new "minimum additive package" technology to eliminate deposit formation tendency of the lube oil.Demonstration of the technology will be performed in the Phase I Option with multi-cylinder design and operating assessement occurring prior to a hopeful Phase II effort. Potential benefits and commercial applications lie exclusively in improving engine performance and durability. The specifed coating lubricant package is the first cost effective combination that would be available to the commercial public. Beside improving engine performance, the extended time between oil change could dramatically be influenced. This would result in savings and a more environmentally favorable solution. Thermal signatures generated by hot components or hot engine exhaust gases can be suppressed by mixing cool ambient air with the hot component gas stream. In the development of signature reduction concepts, it is desirable to obtain a better understanding of the physical flow processes, hardware parameters and potential configurations that can be use for optimization of the signature suppression methodology and thus enhance the suppression. This screening process will be performed using one dimensional mixing equations, ejector performance analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Suppression methods such as film cooling, ambient air mixing and ejector design can be very effectively evaluated with the use of these design techniques. The CFD evaluation will result in guidelines for the design, fabrication and subsequent testing of the most promising concept(s). The methods used are also applicable to evaluating the performance of fullscale hardware. A theoretical and design effort is proposed, where one dimensional mixing analysis, ejector analysis and CFD techniques will be employed for evaluation of potential IR suppression techniques. The proposed effort would reduce IR suppression development costs, development time and permit IR suppression optimization.IR suppression devices have application in reducing the hazard of burns due to hot components that are encountered in every day civilian equipment such as commercial aircraft jet engines, automotive exhaust pipes, electric motors, aircraft ground support machinery, portable power generators and similar equipment. Excess noise and heat also represents a hazard to ground personal that work in close proximity to aircraft. High performance mixing devices will permit optimization and improved efficiency of gas turbine engines burner cans. Design of next-generation vehicles for the Army must include an analysis of their detectability over a wide range of electromagnetic (EM) frequencies. Of particular interest is the frequency range of 50 to 200 GHz. At these small wavelengths, ground and air vehicles comprise millions of square wavelengths of surface area. The surrounding foliage, as well as earth surface terrains complicates the analysis. It is simply not possible with even the most sophisticated super computers to model these problems with exact solution techniques (Method of Moments, Finite Element Methods,.). Even most existing high frequency techniques become CPU preclusive for these problems. This work will implement an innovative and proven high frequency technique which will solve this RCS scattering problem in a very CPU efficient manner. The Technique centers around the ability to analyze doubly curved patches directly. A clever foliage model will also be implemented. Terrain modeling will be accomplished in the Phase I option. Thus, this Phase I (and option) will result in a functional next-generation Advanced Army RCS Code (AARC). The Phase II work will include the additions of sophisticated imaging techniques and a state-of-the-art graphical interface. Phase II hybrid development will be driven by the results of Phase I. This work will support the next-generation design of Army air and ground vehicles. This applicability extends to other DoD components. Commercial applications include "smart" car sensing of their environment, efficient placement of cell site amplifiers for the mobile phone industry and imaging in the medical industry. This proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of our invented selective permeable elastomeric membranes of 1-4 mil thick for (1) impermeable to chemical and biological agents and (2) breathable to moisture vapor and (3) durable to field usage under flexing, abrasion and POL contamination. The proposed work involves with sound molecular level modeling as well as state-of-art polymerization technique for making our invented novel materials. The invented ionomers could also be used in low cost, high power density fuel cell membarnes. Our invented ionomers have been positioned to the fuel cell membarne market as "the lowest cost and highest power density ionomer membranes". Our invented ionomers will also be positioned into waterproof breathable protective clothing market. The success of current SBIR solicitation could certainly expand our market effort to chemical and biological agent protection market. Nevertheless, our current market effort for fuel cell application and general protective breathable outerwear market of our invented ionomers is going forward without the bonus of the SBIR solicitation. Computational speed and hardware costs are no longer significant barriers to running complex simulations. Recent advances in non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) make it feasible to study complex interactions between protective equipment and the human body. VSI has devoted several years to developing realistic computer models of human heads for studying the contact interface between the face and protective masks like the M40. This effort has proven to be successful and has resulted in the ability to evaluate fit both visually and quantitatively in terms of contact pressures, deflections, and stresses. Similar to protective masks, understanding the interface between helmets and the human head is necessary to ensure proper fit with regard to Comfort, Protection, Performance and Compatibility (CPPC). These fit related issues are critical to current and future helmet designs. VSI proposes to leverage its prior research experience in developing FEA models of headforms and protective masks to develop an innovative system for studying how various helmet features and design parameters effect CPPC in aviator and other integrated helmet systems. The proposed research will utilize existing 3-dimensional human databases such as CAESAR to develop a large individual headform population and a few boundary figure headforms for simulated helmet testing. Optimal fit and protection of commercial helmet systems are essential in order to promote use and to minimize injury. Manufacturers of bicycle, motorcycle, football, hockey, skiing, aviation and a multitude of other type of protective helmets devote extensive amounts of time and money attempting to improve fit and performance of their helmets. The majority of this development is done by trial and error. The proposed research will result in a powerful simulation tool that can be used to evaluate and optimize new and existing helmet designs without the need for costly prototyping and experimental testing. We propose to synthesize and characterize by time resolved spectroscopy RSA compounds that have been structurally modified to maximize the ratio of excited state to ground state absorption cross sections over a broad visible range. The structural modifications will be made based on ab initio and semiempirical quantum mechanical predictions of excited state energetics and absorption intensities. The theoretical models will be developed by the Mark Ratner group at Northwestern, based on our prior collaborations resulting in accurate prediction of triplet-triplet absorption energies in over 100 organic chromophores, in effect allowing a priori predictions of wavelength-dependent optical limiting curves in hypothetical molecules. Phase I will entail synthesis of several derivatives of a promising RSA porphyrin, the experimental mapping of their energy levels and triplet state absorption spectra, and the use of the results to verify theoretical prediction of the substituent effects on these properties. Phase Ia and II will entail further refinements to the theory and its application to prediction of intersystem crossing rates to provide a package generally useful to Army researchers. This will permit us to design an optimized RSA compound which will be synthesized, characterized and implemented into solid state filter designs with acceptable optical damage thresholds. The general materials approach will enable rapid development of new optical limiting materials for the full range of threat wavelengths. The materials have government markets for sensor and eye protection and commercial markets as laser safety eyewear and as protection for cameras and optical instruments. The Army is currently working to create effective biometric systems for positive identification of users under tactical conditions including poor capture conditions, quick response time requirements, narrow bandwidth. For instance, a soldier will need to use his weapon reliably even if the fingerprint image he supplies is rotated, smeared, occluded, or damaged. Many advances in pattern recognition have been made in other areas (computer vision, automatic target recognition) that can be applied to biometric measurement recognition. One such advance, the theory of quasi-invariants, studies features that are "slowly varying" with respect to change of viewpoint. We will apply this theory by considering a captured biometric signature and a reference signature as two views of the same object, and matching quasi-invariants computed on them. Quasi-invariants have predictable probabilistic behavior, which allows us to apply Bayesian inference to utilize available evidence effectively, and to make robust and accurate matching decisions with tunable thresholds. The technology that we will develop under this SBIR has clear commercial potential for wide deployment because it will allow the deployment of biometric sensors in a wider class of environments where such technologies were previously unable to function due to excessively harsh capture conditions. IBG is a world leader in evaluation and integration of biometric technology solutions. We plan to leverage their expertise and market position to identify commercial biometric capture products and matching algorithms into which we can integrate our new technology effectively. InnovaTek proposes to further develop a robust sulfur-tolerant steam reforming catalyst based on a proprietary formulation. As a component of an advanced fuel processor, this catalyst will be capable of reforming various hydrocarbons, including readily available fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and natural gas. The research will also include determination of the optimal operating conditions such as temperature, space velocity, steam/C ratio, pressure, etc. where the catalyst has high activity and selectivity and also maintains stable and durable performance. At such conditions, carbon formation (coking) on the catalyst and catalyst support shall be minimized. A number of U.S. Army sites are contaminated with recalcitrant chemicals such as trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, and various explosives (i.e., TNT). Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms to eliminate or reduce the concentrations of hazardous materials from air, water, or soil. Over the past 20 years, this technique has been utilized in the successful cleanup of thousands of contaminated sites with more labile chemicals such as petroleum hydrocarbons, non-chlorinated solvents, and soluble organic wastes. However, very little research has been conducted on the contributions of individual species in the complex and unique roles involved in the degradation of the above-referenced recalcitrant compounds. EnSolve has developed a patented fixed-film bioreactor that is successful in reducing high concentrations of labile organic chemicals such as those mentioned earlier. It has not yet been employed in the degradation of recalcitrant molecules. EnSolve proposes to develop a TCE-degrading biofilm using a unique co-substrate "pulsing" technique. Attempts will be made to develop biofilms composed of bacteria only, fungus only, and mixed cultures (i.e., both bacteria and fungus). TCE degradation rates and electron microscopic techniques will be utilized to follow the growth and development of each biofilm type. A fixed-film system that could degrade recalcitrant molecules would have tremendous benefits to the DOD, DOE, and private industry. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, the successful biotreatment system would save customers money by minimizing excavation, digging and hauling of hazardous wastes to landfills or incinerators. Such a system could be employed on over 3,000 DOD and DOE sites within the next 10 years thereby generating high paying employment opportunities for over 400 people. With increased use of electric power on Army air and ground vehicles, compact, lightweight integrated turbo-generator sets with electric start capability are needed. Foil air bearings for high temperature oil free gas turbines are now feasible. Other barriers include electrical insulation and structurally sound components for applicable generator technologies. Electrodynamics Associates, Inc. has developed expertise in high-speed starter generators that will be applicable. In addition, we have teamed with Williams International and R&D Dynamics to address the issues relating to integration with the high-speed turbine using foil air bearings. During Phase I, we propose to select high power density generator and controls technology for high-speed,high temperature environment, create preliminary designs addressing electromagnetic, control system, as well as structural, thermal, dry bearing, and rotor dynamics issues. During Phase I Option, we will produce generator design layout, test electrical insulation scheme for high temperature, and simulate the start mode and generate mode operation using Matlab/Simulink software. This will prepare us for fabrication, test, and demonstration of a high-speed starter generator unit, in high temperature environment during potential Phase II. Compact light weight and cost effective integral starter generators will find use on military and commercial vehicles, and also as UPS for emergency power requirements in industry and businesses including department stores, hospitals and others. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I proposal seeks to develop a new, real-time, ultrasensitive technology for plasma diagnostics. Los Gatos Research proposes to assess the feasibility of developing turn-key, portable Systems based on this new, noninvasive spectroscopic-based technology across a wide range of spectral regions. To date, we have demonstrated the approach in the visible spectral region in a series of proof-of-principle experiments. During the Phase I effort, we will quantify the ability to extend the technology from the UV to the infrared, as well as demonstrate the method in a plasma environment. The feasibility studies will identify components for the construction of a portable system in Phase II, based on targeted chemical species or spectral regions. The Phase I and II research will facilitate the development of a commercial, portable, and highly sensitive analytical instrument, which is capable determining concentrations into the sub part-per-trillion regime. BENEFITS: The commercial potential for analytical instrumentation based on the new technology described in this proposal is extremely broad and significant. Applications include the real-time monitoring of chemical species, such as pollutants and biological or chemical warfare agents, or the detection of reactive chemical intermediates in transient environments. Topical Skin Protectants (TSPs) comprised of perfluorinated polyether oil thickened with PTFE are currently used to protect of military personnel from Chemical Warfare Agents (CWAs). The existing TSPs provide an effective physical barrier to CWAs but possess no destructive capacity toward the CWAs, thus limiting their long-term effectiveness and posing an unnecessary hazard to personnel. The incorporation of catalytically reactive materials capable of neutralizing chemical warfare agents, nerve agents and/or vesicants, would markedly enhance the efficacy of TSPs and reduce risk to personnel. Under the Phase I SBIR program METSS was able to identify and synthesize several catalytically reactive chemical enzymes capable of neutralizing common CWA simulants in an extremely time effective manner. Furthermore, METSS was able to incorporate these chemistries into a representative TSP cream formulation and verify enhanced barrier performance through the destruction of test simulants. The results of the Phase I program efforts clearly demonstrate the technical feasibility of developing reactive TSPs using chemistries that are commerciality available and readily incorporated into existing TSP formulations. The resultant creams are stable and highly reactive. METSS will further develop these concepts under an applied Phase II program that will clearly establish a very strong foundation for product commercialization efforts. CSR and IEC will take advantage of legacy hardware and software designs and the tremendous advances in high-density semiconductor technology to perform a system engineering definition for the Advanced GPS Hybrid Simulator (AGHS). This approach minimizes the scope of the effort and reduces the technical and schedule risks associated with producing the AGHS. We will use existing software as much as possible; in particular, the COTS and application code for the visualization scenario generation and the simulator receiver communication tool and numerous signal generation software models. GPS is a national asset. GPS technology has undergone a remarkable transition in the last 10 years with the next 20 years promising even greater changes. GPS simulator technology must be upgraded for consistency with the emerging GPS technology.Potential customers include both the military, defense contractors, and commercial concerns. MetroLaser proposes to develop a holographic diagnostic instrument and associated Perceptual Organization refers to the ability of a machine vision system to organize detected features, or primitives, in images based on, for instance, Gestaltic criteria. Since some of the original work, which showed that even simple organizations, such as parallel lines and rectangles, can drastically prune the recognition search tree, there have been a number of contributions that demonstrate the importance of perceptual organization for various vision tasks such as object recognition, stereo, motion, image databases, building detection and change detection. This work proposes to develop an ATR architecture based on Perceptual Organization. This architecture, which is built on a Perceptual Inference Network, provides a framework for effectively dealing with ambiguities and the uncertainties and is able to prevent the subsequent secondary errors and artifacts from proliferating along the processing chain. This is because, ATR based on Perceptual Organization is not a feed forward process. Rather, if the subsequent processing affects earlier probability estimates, the process is able to return to these earlier steps in order to update these estimates. Integration of bottom-up processing with top-down feedback loops is crucial to obtain high performance ATR. Likewise, it is important to explicitly represent ambiguities and uncertainties arising from local processing until global inforrmation intervenes to resolve them. The Phase I will demonstrate the use of this new ATR algorithm to recognize an object such as a tank from both visible and infrared wavelengths. The Phase II will continue this development and demonstrate the ability to recognize whether any of several objects are present in a scene where the object may be partially occluded and present in various poses, the lighting on the object may be of varying intensity, and the entire image may be distorted by clutter. This demonstration will be tied to an Army testbed or platform. BENEFITS: The development of the above core technologies in ATR will serve as a foundation for Phase III commercialization. Commercial application of this technology exist in several areas such as: medical screening and diagnosis, remote sensing, road and bridge inspection, and buried waste detection. Corrosion and limited surface durability of bearing and gear components are major factors associated with performance and operational cost of propulsion systems. Parallel and independent developments of materials and lubricants for propulsion systems have created a crisis with respect to material and lubricant compatibility. High thermal stability oils, corrosion inhibited oils and corrosion resistant materials can substantially reduce lubrication performance. Significant economic and performance gains can be made if high fatigue resistant and corrosion resistant materials can be made compatible with current or future jet engine oils. Surface modification technologies, along with systematic testing, hold promise for engineering corrosion resistant surfaces to be more responsive to oil chemistry. The focus of the technical effort is to develop a prototype lubricated contact (tribo-system) with corrosion resistance and surface durability. The technical approach requires multi-disciplinary innovation guided by a Systematic Tribology approach. Assurance of success is obtained with bearing and gear simulation tests highlighting performance attributes for adhesive wear resistance; abrasive wear resistance; scuffing; surface fatigue; oil-off characteristics and debris tolerance. High fatigue resistant and corrosion resistant bearing and gear materials with enhanced surfaces for lubricating ability provide opportunity for compact propulsion systems with significantly lower cost of ownership. Potential applications are advanced engines for JSF and F-22, as well as other military and commercial engines. The material/lubricant technology and testing methods have direct spin-off to non-aerospace applications. The primary goal of this project is to design, develop, and demonstrate an electronic enterprise-wide planning and management system (e-Team). The e-Team system makes the artifacts of the product (or system) development life-cycle available to both administrative and technical participants. The key objectives of the e-Team system are to (1) assist domain experts in the real-time coordination, negotiation, and dissemination of program / project goals, and objectives among multiple domain experts at multiple levels of granularity and (2) to provide visibility into the artifacts of the system development lifecycle for use by the domain experts in critical program decisions. The results of this project will provide an enterprise-wide system evolution support environment to facilitate the management of the system development life-cycle. It is proposed to develop a cost-effective innovative Built-In Active Sensing Structural Diagnostic (BASSD) system for monitoring the health of Solid Rocket Motors using embedded piezoelectric sensors. The development of the BASSD system is primarily based on the SMART layer concept invented by Acellent Technologies. United Technologies Corporation has expressed significant interest in such a monitoring system and has offered technical support for the proposed SBIR phase I program. The BASSD system will consist of a SMART layer for monitoring the condition of the motorcase, a SMART cable for monitoring the condition of the solid fuel, a SMART suitcase for collecting information, and intelligent software for processing the information. Both the SMART layer and the SMART cable use active piezoelectric sensors, which have advantages over conventional passive sensors (strain, stress, fiber optic, MEMS, etc.) because they are able to input a controlled diagnostic signal to actively interrogate the structure. The BASSD system can be used to monitor cracks and voids in the solid fuel, debonds between the liner and the fuel, delaminations in the composite motor case, and other types of damage. Once completed, the BASSD system could potentially provide real-time automated inspection, reduce maintenance cost, and improve rocket reliability. Upon completion of the BASSD system for rocket motors, the aerospace industry and the U.S. government could receive substantial benefits from increased reliability, improved safety, and reduced maintenance cost of solid fuel rockets. The technology developed here for critical space structures could be further distilled down to other commercial applications in industries such as aviation, automotive, naval/off-shore, and civil infrastructures. The major problem in microwave radiometry is weakness of the signal. This causes a low signal to noise ratio. To attain the required temperature sensitivity it is necessary to integrate the signal for a long time. It has been shown that for icing condition detection the required integration time can be as long as several tens of seconds. Most radiometers are built as heterodyne receivers. They suffer from relatively narrow bandwidth (typically 0.5 GHz). Direct detection receivers can operate in a much wider spectrum (10 GHz and wider) and thus have better sensitivity. In recent years, with advances in HEMT MMIC technology, implementation of MMIC radiometers for MMW spectrum became a reality. A new design of a dual-frequency polarimetric radiometer is proposed. The use of direct detection MMIC receivers will make it possible to improve sensitivity and achieve compactness and cost effectiveness. The area of application of the new radiometer is detection of icing conditions in-flight for small aircraft. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to develop of a new deposition technology based on a low temperature sputtering technique, introduced and investigated in Phase I. This technique deposits dense and crystalline films of Al2o3 at substrates temperatures not higher than about 350 C. Dense crystalline films of Al203 exhibit high corrosion and oxidation resistance, their implementation in protective coatings on aluminum is attractive and economically effective. We propose development of a deposition technology to coat three-dimensional aluminum parts having initially simple profile. The technology will implement a dual unbalanced magnetron system powered by a medium frequency pulsed power together with a synchronized pulsed biasing. The magnetrons will face each other creating a large-volume plasma in which various substrates will be immersed during deposition. The deposition system will be designed, assembled and tested and the deposition process will be further optimized. Together with a collaborator and potential endures, we will optimize the technology of making AlO based environmentally strong coatings on real-life aluminum parts. A prototype deposition system will be build and its commercialization will be evaluated. In Phase III, the deposition technology and deposition system will be brought to the market. .BENEFITS: The proposed technology has the potential to significantly improve the existing Alo3 film manufacturing technologies. Further, the materials focus of this effort could significantly impact the lifetime and performance of many existing and future coatings. For real-time operator-in-the-loop vehicle simulator applications, the dynamics directly Influence simulator response as perceived by the operator through visual. auditory, proprioceptive (control loading) and instrument cues. The stimulus/response relationship between control Inputs and cueing must therefore be realistic and representative of the actual vehicle. Simulator improvements can be made through the use of computationally efficient vehicle subsystem models that accurately represent the essential dynamics of the system. The purpose of this proposed effort is to develop a suite of high fidelity subsystem models that can he integrated into ground vehicle simulations of both military and commercial vehicles that execute on a wide range of computer architectures. The models are intended for use in real-time interactive simulation, hardware-in-the-loop applications and engineering analysis. Subsystems to be developed in Phase Il include track. power train, powerplant and steering force feel models. Source code modules will be written in the ANSI C language to provide better integration into various dynamic software packages and portability to other computer Systems. Procedures will be defined for estimating the required model parameters and validating the resulting subsystem models. BENEFITS: At the successful completion of this project a suite of ground vehicle dynamic subsystem models and methods to obtain the parameters to use them, will be available for use In computer simulations and engineering analysis. The models will be capable of working on a wide range of computer platforms and can be applied in fields such as real-time simulation, hardware prototyping, engineering analysis. virtual reality and entertainment. The use of sled vehicles to perform high speed/high acceleration testing of warheads and warhead components generates an inherently Noisy vibration environment. The anticipated level of shocks and the vibration energy levels associated with sled tracks will normally exceed the environment of a missile in free flight. This elevated shock and vibration environment inhibits the accurate testing of actual hardware and necessitates either hardening the hardware to the sled track vibration levels or designing new hardware for testing only. Physitron proposes a solution to this problem with a low cost, technically innovative approach which is based on a unique understanding of the problem, an ability to treat the entire track, sled, and payload as a connected system and the capability to turn the analytical solution into hardware which will solve this problem of reducing the shock and vibration levels in dynamic warhead testing to acceptable, near actual flight levels. Each of the contributing parts will be designed to produce a system which meets the SBIR objectives. The design and fabrication process, the track, the track status, the maintenance of track status, the track-sled interface, quality control of the interface, the structure of the sled, and the payload isolation system will all be optimized to achieve the required cost/benefit results. BENEFITS: The primary benefit will be allowing testing of actual hardware without special modifications for sled track vibration levels. Commercialization potentials exist in the transportation and material handling industries where control of shock and vibration levels translate into dollars and savings through reduction of damage. In the current aircraft maintenance environment, maintenance technicians spend excessive time away from their primary duties manually updating status boards and legacy systems. Much of this work is duplicative and results in inaccurate and untimely information flow. The primary objective of this SBIR is to eliminate this wasted time by passively collecting maintenance failure and status data from the FM radio net using the latest voice recognition technology. A secondary objective of this SBIR is to leverage the work done supporting the primary objective, such as the building of a maintenance vocabulary and other logistics support characteristics, to design and build a tool that will support data entry using the same voice recognition technologies. Q-DOT proposes to realize an inexpensive, low-power, single-chip radar proximity sensor in advanced silicon germanium tSiGe) BiCMOS technology. This technology combines state-of-the-art RF transistors (Ft=47 GHz) with millions of state-of-the-art (0.35 um) CMOS transistors, all at the low cost of silicon processing. Integration of this sophisticated sensor with a battery and antenna will provide high performance fusing for small caliber, medium caliber, and submunition application Q-DOT has extensive experience in developing MMIC technology with IBM's SiGe processes. We have designed and fabricated advanced, mixed analog/ digital circuits including ADCs, DACs, mixers, VCOs, LNAs, and related circuits for operations to 20 GHz. Our partner, Kaman Aerospace Corporation's Raymond Engineering Operations (REO) is a recognized leader in the development and manufacture of sating and arming devices for fuzing. During Phase I, several radar schemes will be assessed for performance and realization as a single SiGe BiCMOS chip. Under the Phase I Option, the most promising radar scheme will be functionally demonstrated with laboratory equipment. In Phase II, the complete, single-chip radar will be fabricated. Our development partner, REO, plans to develop a complete, single-chip radar proximity fuse in Phase III. BENEFITS: The small, inexpensive radar proximity sensor will find a place in commercial robotics for automation control, mating/docking, and collision avoidance; in advanced highway systems for dynamic vehicle positioning and air bag fusing; and in the manufacturing and assembly of large equipment for gross component location and positioning. Small UAVs have been severely limited by the stability and standoff resolution of their sensor systems due to their size and weight constraints. The challenge of this SIBIR has been to meet the 25-lb weight goal within performance and cost constraints. The 25-lb system will identify men from 15 km and trucks from 45 km. Sonoma Design Group LLC has designed an ultra-light weight, low cost, long stand-off reconnaissance system for use on a variety of small vehicles. This breakthrough product, despite its small size and light weight, provides performance twice Predator's in daylight and near Predator's at night. This system provides outstanding performance to small fixed and rotary winged UAVs and manned systems as well as the hovercraft platforms originally targeted. There is no substitute for focal length and stability is the key to using it effectively. The gimbal design is extremely stable, forming a perfect platform for the long focal length, small field of view (FOV) system. The gimbal stabilizes to 5 microradian RMS. This is a performance level far better than ever previously achieved in this class gimbal system and which allows the extremely long telephoto 1250mm lens to be effective. BENEFITS: manned aircraft and small lifting bodies or swaying structures. This system has applications by the Marines for supporting expeditionary warfare operations, by the Army for cavalry and scout units, by the Navy for small UAVs, and by special security forces deployed overseas. Other applications include border and coast patrol, wildlife and fishery protection, traffic management, and drug interdiction. In particular, the very high resolution of the visible TV allows reading European license plates at ranges up to 2 km. ALPHATECH proposes algorithms arid software for a comprehensive multi-platform distributed fire control system. This fire control system is needed to fuse, process, and manage the large amounts of target and weapon information to enhance the warfighter's ability to make timely decisions. Our concept will leverage neuro-dynamic programming (NOP) for control and resource allocation, Bayesian networks for on-line learning from the sensor data, a distributed auction algorithm for allocating targets to weapon platforms and a CORBA interface to implement the communications between the multiple platforms. These advances to multi-agent hybrid system control technology will support distributed intelligent decision making, planning, and real-time control. During Phase I, ALPHATECH built a prototype version of the distributed fire control that we tested with an idealized scenario that used mobile, heterogeneous weapon platforms. During Phase II, we are proposing to refine and extend our algorithms and software and to test with a more accurately simulated scenario based upon a network of wide area munitions (WAMs) Our algorithms for distributed fire control will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the WAM network operation and the robustness of the WAM network to interruptions in inter-weapon communication. BENEFITS: This technology can be applied to distributed control problems that have mixed discrete events and continuous time dynamics. Example commercial applications include: manufacturing control, machine tool control, smart highway systems, air traffic management, and distributed robotic systems. During missions, Army personnel are confronted with a large number of foreign- language documents, only some of which may contain important information. Army personnel need to quickly assess in English the relevant contents of the document, so that further processing of the document (for example, by human translators) can be initiated as needed. We propose the new concept of Translingual Information Access (TransIA), which will provide an integrated use of portable information extraction (PIE), Translingual text generation (TTG), and incremental summarization (IS) technologies. The PIE component will be easily portable to new event types. The TTG component will provide summaries of the results of information extraction, using COTS machine translation for extracted phrases. The IS component will allow for incremental, query-sensitive summarization of the entire source text. Using these integrated TransIA technologies, Army personnel will be able to explore the document as needed and make an informed decision about further processing. BENEFITS: Translingual Information Access is an innovative concept that integrates emerging natural language processing technologies to address the problem of multilingual document triage. The approach represents a major advance over existing practice, and has the potential to support myriad military and commercial uses. Advanced Numerical Solutions has built a 2D multi-body dynamic contact analysis code capable of simultaneously modeling multiple gear meshes in transmissions. It uses many innovations to make this possible. A specially developed hierarchical solver is used to carry out implicit time integration in less than 20 seconds per step for a model with 50,000 degrees of freedom. An efficient contact solver is used to solve the contact problem with multiple rigid body modes and friction in a fixed number of iterations. A special purpose programming language has been implemented to allow maximum flexibility in building complex transmission models. The Phase I feasibility study has demonstrated a friendly and easy to use code for the analysis of planetary gear systems based on this technology. Comparisons with experiment have verified the accuracy of stress predictions and dynamic transmission error predictions made by the code. In Phase II, it is proposed to build a commercial quality 2D dynamic and 30 static code for multi-mesh geared system analysis. BENEFITS: The multi-body contact analysis tool will enable designers to improve predictions of noise and stress levels in complex geared transmissions such as planetaries. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is seeking an innovative opto-silicon technology to support real-time parallel optical signal processing and wavefront control. The goal is to develop optoelectronic elements that link a high-resolution phase spatial light modulator (SLM) and an optically and electronically matched CCD photodetector array through a programmable digital interface, which implements adaptive and nonlinear wavefront correction and aberration-free imaging. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes Opto-Silicon Pseudo-Phase-Conjugate (OSP2C) wavefront control technology capable of adaptive wavefront correction with high accuracy and wide dynamic range. In the OSP2C wavefront control device, a pseudo-phase conjugate corner-cube reflector array precisely couples optically matched SLM and CCD arrays. A commercial 256x256 CCD array with a 200 Hz frame rate and a fast ferroelectric liquid crystal SLM with 128 phase modulation levels (0 to 2) are used in a feedback active optical system that also includes a multi-chip module digital controller. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate feasibility by designing an adaptive wavefront control system with the necessary accuracy and dynamic range for image sharpness estimation and adaptive gradient descent optimization. BENEFITS: The OSP(2)C wavefront control technology constitutes a low-cost means to fast and reliable adaptive wavefront correction and aberration-free imaging. Applications include real-time small target tracking and recognition, adaptive binoculars and sniperscopes, reconnaissance imaging, military and industrial robots, recognition and identification systems for machine vision, free-space communication, and optical shop testing. The possibility that materials may be cooled through the interaction of electro-magnetic radiation was recognized as early as 1929. Fluorescent cooling occurs when a material absorbs radiation at one wavelength and fluoresces at a shorter wavelength. This is known as anti-stokes fluorescence. The difference is photon energy is made up of energy removed from the upper state thermal bands. Thus the material cools. Anti-stokes fluorescent cooling in solids has been demonstrated by means of atomic anti-stokes fluorescence in Yb+3 doped glass. However molecular systems--could be much more efficient than atomic systems if problems with long spontaneous lifetimes can be overcome. This can be done by means of intramolecular conversion of tautomers or by near resonance coupling of paired molecular systems. Such molecular systems could be an order of magnitude more efficient than atomic systems and the working materials fabricated at low cost. BENEFITS: Development of optical cooling will allow non-refrigerant cooling of detectors and integrated circuits. SPRAY TRIODE electrostatic fuel atomizers are ideally suited for use in portable power systems. Spray droplet formation and dispersion being purely electrical in nature is achieved at low fuel pressures (>= 1/2 atmosphere). Auxiliary air or mechanical assistance is not needed. Moreover, these firefly sized atomizers typically require a few milliwatts to blue flame logistics fuels. However, to do so requires operation close to the maximum voltage defined by electrical breakdown wherein utter disruption of spray development and dispersion occurs. A means for circumventing breakdown and permitting stable, autonomous and optimal spray development under all operating conditions is proposed. Detailed knowledge of the breakdown process permits the design of a feed back control system that maintains operating voltage close to, but never exceeding the breakdown limit. A key element of this compact, low power and cost effective control system is an agile DC-DC converter whose high voltage (~5 kV) output faithfully mimics the low voltage (~5 V) controller manipulated input on a kHz basis. When implemented, SPRAY TRIODE electrostatic atomizer operation will be Transparent insofar as the nozzle will operate optimally with all fuels and valve settings. BENEFITS: The controller represents enabling technology for the introduction of electrostatic fuel preparation for carbureted, manifold and direct injected gas and diesel IC and gas turbine engines, heaters, boilers, cook stoves. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are attractive electronic packaging materials because they offer a unique combination of high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and a high dielectric constant. Diamond layers have been deposited by various physical and chemical vapor deposition methods that require expensive equipment and high processing temperatures. This proposal introduces a novel method to deposit diamond-like carbon films using a low-cost electrochemical process. The ambient temperature process will produce nanocrystalline or amorphous DLC films on a wide variety of substrates without damaging the substrate material or introducing high thermal mismatch stresses. Various chemical precursors and experimental conditions will be investigated in Phase I. The deposited DLC film will be characterized by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The resulting DLC films will be exhibiting a high degree of sp3 carbon bonding and very high electrical resistance. BENEFITS: The development of low-cost diamond films will substantially increase the commercial market. The proposed fabrication process may potentially be used to produce low cost diamond abrasives, electric field emitters, and wear-resistant surfaces. The objective of Phase I is to develop and demonstrate a neural networks system to predict, map, and interpolate rotorcraft ground noise exposure data. It is well-known that the relationships between ground noise exposures. Helicopter flight paths and operation conditions are extremely complicated and involved with many parameters, such as type of helicopters, power setting, approach path, and meteorological conditions. The formulation of such a function relationship with neural networks using experimental data seems the only viable approach. A neural network system, which is based on some existing data under theoretical guidance, will be designed and implemented, and be used to demonstrate the feasibility of the selected neural network algorithms. With the prediction system developed in Phase I, a prototype system will be designed and constructed in Phase II for a helicopter cockpit to display acoustic noise characteristics, noise level variability of different flight operation conditions, including various meteorological environments. The definition of Phase II will be formulate in Phase I in order to accomplish the implementation of prototype system under various flight test-conditions on a real-time base.BENEFITS: The rotorcraft ground noise exposure can be predicted by the newly developed system on a real-time base. In military application, the prototype system in the helicopter cockpit can guide a pilot to maneuver the vehicle to avoid potential threats in a hostile environment. In civil application, inner-city operations, police activities, and emergency operations will benefit from the technology in the approach terminal area. The Phase 2 project develops a lightweight, low observable (LO), single aperture, GPS antenna and antijam electronics solution that incorporates provisions for cosite interference mitigation to protect GPS/navigation operation. The program develops and partitions the system for signature, size and weight requirements; develops system and subsystem requirements; and conducts a design study for the aperture, antijam electronics, receiver, control and interface. Phase 2 develops a dual-port low Radar Cross Section (RCS) brassboard antenna for demonstration. The matching program conducts a design study for the antijam system RF chain; develops prototype antijam modulator subassemblies; builds and test a breadboard of the RF chain; and develops a system specification, a production plan and statement-of-work. the combined effort results in a GPS protection system design, a brassboard aperture and breadboard anitjam RF chain prepared for production. The program develops a low-RCS, low-cost, robust active antenna and electronics concept for GPS protection. Phase 2 conducts essential analysis, trade study, research and design to develop a GPS protection solution for Rotary Wing aircraft. In this Phase II effort, Millivision, LLC, proposes to fabricate a low cost::, hand-held MMW wave based concealed object imager. The device will produce a live MMW wave video output:: of the scene being examined on a case-mounted display. The MMW display will provide a view of the scene that reveals objects concealed from sight by clothing, ground cover, or other obscuring materials. In Phase I, we demonstrated the feasibility of such a device and created preliminary designs for its construction. The proposed Phase II work program is a direct continuation of this effort, with the primary objective being the construction and demonstration of a fully functional device. The Phase II work program will include the validation of critical aspects of the device through the construction of sub-system prototypes, the fabrication of a first version of the device for testing and evaluation, and the construction of second version incorporating reasonable improvements that are required or desirable for better performance and low cost production. When complete we will have a compact, hand-held MMW imager for concealed weapon and contraband detection that has been demonstrated in a variety of operational scenarios and is ready for production. BENEFITS: This device will allow military personnel and civilian law enforcement to image weapons, explosives, and other items, concealed from view under clothing, in walls, or under certain types of ground cover. The compact, hand-held, cordless design will enable easy, rapid deployment; low cost will permit a wide variety of uses. The ability to quickly and accurately determine effective deployment locations for radio frequency sensors or jammers is an essential element in today's highly mobile and fast-paced battlefield. Further, tools that help visualize radio coverage characteristics over a given geographic area would enable the battlefield commander to evaluate placement trade-offs without the time and expense of physically moving assets around in the field. In order for such tools to be useful, the underlying software used to model radio wave propagation must be accurate and fast. We propose to build on our Phase I work, which resulted in significant run-time speed-ups of the TIREM propagation model, with three main objectives'. (1) Continuing the development of a platform-independent graphical user interface to display the RF propagation results; (2) Extending the TIREM RF propagation model to include urban factors such as buildings and roads; and (3) exploring the commercial applications of the extended RF propagation model, particularly in the wireless communications industry. We believe that a near real-time visualization tool of RF propagation's will be an extremely useful decision aid for selection of sites for cellular phone towers and base stations, as well as a critical support tool for various types of military systems. BENEFITS: Many industries, beyond the military, will benefit from the ability to visually analyze RF propagation in near real-time. Specific applications where the proposed effort has immediate commercial applicability range from cellular and paper networks to RF identification and tapping systems Low power, easily deployed sensors that provide day/night surveillance of wide areas do not currently exist for minefield replacement, battlefield surveillance, special ops, etc. Recent advances in the development of small, very low-power infrared sensors (e.g. the UL3 camera developed by Indigo Systems Corporation) as well as mid format/small pixel size FPAs are having a growing impact on area surveillance and protection strategies for military and commercial users. These new sensors will provide better coverage with higher resolution. It is now realizable for these "micro-sensors" to be used in a widely distributed network for providing contiguous day/night visual surveillance of very large areas. During Phase II Indigo Systems will develop an advanced Unmanned ground Sensor (USG) that has excellent spatial resolution and an ultra-wide FOV using a 320x256 format FPA with 1 mil pixels, provides rapid return of first images, and is easily deployed. This project makes direct use of the technology being developed on other Government sponsored projects and is a direct step to providing low cost sensors for commercial application. The sensor to be developed can easily be integrated into a network of similar type sensors to provide wide area coverage for very low power and cost. BENEFITS: The 320 X 256 camera to be developed is very applicable to wide range of commercial applications such as fire fighting, security surveillance, and Predictive/preventative maintenance, as well as the government surveillance applications noted above. The UGS sensor configuration may be easily modified to appeal to commercial security/surveillance and industrial applications. The objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate a new prototype frequency hopping spread spectrum digital packet radio waveform technology. The key capability of this technology will be to provide secure, highly reliable, wideband wireless communications at data transmission rates from 10 to 45 Mbps. This waveform technology will be implemented as software radio system. The key modulation concepts used by these waveforms are: orthogonal fast frequency- hopping spread spectrum that provides the method for providing secure communications, the method for frequency diversity to minimize the effects for multipath distortion, and the method for providing a RF channel multi-access strategy; orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with coherent quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) provides the method for baseband spectral efficient signaling and a method for increased immunity to multipath echoes, fading, and other distortions; single-sideband radio frequency modulation provides the method for doubling spectral efficient access to the frequency hopped RF channel; and turbo trellis coded modulation concatenated with Reed-Solomon encoding provides the forward error correction scheme. These modulation concepts integrated with an advanced packet control scheme allows the allocation of bandwidth-on-demand which enables supplying programmable voice, graphical, audio, data, and video services. The objective of this packet radio technology is to permit operations in dynamic, interactive multi-band, multi-user, multi-access, and multi-services modes. BENEFITS: For military markets, the proposed technology is designed for Battlefield Information Transmission System (BITS) applications. In terms of private sector markets, the technology will be employed to develop wireless telecommunications systems in the U-NII and LMDS bands. An intelligent access hub concept for wireless wide area networks is described. This intelligent access hub network is a high capacity multimedia, rapidly deployable architecture which nominally supports 10 Mb/s data rates from the ATM backbone to each fixed or roaming information kiosd. The concept exploits smart directive antennas which emphasize signal reception form the desired ik and de-emphasize interference from other directions in process called spatial filtering. Spatial filtering may be used to resolve the signal from distinct Iks providing for spatial division multiple access. The fundamentallomitation to SDMA is Signal to Interference ratio. A unique solution to mitigate the SIR is proposed using a smart beamformer and adaptation of radio bridge protocols. Transmission in directive beams with minimum power provides inherent Anti-Jam and low probability of intercept properties. The design is cots richto reduce cost, Weight, and risk of the system. The architecture is realized itn the unlicensed national information infrastructure band for low cost, unlicensed implementation, but the concept is applicable to other frequency bands. The architecture has immense commercial appeal as a cost effective alternative to paying wireline leases for provision of wide area networks.BENEFITS: Wireless wans crate a new class of service for commercial data service providers. The wireless medium eliminate the dependence on the installed infrastructure and incumbent pricing. A wireless wan is rapidly deployable, scaleable and inexpensive relative to the public wireline infrastructure. Day/night reconnaissance and surveillance are critical for military operations. Conventional airborne and ground sensor systems, use spatial information to detect and recognize targets. However, current automatic target detection techniques cannot readily find camouflaged or hidden targets. Furthermore, active Doppler detection cannot handle targets with zero or near-zero velocity. Multispectral and hyperspectral sensors can enhance target detection and recognition by increasing probability of detection and lowering false alarm rates for low signature moving targets. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop an innovative multispectral moving target detection (M~D) system, which applies both spectral and spatial detection filters, and performs spatial-spectral data fusion, multispectral, hyperspectral, and spatial detection, and correlates movement measurement to precisely detect and locate targets. The goal of this Phase I project is to optimally combine results from spatially based detection with high-resolution fast spectral imaging and spectral-based discrimination techniques. The proposed spatial-spectral detection will combine POC's multi-sensor data fusion, correlation target tracking, and efficient linear and nonlinear spatial filtering for clutter reduction, detection, identification, and tracking of military targets. Phase I will identify and develop a system concept, and will select moving target detection and clutter reduction algorithms for application to current military surveillance systems. BENEFITS: By greatly improving probability of detection and clutter reduction, and reducing the false alarm rate, multispectrallhyperspectral data fusion will open a broad market for spatial-spectral automatic target recognition. Multi-sensor remote sensing will aid agriculture, geophysical surveying, and prospecting, pollution monitoring, reconnaissance, surveillance, and mine and explosives detection. This proposed Phase I effort is directed towards development of a new speckle position displacement sensor to be used as a navigation sensor for military operations in an urban environment in areas where GPS signals are not available (e.g., buildings, tunnels, forested areas and high Electronic Counter Measure (ECM) environments). The proposed sensor would track the relative motion of a platform with respect to the ground. The proposed sensor is of a non-contact optical type, suitable for use by a dismounted soldier and/or a robotic system. A portable navigation platform would use two speckle position displacement sensors and a micromachined Coriolis gyro as an azimuth reference to measure the relative motion of the platform. In an alternate configuration, an additional speckle position displacement sensor can be utilized to provide the required azimuth reference. The new speckle position displacement sensor uses optical diffraction from an infrared diode laser to measure position and velocity. The new speckle position displacement sensor is based on an earlier precision non-contact velocimeter, which was developed under contract with U.S. Army Engineers Topographic Laboratories for application in precision land vehicle navigation in the Position and Azimuth Determining System (PADS). BENEFITS: Broad commercial applications are envisioned for navigation in situations where GPS is not available such as tunnels and underpasses. The high accuracy of the proposed system (0.02% rms) may open applications in manufacturing machines and gantry robots. Vexcel Corporation is proposing to build a complete object-oriented system which will interpret a contour map, in order to automatically extract features of interest in military tactical planning. One innovation in our approach to this problem over other highly successful approaches lies in our plan to extend the use of the contour tree approach to aid feature-identification tasks as well as point-based searches; we believe that a heuristic can be designed which relies heavily on the structure of the tree itself as a launch-point for feature identification algorithms. Other innovations lie in the addition of convex-hull algorithms to determine where concavities lie in contours (these are key for identifying important features such as canyons), and in our proposal of methods to handle serious interpretation problems which can arise as artifacts of the map boundary (such as mistaking canyons for depressions). Other techniques, such as contour decimation, are proposed in order to speed up more time-consuming processing tasks. Vexcel's unique contribution to this effort lies also in our understanding of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) data, and in our experience with building commercially viable systems for processing and extracting map features from remotely sensed data. BENEFITS: Vexcel anticipates that the contour map reasoning module will provide an important add-on to at least two of our commercial image processing packages, enabling us to provide its users who also wish to utilize contour map data with the capability to utilize contour maps as well as remotely sensed data. ALPHATECH proposes to design, implement, and demonstrate an Integrated Battlefield Visualization System (IBVS) that will use information fusion and cultural feature cross-cueing techniques to enhance warfighter situation awareness. IBVS will correlate and maintain multiple ground target: tracks based on: cultural features (trafficability and hospitability) , sensor reports (leveraging Multiple Hypothesis target Tracking,MHT) techniques) and kinematic models (relating target types to cultural features) ALPHATECH proposes to demonstrate this concept using simulated division-level tactical intelligence reports (e.g., Communications Intelligence (COMINT) , Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) , Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) (Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electro Optic/Infra-red (EO/IR)), High Resolution Range (HRR), Moving Target Indicator (MTI). The IBVS objective is to track and display these simulated targets in real time on a digital map. ALPHATECH's experience in tracking, information fusion, and product development minimizes overall program risk. We are / have been key contractors for efforts involving: multiple hypothesis tracking, force pattern analysis, force level aggregation, target kinematic models, human-computer interface design, and Global Command & Control System (COOS) mission application development. Our role as researchers and developers for the Army, DARPA, and AFOSR will promote cross-fertilization of ideas, while minimizing potential duplication of effort. BENEFITS: Technology, developed under this SBIR effort, for fusing information from disparate sensors and integrating it with cultural feature databases to provide information dominance to the battlefield commander can be readily incorporated into U.S. military operational systems (e.g., ETRAC,CGS,CARS) The on-going revolution in device miniaturization in integrated circuits in particular, and microelectronics circuits in general, has benefited communications components and subsystems. However, many components in communication applications are based on non-silicon materials, are discrete and large relative to integrated circuits, require separate assembly during manufacturing, and are increasingly the components that determine the weight, size, and cost of the communication subsystems. Major cost, weight, and size reductions could be accomplished if recent advances in thick film materials and fabrication techniques could be developed and commercialized. Nanomaterials Research Corporation (NRC) seeks to demonstrate such a breakthrough by focussing on bulky inductive components commonly used in wideband power amplifiers. Phase I will demonstrate the proof-of-concept and establish the performance, Phase II will optimize, scale up and produce prototypes by the 100s, while Phase III will commercialize the technology. BENEFITS: Potential dual use applications include communication systems such as amplifiers and filters for cellular phones, satellite communications, or other wireless systems. The technology is also needed for wireless data transfer and for ensuring data integrity in Internet Commerce. The requirement for automated, passive, stand-off detection, identification and quantification of materials is a common theme in many applications of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Existing FTIR sensors such as the Block Engineering Model 100 and Model 500 are quite mature and have been demonstrated in hand held, land based, vehicle mounted, and airborne applications. While these sensors offer high sensitivity resulting in high quality spectra, reliable and consistent, automated detection and identification in realistic scenarios has not been adequately demonstrated. Under this Phase I effort, ASIT will concentrate on developing innovative spectral processing technologies and prototype demonstration of automated chemical detection and identification techniques that address real-world problems including: time varying spectral mixtures, with unknown background composition, and unknown interferant signatures. BENEFITS: To address both Government and commercial needs for passive, stand-off chemical detection and identification, this effort will combine existing FTIR sensors with specialized analysis software and lead to the development of a portable and fully automated chemical analysis system. In the manufacturing of printed wiring boards (PWB's), lithographic techniques are used to transfer the pattern from a mask onto a single large substrate. The use of masks for lithography inherently results in a number of problems: the inability to generate prototype PWB's quickly; the limited mask life and defect generation when used in contact printers; and the difficulty in storage and archiving of large numbers of masks. It is desirable to maintain a computer data base of PWB mask patterns (open called artwork) which can be used to directly generate printed wiring boards thus eliminating problems associated with contact printing. In the proposed Phase I program, we will develop the capability to pattern directly onto PWB's using a maskless technology while providing the additional capability of digitizing existing patterns on a mylar mask. This additional capability can be achieved by utilizing all of the existing hardware and adding new optical and electronic subsystems which are commercially available off-the-shelf. BENEFITS: The success of the proposed program will have a large impact on the economics of PWB manufacturing. Several advantages are gained Am using the same lithography tool to pattern directly on PWB's as well as reading data from existing artwork: first, costs are reduced since similar hardware is required; second, developing a read system on a manufacturing tool reduces development time; and third, in she process of scanning in the data, it is automatically properly formatted for playback to recreate the pattern. Constructing and maintaining accurate three-dimensional models used in Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) tasks has been a time consuming and difficult task. The problems associated with finding a good model are exacerbated by changing battlefield conditions such as weather effects and small changes in the target's appearance such as material or personnel. We propose a means of reconstruction of three-dimensional information using Motion vision (Motion vision reconstructs three dimensional structure from an image sequence recording object or camera motion). Images from standard cameras will be used to create and modify target models. These sensors will also compare current images to known models, finding the closest fit. This Phase I effort will review and evaluate the technology alternatives for implementing this dynamic set of models, and will define a system for performing automated model recovery from image streams to standard 3D representation formats such as VRML. This process will substantially speed the creation and update of dynamic knowledgebases for rapid access and update in ATR applications. BENEFITS: The model construction and updating technologies will be useful in developing model objects and terrain for simulation and training in both military and commercial venues (e.g. real estate agents and game developers). The subject program seeks to design, develop, and fabricate a miniature actuation and control system suitable for the control of pinnate position on a tactical solid rocket motor (SRM). Next-generation missile systems must be versatile, agile, and smart. IN SRM's this smart capability can be accomplished by varying pinle position during motor operation thereby changing the motor throat area causing thrust to vary by controlling the motor pressure. Two elements to these overall pintle design are required. The first is a miniature mechanical pintle that resides within the SRM chamber during motor burn that varies the nozzle throat area on electrical command. Second, is a miniature electronic control system to provide closed loop control of pintle position based on the real-time feedback of motor pressure. Phase I, will design both the pintle actuation and electronic control system based on PRI's demonstrated test experience with hot gas valves (HGV). Design emphasis will be placed on achieving miniature size, and low weight. Aminiature actuation system with brassboard electronics will be tested in a representative SRM to verify performance. Minimum response time, minimum power, and durability are certain based on the demonstrated mechanical design approach to be followed. Phase II will encompass miniaturized fabrication and testing of an operational pintle actuation and control system in F/W SRM using thermal battery power. BENEFITS: The commercial applications for the technology to be advaced under this program's research are pertinent to a broad base of the aerospace community, both Government and commercial. This technology is also applicable to high speed commercial throttle valves for liquid rocket, automotive engines, and space thrusters. Compact lightweight and low cost lasers will benefit the war fighter for multiple applications including: micro-range finders, combat ID systems, training, IRCM and sub-munitions. Current commercial eye safe solid state lasers based on unconventional designs are inefficient, large in size, unreliable and do not meet Army performance requirements. m is SBIR topic is directly related to an AMCOM MRDEC, a small sub-munition radar seeker, Army development program called High Quantity Anti Material Sub-munition (HI- QUAMS). m is SBIR supplements the Army work by developing compact packaging for eyesafe laser sources and reducing the cost of these devices. Aculight proposes to apply its unique laser packaging of diode pumped solid state lasers and engineered nonlinear optics to show feasibility of eye safe sources that meet the cost, size, efficiency and reliability requirements of Army laser radar for munitions. The University of New Mexico (UMM) will support Aculight in this work by defining the best solid state Raman converter to be compared with periodically poled OPOs. Because Aculight and UNM have worked extensively in these fields, and have hardware resources available, the Phase I work can move beyond the design stage with laboratory measurements to directly compare these alternative approaches. BENEFITS: The low cost and compact eye safe lasers proposed enable applications in medicine, portable environmental sensors and high-resolution military imaging. Foster-Miller Inc. in this project proposes to develop new and innovative solutions to the packaging of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) utilized in highly parallel optical interconnections for communications within and between processor units. Packaging of these devices to date has suffered in several areas, principally cost, simplicity of alignment and immunity to shock and vibration. Our approach uses precision-formed, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) matched liquid crystal polymer (LCP) to provide low-cost assembly. This material will be combined with advanced metal matrix composite heatsinking materials to provide highly reliable CTE matched VCSEL array packaging for parallel interconnect applications. This packaging will be amenable to expansion to large arrays and that is scaleable to thousands of optical interconnetions between system cards, chassis elements, boxes or frames. BENEFITS: This development of cost-effective, and reliable packaging for free space, parallel optical interconnections will allow rapid expansion in the use of parallel processing in applications requiring compact processors such as in target recognition for unmanned flight vehicles and synthetic aperture radar system as well as the development of compact, high throughput telecommunications switches. For optimal design of the personnel parachute, the ability to predict the opening forces during an airdrop is crucial. Solving this challenging technical problem will permit better design for both military and civilian parachutes, in terms of structural parameters and selection of materials. As a cost-effective solution to the current practice of overdesigning parachutes, a novel methodology for real-time characterization of the structural behavior of parachutes during inflation is proposed. This method is based on the application of fiber optic sensors embedded into the parachute fabric. Sensor measurements will be supported by mechanical testing and modeling. Two types of fiber optic sensors will be used to measure axial, bi-axial, and transverse deformation of a parachute canopy and suspension lines. An optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) type sensor will be used as a short strain gauge for axial strain measurements. The second tripe of fiber optic sensors is based on the Modal Power Distribution (MPD) technique, developed by M. El-Sherif (project director) through several Army and DoD projects. Acting as a long length strain gauge, this is also the only sensor tripe that can be used in measuring transverse stresses. The integration of these two types will form a novel sensory system capable of measuring the dynamic structural behavior of a parachute during inflation. Axial, bi-axial, and drop lab tests, will be conducted to demonstrate the concept of the proposed methodology. During the optional tusk, this methodology will then be benchmarked using a small-scale model parachute. In Phase II, a normal airdrop test using a full-sized personnel parachute will be performed. BENEFITS: The developed methodology will be very useful in the redesign of parachute canopies or suspension lines with new materials. The developed technology will pave the way for future development of smart fabrics for military applications, such as clothing and tentage. In the commercial market, this technology will be useful for parafoils for sport jumping, canopy and suspension line design for fire fighters and rescue workers, sail design, and any flexible fiber network structure. When a parachute malfunctions, it is critical that the jumper deploy the reserve parachute quickly to ensure that the reserve canopy has adequate time to inflate and slow his descent. Minimum container opening altitudes above the ground for recreational skydivers are at least 2000 feet AGL, which affords the jumper enough time to determine his canopy status and activate the reserve if necessary. Skydiving students are required to use Automatic Activation Devices (AADs), however experienced skydivers do not use AADs because they are prohibitively expensive. Military combat and training jumps are often done from 500 feet AGL and there is very little time to determine whether a malfunction exists. Consequently, the use of an AAD is highly recommended since the jumpers reaction time may be inadequate to ensure a safe landing. There are commercially available AADs that can function in a military setting, however their use is cost prohibitive in a mass tactical setting. We propose to develop a cost effective AAD suitable for low altitude jumps that utilizes accelerometers and pressure sensors to determine the jumpers rate of descent, altitude and acceleration. By utilizing high performance low cost sensors, a reasonably priced device can be manufactured for military use. BENEFITS: The currently available AADs are very expensive: the Cypress 1-pin Expert sells for $1 175, the Astra l-pin Expert sells for $950 and the FXC 12000 sells for $875. We plan to offer a comparable device for under $400 which is less than half of the cost of the other devices. At this lower price, more skydivers will be able to afford an AAD, which would increase the overall safety of the sport. Portable shelters and tents used by the U.S. Army in field operations for maintenance of vehicles and aircraft, as hospitals, and as billeting for personnel have no built-in insulation capability and rely on huge environmental control units (ECU) to establish a reasonable working environment. During operational deployments, these ECUs create a logistic requirement that is burdensome to the Army. What if there was a way to insulate these temporary structures in such a way as to reduce or eliminate the need for ECUs? At the same time, the thermal signature of the temporary structure could be negated, hiding it from an enemy's target list. Infinite Materials & Products, Inc., (IMP) believes that a flexible ceramic insulation material developed under contract to-the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization can be spray applied to the inside and/or outside of existing temporary shelters and tents to thoroughly insulate them to all climatic conditions, automatically blocking any heat signature and any sound created by the activity inside. IMP's insulation acts as a thermal sealant for the component, which is a completely different approach to simply filling the dead air space between structural members. BENEFITS: Since the insulation is spray applied, it can be used to add insulation capability to any habitable structure or vehicle, including ground, air, and sea applications. In addition, the insulation will compete directly against fiberglass in cost, but have the thermal performance of aerogel. The insulation's water resistance will provide a dry, insulated environment for any application. The goal of the proposed work is to create Mission Planning and Training Tool (MPTT), software that allows experienced users to create urban combat scenarios in less than one hour. Urban combat is growing in importance to the US Army. It requires individual combatants to work closely with members of their tactical team, while in close proximity to innocent civilians, armed civilians, and hostages and enemy forces. It can include combat, operations other than war (OOTW), and peacekeeping. MPTT is targeted to satisfy the Army's existing requirement for mission planning and rehearsal in MOUT at battalion level and below. In Phase I, we demonstrated a scenario generation tool that allowed computer-generated forces to maneuver in and around buildings and to react to the actions of other forces in the scenario. In Phase II we will enhance MPTT to support mission planning, rehearsal, and training. The objective is to create a tool that is easy to use, runs on affordable PC computers, supports rapid 3D scenario generation1 and runs in real-time. BENEFITS: MPTT will provide a needed tool for mission planning, rehearsal and training for urban combat. MPTT is a dual use technology, which can be adapt for law enforcement, disaster preparedness, urban planning, and the like. The structural health of bridges is a crucial issue in both military and civilian sectors. In military teams, knowing the condition or health of a bridge is key to both mobility planning and deployment in battle situations, and to military ascot management in peso time. In to defense arena, lives, battles, and wars can hang in the balance. In the battlefield environment, military bridges are vied tactical assets, and are absolutely critical for the rapid, safe movement of troops and equipment across both natural and constructed terrain gaps. From a historical perspective, the force which controls the gap to be crossed has the battlefield advantage knowledge of the capacity and hea1th of the of the bridge in a real-time, dynamic fashion, as well as remaining life, will be a force multiplier for improving the mobility control of the battlefield commander. An innovative system concept is proposed, comprising the selection and integration of appropriate sensors and a unique, intelligent microprocessor control module. The system will allow the needed data to be sensed, converted to bridge health information and stored for transmission to field contend and control centers or vehicle commanders. BENEFITS: A direct military market exists for the system retrofitted to the DoD's current assault and support bridge inventory. Also, there in a large civilian market since 35, of our nation's 575,000 bridges are eland fled as deficient and would benefit from improved condition monitoring. A program is proposed to develop a low-cost elastomer-encapsulated ceramic armor component with multi-hit defeat capability and with excellent durability in all battlefield environments. The armor package can defeat multiple .50 cal APM2 projectiles at inter-hit distances as small as 3 inches which represents a greater than 90% probability of protection under battlefield conditions for usual threat standoff ranges. The armor component is an integrated package, containing an array of ceramic tiles in a continuous matrix of layered elastomers. The surface elastomer provides the resistance to non-ballistic threats. The interior elastomer is used to control the lateral damage in the ceramic array by threat impact, through (1) attenuating the shock waves, (2) accommodating the lateral displacement during the ceramic fracturing, and (3) isolating the adjacent tiles during the backing vibration period. The preliminary results from the Phase I indicate that an armor package, containing encapsulated 3X3" 11 Ib/ft2 SiC tiles and a 7 Ib/ft2 Al backing plate, can defeat two .50 cal APM2 projectiles separated by 3 inches. The multi-hit performance relies on (a) limiting the lateral damage in the ceramic tile array, (b) controlling the transient response of ceramic tiles in the tile array during the backing vibration, and (c) limiting the transient and permanent backing plate deformation. The armor configuration and elastomer process will be optimized. Potential applications will be surveyed, and a specific armor application will be selected, design, built and ballistically evaluated In the Phase II program. The proposed program is based on Ceradyne's extensive development in the ceramic-based armor systems, both in armor design and armor manufacturing. A partnership has been formed with Hutchinson, a commercial rubber company with extensive experience supplying elastomeric components to the military. This strong team of ceramic manufacturer and rubber manufacturer will jointly develop and commercialize the technology. BENEFITS: The elastomer-encapsulated ceramic armor packages will provide the Army a new type of armor components for stand-alone applique armors, structural armors, ceramic components mounted to a thick hull as an armor upgrade, vehicle skirts, hard4ace armor components in other armor system, and stand-alone semi4lexible armors. The proposed R & D is the Phase II technical development of high power and high power density packaging for high power MCM and integrated 3D network microchannel heat sink using dvanced mateials of AlN and Al/SiC MMC composite. The proposed 3D network microchannel heat sink will demonstrate the important characteristics of low thermal resistance (as low as 0.02 W/cm2) and low hydraulic pressure drop (below 40 psi). It is intended to utlize and integrate the existing vehicle engine coolant so that the the cooling system can be simpler with a light weight and less space taken up by the system. With this proposed desgin, there will be a cost saving in fabrication and operation. These packages will be used with either Si, SiC and/or the mix of these two devices. A finite element analysis technique will be extensively used for various simulations of heat transfer, fluid flow and temperature distributions as well as the thermal stress in the package. We propose to conduct research to demonstrate in a high power density diesel engine the feasibility of controlled combustion by regulating the excitation of the singlet delta level of the oxygen in the charge air entering the engine. In this work, the temperature will be controlled in the charge air into the engines as an element of an integrated precise control of the combustion process. The air mass flow and the fuel injection rates will be adjustable to obtain desired power level within the constraints of engine structural strength, thermal flows, and the production of particulates and other exhaust emissions. The test engine will be a supercharged/turbocharged uniflow 2 cycle diesel engine with high pressure common rail fuel injection. In Phase I, we shall research technologies and concept designs shall be presented and substantiated via analytical calculations and modeling, virtual prototyping, drawings and a very limited engine bench-type testing demonstration. In Phase I Option we shall prove concepts from a feasibility standpoint with modeling and bench testing. In Phase II, the concept shall be demonstrated using a single or a multi-cylinder engine with operating conditions of the target high output military engine. BENEFITS: Our efforts will develop a very high power density diesel engine with an integrated control strategy which will improve combustion throughout the duty cycle, particularly at idle and low part load; the benefits include increased fuel economy, lower smoke/particulates, improved cold starting, and enhanced engine performance in all phases of engine operation. The Phase III dual-use applications commercial engines will be explored with a view towards meeting legislated exhaust emissions using this technology. The engine systems to be described here are applicable to many automotive systems including tactical and combat vehicles and other mobile and fixed engine systems which can operate using available hydrocarbon fuels. The resulting engine systems will operate over the operating cycle with very low smoke/particulates, little to no ignition delay, low noise, vibration, and harshness, easy cold weather starting, tolerant of a wide range of fuels, and high efficiency. With well-controlled combustion, the peak temperature in the combustion chamber would be controlled by the fuel injection rate. During Phase I KCI will develop at least ten different candidate designs for a composite material bracing system that will prevent buckling of a seismic energy-absorbing steel cruciform member that the bracing system surrounds. KCI's new lightweight bracing, which is intended to replace the heavy concrete and steel system currently in use, will ensure that the energyabsorber is effective both in tension and compression. The lighter weight of the composite design will be a major advantage in retrofitting existing structures with inexpensive seismic protection devices. KCI designs will investigate a variety of geometric configurations. Reinforcing materials in the study will include E-glass, S-glass and Carbon, as well as a proprietary system that on paper offers significant performance advantages over traditional composite reinforcements for this application. Matrix systems will include polyester, vinyl ester, phenolic and epoxy. We expect pultrusion will be the manufacturing process of choice for this product, however in Phase I designs tailored for other processes including braiding, filament winding, SCRIMP and RTM will also be considered. In Phase I KCI will fabricate sample parts for testing by our program consultants in the MIT Civil Engineering Department. In addition, an innovative manufacturing concept will be developed and tested. BENEFITS: Seismic energy dissipation has become an important aspect of build design, however cost of the required earthquake protection is high. Also, retrofit of existing structures is difficult. The proposed concept should significantly reduce the cost of installing energy-absorbers in new and existing building by a combination of automating their production and greatly reducing their weight. Aircraft icing is a known hazard to military and commercial flying. Onboard de-icing systems are effective but are applied to larger aircraft, not small and/or commuter aircraft and helicopters. What is needed is an onboard means for pilots to observe, in a timely manner, whether conditions ahead of the aircraft represent an icing hazard, so that evasive action can be initiated. A key component of icing prediction is the ability to remotely measure cloud region temperature to an accuracy sufficient to determine if the temperature is in the range of 0 degrees to -10 degrees Celsius, i.e. is in the liquid water super cooled region. Technology Service Corporation has developed a radar-based concept that promises to remotely determine a range resolved measure of the temperature in a cloud region. The method is an extension of the well known two-frequency radar method of remotely measuring cloud Suspended Liquid Water Content, that is another key component of icing prediction. The new temperature measuring method can use the same radar equipment as the two-frequency method. It should also be possible to integrate the new method with existing A/C weather radars. BENEFITS: If successful this technique, when integrated with a radar system that otherwise remotely measures cloud liquid water content, will provide a self contained sensor system that will accurately predict icing hazard conditions ahead of an aircraft. It would apply to commuter aircraft and helicopters. The ability to conduct operations in the modern battlefield has become dependent upon the availability of accurate and up-to-date geographic data. The need for efficient tools to update and verify the accuracy of these datasets has become increasingly apparent. This project is to develop new tools for automating the registration of vector datasets to ortho-rectified imagery and for verifying the logical consistency of feature data across multiple thematic layers. Registration of vector maps will be achieved through using algorithms that automatically find points in a raster image that correspond to road intersections in a vector map. Automated validation of vector datasets will be accomplished by applying a set of logical consistency rules written in a rule-based language to query and modify the data. The software tools will be integrated into a Map Update and Validation Toolkit where they will share the same VPF import and export modules, object oriented vector database and interactive vector map display. The results of the Phase II research promise to advance the state-of-the-art in map productions allowing vector maps to be created and updated in less time and with greater accuracy. BENEFITS: As both government and commercial organizations update geospatial datasets with data from multiple sources, automated tools are necessary for map updating and map quality assurance. This need creates a market demand for tools that automatically (1) align vector feature data to imagery data and (2) verify internal map consistency. Surfaces which can be actively adjusted to provide color matching with a changing background would be extremely valuable for military camouflage operations, particularly in hiding military surveillance equipment, weapons systems, and for personal soldier applications. In this regard, electrochromic materials have been demonstrated which exhibit deep modulation over a broad region of the electromagnetic spectrum. We propose here a new concept in electrochromic coatings for producing uniform, flexible, long cycle life, environmentally robust electrochromic cells for surface application. The innovation is based on using flexible polymeric materials for the components of the charge balanced electrochromic cell elements. The electrochromic layers will comprise organic, inorganic and mixed materials prepared by controlled surface coating processes. The overall objective of Phase I is to determine the feasibility of electrochromic materials and electrochemical pixel cell configurations for providing a three color variable camouflage element. The work will encompass a survey of new multicolor electrochromic polymers developed at EIC Laboratories and, through a subcontract, by the Reynolds group at the University of Florida. Phase II entails scale-up of flexible pixel elements to provide fully matrix addressed, environmentally robust appliques for spatially varying active signature control. BENEFITS: The major products of electrochromic technology include: information displays; filters for optics, photography and electronic imaging; military low observable applications; ophthalmic eyewear and sunglasses; automobile mirrors, sunroofs, and glass; atria glass; and architectural glass for all kinds of buildings from passive solar dwellings to large office complexes. Phase I established the feasibility of producing a field dental unit based on electric hand piece technology. During the conduct of Phase I potential Suppliers were identified that could further reduce the cube, weight, and power needs of such a system. The Phase I program indicated that the cube, weight, and power requirements of such a system can be reduce by up to 60% over the system presently in the inventory. Phase II is focused on realizing the additional improvements and fabricating 3 Prototype Systems for test and evaluation. In addition, solar Power will be evaluated. BENEFITS: The reduce cube, weight, and power consumption will improve the mobility of the military field dentists and, with the solar power, eliminate the need for a generator Eikos Phase I SBIR has provided a solid foundation for the proposed Phase II work. In Phase I, we have successfully developed a protocol for generating clones of key portions P. falciparum open reading frames (ORF) optimized for microarray analysis. Using the published sequence data of chromosome 2 we designed primers and generate sequences biased towards the 3' end of the coding region of the ORF. These sequences were then cloned into E. Coli, yielding a reproducible source for generating products for microarray fabrication. We have a solid basis to proceed with an expanded cloning project to yield complete coverage of falciparum in a very short time. We will exploit the new sequencing data of the total genome project to yield a comprehensive database of falciparum OREs, primers and E. Coli. clones for microarray fabrication. The applications Eikos will pursue in Phase III include expression analysis, assay development, and other genomic micro-array technologies to support the malaria research community. Elkos and the U.S. Army Medical and Materiel Command will lead the way into the post-genomic era of malaria research by working on these enabling technologies as the sequence data becomes available. BENEFITS: Microarrays have the potential to capture a large portion of the $19 billion clinical diagnostic market. The market for antimalarial drugs +s on the order of $120 million and growing rapidly as chloroquine resistance increases in the coming years. Generally improving economic conditions, especially in the Americas and Asia, lead to good growth forecasts in the antimalarial market. Army personnel are at risk of exposure to a broad range of disease agents many of which are rare in the U.S. Moreover, military and civilian personnel are all at risk from terrorist attacks involving chemical or biological warfare agents. Consequently, medical workers and counter-terrorist response teams need to be able to rapidly detect and identify multiple infectious diseases/agents and biological threat organisms in real time in field settings. That important capability is not yet available. Because rapid detection and identification of disease organisms by culture is difficult, researchers have been working to develop molecular-based assays for detection and identification of pathogenic target organisms. However, the current laboratory-based DNA and antibody assay methods are not suitable for rapid, reliable real time testing in actual field settings. For this Phase I project, AndCare proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a simple-to-operate, hand-held, battery-powered instrument capable of real time detection of pathogenic organisms using geneprobe techniques. The instrument will be designed to accommodate existing as well as next-generating assay technologies with the goal of providing the flexibility needed to meet the Army's needs for rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple organisms in a field setting. BENEFITS: Phase I/Phase II success will result in prototype, battery-powered instruments employing sensor array chips for detection of multiple agents. The hand-held instruments will be lightweight and will use gene-probe methods originally developed for 8-well microtiter plates or membrane strips. The potential dual-use U.S. military/civilian market is substantial with the total diagnostics device market likely exceeding $5 billion. LifeCell has developed a patented system for the long-term preservation of platelets utilizing the biochemical stabilization of specific second messenger pathways critical to the platelet physiology. The stabilization formulation, ThromboSol(tm) modulates the endogenous platelet pathways that lead to cellular activation. This modulation renders the platelets capable of withstanding the rigors of cryopreservation in the absence of structural or biochemical damage. The platelet preservation system is logistically simple and yields high recovery of platelet number, morphology indices and in vitro and in viva functional activity. A feature of this cryopreservation system is the use of 2' DMSO. While this does represent a 3-fold reduction in the DMSO concentration as compared to the standard cryopreservation methods, it remains to be determined if this reduced amount of DMSO is directly transfusable of if so whether alternative agents more compatible with transfusion can be used. The goal of this platelet preservation program is to obtain a directly infusable formulation. Therefore, this proposal will identify alternative reagents which can mimic both the biochemical stabilization and cryoprotectant properties of DMSo. These reagents will be evaluated using in vitro assays, in conjunction with ThromboSol, to develop a platelet cryopreservation formula which' is directly transfusable and achieves high retention of platelet cell number and functional activity. BENEFITS: Successful completion of the development the ThromboSol platelet cryopreservation systems represents an important contribution to solving the critical problem of access to a rapidly deployable, directly transfusable platelet transfusion product. This will contribute to overcoming the problems of blood loss and bleeding in both far forward combat casualty care and civilians. We propose to develop physiologic sensing capabilities that make use of existing equipment already available in soldier systems such as Land Warrior. By maximizing the functionality of existing sensors to serve multiple purposes, we can approach the goals of zero power, zero weight and zero size. Some of these measurements are indirect indications of parameters that are traditionally measured by dedicated transducers. Additional dedicated sensors can also be added as required that are embedded in the soldier's equipment. Both the indirect sensors and optional dedicated sensors can be interfaced with wireless personal networks. During Phase I we will conduct validation experiments for the indirect sensing capabilities. The Phase I Option work will include verification that existing sensing technologies can be embedded in the soldier's equipment to provide a wear and forget, unobtrusive system. BENEFITS: Remote physiologic monitoring in hazardous environment enhances the survival of personnel and permits remote force management. Applicable users include military personnel, law enforcement, fire fighting, search & rescue and hospital outpatients. The goal of this project is to define and pursue novel SAR processing techniques to exploit the phase history data to the full potential. Essex plans to augment traditional SAR processing capabilities by extending the resolution and bandwidth via a coherent combination of multiband, multi-platform, and multistatic phase history data. Essex achieves this objective by combining existing synthetic processing algorithms developed at Essex, conducting further research for further processing enhancements, and perform analysis and trades to sufficiently define several candidate processing approaches. BENEFITS: The algorithms developed and validated under this program directly advance SAR image quality, image resolution and new SAR image products. The techniques developed also propose to reduce costs for current systems upgrades and future systems by enabling SAR imagery improvements without additional or complex RF hardware to extend bandwidth and resolution. In recent years efforts have been concentrated on maximizing the resolution of optical materials for use in high-energy laser systems by minimizing absorption of irradiated power and subsequent deformation caused by heating. With a higher thermal shock resistance than any available optical material, sapphire is the material of choice, but displays significant scattering due to optical anisotropy. Aluminum oxy-nitride and lanthana strengthened yttria based optically transmissive materials are isotropic because of their cubic symmetry and therefore are an ideal replacement for sapphire. In this Phase I effort MMI proposes to synthesize nanocrystalline gamma-AION and consolidate the same to highly dense near net shapes in less than 5 minutes. The consolidated part will further be polished to a roughness of <l nm. A unique plasma pressure consolidation (P2C) process will be evaluated for the fabrication of near net shape lathana strengthened yttria (8-10% lanthana added to yttria) optical components. In Phase II, the process will be optimized and scaled up to produce AION and LSY components of high quality, i.e. these near net shape consolidated parts will possess good optical properties combined with excellent mechanical properties, which is one of the major limitations with current optical window materials for advanced laser systems. BENEFITS: Transparent AION and LSY can be used in domes for high-speed military missile systems, high power laser windows, laser cavity mirrors, lenses and infra red window material, high pressure optical domes for mounting on top of high-speed trains, aircraft and deep ocean exploration. One of the most difficult problems in decision support is real-time decision-making under uncertainty. The information age has vastly increased the number of data sources while at the same time compressing the time available for making decisions. More the data sources, greater the uncertainty in the accuracy of the decision since any one of the data sources could be erroneous. Thus there is a greater risk that the commander (user) would make a wrong decision. In fact, assessing the risk involved in the decisionmakeing process is an important component of decision support. We adapt a technique, called Value-at-Risk (VAR), developed by the financial services community for risk-based decision-making. We propose a new approach for real-time computation and interactive display of VAR. The approach uses a Monte Carlo method for training a neural network using historical patterns of risk factors. We choose a particular scenario of the information warfare problem as our initial application domain. We propose to demonstrate a software prototype of this decision support system at the end of Phase I. Further, we propose a four-month option effort for demonstration the approach to potential DOD and private sector clients, and thereafter refining the approach and implementation to facilitate commercialization.BENEFITS: A software product/service for risk-based decision support aimed at information securtiy applications is expected. Internal temperature of a howitzen prepellant grain mill be measured through the use of a Radio Frequency Identification (RRID) tag and, remote reader. Temperature is calculated from the changing response of the tags normal characteristic return to the reader as a functions of temperature. The resultant system will provide very small (approx. 1 x .25 x .02) and relatively inexpensive expendable device that will completely combust then the propellant grain is ignited. The system wil1 have a temperature resolution of about +/- 5 degrees Celsius in its initial configuration with several methods available to increase sensity. BENEFITS: Frozen foods monitoring, industrial mass monitoring, biolgical monitoring when lot data and temperature must be remotely readable. In this SBIR project, we offer am innovative solution, namely Smart Isolation Mount for Army Guns (SIMAG), to the weapon stabilization and fire control problems facing US Army guns. SIMAG is composed of the optimum integration of two innovative technologies, namely Vibration Control by Confinement and smart sensor/actuator/active control systems. In Phase I, these two complementary approaches were combined to solve the firing problem at the gun mount and turret interface location. It was shown via computer simulations that such an innovative and effective approach results in a significant reduction in fluctuating loads and deformations. The combined approach could also be applied to the gun barrel to reduce its undesired vibratory motions excited by external and internal disturbances, such as gun firing frequency. Conceivably, the proposed SIMAG approach could be designed to first passively reconfigure the distribution and propagation of excess vibrational energy (i.e., intentional management of excess vibrational energy); and therefore, confine vibrations to certain non-critical regions within a structure. Concentrated passive, active, or smart damping elements or cancellation techniques may be applied to more effectively dissipate or cancel the trapped vibrations and to prevent an energy build up in the assembly. SIMAG will make significant progress towards solving the firing control problems with very small weight and power penalties by compensating for all errors in one of the two places, namely at the turret-aircraft interface or gun barrel. Even though the initial target application of SIMAG is airborne guns, a modified version can be incorporated into ground armors, such as tanks and humvees. The unique feature of our SIMAG concept is the combination of the vibration energy management theory and smart sensor/actuator/control systems. The feasibility of our unique SIMAG concept was demonstrated via computer simulations conducted in Phase I. In Phase II, we plan to demonstrate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed SIMAG via a more elaborate computer simulation and fabrication and testing of a working prototype. BENEFITS: The industrial and military use of an effective, efficient, and low-cost smart isolation system represent a large market. In addition to targeting this market, other versions of our technology can be applied to a variety of industrial application in which low level vibrations and shocks must be maintained. Commercial watercraft, aircraft, space vehicles, automobiles, machinery, machine tools, buildings, bridges, and home appliances are only few examples of the commercial applications. Materiel handling is critical to many enterprises, from military operations to shipboard loading. However, materiel handling is time-consuming and expensive, primarily because it requires extensive human labor. When working with hazardous environments or materials, the expense increases dramatically. Today's automated handling systems must be teleoperated - painstakingly controlled remotely by an active human operator. Teleoperated systems are slow, clumsy, and fundamentally expensive. The technology exists to build handling systems that can operate more automatically. Vision systems, robotics, motor control, force sensing, user interfaces, and even grasping are reasonably well understood and available components. However, integration remains an intractable problem. We propose to develop a materiel handling software system that will allow seamless integration of these diverse technologies. Our immediate goal will be to create a reusable framework and components for materiel handling that can be: Operated robustly and efficiently, Applied to many systems with differing hardware, and Utilized to complete many different tasks. The system will share control between the computer and the operator, allowing each to contribute to the operation. We will thus exploit the strengths of each member of the team: the human's reasoning, and the computer's accuracy and automation of small motions. BENEFITS: If successful, this work will greatly accelerate the development of automated materiel handling. It will also be applicable to many other types of control systems, from industrial automation to remote equipment maintenance. RTI has the sales and industry experience to successfully commercialize the product. Next generation embedded software systems for fire control applications will become extremely costly without a means to promote software reuse. In the Joint Technical Architecture-Army (JTAA), there is little guidance concerning this issue. To forestall costs resulting from failure to reuse software in embedded system applications, a generic "Reference Architecture" (RA) is required to allow design, development, implementation, and simulation of software to maximize reuse of previously developed components. To address this problem, CHI Systems will develop an RA and RA toolset. The RA will use an abstract description language to unite the conceptual notion of software components with instantiations of physical components in order to form a specific application. Tools will be required to support the RA. The RATS tools include a repository browser to identify existing software objects, validation of object integrity, a simulation environment for design testing, design pattern recognition, and RA compliance checking. The Phase I effort produced a limited implementation of the RA and RATS tools to demonstrate the utility of the concept. The Phase II effort will result in a well-defined RA for embedded weapons system software to promote reuse, and a robust toolset for using the RA to design reusable components. BENEFITS: RATS is a highly commercializable technology. Just as the military must avoid or reduce software implementation costs, so must the commercial software development sector. RATS in its commercial version will be similar to Microsoft's Visual Studio, and will allow non-programmers to develop complex software designs which maximum software reuse. RATS offers a significant cost reduction for development of complex software systems. Scientists at the University of Mississippi have demonstrated that acoustic signatures coupled from the air into the ground produce distinct vibration patterns that can clearly identify the presence of buried landmines. They presently use an off-the-shelf scanning laser vibrometer to interrogate the ground motion. The purpose of this proposed research program is to develop a much faster vibration measurement system to expedite data acquisition. The proposed system is based on a combination of a novel scanning method and data processing algorithm using our newly developed laser vibrometer. We estimate that the data acquisition time will be between a few seconds and a fraction of a second per square meter depending on system architecture. This represents an increase in speed of approximately 20 to 100 times over the commercial systems. During Phase I we will model the whole-field laser vibrometer system and perform a series of feasibility experimental studies on sandboxes and other conditions that emulate real mine fields. We anticipate developing and fielding a system during Phase II. BENEFITS: A system to remotely identify the presence of buried landmines will be a major contribution to humanity. The proposed system is anticipated to be fast, accurate, and cost effective. Its commercial potential will be largely driven by the need to locate the many millions of landmines that have been buried worldwide. Other commercial applications include modal vibration measurements in the automobile and aerospace industries. Man/hardware-in-the-loop laboratory simulation is the most cost-effective methodology for maturing advanced sensor technologies because the battlefield can be brought to the laboratory through multi-spectral synthetic battlespace simulation. Current laboratory simulation technologies cannot generate the real-time high fidelity dense RF environment required to advance space based and high altitude sensor technology development. DRA proposes to solve this challenging technology limitation by applying commercial satellite tools merged with an intelligent rules based engine to control advanced signal generation components to provide accurate stimulation of space based and high altitude sensor systems. During Phase I, DRA investigated space based and high altitude RF sensor development requirements for weapons systems such as Global Hawk, C4ISR, and AT3; defined key simulation technologies required for generating a real-time high fidelity dense RF environment simulation, and defined an architecture that integrates these key technologies. DRA will utilize the real-time simulation capability in the Sensors Directorate Integrated Demonstrations and Applications Laboratory (IDAL) to demonstrate the architecture's feasibility. During Phase II, DRA will implement a prototype capability into the IDAL and demonstrate key performance characteristics to support AT3 and other advanced development programs. The Phase II effort will provide a building block capability for rapid evolution of advanced RF sensor technology. All advanced aircraft structures and components require extensive ground and flight tests before being incorporated into field use. Extensive instrumentation is required to verify designs and validate proper operation, which creates an enormous amount of cabling and high test set-up costs. The rapid development of wireless technology is creating new opportunities and challenges for communications users and suppliers. Wireless sensor systems can significantly decrease instrumentation set-up time and cost, while simultaneously improving sensor signal-to-noise ratios and instrumentation system flexibility. Unfortunately, there is no wireless solution available that can interface with several different sensor types and survive the harsh environments found in aerospace testing. Luna Innovations (formerly F&S, Inc.) and the Center for Wireless Technology at Virginia Tech propose to develop a miniature, robust multichannel telemetry system for aerospace ground testing based on ultra-wideband technology. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology (sometimes called digital pulse wireless or impulse radio) is an exciting new approach to wireless communications with several advantages over existing technology including low power operation, secure communications, improved transmission through structures, and high data rates. The 50 channel system will be capable of interfacing with common sensors to measure parameters including heat flux, pressure, strain, vibration, and temperature. Luna Innovations anticipates large non-defense related markets in industrial preventive maintenance systems and diagnostic instrumentation. Specific applications include spacecraft and aircraft monitoring and control, nuclear/conventional power plant health monitoring, transportation vehicle design and testing, and industrial rotating machine monitoring. The on-going miniaturization of satellites requires concurrent development of miniaturized cooling/heat rejection devices. Cooling by field emission of electrons offers an attractive approach that until recently could not be considered. To test it, we have conducted preliminary experiments and measured significant emitter cooling/temperture drop using an unoptimized carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission (FE) cathode originally constructed for low power electric propulsion applications. Approximate analytical model was developed to explain the observed behavior. The model indicates that heat transport approaching a mW was accomplished and that a theoretical limit is of the order of 100 W/cm^2. Thus cooling by electron field emission is feasible and its development is herein proposed. Nonvolatile memories, including Magneto Resistive Random Access Memory (MRAM), have limitations in speed, density, power, and manufacturability which limits their use in commercial and space applications. A unique nonvolatile memory architecture has been invented by NVE using a patent pending Spin Dependent Tunneling (SDT) cell that will eliminate these limitations. The newly invented SDT nonvolatile memory technology, of which NVE is among the leading researchers, allows a high density and also the lowest energy per bit write or read of any nonvolatile memory technology. Magnetic memory has been demonstrated to be immune to radiation effects and is compatible with silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) process which is available to NVE both through AMI, Honeywell, and others. Problems of disturbs and non-uniform switching thresholds have been eliminated with this new development. This innovation will allow speeds of 10 nanoseconds as well as power levels as low as 0.1 microwatts. Its scalability will allow densities of 16 megabits per square centimeter using 0.15 micron lithography. The new cell architecture developed with SDT technology will have broad application in DoD military, space systems, MILSATCOM, and commercial space systems.The durability and low power of the MRAM developed will fill a need for this type of nonvolatile memory both in military and commercial satellite systems as well as missile systems. With no wear out mechanism, this memory will be used for both high speed main memory and nonvolatile buffer applications in artificial intelligence, image processing, radar, sonar signal processing, virtual reality, robotics, control systems, etc. Spectral Sciences Inc. proposes to design and develop the Passive Infrared Remote Effluent Sensor, (PIRES), for the purpose of monitoring toxic chemical air pollutants in a plume released during open burn/open detonation (OB/OD) events at Edwards AFB. The system will be portable and operate from a horizontal standoff distance of one to two kilometers. It will utilize a thermal image sensor to track the plume and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer to spectrally identify and quantify multiple released chemicals. By correlating outputs of the two sensors, amounts of each chemical will be mapped throughout the plume to deliver a measure of total release, local concentrations, and plume location. Recent advances in computer recognition of human speech have made it possible to perform reliable recognition of the content (words) in continuous speech. We propose to use these technological advancements, together with the expertise we have gained from developing a number of reliable, easy to use DOD systems that automatically respond to natural, spoken human commands. These systems reduce required human effort, improve performance, and increase the timeliness of information delivery. Specifically, we will adapt to the aircraft maintenance application several of our existing and emerging systems, including our system for speech recognition in noisy environments currently under development for the U.S. Army. In particular, we will apply a combination of proven and novel analysis techniques to filter out band-limited, broad-spectrum, and impulse noise. Our objectives will be to:. Design a flexible, highly accurate speech recognition system that is usable in high noise environments to support aircraft maintenance repair activities. Adapt and implement noise reduction algorithms resulting in relatively noise-immune speech recognition. Evaluate these noise reduction algorithms and the resulting speech recognition performance; and . Demonstrate an early prototype system. The JJWconsulting/AIL Systems, Inc. proposes to develop a feasibility model of a Ka-Band 4 x 18 Crossbar Switch with low insertion loss (< 2.0dB) and high isolation () 25dB) The crossbar switch incorporates innovative photonic techniques that has rapid switching (<1ms) power handling (>10 watts) and is relatively inexpensive to produce in quantity. The design that we have shown to be feasible in a Phase I program can switch any of the inputs to any of the outputs simultaneously. The bandwidth of the Ka-Band Switch is 4 GHz minimum. The number of ports on the Switch can be expanded beyond the 4 x 18 proposed. The innovative design can also be extended in frequency to at least W-Band. BENEFITS: Due to its low cost potential, development and applications of systems using multi-beam electronic scanning techniques for point-to-point communications and shared apertures become affordable. In addition, commercial applications such as satellite communications, of testing, multi-beam radars for airport control, cellular communications also becomes feasible and affordable. A simple, rugged, and novel forward- looking, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is proposed for mapping terrain variations in front of a countermine vehicle system for control of mine-clearing plow depth. Antenna steering is not required. Range resolution is obtained with a stepped frequency waveform and accurate terrain elevation relative to the vehicle is obtained with the aperture generated by the vehicle's forward motion. High quality SAR imaging is possible in the presence of severe motion irregularities because of a reliable, high accuracy, computationally efficient, auto-focus / autonomous-motion-compensation technique developed by GORCA Technologies (GT) to focus data in the presence of severe motion irregularities without the uuse of INS, GPS, nor any of the external data source. GT has successfully imaged F-15 radar data collected during a 4g maneuver, and forward-looking synthetic-aperture sonar data (for shallow-water mine avoidance). GT is currently building a tiny mm-wave sensor prototype for side-looking SAR imaging from a small UAV. Phase I will include experiments with the microSAR(tm) equipment mounted on a test vehicle traveling over rough terrain. The data will be processed to obtain accurate elevation estimates 10 meters ahead of the sensor, and the Phase II real-time terrain-mapping plow-control system will be defined. BENEFITS: Mine clearing operations via a remotely piloted plow vehicle such as the drive-by-wire Grizzly requires information to control plow depth under all visibility conditions. This sensor can also be used in civilian mine clearing, and in earth and snow moving equipment. A similar sensor could provide look- ahead terrain data for an active suspension system in an off-road military vehicle or a civilian luxury, sports-utility, or emergency medical vehicle. We propose to coherently combine the output of a tapered laser array of slightly different wavelengths using an arrayed waveguide grating. We will fabricate large mode tapered lasers with a curved or a straigh AR-coated pre-amplifier monolithically integrated with the power amplifier. The curved waveguide allows an angled input facet which effectively reduces the facet reflectivity to broadband reflectivities of order less than 1 x 104. We will then integrate a fiber Bragg grating with the pre-amplifier/power amplifier chip. This will ensure that the laser lases at a frequency governed by the fiber Bragg grating. This frequency will be largely independent of the output power of the device. It is then possible to focus the light from the tapered output end of the laser into a single mode optical fiber. The different wavelength laser outputs will then be directed on the different inputs of an arrayed waveguide grating and wavelength multiplexed creating a unique output in a single mode fiber with power equaled to the combined power of the individual lasers (minus the intrinsic loss of the multiplexer). This approach does not require phase coherence between the individual tapered laser sources. BENEFITS: High power, eye-safe, semiconductor laser sources will find bath military and commercial applications. These include communication system applications such as satellite crosslinks and line-of-sight terrestrial links as well as remote sensing applications such laser radar, laser range finding, lidar spectroscopy, laser illumination and medical applications. In Phase I of the proposed program the team of ADMA Products Inc. Twinsburg OH and the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID will demonstrate the ability to produce low cost plates of Ti-6AL-4V using a powder approach with acceptable properties including ballistic behavior. At least four powder types will be evaluated which are potentially low cost and can also be used for the Laser Rapid Prototyping approach to titanium component fabrication. Tentatively these are (1) crushed machine turnings which will be crushed after hydrogenation, (2) CaH2 reduced TiO2, (3) powder produced by a displacement reaction (mechanical alloying) from a TiO2 or TiCl4 precursor and (4) Russian spherical plasma rotating electrode process powder. Plates will be fabricated using a low-cost loose powder sintering approach, in some cases using the thermohydrogen processing approach to enhance processability and refine the final microstructure. These plates will be evaluated for microstructure and mechanical properties, and samples supplied to the Army for ballistic testing. In a Phase I option oxygen level and microstructure will be varied, and fabricated plates evaluated. If Phase II is funded, a component tentatively selected as the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer, MIA2 tank, will be produced using the optimum approach from Phase I.BENEFITS:The research is designed to result in production of titanium Components for Army systems as the MIA2 tank which have mechanical properties at least equivalent to current parts, but at considerably lower cost. Exposure to poisonous gas or biological agents is a real threat for US soldiers. Therefore it's imperative that they have adequate protection against these and other agents. Gas masks can provide this protection, but only if they produce pressures high enough to effectively seal against the face, but not so high as to produce a level of discomfort that discourages their use. In the Phase I project, Bonneville Scientific, Inc. (BSI) established the feasibility of the proposed sensor construction and installation techniques suitable for covering a human-like headform with arrays of robust, yet sensitive force/pressure sensors. These arrays use BSI's ultrasonic pulse-echo ranging technology to achieve important advantages over other technologies, such as resistive-ink- based sensors. In Phase I we also developed a simple, rapid calibration technique the will be implemented and fully automated in this Phase II project. In addition, system and software specifications were developed. In this Phase II project we will sensorize the headforms and implement the complete Head Pressure Analysis System, including the apparatus necessary for calibration. BENEFITS: The proposed robust head pressure analysis system will aid the Army in developing effective, more comfortable head-mounted individual protective equipment. Commercial applications will include measuring pressures produced by ski goggles, helmet and headset earcups, helmet suspensions, and dynamic testing of crash helmets in order to improve the effectiveness and comfort of those devices. Advances in both hardware and software technology in the areas of pressure sensor technology and automated data acquisition make it feasible to configure complex test equipment in an efficient and cost effective manner. The proposed research involves reviewing available sensor technologies and selecting the most appropriate sensors to develop an easy to use reliable and accurate pressure sensing headform that will enable researchers and equipment designers to evaluate pressure distribution for various types of headmounted protective equipment. Additionally, specialty silicones and other polymer blends will be used in conjunction with published and measured data on real human tissue to develop a realistic headform surface with material properties that mimic human tissue. The properties are essential to ensure that the headform does not unrealistically conform to the subject protective equipment or vice-versa. This system should also be capable of being outfitted with a breathing simulator to be used when testing respirator masks and similar devices. A complete head pressure analysis system will be designed and a prototype system constructed as proof-of-concept. This design will provide for a cost-effective method to incorporate multiple headforms that will utilize the same sensor technology and data acquisition hardware and software. BENEFITS: Test apparatus for evaluating protective equipment is valuable to both military and commercial industry for product optimization prior to developing costly tooling. CAD and simulation tools require such test equipment for physical validation of computer models. Nile combined use of simulation and physical testing will yield Improved designs with unprecedented performance reliability and comfort over a wide range of environmental and operating conditions. There is a growing need for new sensors to non-invasively monitor the physiologic status of casualties on the battlefield. Advances in the theoretical understanding of photon migration in tissue, as well as recent developments' of compact light sources and detectors, have made possible new, robust and non-invasive instruments. Currently, optical detectors limit the usefulness of optical diagnostic systems for deep tissue hemodynamics due to their cost, size, or insensitivity to low light levels. The proposed work is based on recent hemodynamic sensors development at RMD Inc. and Tufts University. We plan to produce prototype components for a compact, lightweight, hemodynamic monitoring system, and to demonstrate proof-of-principle design for an immature, non-invasive integrated solid-state optical sensor. The sensor is based on the measurement of deep tissue multi-spectral absorption coefficients, in conjunction with the measurement of blood flow induced Doppler broadening on detector arrays with single photon sensitivity. Using oxyhemoglobin as a marker, this novel system will simultaneously measure the hemoglobin, oxygen saturation concentration, and blood flow in surface and deep tissues. The proposed system will significantly improve monitoring of physiological status of battlefield casualties and make possible new applications requiring continuous monitoring of the full hemodynamic. BENEFITS: The development of a low cost, miniature full hemodynamic system will improve on current hemodynamic diagnostic systems and make possible new applications Including continues monitoring of the full hemodynamic, skin patch viability, and feedback during photo-dynamic therapy or laser coagulation of malignant lesions. This monitor could become a valuable tool in emergency rooms, surgery, and intensive care units. Design and synthesis of inorganic-organic hybrid materials are proposed to improve the chemical, abrasion, and flame resistance of polycarbonates . We propose the formation of hybrid materials, in which hard, stable inorganic segments are incorporated into a polycarbonate oligomer, in two different pathways; a) Exfoliation of silicates in a polycarbonate matrix: Layered inorganic silicates (e.g., montmorillonite), will be exfoliated directly in a polycarbonate matrix, and the resultant layered silicate-polymer network (LSPN) is expected to have better mechanical strength, chemical inertness, and toughness than the original polymer. b) Incorporation of silsesquioxane cube clusters in polycarbonates: Cubes [(RO) SiO1. 5] 8 have robust, well-defined polyhedral structures, and hence are chemical and abrasion resistant by nature. Appropriately functionalized cubes can be introduced into a polycarbonate polymer, by cross-linking reactions, and the cubes are expected to impart abrasion resistance and inertness to the resultant hybrid polymer. Commercially available polycarbonates will be used for the formation of hybrids. The effect of varying ratios of the inorganic to organic segments on the properties of the hybrid will be studied to arrive at an optimum composition. The approach, which leads to promising results, will be developed further to produce polycarbonates with improved properties. BENEFITS: Potential commercial applications include: 1) hard, tough, transparent materials for personal protection (i.e., helmets, safety equipment); 2) novel high-strength, flame and abrasion resistant materials for use in aerospace or automobile applications; and 3) high-impact strength, transparent materials for helicopter canopies and aircraft windows. The proposed Phase I SBIR program provides a means of analyzing and extending current methods of gathering simulator and in-flight assessments of helicopter flight tasks and maneuvers through application of task performance math models. The program employs innovative research in the areas of pilot modeling, rotorcraft inverse simulation modeling, pilot-vehicle-task analysis, and simulation. Sample tasks obtained from recent piloted simulations are analyzed to develop the important pilotage-task metrics, workload effects, safety considerations, and vehicle dynamic relations. The objectives include assembly of existing math model software for off-line simulation of ADS-33 helicopter pilot-vehicle-task models, validation of derived models, construction of two compelling task model examples, demonstration of parameter variations for pre-simulation or pre-flight study, and application of inverse simulation methodology. Project tasks follow these objectives, in order, and conclude with an outline for advanced software needs leading to a Phase II study. Phase II would extend the methodology to new tasks and classes of rotorcraft, extend to all axes of control and environmental conditions, and acquire needed simulator or in-flight validation data. Results of the SBIR Phases I and II extend both to military and commercial applications in engineering research and development as well as aircrew training and flight safety. Anticipated Benefits/Potential Commercial Applications of the Research or Development: Computer modeling and simulation for helicopter pilotage tasks provides a needed means for extending conventional simulator and in-flight data gathering as well as enhancing pre-test planning and post-test data analysis. The methodology can be applied to engineering modifications and upgrades to existing aircraft and to development of new aircraft. Additionally, the same techniques can be used in the areas of aircrew training where task performance and assessment can benefit from automated objective metrics. Examples of such benefits are already indicated in the literature for both military and commercial applications. The present proposal is aimed at developing a commercially marketable product in the form of a computer-based methodology and software for design and life prediction of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components. The proposed approach consists of developing and experimentally validating a novel mechanistic approach for design and life prediction of CMCs. Besides providing an immediately needed tool for IHPThT applications, the product will be readily marketable to designers and developers in the aerospace and stationary gas turbine engine manufacturing industries To directly address the needs of potential users of the product, a main objective is to develop and demonstrate a software that can be conveniently and efficiently used to predict structural life of AlliedSignal Engine's 3TAGG III combustor liner. A combined analytical modeling, laboratory testing, and software development approach is proposed. Experimental validation of each model, of the life prediction and design methodology, and of the software predictions constitutes crucial part of the approach. Close coordination with JTAGG III as well as commercial aerospace propulsion component development needs is proposed through collaborative efforts with AlliedSignal, Pratt & Whitney, and Solar Turbines.BENEFITS: The proposed R&D will directly and immediately benefit JTAGG III ceramic composite component development efforts as well as other IHPTET efforts. On the commercial side, R&D and software product will be invaluable to industrial gas turbine and rocket engine manufacturers, and to commercial jet engine manufacturers. The objective is to develop a device which can measure the image quality of any wide field-of-view, binocular, head mounted display. This Phase I effort proposes to achieve this by continuing the development of the existing, commercially available Spectron DASH 6 Axis HMD (Helmet Mounted Display) Tester which already meets or exceeds a large portion of this objective. Research and development will be required for a field of view increase, supporting metrology and image generation. This effort also includes continued development of setup and automated test procedures which can be integrated into a user friendly, display test package. Implementation of functional bread boards and appropriate modifications to the existing DASH Tester will be used to gain empirical experience whenever practical. The testing of customer supplied HMDs will be used to supplement the research and development of the Phase I proposal. BENEFITS: The proposed display test system would be useful to manufacturers of commercial and military binocular displays. With the economy of one testing unit, laboratories or depots could obtain valid performance comparisons between all binocular displays, including different designs and module. With the increasing consumer demand for mobile/portable systems, low power VLSI has gained great importance. A number of circuit level power reduction schemes, including supply/threshold voltage scaling, multiple threshold schemes and selective clocking are available. However, greater power reduction can be achieved only if the problem is approached from a global perspective. This includes algorithmic, architectural and circuit levels. Further, significant power reduction has been observed when system-level improvements are applied. Primary among these is the software-level power efficiency. This involves performing a power spectrum analysis of the instruction set of the target processor, followed by an analysis of the assembly code for the target application. Power-hungry instructions are replaced with more efficient ones. At the architectural level, bus-encoding schemes can be applied to reduce the impact of switching at the large capacitances associated with the I/O pads. These methods include data- compression and coding schemes such as bus-invert coding. At the circuit-level, adaptive voltage scaling, in conjunction with self-timed approaches, offer great promise. Strong ARM processor has very good low-power characteristics that makes it an attractive target architecture. A synchronous ARM, integrated with a DSP core can offer high speed DSP solutions with significant power reduction. The techniques developed in Phase-I will be applied to an asynchronous ARM DSP system in Phase-II. BENEFITS: The proposed power minimization techniques will decrease the power consumption in the target DSP system, thereby extending battery life. The power-analysis software, developed as a result of this project is expected to be marketed as a key tool for estimating the power consumption of any DSP application. Phase I successfully identified Sn-alloys exhibiting first cycle irreversible Capacity losses less than 16% and specific capacities greater than 400 mAh/g. Based on these results, an expanded Phase II program is proposed to fully develop the Phase I results. The Phase II program consists of three tasks with objectives of minimizing initial capacity losses to less than 16 %, increasing practical gravimetric and volumetric capacities greater than 400 mAhig and 1000 mAh/cc, and extending cycle life to deliver at least 80 % of initial capacity after 250 cycles. Three tasks are proposed for this program. Task I involves expanded studies to synthesize new binary Sn and Sb alloys with metals such as Ni, Cu, Zn and Fe. Composite graphite-Sn and Sb anodes are included. Synthetic methods include ballmilling, electrodeposition, electroless deposition, and atomic atomization. Task 2 involves complete electrochemical evaluation of new and optimized anode materials in half-cells and prototype 100 mAh Li-ion pouch cells. In Task 3, the technology developed in Tasks I and 2 will be transferred to develop technology for construction of prototype 18650 Li-ion cells. These prototype 18650 Li-ion cells will be tested at MaxPower and delivered to the Army for independent testing and evaluation. BENEFITS: An expanded Li-ion cell technology base with respect to enhanced energy and rate capabilities, in general , and operability over the entire military range, in particular, will help push the Li-ion rechargeable batteries toward wide dual ( military and commercial) market acceptance. All types of portable devices and equipment's, wireless communication devices, are key commercial applications. Both spirally wound and soft packaging (pouch) cell technology will provide significant market dimension, commercially and militarily. Astron proposes to develop and demonstrate a compact, extremely high power transmit/receive antenna to cover (with a minimum number of antenna elements) the HE through UHF frequency range. These antennas are intended for on-the-move operations in airborne applications. Antenna miniaturization and broadbanding are stressed. BENEFITS: This program will provide the basis for providing highly miniaturized antennas for the greatly expanding civilian wireless, cellular phone, and PCS market. It will greatly enhance the appearance and performance of base stations mounted on high masts and the mobile/portable market. Tera Biotechnology Corporation proposes to develop an automated system to screen phage antibody libraries by our parallel selection process. The system we propose could be used to routinely generate antibodies of any specificity without the need for human intervention. For Phase I we will develop an automated robotic system for the identification and selection of specific antibodies that bind ovalbumin, a biological warfare simulant. Our goal in Phase II will be to produce and test an efficient automated screening system, compatible with use at P4 biosafety levels, for the cloning of antibody binding fragments useful for the detection of novel biological warfare agents. BENEFITS: Current protocols used to discover antibodies to bioagents are cumbersome and may expose personnel to risk. To lower the risk to personnel and to generate considerable cost savings an automated method to clone high affinity antibodies is highly desirable. Phase I results indicate that a lightweight, micromachined aerosol collector is a feasible bioaerosol sampling system for minimum size, power and weight requirements. The collection efficiency was found to be greater than 50% for particles larger than 1 micron A micromachined virtual impactor collector sampling system could process respirable particles and deliver them to a biosensor. The interim work is focused on challenging the aerosol collector with bacterial spores and a virus (e.g., bacteriophage) in a wind tunnel. The Phase II objective is to integrate a MicrOVIC(tm) aerosol collector with a biosensor. One of the difficulties of placing a fluid-based aerosol collect in temperature extremes such as the desert (or extreme cold) is the evaporation (or freezing) of the collection fluid. The minimization of consumable liquids in the collector is accomplish by a novel effluent microstructure impactor design. This innovation allows dry or wet samples to be selected. We believe that a small amount of fluid placed in the interior of the MicrOVIC(tm) could be protected from limatic fluctuations (in a controlled environment) and added as a final processing step. The result of this project is expected to be an efficient, reliable, low-power consuming small and lightweight aerosol collection system to concentrate bioaerosols for subsequent analysis and identification by an APG-pathogen detector for all environmental conditions. BENEFITS: Efficient, reliable, low-power consuming, small, lightweight aerosol collection systems for concentration of bioaerosols for analysis and idnetifixation by an detector. Commercial markets include food safety, transportation safety, indoor air quality consumer products. SY Technology, Inc. proposes to develop a smart camera to automatically identify regions of interest (ROI) in imagery. The camera has two target recognition applications. First, to process a correlation surface (obtained by correlating an image with a filter) to identify, enhance and output ROIs for storage and further processing. The same camera can also delete obvious regions of no interest before imagery is input into the target recognition system. The desired on-board processing speed is achieved by utilizing a CMOS Pulse Coupled Neural Network (PCNN). The PCNN is selected for this high-speed camera for three reasons. First, this team has demonstrated that the PCNN segments imagery significantly better than thresholding methods. Secondly, a PCNN based target detection algorithm that identifies and deletes regions of no interest has been developed in prior work. Finally, SY Technology is fabricating a high speed CMOS PCNN chips for medical applications. Phase I will optimize a PCNN based algorithm to identify ROT in imagery. A camera of 512 x 512 pixels with 8-bit readout will be simulated/validated. Simulations will focus on speed, reliability and size. m e final design of the smart camera, processing > 60 fps, will be delivered. Option I proposes to fabricate a prototype. BENEFITS: In addition to obvious military applications, smart high speed cameras identifying regions of interest have many commercial applications. Medical image processing (radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, cardiology), security and surveillance systems, and telescopes that are developed by NASA are a few examples. During phase II, a prototype high-speed smart camera that meets or exceeds the requirements of defense and commercial applications will be fabricated, and demonstrated. Sales have been identified and are presented in the commercialization section of this proposal. LAT, Inc. is proposing to develop a cost-effective innovative Built-in Active Sensing Structural Diagnostic (BASSD) system for monitoring the integrity and for detecting damage in structures. The development of the system is primarily based on the SMART layer technology, which uses a built-in network of piezoelectric sensors and actuators to interrogate the condition of the structures. Nextec's patented technology allows for the precision placement of thin polymeric films around fibers, and crossover points, while filling in or leaving open interstitial spaces within fabrics. The choice of silicone, substrate and placement of polymer allows for addition/improvement of certain properties. In the apparel market the benefits of this process are delivered with a minimal impact on fabric tactile properties. Properties that can be influenced include but are not limited to breathable barrier performance; controlled porosity; water, wind, tear and abrasion resistance; adhesion/release behavior, and durability of properties to wash. Protective gear has been prepared that is lighter and has better barrier than standard commercial material. This technology has found applications including apparel, automotive, aerospace, and medical. The benefits in these applications are delivered in a process that has no volatile organic compounds and yields inert residual materials. This proposed program will identify specific military fabrics that have potential for improvements from treatment using Nextec's technology. The proposed work will include investigation of the influence of materials and process parameters and optimization of these parameters against the desired property combinations. The results will indicate the suitability of Nextec's technology for treating military fabrics. BENEFITS: Commercial applications include outerwear; mechanical rubber goods particularly hoses, ducts, and seals; protective gear including reusable surgical garment and other protective gear; tent materials; as well as thermal transfer media. Potential benefits include decreased weight and bulk; reduced operations and support costs, improved comfort, improved barrier, multifunctional capabilities, protective properties & adhesion/release. Over the past several years the Synthetic Environment Database Representation and Interchange Specification (SEDRIS) project has been developed to address the issues of simulation data interchange between heterogeneous applications in a non-ambiguous, lossless fashion. As one of the SEDRIS Associate Members, Reality by Design (RBD) has helped both to define and implement the SEDRIS standard. By utilizing RBD's expertise with SEDRIS and Internet-based SEDRIS applications, a software architecture will be designed to address the conversion of correlated terrain databases for use in Computer Generated Forces tCGF) systems. Use of SEDRIS and the plugin-based format conversion architecture developed by RBD will provide a single conversion application to perform all CGF database conversion tasks. Different formats will be supported via the use of Dynamic Link Libraries, making the conversion software extensible and provide a future growth path. The conversion software will be accessed via a Web-based interface and support access to CGF databases accessible over the Internet as well as private Intranets. The software package will support a variety of input and output formats. A SEDRIS based correlation test tool will also be developed to verify the integrity of terrain geometry and feature topology. BENEFITS: The use of CGF and large scale networking of virtual environments within the DoD, commercial training industry, and entertainment markets is expanding. The need exists for highly correlated, heterogeneous synthetic environments. The proposed work will nurture these emerging markets. Commercialization benefits will roll back into the DoD, reducing time and cost of developing correlated military databases. An advanced development project is proposed for testing a thermal injection method to improve overall combustion efficiency in compression ignition engines, and to provide a method for using alternate fuels. His method allows controlling combustion in two distinct stages and is suitable for insertion in current CI engines. A portion of the compressed air from the cylinder with fuel added is delivered to a thermal injector to form a homogeneous mixture. The heat by compression ignites the mixture which is then isolated by a control system; this system also controls a valve to open near TDC to discharge the burning fuel into the cylinder and complete the combustion process. Earlier experiments confirmed the feasibility of this concept. Computer modeling with the KIVA-3 code will be used to simulate the basic features of this combustion method and to provide relevant data on the physical processes involved and on the operational features: control issues; fuel preparation; mixing; overall efficiency. This will include a study of the design of the control system; testing of the thermal injector component; and a study for selecting and retrofitting an engine to be used for experimental testing. BENEFITS: The commercialized product of this new technology will cost-effectively address global issues of improved compression ignition engine cold start and combustion efficiency, greater fuel economy, fuel flexibility, and reduced emission of pollutants. The fuel injector will provide a simple cost effective retrofit for improving compression ignition engine performance. Increasingly, resource allocation questions are being answered with computer modeling and simulation. Additionally, much of the training provided to soldiers relies on computer models and simulations of the combat environment. To date, these models do not adequately address the effects of training on performance, nor do they adequately address the interactions between factors that shape human performance. This effort will remedy that situation by developing methods and data structures that will allow computer generated force models (CGFs) to adequately respond to the key features of training. We propose a mix of model development and data collection. The models we propose reflect the state-of-the-art in human performance modeling and what we know about the effects of training on performance. These models are based on research and our extensive experience in these areas. The data sources we propose represent a get something in place now and build on it later approach where we start with subject matter expert data in Phase I and then expand our data search in Phase II. As such, this proposal presents an innovative approach to ensuring that improved CGFs are in place soon, while also providing room for planned growth as we learn more through future research. BENEFITS: The Immediate benefits to the military are 1) that models will be able to to be used to evaluate the payoff of a training investment in terms of resulting soldier performance and 2) the models used for training soldiers will be more realistic. For commercial applications, the model structures proposed are generalizable and could allow industry to make trades between the value of training vs. other strategies for process improvement such as automation. We plan to build a portable stress-wave measurement device for sonic and ultrasonic wave speeds and resonant modes, suitable for rapid military pavement evaluation. Specific Phase I tasks will target three areas. 1) We will prototype robust battery operated hardware. This includes a wind-insensitive accelerometer mounting that accommodates grooved pavement topography, low power electronics with transducer conditioning and A/D, and a solenoid source with integral accelerometer for impact echo and core resonance testing. 2) We will conduct theoretical and field studies to optimize source-receiver placement and interpretation software. This includes 3-D finite element models of grooved airfields to estimate methodology accuracy and test interpretation methods, and field tests on slabs to optimize receiver spacings for pavements ranging from concrete runways to thin asphalt overlays. 3) We will collect information on military field test procedures and database requirements to design and prototype software for the ultrasonic testing device. BENEFITS: Potential applications include construction quality control or post-construction testing and monitoring of highways, airfields, foundations, piers, or bridge-decks. In Phase I. Physical Optics Corporation (POC) demonstrated the feasibility of an Adaptive Self- configuring Uncertainty Measurement System (ASUMS) as a novel approach to significantly improve the uncertainty estimation and system self-calibration of the ALTAIR and similar Systems. The proposed ASUMS is based on perception network geometric data management, which can self-configure and self- adjust for robust uncertainty estimation without having to take all parameters into consideration. Because the self-adjusting ASUMS can deal with dependent and unmodeled parameters, it is compatible with statistical models such as the refraction-correction model without needing complex knowledge of the model. In Phase II, POC will redesign and optimize the Phase I ASUMS architecture, and develop a Phase II prototype, building and demonstrating a module for automated uncertainty estimation compatible with the current ALTAIR modet, to deal with unmodeled ionospheric parameters, and to accommodate the refraction-correction model with parameter estimation and calibration. BENEFITS: ASUMS is suitable for many military and civilian applications such as target recognition and tracking, communication and GPS satellite tracking, unmanned vehicle control, and other automatic controls. The objective of this proposal is to continue the development of the innovative design that combines a surfactant-inert and water-selective filter cartridge with centrifugal separation, cross-flow filtration (CFF), Dean Flow surface cleaning, and back-flush techniques into an effective micro-filtration unit. In Phase I, the feasibility of these design features was demonstrated. Phase II will pursue advanced development to refine the design, optimize the performance, and build a 50 gpm prototype filtration system. The goal of Phase II completion is to bring the device to a commercially marketable state. Global competition coupled with the fast changing moods of the customer base has led commercial automotive manufacturers to increase the speed at which they can change and bring new attractive products to market. All of these products face long term corrosion warranties and this information is normally derived by conducting accelerated corrosion tests on selected vehicles prior to release for commercial sale. Such tests can last several months in a proving ground environment and can take as long as a year. In the past decade, the Army has increasingly turned to commercial manufacturers to acquire "off the shelf" vehicles that can meet its needs. Unlike commercial vehicles which typically last for 10-15 years, the Army maintains vehicles for between 20-25 years in various regions of the world. Q-DOT proposes to develop a wide bandwidth, highly versatile Direct Digital Synthesizer (DDS) System capable of supporting multiple radar and communication systems. A common, highly capable DDS System will simplify logistics, training and maintenance, thereby significantly reducing Operation and Support Cost. Bar-Giora Goldberg, co-founder of Sciteq, and world-renown DDS innovator, will guide the DDS architectural design. We propose to develop a general method for the development of a fiber-coupled laser diode that is highly efficient at the conversion of electrical power into a high brightness laser beam. The overall goal of this program is to deliver 500W of power, CW, from a single fiber with a brightness of 1MW cm-2 sr-1. As a Phase I demonstration, a device of over 100W will be built with the same brightness and a coupling efficiency of 70%. Advanced optical coupling techniques developed at Apollo Instruments will provide the basis for construction of the system. The laser system will be highly compact, simple, and low in cost. The success of the program will eliminate a major obstacle in current fiber laser development. The enabling technology will also benefit laser material processing, diode pumped solid-state lasers, and high power laser beam transmission. One of the main guidelines in the system design is to develop a high performance fiber-coupled laser diode system that system that is easy to realize, simple to use, and inexpensive to build. High power fiber coupled diode lasers have been sought for a long time. The applications are numerous, including space-based satellite-to-satellite communication links used for optical information exchange, illumination, medicine, laser cutting, pumping other lasers, and a host of other scientific research subject. Optical fiber amplifiers and lasers are gaining widespread interest for high-power applications due to their numerous advantages over traditional solid-state and gas lasers including extremely high damage thresholds, excellent beam quality, superior wavelength and temperature stability, small size, and very high powers using novel double-cladding fiber (DCF) geometry's. DCF devices are a unique solution for obtaining diffraction-limited high-power laser beams due to the ability to inject multiwatt pump powers into their large-area and large-numerical aperature primary cladding. To date, however, polarization-maintaining DCF amplifiers have not been widely commercialized and may be critical to the future success of coherence-based power combiners for kilowatt-class lasers and future optical fiber lidar instrumentation. During Phase I, Lambda Instruments investigated the feasibility of fabricating Yb-doped polarization-maintaining (PM) DCF as well as using conventional Yb-doped double-cladding fibers combined with novel fiber grating polarizers to obtain polarized, high-power light. During Phase II Lambda proposes to finalize the development of polarization-maintaining double-cladding fiber and demonstrate prototype amplifiers within a phase-locked laser array. The only way to win a battle is to get ahead of the enemy's decision cycle. Traditional warfare has taught us this. Applied to the electronic battlefield, this means that we must first develop a coherent picture of who is attacking our networks and why. We propose to develop a tool that will help Air Force network security personnel see their own networks through the eyes of their potential enemies. The tool will show how attackers with different goals view, probe, penetrate, and navigate networks with different configurations. It will guide security personnel in not only configuring their intrusion detection tools and developing mental models of attackers but also in effectively documenting patterns of attacks as they occur. This tool will be based on a model of attacker behavior derived from a cognitive analysis of security personnel and skilled attackers, as well as from actual attacker behavior on a range of wargaming network configurations. Additionally, users will be able to document lessons learned from attacks on their own systems, a noted shortcoming we discovered in our Phase I research. The increasing complexity and tempo of modern warfare, combined with unparalleled advances in computer power and network connectivity, have set the stage for the emerging concept of Effects-Based Operations (EBO). EBO is being tested in exercises (e.g. Global '00), and an initial set of tools to support EBO have been developed (e.g. CAT, CEASAR II). In this SBIR phase II, we capitalize on the theoretical advances in EBO concepts, our experience in observing EBO in action, and existing EBO-support tools to deliver a seamless integration of the EBO approach into COA development, analysis, adjustment, and mission assessment. Tools that truly support EBO must be based on a detailed understanding of the organizational structure and processes for information gathering, information fusion, COA development, and command decision making that allow EBO to occur. The proposed phase II effort will produce an innovative tool to support EBO. Key enhancements to existing capabilities, evaluated and demonstrated in Phase I, will include seamless integration of timinig factors into Influence Models, and the capability to display predicted temporal effects dynamically. The tool will be based on, and coupled with, analysis of the organizational processes by which EBO is put into practice. Boulder Nonlinear Systems in a teaming arrangement with the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University proposes to improve analog switching ferroelectric liquid crystal devices through polymer stabilization. The primary goal is to improve the state of the art analog ferroelectric liquid crystal modulators by reducing the constraints on the substrates used to implement the devices. A successful effort will lead to polymer stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal device prototypes, featuring high speed, high contrast, gray-scale, resistance to mechanical shock, relatively temperature independent operation, and the ability to function on unconventional substrates, such as flexible or curved surfaces. The technology proposed here offers the potential for improvements in the performance of high-speed, analog liquid crystal modulators. Devices evolving from this effort can be expected to impact such applications as optical filtering, optical data processors, real-time holography, display and directed energy control. Acquiring transient point measurements of temperature, pressure and acceleration in gas turbine environments is very difficult using currently available sensor technology. The current state-of-the-art often requires researchers to sacrifice frequency response for increased accuracy, forcing them to make assumptions about the transient nature of the environment being monitored. Clearly, there is a need for a suite of sensors capable of acquiring transient measurements in high-temperature gas turbine environments at discrete points. Luna Innovations proposes to develop a fiber optic temperature, pressure and accelerometer suite capable of acquiring transient point measurements in high-temperature, propulsive environments. The operating principle of the probe will be based on proven extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) techniques. Luna will use its extensive experience developing and commercializing fiber optic sensors technology to design, develop, and construct the proposed advanced temperature probe for combustion environments. The data obtained by these sensors will be invaluable for validation and development of CFD codes for combusting flows. This instrumentation is crucial to the development and operation of affordable and efficient 21st century gas turbine engines.Research in the high temperature instrumentation area will provide transducers with commercial uses that will include 1) aerospace, 2) high-temperature monitoring in power generation facilities, 3) high-temperature industrial process monitoring, and 4) automotive sensing for engine health monitoring and control. Membrane concentrators have a low specific mass, high packaging efficiency and can The objective of this SBIR Phase I project is to develop and demonstrate an innovative Wide Area GPS/MEMS IMU/Data Link System to provide highly accurate Time-Space-Position Information (TSPI) and attitude information for the measurement of the trajectory parameters of munitions. GPS (Global Positioning System) chipset technologies result in a quarter-size GPS receiver. MEMS (MicroElectronicMechanicalSystem) technologies make it possible to fabricate the monolithic integration of a MEMS inertial sensor with driving, signal pickoff, and signal processing electronics. An integrated GPS chipset/MEMS IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) /Data Link microsystem provides a high performance/efficiency approach to improve dramatically performance and measurement range of a conventional tracking radar for munition tracking and scoring. This proposed solution combines the GPS chipset, MEMS IMU, advanced GPS/IMU nonlinear Kalman filtering/smoothing algorithms with a data link. In this Phase I project, the feasibility, as well as functions, specifications, hardware architecture, algorithms and software of the proposed system will be investigated, simulated, and compared.This project will lead to an important commercial product, GPS/MEMS IMU/Data Link System, which has a wide variety of commercial applications including general aviation, spacecraft, satellites, robotics, intelligent transportation systems, etc. The quick and efficient acquisition of shape and geometry data of technical components is gaining importance in production and maintenance. Thanks to progress in optical measurement methods and electronic equipment, it is now possible to generate computer models from components for which appropriate documentation is either out of date or unavailable. Such data sets facilitate, for instance, quick and easy fit checks of parts in the computer; also, a database of items can be generated. We propose to develop an optical profilometer that can quantitatively measure 3-D shapes and generate the required CAD data from them. Particular attention is given to the measurement of large structures and the issues of portability, stable calibration, and speed of the system. An optimized data acquisition strategy will be selected which, while allowing for large fields of view, can maintain a high accuracy. With respect to ruggedness and cost minimization, the simplest possible solution will be chosen for implementation. The work will greatly benefit from the cooperation with a leading developer of shape-measurement techniques and apparatus. In Phase II, the selected principle will be developed into a fully operational, portable system.The proposed instrument will have a remarkably wide range of applications in both military and civil industries: it will allow one to quickly digitize and compare nominally equal items or to routinely monitor the wear or deformation of parts in use. Such data will allow an early recognition of excessive wear or fatigue, and will enable optimization of designs and accurate reproduction of parts to be replaced. Since the transition to computerized production technologies is still largely underway, there is a large market currently developing for 3-D shape measurement devices. The objective of the Fast Track, Phase II Plus SBIR effort is to implement the Surface Optics Corporation (SOC) MIDIS electronics that host algorithms used in real-time hyperspectral data fusion into SOA ASIC technology to lower cost and volume of the electronics. The MIDIS Electronics ASIC Development (MEAD) project will utilize the commercially available MIDIS electronics which are implemented using FPGAs and discrete memories. To satisfy the objective of the Phase II program, the SOC team will conduct the following tasks: (1) Finalize the MIDIS ASIC design specifications and (2) HDL design capture; (3) Develop a simulation test bench and (4) Conduct verification simulations; (5) Synthesize HDL design to selected technology; (6) Develop ASIC test; (7) Conduct MIDIS ASIC physical design; (9) Conduct ASIC fabrication; (10) Conduct prototype hardware design and (12) Test and Deliver a production MEAD device. These items shall be targeted to deliver a MEAD device that will meet the goal of 6 inches cubed maximum. Building on SOC's nine years of experience in real-time HSI instruments and algorithms development, the PI's ASIC design experience, Octera's proven ASIC design and development experience, the program will produce a miniaturized MIDIS electronics which will be less costly to produce to satisfy a variety of military and commerical applications. Non-cooperative acoustics has been identified as having high value and will be used in selected Force XXI weapons systems for detection, acquisition, tracking and identification of targets on the combat applications, however none to date have been developed and demonstrated in land-detection, tracking and classification capability with extended duration deployments deep into the battle-space. To date one of the most promising technologies for such a sensor has been the adaptive beam-forming sensor technology developed by Alliant Techsystems, who is no longer in the business. An alternative that has potential to be of comparable performance has been developed by a division of Texas Instuments, now part of Raytheon. Also, Penn State University has developed important technologies in noise mitigation and classification. TSI has entered into an agreement with each of these organizations to perform a comparative evaluation and assessment of these technologies as a basis for a practical Unattended NLOS Acoustic Sensor System (UNASS) for battlefield applications as a part of this effort. Having a starting point for the technology is only one aspect of the development of a practical UNAS. From a "systems" perspective the UNASS will only satisfactorily perform its function if it can be deployed for extended periods without servicing, communicate with a station that can exploit its reconnaissance reports, operate under varying environmental conditions, and provide valuable information at an affordable cost. A long-range sensor is at most only one system component, albeit an extremely important one. This effort will examine the benefits to be obtained by coupling sensors with differing characteristics, including long range (but more costly) sensors and short range (but very inexpensive) sensors to achieve the UNASS objectives. BENEFITS: The physics of acoustic propagation, sources, environment, background noise and sensor performance are not specific to military problems. The technologies proposed as applied to military contexts are intentionally designed so that specific military sources and sounds of combat are isolated from the physics-based modeling in data files, and commercially-equivalent sources (aircraft, trains, automobiles, fog-horns, whistles, sirens, etc.) can readily be substituted for tanks and RWA when used for non-defense applications. Indeed, some of these very sources have relevance to Operations Other Than War (OOTW) missions of the US Military, since OOTW exercises are most often conducted in non-militarized areas, and adverse actions directed at Peace-Keeping/Peace-Making forces may employ a multiplicity of sound-producing transportation methods. This data-driven approach, together with modest changes to the combat simulation to be a simulation of traffic patterns and source-sensor interactions, make the proposed libraries/technologies readily adaptable to use in noise abatement studies, sound-level predictions, and related analyses for urban planning, sound pollution control, and approach-path analyses for airports. On-axis subaperture interferometry is ideally suited to the high-precision metrology of axisymmetric aspheres of moderate aperture size and numerical aperture. Innovative approaches are required, however, to make the testing of larger aspheres or non-axisymmetric surfaces (such as conformals) both flexible and cost effective. To meet this need, QED proposes to develop a scanning, off-axis, subaperture system. The success of this system relies on the innovations we propose for (i) subaperture stitching with low noise and automatic system calibration and (ii) the processing of high-density (sub-Nyquist) interference fringes. The key step is the system calibration that is to automatically remove the limiting errors associated with aberrations in both the reference wave and imaging optics as well as positioning errors and image distortion. The Phase I work is to be implemented as a modification to a standard phase-shifting interferometer. The results will demonstrate our ability to perform high precision (error < ) subaperture metrology on nominally spherical and weakly aspheric surfaces. It will also quantify the performance of our empirical methods for system calibration. Success in Phase I will provide the foundation for the Phase II tasks of developing a fully automated subaperture metrology system for more strongly aspheric optics including conformals. BENEFITS: This new metrology product will enable reliable and cost effective fabrication of aspheric and conformal optics with applications in a variety of commercial, scientific, and military optical systems (e.g. high-end cameras, photolithography, and head up displays). The conceptual design of a safe, small thermoelectric generator (STEG) is being completed in Phase I. The overall objective is an environmentally friendly replacement for radiolumenescent lamps used in fire control instruments. Hi-Z will continue exploratory development of power sources for illumination that utilize thermoelectric direct heat to electric conversion. A design optimization will be conducted focusing on a 1 to 2 watt thermoelectric generator fueled by military logistics fuel (diesel or jet fuel). For the heat source we take advantage of another innovative technology being developed under separate Army SBIR. This is the Low Cost Pocket Stove utilizing the Porous Surface Element wick. Prototype generators will be fabricated, tested and delivered. Technologies and hardware will be identified to support fabrication in Phase III. In addition, similar generators at lower and higher power output will be built and demonstrated. Lower power (100 to 300 MW) suits replacement of individual radio luminescent lamps, but at this size butane fuel is necessary. At higher power (to 30 W), the generator can also serve as a battery charger power supply. Throughout the range of output power to be considered, the generator concept fits various military power requirements that are presently met with chemical batteries (primary or rechargeable). Further work will continue to research the alternative possibilities of tritium and molten salt heat sources. The technical objective is to deliver an improved, low cost, hands-free communication system for use in many military high noise environments but with particular benefit to warfighters on-the-run or in special situations. The goal is accomplished by relying on a (dental) bone conduction communication pathway which is generally insensitive to the high noise which exists in the air environment and air communication pathway. The system uses a novel transducer which: (1) Acts as both a sensor (microphone) and actuator (receiver for listening), (2) Is firmly attached to the teeth, and (3) Is linked through a wireless intraoral transceiver to a body worn larger transceiver. The system shall be called the TAS, for Tooth Actuator / Sensor. Prior research has shown that a similar system delivers greater than 80% speech intelligibility in Modified Rhyme Testing in high noise (85-100 dBA). It is anticipated that the completed system will provide 92% speech intelligibility in extreme noise conditions (115-140 dBA). BENEFITS: The anticipated commercial potential of the TAS initially is for use in high noise environments including aviation, firefighting and heavy machinery. Another market could be based on the TAS covert features, implying benefit to law enforcement groups. If the human factors performance is exceptional, then the TAS may represent the next generation of telephone-human interface. Coherent Technologies, Inc. (CTI) proposes to develop a laser communication system (LCS) with a fast tracking and scanning unit for greater than 100 Mbit/s data rate applications in a battle field environment. The novel LCS will provide for eye-safe operation with a laser engagement range up to 5 km between two vehicles traveling up to 30 mph. The tracking unit will be designed to reduce the probability of data link breakdown due to travelling on rough terrain. The approach will capitalize upon innovative scanner designs developed by CTI for military laser radar systems, and the advancing MOEMS technology. The baseline scheme is a 1.55 mm laser diode source with a MOEMS based scanner and a tracker with three different design configurations for laser tracking. For completeness, system-level performance analyses will assess the cost-effectiveness and field-worthiness of competing technologies such as Er:glass bulk lasers, optical fiber lasers, and diode lasers alone. Phase I will (1) produce system level signal-to-noise ratio assessments for 1.5 mm wavelength data link, including scintillation, fade, extinction and optical receiver noise statistics, (2) establish quantitative comparisons of the competing candidate technologies, and (3) execute risk reduction measurements to ensure technical and cost feasibility for Phase II hardware deliverables. BENEFITS: enhance troop communication effectiveness, enhance battle field awareness, eye-safe short-range vehicle collision avoidance sensors, search and rescue laser beacons, identify friend/foe This proposed Phase I SBIR program is aimed at developing a low-cost method for incorporation of lasers, amplifiers, waveguides, modulators, phase shifters and splitters on a single chip for use in microwave phased array antenna control and related RF signal processing functions. Specific semiconductor device designs require different material properties which normally precludes such monolithic integration. However, through innovative use of stripe-patterned selective epitaxial growth, semiconductor layers with different strain and bandgap can be simultaneously deposited on a wafer in a single epitaxial growth operation. The Phase I work consists of the design of an InGaAsP multi-quantum well (MQW) p-i-n epitaxial structure which is to be grown on InP wafers patterned with silicon nitride stripes of different widths and stripe openings. The variable-bandgap properties of the patterned, epitaxially-grown MQW p-i-n material will be measured and correlated with stripe geometry. Measurements of photoluminescence emission wavelength vs. stripe geometry will provide design data for use in Phase II monolithic device and circuit designs. Phase II will deal with the effects of epitaxial growth reactor operating conditions on patterned layer growth and demonstration of a monolithic integrated waveguide subsystem including several types of devices, with delivery of prototype materials to ARL. BENEFITS: The availability of monolithic, integrated RF optoelectronic chips will open the route towards achieving reliable and low-cost components for use in microwave phased array antenna and related microwave signal processing systems. These cost reductions occur because integration simplifies manufacturing and testing, and eliminates cumbersome fiber coupling operations. Once developed, this chip fabrication technology can be adapted to a variety of photonic devices and device combinations thereby enabling the manufacture of entirely new RF, optical computing, and WDM systems. RF photonic systems find widespread use in military avionics and for commercial aviation and communication applications. The Army's need for high specific output power, durable and maintenance free turbomachinery such as small gas turbine engines for helicopters, Uninhabited Air and Air Combat Vehicles (UAV/UCAV), missiles, drones, and Integrated and Auxiliary Power Units (IPU/APU) dictates that light weight, high-speed and high-power propulsion systems be developed. Compliant foil gas bearings with the ability to operate without DN limitations of conventional bearings and high temperatures without lubricants have the potential to make significant improvements in advanced turbomachinery. One of the key issues to be addressed under this program will be to demonstrate performance of large scale foil bearings with a wide range L/D ratios in a universal high-speed and high-temperature foil bearing development test rig. Development bearings will be sized for a specific Phase III targeted gas turbine engine. Design requirements for both gas turbine engines and power units have been reviewed, design optimization tradeoff studies completed and rotor system integration analysis completed demonstrating the feasibility of developing foil bearings suitable for a wide range of applications. Under this Phase II effort component testing of gas turbine engine sized bearings to further demonstrate their potential for use in Army class gas turbine engines will be completed. Multifunctional armor systems have shown great promise for use in Army combat systems requiring ballistic, blast, electromagnetic and fire protection. The application of these multi-layered composite systems would benefit from accurate and verified predictive design tools to optimize material performance at minimum cost. The purpose of the proposed Phase I SBIR program will be to develop and demonstrate an integrated design and processing procedure for fabrication of various multifunctional armor systems that provide improvements in cost, weight, damage tolerance, and repairability. Materials Sciences Corporation will team with the University of Delaware - Center of Composite Materials (UD-CCM) to create such an integrated cost-effective procedure for design, development and fabrication of multifunctional armors. This team possesses a thorough knowledge of the state-of-the-art in composite mechanics, material processing and fabrication technology. This program will establish an efficient analysis methodology to perform ballistic/blast dynamic analysis to evaluate and design potential armor systems to promote high ballistic/blast resistance and structural efficiency. The pre-manufacturing analysis will provide guidelines for enhancement of an innovative resin transfer molding process currently under developing at UD-CCM. A series of ballistic target plates will be designed, fabricated and tested for concept verification. BENEFITS: This research will provide an integrated procedure for designing and fabricating armor system with a variety of protection levels for the ballistics/blast armor market. Applications will include both military and civil markets. The military market includes armored ground combat vehicles, surface ships, aircraft, and shelters. The civil market includes armored security vehicles, blast resistant cargo containers, blast barriers for infrastructure, and personnel armors. Solectria's heat activated binder preforming techology provides a cost-effective alternative to the current hand lay-up techniques of assembling the preforms for composite ballistic armors. In Phase I, the currently used binder system by Solectria was investigated. This binder characterization effort has provided with a down-selection approach that will be used in Phase II to select the most appropriate binder. This Phase I SBIR program addresses the need for affordable lightweight metallic foams and structural components subjected to dynamic loading. Its goal is to demonstrate the proof of innovative fabrication process for steel foams and to optimize their dynamic mechanical properties. The fabrication method can be applied to the industrial production of lightweight sandwich structures, foam filled tubes and complex shape components. The method may be used for production of foams and structural components from any metal, ceramic, intermetallic or composite. The technology includes co-extrusion, compaction and heat treatment of two materials, one of which is removed during the heat treatment leaving formed-in-place open channel-shape cells. Relative density in the range from 5% to 100% of the fully dense solid can be obtained. The process has the potential for making inexpensive and integrally stiffened structures. Using steel foams makes possible reduced weight, enhanced thermal, mechanic and acoustic properties, impact and blast resistance, fire retardation, buoyancy, and strain isolation. BENEFITS: Metal foams may be used for many DOD applications, such as tactical shelter panels, aircraft carrier elevator panels, rapid deployment pallets, cabin interiors, acoustic panels, unsinkable life rafts, docks, etc. commercial application includes lightweight metal sandwich panels for vehicle energy absorbing components and automotive interiors. In the phase I program, Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. (ACR) fabricated in situ metallic foams by using a unique water-soluble polymer blend and ACR's Extrusion Freeform Fabrication (EFF) method. When the green parts were heated for binder burnout, the binder was found to foam and create uniform closed, high-aspect ratio porosity. The freeform fabrication also could create open porosity ranging from 100-2000 &#61549;m. The results so far have demonstrated the capability to create low cost, in situ, metallic foams with oriented microstructures. Since the extrusion is coupled with a freeform fabrication technique, the proposed technique can potentially yield geometrically complex metallic foam components directly from CAD files. This approach is not material specific and could be used for a wide range of metals and alloys. Guidelines and procedures for optimizing the performance of metallic foams and a preliminary cost/economic analysis will be completed before the end of phase I program. Partners for commercial and defense applications have been identified to assist ACR in commercializing the technology developed through the SBIR program. Phase II objectives include optimization of the dynamic mechanical properties of the metallic foams and fabrication of complex components for DOD and commercial partners for testing and evaluation. Perceptual Organization refers to the ability of a machine vision The U.S. Army has been directed by Congress to dispose of its stockpile of chemical weapons and chemical agents. Incineration was selected by the Army as the preferred technology for stockpile disposal. Validated computer models for chemical agent incineration can provide the basis for more efficient and cost-effective designs, and confirm that the incineration operation does not negatively impact public health or the environment. The ultimate product from this research program will be an "Engineering Design Workbench" (EDW) for military incinerators. The workbench will: 1. Contain tools to allow the rational engineering design of optimized, economical incinerators for military use. 2. Define optimum operating conditions, destruction efficiency as a function of throughput, reactor configuration, product species and concentrations, capital and operating costs and energy needs. 3. Provide information about potential onset of reactor upsets and enable diagnosis of failures. 4. Simulate both military and commercial sector incinerators. The tools will be based on state-of-the-art process modules that will include the detailed chemistry and physics required to achieve these product specifications. The EDW will be pc based, user friendly and allow for a wide degree of customization concerning incinerator configuration, materials to be treated and the output visualization. BENEFITS: The proposed model will provide a means of quantifying emissions for different failure scenarios and regulatory assurance of safe plant operation. It will extend the incinerator trial burn data to predict emissions under routine (within required permit operating conditions) and upset operating conditions to increase public and regulatory confidence in the technology. The model will assist in regulatory negotiations, and guide trial burns. The simulation technology developed in this project will have widespread application in nonmilitary and commercial incineration of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. A field portable monitoring system is proposed that will provide ARO with the capability to measure the 3-D in-situ state of stress in soils which results from vehicle element's terrain interaction. The system will comprise a compact 3-D stress sensing package that is connected via a rugged flexible cable assembly to a field-portable controls/ excitation-and-amplification source and to an integrated data acquisition / Lap Top PC arrangement. The approach to stress measurements will consist in using three solid- or fluid-coupled high-output thin-film piezoresistive Carbon stress gauges that are orthogonal-mounted on the faces a suitable solid substrate block or behind its faces at the bottom of small fluid cavities. The 3-D sensing package will be integrally attached to a short rigid stem that extends into a set of armored and flexible output leads. Such arrangement can be made very small ( one cubic centimeter ) or as large as needed to meet the requirements. The Carbon stress gauge is capable of resolving stresses as low as a few PSI up 15,000 PSI or above in dynamic or static environments. Relying on nearly thirty years of experience in designing and manufacturing numerous types of soil stress sensors for UGT and AGT applications in support to nearly all US DOE and DOD Laboratories, the proposed system will be constructed and fully evaluated, and rendered functional at our test facility under simulated but representative stress environments prior to its delivery to the Army. Coupling to soil and methods for minimizing ground disturbance will also be investigated. A very degree of success is anticipated from this effort. BENEFITS: To allow researchers to model vehicle element interaction with soils. Earth Quake measurements and mining industry applications. Full mission simulation (FMS) of complex systems using human operators and high fidelity equipment prototypes can reduce development and acquisition risk. However, too many research, development and acquisition efforts make large FMS investments and achieve inconclusive results. In hindsight, the reasons for failure are often readily apparent. Information on past FMS successes and failures must be used constructively to see that the Army gets its money's worth in future FMS tests. In the Phase I, MTI, expert in success with FMS, will gather information on past FMS exercises and analyze it conceptually and quantitatively to identify chief contributors to FMS success and failure. MTI will develop a weighted set of predictor metrics for FMS outcomes and demonstrate a prototype software tool for FMS planners. MTI will also develop a companion handbook of FMS guidelines. During Phase II, the predictor metrics and guidelines will be validated with data collected in a Battle Lab war fighting experiment. Based on the results, MTI will modify the predictor metrics and incorporate them in a software tool to help FMS planners assess risk and adjust plans to insure maximum FMS payoff. The software tool will be demonstrated at the end of Phase II. BENEFITS: The ready customers for the FMS-Evaluation and Risk Reduction (FERR) system are the Army Battle Laboratories and other DoD components that develop human-in-the-loop simulations. The FERR can be adapted for use in civil simulation settings such as flight training, police and fire fighting command post tests and exercises, and urban traffic management center exercises. The recent introduction of Sun's JiniT technology and its innovative concept of In this research program, a novel approach for aerodynamic analysis - the boundary-vorticity-flux (BVF) procedure - will be fully developed and consolidated with numerical Navier-Stokes flow-solvers to create a new aerodynamic design tool for rotors, with and without flow controls. This tool will be used in studies of rotor-blade design in the absence of flow control and in evaluations of passive and active flow control methods. In Phase I of this program, the BVF procedure will be fully developed for the airfoil problem. The effectiveness of the BVF procedure will be demonstrated through in-depth studies of the problem of optimal design of airfoils, the use of multi-element airfoil in flow control, the adaptive control of dynamic stall by tangential surface injection, and the control of effects of airfoil-vortex interaction through adaptive deformation of the airfoil shape. In Phase I Option of this program, experiments will be planned for the validation of BVF-based theoretical results. Navier-Stokes flow-solvers for rotors will be evaluated. A BVF-based design procedure will be developed for rotors. BENEFITS: This research program will directly benefit the rotorcraft industry. The aerodynamics design tool created under the program will fulfill a compelling need within the rotorcraft community and will contribute significantly to the design of the next generation rotorcraft. This tool is also important to the fixed-wing aircraft industry, offering potential for substantial improvements in the design of flow-control devices for lift augmentation and high maneuverability The proposed program will address detection of buried unexploded ordnance by a fiber optic sensing strategy. An infrared-transmitting optical fiber will be modified with a new layer which promotes concentration of trace gaseous signatures of common explosives, including decomposition products. The sensor will operate in an evanescent wave mode in which radiation propagating down the fiber core interacts with signature compounds within the polymer layer at the core-cladding interface. Monitoring infrared wavelengths which are characteristic of the signatures will provide identification and quantitation of the ordnance. BENEFITS: Battlefield and humanitarian demining will benefit from a low-cost, high accuracy method of buried ordnance detection which is lightweight and highly portable. Such sensor platforms, based on a common fiber optic sensing methodology, will find civilian uses in environmental remediation and on-site monitoring. Under a Phase I SBIR program, METSS has demonstrated the technical feasibility of developing environmentally benign helicopter deicing/anti-icing fluids based on carbohydrates, lactates, and their derivatives. The selection of these materials was governed by models developed by METSS to identify potential replacement materials for the current glycol-based systems used for fixed-wing aircraft. The formulations developed by METSS were subjected to tests derived from SAE AMS 1424 for aircraft. BOD and COD tests were performed to assess environmental impact. Additional tests, developed by METSS, were carried out to evaluate specific materials compatibility issues originating from the application of these fluids onto helicopter components. The results of the Phase I program clearly indicate the technical feasibility of developing effective deicing/anti-icing fluids based on carbohydrate and lactate systems that address environmental impact issues without compromising performance. Near term commercialization of the proposed systems will be supported by commercial development efforts already initiated by METSS for other deicing/anti-icing technologies targeted for aircraft, runway and other transportation and facility applications. Under the Phase II program, METSS will optimize the development of the proposed technologies and fully qualify the candidate fluids against appropriate performance specifications, thus forming a solid foundation for product commercialization and near term product availability. In addition, METSS will work with the Army to develop performance specifications and specific technical orders that will address helicopter specific issues and describe the methods by which these materials shall be applied in the field. Information dominance is a key tenet of military doctrine. Achieving information dominance requires integrating vast numbers of sensors and having commanders efficiently interpret the data to make real-time decisions in high-stress situations. However, due to the sheer numbers of data, it is often difficult to make rapid and effective use of the information. Current displays of the Common Tactical Picture are overwhelming and do not incorporate any means for the automatic placement of icons, graphics, and labels for the purpose of context sensitive situational understanding. We propose to demonstrate the feasibility of developing an advanced situation-adaptive tactical display for the digital battlefield. This display will incorporate two key functions: 1) a means of generating a high-level computational assessment of the current battlefield situation; and 2) a methodology for generating a situation-adaptive interface, so that what the commander sees and hears can be interpreted accurately in the current context. Our proposed approach offers the potential to support commander situation awareness (SA) and enhanced performance through intelligent management of tactical display information, content, and format. BENEFITS: The proposed technology will directly support the development of effective concepts of operations and human/machine interfaces (HMI) for advanced battlefield operations. The proposed approach also offers the potential for the development of innovative HMIs for the coordination of unmanned aerial vehicles currently being fielded by the military services. Adaptive interfaces and situation assessment technologies also offer potential in other high-value operator/system environments, including power system control rooms and process control centers. The Army scout is called upon to provide increasing levels of information about an increasingly lethal enemy. In the early 90's the US Army's "BAT" proved that real targets could be acoustically detected at meaningful ranges. Now a new generation of acoustics, signal processing and systems architecture can bring even better target detection & location to the small UAV scout mission, at a remarkably low cost. New signal processing and system navigation technologies added to the BAT-solved challenges of airborne acoustics, offer the scout the opportunity to collect enhanced battlespace situational awareness from hidden forward positions. SARA's Phase I effort will address each of the 3 preeminent challenges confronting development of a Scout UAV Acoustic System: 1) Airborne acoustic integration, allowing detection during flight, 2) Target detection & pointing signal processing, and 3) Distributed Aperture processing to enhance battlespace situational awareness. The effort also develops a tactical & demo system concept and models the tactical scenario enabling system design trades & performance estimates. Phase I will confidently show an attractive tactical Acoustic Scout UAV concept and the enabling design & integration skills that promise a successful Phase II flight demonstration. BENEFITS: The Acoustic Scout UAV technology will be of interest to organizations requiring acoustic information from remote locations for the performance of their responsibilities. These would include US Army and US Marine special ops, infantry, artillery forward observers, and intelligence; and an assortment of government/private agencies responsible for law enforcement, border surveillance (alien and drug interdiction), remote search and rescue, airport noise monitoring, and environmental assessment. The JP8 Fueled Quickturbine (QT) project is a Phase I SBIR project to determine the feasibility of modifying AeroVironment's QT for JP8 battlefield fuel in military generator set applications. The current QT system is a 10kW gasoline powered turbine designed as a range extender on electric vehicles. However, the existing design can be easily modified to a three phase 120VAC generator set that uses JP8 or diesel fuel. The QT system has several benefits over existing generators including, low cost, low noise, smaller thermal signature, and better reliability. The most important benefits of the QT system are its lightweight and smaller size compared to existing generators and the fact that it 90% of its components are currently COTS. The JP8 Fueled QT program is divided into three major tasks: Conceptual Design, Preliminary Design, and Phase I Option/Component Design. The first two tasks are four months long and consist of analyzing and modeling the QT system. The final task is two months long and involves testing the fuel nozzles and combustion systems using JP8 fuel which is a significant technical milestone for a Phase II program. BENEFITS: There are several potential markets for the QT system. The military can use the QT to provide electricity from ground and airborne vehicles; as fixed site generators for permanent or temporary buildings; and as portable field generators. In addition, the heat from the turbine exhaust can be used to provide heat or cooling as a cogeneration system. In terms of commercial markets, the QT system is best suited as a generator in mobile applications (e.g., marine or recreational vehicle). In fact, the QT is much quieter and less expensive than existing diesel generators used on RV's. The QT system is also cost competitive to other stationary generators or electricity from the grid when used in a cogeneration application. This is a proposal for large format readout array that has a gated capability as well as a normal, 30 Hz, integration capability. It is called the Gated Large Format Read-Out GLF-RO. The 12.5 um pitch requirement as well as the 1000 x 1000 format can very likely be achieved using a state-of-the-art small-feature-size mixed mode CMOS process. Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. (ASC) has already designed very complex laser radar (Ladar) readouts using this process and has tested parts made with the proposed process. Considerations such as detector capacitance, detector de-biasing voltage, dark current, RO sensitivity, RO dynamic range, RO bandwidth and RO power consumption are discussed. A preliminary design is proposed and the GLF-RO performance is estimated. A preliminary Drive and Output Electronics design is suggested. Alternate unit cell designs are also suggested. The tasks necessary to evaluate, optimize and layout the GLF-RO are proposed. The optional task is to fabricate and test a small-scale GLF-RO. BENEFITS: The proposed readout technology is of clear benefit to both military and commercial surveillance. Use of the technology at airports could increase the safety of takeoffs and landing, particularly for small aircraft, for example. F&S and their development partners at Virginia Tech propose to develop affinity coatings for novel, field portable biosensing instrumentation. Many applications exist where battlefield detection is required, from personnel exposure and chemical mine detection systems to remote chemical and biological detection through the use of automated probes. Existing technology requires high specificity to minimize false positive response and enhanced performance is typically obtained through antibody detection. However, when exposed to extreme battlefield conditions, antibodies can denature. These devices also require reagent-based regeneration procedures that reduce the ability to perform real time detection and measurements need to be performed in an aqueous phase environment. The coatings proposed by F&S will overcome these limitations by combining molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) films with electro-active polymers to produce a selective coating that can be regenerated through an electrical signal. MIP coatings have several advantages over antibody-based approaches. Chemical sensors that utilize MIP films are highly selective for small molecules and the fabrication process can be used to create sensitivity to compounds for which it is difficult to raise antibodies. MIPs have additional advantages in that they are resistant to chemical harsh environments, have long term application potential, and will not denature. BENEFITS: Affinity sensors constructed with MIPS will produce ruggedized biosensor instrumentation that can be used in harsh environments and markets where extensive sample analysis is required. Several representative applications include 1) biological agent detection 2) drinking and wastewater monitoring, 3) large-scale, high-speed testing in the medical field, 4) chemical analysis, and 5) onsite environmental monitoring. The objective of this proposal is to develop and test a microfabricated biosensor, for detection of biological threat agents: toxins, viruses and bacteria. The biosensor will be capable of processing and analyzing microliter amounts of sample inexpensively in less than 10 minutes, integrating multiple analytical processes onto a single chip-revolutionizing analytical biotechnology. MICROGEN Systems proposes to develop an automated biosensor- "Nanosensor" with a disposable Micro-Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) chip which integrates sample preparation and IR-fluorescence-based detection of DNA/RNA and toxins. In Phase I, MICROGEN will develop and test the complete system necessary for fabrication of the disposable Nanosensor chip, namely, microfabricated filters, valves, pumps, mixers, fluidics and actuators. MICROGEN will also establish a 'proof-of-concept' for fluorescence based detection of nucleic acid and toxins using a polynucleotide array-sensing platform. MICROGEN also proposes to develop microfabricated optical system for IR-fluorescence-based detection of biological threat agents. BENEFITS: It is anticipated that there will be a significant market for biosensors such as the Nanosensor by the Department of Defense and law enforcement agencies for field and crime scene detection. Although this market is significant, we will quickly move to develop and introduce miniaturized biosensors for sale in in-vitro diagnostics, industrial monitoring, agricultural and environmental pollution control, and clinical markets. Genetic analysis will become an integral part of routine diagnosis, whether it is a routine screening for genetic disorders or identification of a disease-causing infectious agents (bacteria and virus). A simple-to-use portable, sensitive DNA/RNA biosensor/diagnostic kit would be extremely beneficial for rapid detection of certain specific DNA sequences. Additionally, in the health care industry, there is a need to provide disposable, inexpensive, easy to use instruments for rapid screening of infectous and blood transfusion transmissible diseases i.e., detection and identification of pathogenic viruses and bacteria such as AIDS and syphillis respectively. Our Phase I ammonia-based hydrogen generation system will be developed into a viable commercial and military product. During Phase I, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of a high-activity catalyst for the dissociation of ammonia at relatively low temperatures. Our mesochannel reactor architecture offers substantial improvements in performance compared with the conventional thermocatalytic, packed-bed reactors used in industry. Rapid heat and mass transfer in the small channels allows for significantly smaller reactor and heat-exchanger volumes, lighter system weight, and faster startup. When coupled with high-performance materials for thermal insulation and trace-ammonia adsorption, our mesochannel reactor system will achieve a breakthrough hydrogen storage density of greater than 1 kW-hr/kg based on a fuel-cell efficiency of 50%. The Phase I effort successfully integrated micro-APD arrays into a detection system that can accommodate many microscale analysis platforms, including genomic-based systems on glass, silicon, plastic and PDMS (poly-dimethylsiloxane). We demonstrated the feasibility of our detection platform by developing a highly sensitive, low-cost prototype system, which consisted of an LED excitation source, an optical fiber, two plastic colored filters, the PDMS-based microfluidics, and the micro-APD detector array. This system achieved a sensitivity that measured concentrations of dilute fluorecein solutions down to 1 micro-M, and easily detected 3 micro-m diameter fluorescent latex spheres, which mimic tagged bacteria. This proposal addresses the U.S. Army requirement to develop a small, low-cost GPS anti-jam system for use in small precision guided missiles. Mayflower, in collaboration with Sensor Systems, is proposing to develop a small, 4-element L1/L2 conformal CRPA and digital beamforming control for fast suppression of up to three jammers. The Mayflower/Sensor Systems proposal leverages a proven antenna array and introduces several innovations to reduce the array size to about 5" diameter. The proposed digital antenna electronics utilize a fast convergence algorithm , and custom ASICs for digital multichannel correlation and high-resolution beamforming to achieve more than 30 dB jammer suppression and response time of less than 1 millisecond. The proposed small CRPA can be produced at a cost less than $1,000 in production quantity of 100,000. The Phase I feasibility study will perform a trade-off analysis of the antenna array size regarding size, bandwidth, mutual coupling; and on the antenna electronics control regarding null depth, convergence time and implementation requirements. BENEFITS: Development of low-cost, small array and miniaturized antenna electronics for adaptive jammer suppression. Development of digital beamforming ASIC's for digital antennas. As advancements in the semiconductor industry continue at a phenomenal pace, traditional printed circuit board (PCB) materials and technologies are approaching significant limitations. Higher density interconnections are required between ICs. Circuits operating in the microwave region and beyond require a lower dielectric constant, and higher operating temperatures are being specified for many applications. The need for higher density interconnection substrates is fueled by ever-shrinking consumer and telecommunications products. Consumers are looking for products that are the absolute smallest, lightest weight, and feature rich in their class. The competition in these markets is fierce and the need is urgent. To address this critical need in both the military and commercial sectors, Foster-Miller proposes to demonstrate the extraordinary properties of a new class of electronic substrate materials known as liquid crystal polymers (LCPs). Foster-Miller has been developing an electronic packaging technology based on these innovative LCPs for microwave multichip modules, advanced surface mount printed wiring boards and optoelectronic applications. Foster-Miller has recently commercialized a novel low-cost LCP material for these advanced applications and the focus of this SBIR effort will be to establish a commercial production facility for fabricating LCP-based PCBs. BENEFITS: This program will demonstrate a high reliability, high density printed circuit board technology which will benefit both the military and commercial sectors. The need for higher density interconnection substrates is fueled by ever-shrinking consumer and telecommunications products and this technology will provide a low-cost solution to these markets. Recombinant expression of human proteins is a potentially valuable method for large scale production of hemostatic materials. However, manufacturing-scale production using traditional recombinant DNA techniques is problematic due to the low yield of active protein and complex purification. We propose to utilize a novel technique to produce hemostatic human proteins in bacteria and mammalian cells from completely synthetic genes designed in the computer. The approach is based on the complete chemical synthesis of large DNA molecules encoding fibrinogen a, b and g subunits and modified versions of these genes produced as an array of component oligonucleotides that are then assembled, ligated and expressed in E. coli. This approach is enabled by inexpensive high-throughput oligonucleotide array synthesis developed by Egea Biosciences that allows complete customization of the protein/vector/expression system. To maximize expression, synthetic genes have been designed using E. coli, yeast or mammalian preferred codons to increase protein expression as well as specific sequences to enable high efficiency protein purification. In Phase I of this project, synthetic genes for recombinant fibrinogen subunits were designed, constructed and expressed. Phase II of this project will continue and expand this strategy to create over 1000 variant hemostatic proteins, screen these for stability and activity, and maximize expression in bacterial and mammalian hosts. The re-engineered gene/vector/host combination will be a platform for further sequence alterations to maximize protein expression and enable large-scale manufacturing. Artificial gene design, construction and expression will be explored for the production of recombinant active fibrinogen and other hemostatic proteins for commercial use in "smart" bandages. We propose to develop, build, and validate a hybrid decision support toolkit that utilizes a combination of common sense reasoning, domain knowledge based reasoning, and soft computing techniques to support intelligent decision making. The main product of this project will be the Hybrid Decision Wizard (HDWizard), an agent-based decision support system that facilitates the automated generation of information from disparate and distributed data to support user defined decision support goals. HDWizard's intelligent mechanisms include common sense reasoning, rule-based expert systems, data mining, and data fusion. The Phase I project developed and demonstrated a prototype HDWizard software system. The Phase II project will refine and scale-up the software and demonstrate its benefits on military and commercial applications. The most significant benefit of HDWizard is that it will provide access to sophisticated technology to a wide audience of potential users so that the the power of these technologies will be rapidly exploited for practical applications. Key innovations include: (i) innovative hybridization approach to combine machine learning methods with common sense reasoning techniques, (ii) extendible and reconfigurable agent-based architecture for intelligent decision support, and (iii) holistic solution approach that provides comprehensive support for the decision support life cycle. IAI is working with a partner company, Time Domain, Incorporated to develop and apply a new type of radio called Time-Modulated Ultra-Wideband radio. When two TM-UWB radios communicate, each immediately knows the range to the other to within approximately .1 inch. TM-UWB radios do not transmit continuous radio waves like conventional radio. Only pulses are transmitted, and power is used only during the short duration of those pulses. A typical duty cycle is 1/000, with pulse widths of approximately 1 nanosecond. Pulses in the time domain result in very wideband signals in the frequency domain, which make them very difficult to intercept and jam resistant. The lower frequency component of the signal allows the signals to penetrate foliage, walls, and other obstacles. TM-UWB is much simpler than conventional radio because what is output is a pulse which is generated by a single transistor which is ON or OFF. Since there is no intermediate frequency, there is no up-conversion and no down-conversion. TM-UWB is almost totally unaffected by multipath interference, and requires no specific spectrum allocation from the FCC. This proposal details the development of a system called Urban Location TRAcking (ULTRA) which uses TM-UWB as the kernel for communication and tracking. The technical objective for this effort is the design of a high bandwidth valve for electronically controlled fuel injection. The valve must provide the required stroke and force for the application while meeting power, weight, size, and cost constraints. The work will involve requirements definition, modeling and simulation, and prototyping of the initial design. BENEFITS: A high bandwidth valve will enable improved electronic control of diesel fuel injection so that emissions can be lowered while maintaining performance. The technology will benefit the automotive, truck, locomotive, marine and power generation industries. Application extensibility and personalization, flexible querying of databases, schema (dictionary) integration, and automatic data translation are significant problems for the interoperation and integration of distributed systems. We seek an innovative solution to these problems through the development of a semantic mapping and modeling toolkit, which we refer to as userSMARTs(tm), and a companion set of online application services. The toolkit will build, edit and maintain a base of codified semantic information models, distributed over networks, by using Web-based semantic modeling capabilities like RDF/Schema and other XML-based technologies. Using userSMARTs, database and warehouse administrators will be able to map data elements in source and target schemas to these distributed semantic information models. This will then provide the semantic-richness necessary for flexible distributed queries, schema integration, automated data translation, and enhanced application support, especially in the areas of personalization and business process sharing. The objectives of this Phase II project are to: develop an alpha version of userSMARTs, promote the advancement of industry standards for semantic capabilities, and finally, to demonstrate the feasibility of this technology for Army/DOD geospatial applications, and for civilian and commercial Web applications. Most approaches to pathogen detection are expensive and time-consuming. Immunoassays, while widely used, can be difficult to develop and can result in many false responses when complex samples such as food and beverage samples are analyzed. In general, immunoassays that are rapid lack adequate sensitivity; those that are sensitive take hours or even days to complete. Biopraxis is developing Doodlebug, a unique, solid-state biosensors, that is both extremely rapid and exquisitely sensitive. This new technology has the potential to assay for dozens of different pathogens - including bacteria, spores, and viruses - in the same sample, simultaneously, at the single cell level, within minutes. Studies have already shown that it can be used in the detection and specific identification of pesticides and toxins, even when cross-reactive biomolecules are used. The Phase?I program is designed to demonstrate that Doodlebug can distinguish between cross-reactive microorganisms, using closely-related species of Listeria; to differentiate between virulent and avirulent strains, and to use a wide range of biomolecules. BENEFITS: Biopraxis' technology can be used in products ranging from simplified, extremely rapid assays to automated systems that can analyze hundreds of samples daily. Applications include detection of pathogens and other undesirable organisms such as food spoilage organisms, as well as toxins and pesticides, for the food and beverage, agriculture/aquaculture, and medical diagnostics industries. The Air Force needs the ability to land aircraft in all weather conditions, at any given point on the globe, within 24 hours notice. This implies the need for a rapid instrument approach procedure (IAP) development capability, which will depend on detailed knowledge of terrain and vertical obstructions, such as towers and buildings, near the landing area. The proliferation and effectiveness of Distributed Mission Training (DMT) training systems is dependent upon the life cycle cost / benefit ratio of such training systems. Unfortunately, long-standing problems associated with wide field-of-view visual displays for ground-based simulator-training applications--to include poor resolution, poor intensity (i.e., luminosity), and high costs-have significantly affected the fielding of DMT training capabilities to date. Display resolution problems are being addressed through current Air Force efforts to develop color imaging systems with greater than 5K x 4K, non-interlaced pixel resolutions at reasonable prices. The proposed Phase I Reconfigurable Frame Buffer Module (RFBM) efforts will focus on developing the interface module for driving such displays from PC-IG technology. Phase I will concentrate on interfacing to high resolution projectors which present out-the-window imagery in high-performance flight trainers as well as other display applications (e.g., DMT). The RFBM is designed to support the Air Force's capitalization of the rapidly developing PC-based graphics market to provide imagery for these systems. The RFBM is an innovative PC-based technology that will be capable of presenting 5K x 4K, 60 HZ, non-interlaced video. The RFBM's innovative design provides a large scalable virtual screen frame buffer that can be read and written to simultaneously by multiple parallel devices. Anticipated Benefits/Potential Commercial Applications for the RFBM include but are not limited to providing high resolution displays for integration with the DMT and TSTARS or other DoD and Civilian simulation training systems; DMT required capabilities such as multiple view modes, multi-window, multi-channel, linear distortion and large area databases on the USAF M2DART, A-10 UTD five channel display (4 OTW and a Maverick), F-16MTT, and other DMT aircraft simulators and control stations; the support of UAV and UCAV entities in a DMT environment (i.e., AFRL contract with Dr. Martin's group for UAV/UCAV support); and DMTO&I. There are multiple classes of clients for RFBM technology and associated technologies. Government Military and Civilian aviation training customers could add initial versions of RFBM as an option on their existing aircraft simulators. Potential benefits include enhanced performance and increased standardization of maneuver training, and teaching of optimal methods early to pilots. Commercial aviation could add RFBM capabilities to aircraft training simulations in their training centers after FAA certification is received. General Aviation industry, including pilots of all types from initial students to those already holding private and commercial licenses, could significantly benefit from the capabilities offered by RFBM. Transportation Industries in general, including transports, freighters and even recreational boats and race cars could also benefit. Deployed shipboard and land versions of RFBM will perform the same general functions as the deployed aerial version. Other--SDS plans to identify numerous lucrative markets. A potential avenue, which SDS plans to explore, is teaming with an organization currently providing similar visual-based training services for specific markets. The following organizations appear as likely clients for the SDS RFBM system. Simulation related aerospace firms--SDS staff members have excellent contacts throughout the United States with nearly every major aerospace firm. Computer and Display Manufactures--These companies have significant interest in enhancing their feature sets and adding value to consumers for competitive purposes. RFBM type displays could be incorporated into computer displays and add HDTV configurations as an option. Entertainment--SDS's RFBM Multiple Projected HDTV Version, costing less than $20K, could allow the masses to learn from prerecorded scripts of experts while enjoying new and challenging approaches to their particular sport or game of choice. Educational--Universities, Colleges, and Schools can utilize RFBM as a training tool for teaching advanced skills of virtually any endeavor of interest. Advertising Enterprises (InterNet)--Nearly all business involved in selling and advertising products and services could finance a revenue stream for RFBM training products and services. High speed, automated classification and identification of materials is required to support realtime multisensor simulation capabilities. Multispectral image data from both satellites and airborne systems can be used to develop the necessary classification maps to satisfy this requirement, but the timeliness and cost of current processing approaches is prohibitive. Also, it is desired that the classification accuracy be improved through the use of novel signal processing techniques. Under this Phase I effort, ASIT will concentrate on migrating innovative spectral processing technologies that rely on adaptive signal processing and fuzzy logic concepts to a prototype demonstration of an automated classification and identification system that produces reliable results in near realtime. The techniques employed will address real-world problems including: spatial and spectral mixtures with unknown background composition, and various sensor and environmental parameters. The resulting Automated Classification software will be designed to work independent of sensor type or wavelength coverage. ASIT foresees the use of new and improved near realtime classification and identification software in a multitude of applications, including: support for real-time multi-sensor simulation, environmental assessment, medical pathology and diagnosis, chemical and biological defense, hazardous chemical clean-up support, and treaty verification. Impact Technologies in cooperation with The Boeing Company propose to develop the strategy and architecture for an aircraft prognostics system capable of predicting the failure of critical aircraft components early enough for maintenance personnel to proactively schedule repairs. The prognostic system will be designed to address critical component failures across aircraft systems, including electrical, mechanical, propulsion, and avionics. Prognostic results will be displayed in an information-rich format of optimum utility to maintenance personnel. By providing advance warning of impending failures, the prognostic system will facilitate the more efficient management of maintenance resources in terms of optimizing service intervals, reducing the deployment footprint, and ensuring that spare parts are available when needed. Additional benefits of the proposed system include increased mission readiness, improved safety, and lower life-cycle cost associated with the operation of the aircraft. The prognostic modeling strategy will be implemented within a probabilistic framework to directly identify confidence bounds associated with specific component time-to-failure predictions. The approach integrates state-of-the-art analytical and stochastic models with component reliability and inspection results and uses real-time updating to accommodate modeling, operational and physical uncertainties known to exist. The failure prognostic modules will be calibrated and verified using Failure Modes and Effects Analysis provided by Boeing on the F-15, F-22, with a focus on the P&W F-100 engine. Finally, the prognostic results will be analyzed by a risk-based economic analysis to optimize the time to perform maintenance based on the consequences of either performing or delaying a maintenance action. The prognostic system will be capable of performing real-time risk assessment and fault/failure/condition prognostics at the system level, through subsystems, to the root-cause component level. Implementation of this holistic prognostic approach will be beneficial to reducing critical machinery failures on complex commercial machinery. Costly inspection routines and premature component replacements can also be avoided using a risk-based, maintenance optimization technique based on the continuous assessment of net present value between performing the maintenance and delaying it. Commercial applications for the prognostic system developed can be realized on any health monitoring application in the electrical generation industries, chemical processing industries, commercial aviation as well as gas transmission and oil industries. Mainstream and Litton Life Support will develop and construct a high-purity portable oxygen generator system (POGS). The essential technologies in the system are Mainstream's DEMONSTRATED lubrication-free, compact, magnetic bearing centrifugal air compressor technology and Litton's DEMONSTRATED high-purity (99%) oxygen generator technology. While these critical components have been demonstrated individually, they have not been demonstrated together, nor have they ever been demonstrated at the scale required in this application. The compressor is a key component in the system. The high-purity oxygen generator requires a pressurized air source to operate. Mainstream's goal in Phase I is the analysis, and scale-down to a 20 pound magnetic-bearing centrifugal air compressor for Litton's patented POGS configuration. Phase I includes experimental testing of the compressor impeller's performance to demonstrate feasibility in Phase I. Litton's Phase I effort is the analysis, scale-down, and demonstration of the high-purity (99%) oxygen generator for a POGS sized to produce at a minimum of 99% oxygen at 5 PSIG, flowing continuously at 6.0 SLPM. In addition to the demonstration experiments in Phase I, a preliminary prototype design of the full-scale integrated prototype POGS (with a total system weight of 60 pounds) will be developed for fabrication and testing in Phase II. BENEFITS: The development of a lightweight, compact, reliable, air compressor and POGS will address the needs of both military and civilian portable medical oxygen requirements. This technology has applications in small, lightweight, portable oxygen generators for air transport and field hospitals. Both military and civilian hospitals require a supply of high-purity oxygen for clinical and surgical therapeutic use. Dual Use commercialization is excellent and a commercialization plan has already been developed. Blood lactate concentration is a highly sensitive measure of tissue oxygen deprivation from trauma and blood loss, which produces shock in wounded personnel. It is the most reliable end pint of resuscitation and predictor of survivability. Development of a rugged, compact device capable of continuously monitoring tissue blood lactate in the field is extremely desirable and is the goal of this Phase II program. The key novel component is a silicon microprobe, comparable in cross-section to a human hair, containing an integrated electrochemical lactate biosensor. This biosensor microprobe protrudes subcutaneously from a small button-like device firmly affixed to the skin, continuously measures lactate, and a co-packaged telemetry chip transmits the data to a suitable receiver. Silicon microprobes possessing high strength, flexibility, and fracture toughness are an advanced development from extensive MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) R&D in the proposer's laboratory. Integrating miniaturized biosensors into out unique silicon microprobes will produce low cost disposable continuous lactate monitors which are painless and easy to use. The Phase I work to date has successfully miniaturized biosensors to an area of 1000 mm2, suitable for integeration with silicon microprobes. These new miniature biosensors can be placed onto a structure the size of a human hair, whereas existing biosensors are a thousand times larger. The goal of Phase II is to improve performance of these lactate sensors, develop practical fabrication techniques, design and implement device packaging and attachment methods, and evaluate system performance by animal and human testing. Nanocompositse have the potential to significantly enhance the energy absorbing capacity and ballistic impact resistance for ultra-lightweight personnel armor. Heretofore, high volume (i.e. ~ 40-50 v/o) loading of nanoscale reinforcements in polymeric matrices have not been demonstrated due in part to the difficulty in dispersing nanoscale reinforcements to establish the effectiveness of nanocomposites for ballistic protectors. It is now possible to grow carbon nanotubes in perfect alignment in bulk volumes of approximately 50 v/o, which can be vacuum infiltrated to produce high volume loaded polymeric nanocomposites. Several types of nanotubes in various architectures will be produced in high volume loading composite specimens for ballistic screen testing. The nanocomposites demonstrating the most promise will be produced in scaled-up specimens, the ballistic performance confirmed on some specimens with the remaining specimens delivered to the Army NSC. BENEFITS: This will lead to the enhanced utilization of nanotubes, ultra lightweight armor for the military, law enforcement and security police, and nanocomposites will have other applications in structures, wear applications including brakes, engine applications and sporting goods. This proposal shall outline the process of modifying a standard loom to weave three-dimensional complex shapes for personnel armor. Current manufacturing techniques for textile-based personnel armor focus on constructing complex shapes from orthogonal wove fabrics with cuts and darts, reducing comfort. The solution to the above problem is to develop a robust technique which weaves a three dimensional near-net woven material for the use on female bullet resistant vest. By altering the take-up motion of a standard loom the traditional orthogonal woven material can be formed into near-net shapes. Phase one of the proposal shall supply material for parts with various diameters. The phase one parts will have various diameters across the width of the material, but the diameters shall be consistent through out the roll of material. Phase one shall also supply a mathematical formula to design a take-up system for phase two. A follow on option is included, which uses the mathematical formula from phase one and begins the design work for the "next phase" take-up system. Phase two take-up system shall supply material capable of changing from complex shapes to flat orthogonal material. Meeting requirements for a revolutionary new female ballistic protective material. BENEFITS: Net/near-net shape forming techniques for comfortable soft armor system tailored to women will result in reduced weight, reduced fabrication and replacement costs, while maintaining the ballistic integrity demonstrated by conventional armor systems. This technology and capability will have an effect upon the use of such armor system on three levels: (1) Military protective equipment (armor systems, helmets, etc.), law enforcement protection equipment, and personal protective applications. (2) Recreational sporting good protective equipment, shin pads for soccer, motor cross, hockey equipment, impact resistant helmets, etc. (3) Aerospace parts such as radoms, nose cones, helicopter rotors, jet engine containment case, etc. SiC-based materials exhibit excellent thermal, mechanical, and optical properties. In addition, excellent polishability has been established for CVD-SiC. The use of CVD-SiC in optical applications requires the joining of dissimilar materials. This proposal offers an integrated approach to fabricate optical structures. No conventional joining is required. Ultralightweight, extremely stable structures can be produced. A functionally graded (FGM) approach is implemented to minimize the residual stresses. Chemical Vapor Reaction (CVR) processing is used to form an optical quality (2 Angstroms rms) SiC surface. BENEFITS: Ultralightweight, very stable SiC mirrors will be produced. Commercial applications include lasers, lidars, and high energy lasers. IAI is working with a partner company, Time Domain, Incorporated to develop and apply a new type of radio called Time-Modulated Ultra-Wideband radio. When two TM-UWB radios communicate, each immediately knows the range to the other to within approximately 1 inch. TM-UWB radios do not transmit continuous radio waves like conventional radio. Only pulses are transmitted, and power is used only during the short duration of those pulses. A typical duty cycle is 1/000, with pulse widths of approximately 1 nanosecond. TM-UWB radio transmissions are very difficult to intercept and jam. Pulses in the time domain result in very wideband signals in the frequency domain. The lower frequency component of the signal allows the signals to penetrate foliage, walls, and other obstacles. TM-UWB is much simpler than conventional radio because what is output is a pulse which is generated by a single transistor which is ON or OFF. Since there is no intermediate frequency, there is no up-conversion and no down-conversion. A dipole antenna made of two small strips of foil works fine. TM-UWB is almost totally unaffected by multipath interference, and requires no spectrum allocation from the FCC. This proposal details the use of TM-UWB radio, and also details a network configuration and protocol for Distributed Positioning Instrumentation Modules. BENEFITS: TM-UWB is a fundamentally new method for radio and radar which does not require any specific frequency band. Current wireless applications have resulted in enormous demand for spectrum allocation, which is obviated by TM-UWB. Our first commercial goal is a low cost wireless LAN. The work herein proposed will allow this wireless LAN technology to also be used for position determination. Position determination has direct application to police and fireman, as well as for use in any training activities requiring monitoring of participant's positions. In the proposed research, the angular velocity response of the crankshaft will be measured using non-contacting magnetic pickup sensors at the front and rear of the crankshaft. This measured angular response will then be deconvolved through a mathematical model of the system to estimate the torque applied by each individual cylinder in the engine. The current state of the art in similar methods is limited to engines operating under conditions where crankshaft torsional deflection is not pronounced. Dynasim Research Ltd. has demonstrated success with a new diagnostic method that places no restriction on the amount of crankshaft torsional deflection. The method has been experimentally validated using measured data taken on a Cummins 19 liter heavy duty diesel engine. The method is suitable for retrofit on existing mechanical engines, as well as on new electronic engines. The Phase I project has demonstrated the feasibility of the methods. The Phase II project will implement and improve the methods using an engine in a test cell. Successful implementation will allow the identification of cylinder combustion and compression faults before other symptoms occur. Accurate determination of battery state-of-charge remains a weak link in the assessment of battery condition or state-of-health. US Nanocorp and Villanova Univ. have collaborated under US SOCOM Phase I and II SBIR programs to develop a newly patented fuzzy logic methodology to determine battery SOC in both primary and rechargeable systems for a variety of battery chemistries, including Pb-acid, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, and Li-Ion. The proposed Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of a fuzzy logic-based smart battery controller as applied to Pb-acid SLI batteries. US Nanocorp and Villanova will collaborate to (i) design system architecture specifications for a smart battery controller, (ii) develop fuzzy logic-based algorithms for SOC determination in Pb-acid SLI batteries, (iii) design a digital communications protocol for a smart data bus, and (iv) integrate the smart battery controller into representative Pb-acid SLI batteries. In the Phase II program, we will adopt an existing platform, e.g., PowerSmart or Unitrode, to invoke the fuzzy logic algorithms. BENEFITS: It is estimated that the Military uses more than 3800 different types of batteries with an annual procurement cost exceeding $300 million. World wide annual revenues of batteries are in excess of $28 B, each one in need of battery management. As battery performance improves, management becomes a more critical issue to enable optimal practical usage. Therefore, a large commercial and military market exists for such electronic devices. The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative design that combines a surfactant-inert and water-selective filter cartridge, with centrifugal separation, cross-flow filtration (CFF), Dean Flow surface cleaning, back-flush techniques, and