DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH
PROJECTS AGENCY
Submission of Proposals
DARPA’s
charter is to help maintain U.S. technological superiority over, and to prevent
technological surprise by, its potential adversaries. Thus, the DARPA goal is to pursue as many highly imaginative and
innovative research ideas and concepts with potential military and dual-use
applicability as the budget and other factors will allow.
DARPA has identified technical topics to which small businesses may respond in the second fiscal year (FY) 01 solicitation (FY01.2). Please note that these topics are UNCLASSIFIED and only UNCLASSIFIED proposals will be entertained. Although they are unclassified, the subject matter may be considered to be a “critical technology”. If you plan to employee NON-U.S. Citizens in the performance of a DARPA SBIR contract, please inform the Contracting Officer who is negotiating your contract. These are the only topics for which proposals will be accepted at this time. A list of the topics currently eligible for proposal submission are included, followed by full topic descriptions. The topics originated from DARPA technical program managers and are directly linked to their core research and development programs.
Please
note that 1 original and 4 copies of
each proposal must be mailed or hand-carried.
DARPA will not accept
proposal submissions by electronic facsimile (fax). A checklist has been prepared to assist small business activities
in responding to DARPA topics. Please
use this checklist prior to mailing or hand-carrying your proposal(s) to
DARPA. Do not include the checklist
with your proposal.
·
DARPA
Phase I awards will be Firm Fixed Price contracts.
·
Phase
I proposals shall not exceed $99,000,
and may range from 6 to 8
months in duration. Phase I
contracts can not be extended.
·
DARPA
Phase II proposals must be invited by the respective Phase I technical monitor
(with the exception of Fast Track Phase II proposals – see Section 4.5 of this
solicitation). DARPA Phase II proposals
must be structured as follows: the first 10-12 months (base effort) should be
approximately $375,000; the second 10-12 months of incremental funding should
also be approximately $375,000. The
entire Phase II effort should generally not exceed $750,000.
·
It
is expected that a majority of the Phase II contracts will be Cost Plus Fixed
Fee. However, DARPA may choose to award
a Firm Fixed Price Contract or an Other Transaction, on a case-by-case basis.
Prior
to receiving a contract award, the small business MUST be registered in the Centralized Contractor Registration (CCR)
Program. You may obtain registration
information by calling 1-888-352-9333 or internet: http://ccr.edi.disa.mil and www.ccr.dlsc.dla.mil.
The
responsibility for implementing DARPA’s SBIR Program rests in the Contracts
Management Office. The DARPA SBIR
Program Manager is Ms. Connie Jacobs.
DARPA invites the small business community to send proposals directly to
DARPA at the following address:
DARPA/CMO/SBIR
Attention: Ms. Connie Jacobs
3701 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203-1714
(703) 526-4170
SBIR
proposals will be processed by the DARPA Contracts Management Office and
distributed to the appropriate technical office for evaluation and action.
DARPA selects proposals for funding based on technical merit and the evaluation criteria contained in this solicitation document. DARPA gives evaluation criterion a., “The soundness and technical merit of the proposed approach and its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution” (refer to section 4.2 Evaluation Criteria - Phase I), twice the weight of the other two evaluation criteria. As funding is limited, DARPA reserves the right to select and fund only those proposals considered to be superior in overall technical quality and highly relevant to the DARPA mission. As a result, DARPA may fund more than one proposal in a specific topic area if the technical quality of the proposal(s) is deemed superior, or it may not fund any proposals in a topic area. Each proposal submitted to DARPA must have a topic number and must be responsive to only one topic.
· Cost proposals will be considered to be binding for 180 days from closing date of solicitation.
·
Successful offerors will be expected to begin work no later than 30
days after contract award.
·
For
planning purposes, the contract award process is normally completed within 45
to 60 days from issuance of the selection notification letter to Phase I
offerors.
The
DOD SBIR Program has implemented a streamlined Fast Track process for SBIR
projects that attract matching cash from an outside investor for the Phase II
SBIR effort, as well as for the interim effort between Phases I and II. Refer to Section 4.5 for Fast Track
instructions. DARPA encourages Fast Track Applications ANYTIME during the 6th month of
the Phase I effort. The
Fast Track Phase II proposal must be submitted no later than the last business
day in the 7th month of the effort. Technical dialogues with DARPA
Program Managers are encouraged to ensure research continuity during the
interim period and Phase II. If a Phase II contract is awarded under the
Fast Track program, the amount of the interim funding will be deducted from the
Phase II award amount. It is expected
that interim funding generally, will not exceed $40,000.
To
encourage the transition of SBIR research into DoD Systems, DARPA has
implemented a Phase II Enhancement policy.
Under this policy DARPA will provide a phase II company with additional
Phase II SBIR funding, not to exceed $200K, if the company can match the
additional SBIR funds with non-SBIR funds from DoD core-mission funds or the
private sector; or at the discretion of the DARPA Program Manager. DARPA will generally provide the additional
Phase II funds by modifying the Phase II contract.
DARPA FY2001.2 Phase I SBIR
Checklist
1) Proposal Format
a. Cover Sheet
(formerly referred to as Appendices A and B) MUST be submitted electronically ______
(identify
topic number)
b. Identification and
Significance of Problem or Opportunity ______
c. Phase I Technical
Objectives ______
d. Phase I Work Plan ______
e. Related Work ______
f. Relationship with
Future Research and/or Development ______
g. Commercialization
Strategy ______
h. Key Personnel, Resumes ______
i. Facilities/Equipment ______
j. Consultants ______
k.
Prior,
Current, or Pending Support ______
l. Cost Proposal (see Appendix C of this
Solicitation). Ensure your cost
proposal is signed. ______
m. Company Commercialization Report (formerly
referred to as Appendix E) ______
MUST be registered electronically and a
signed hardcopy submitted with your proposal
(register at http://www.dodsbir.net/companycomercialization)
2) Bindings
a. Staple proposals in upper left-hand corner.
______
b. DO NOT use a cover. ______
c. DO NOT use special bindings. ______
3) Page Limitation
a. Total for each
proposal is 25 pages inclusive of cost proposal and resumes. ______
b. Beyond the 25 page
limit do not send appendices, attachments ______
and/or
additional references.
c. Company Commercialization Report (formerly
referred to as Appendix E) ______
IS NOT included
in the page count.
4) Submission Requirement
for Each Proposal
a. Original proposal,
including signed Cover Sheet (formerly referred to as Appendix A) ______
b.
Four photocopies of original
proposal, including signed Cover Sheet ______
and Company Commercialization Report
(formerly referred to as Appendices A, B and E)
DARPA SB012-001 TITLE: Spectral Cueing/Spatial Confirmation Targeting System
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors, Electronics, and Battlespace Environment.
OBJECTIVE:
Develop a common optic system that will allow the capability to perform
wide field of view spectral cueing and narrow field of view spatial
confirmation on military targets of interest.
Spectral resolution should be on the order of 1nm in the visible.
DESCRIPTION:
Most current Automatic Target
Recognition (ATR) systems utilize panchromatic spatial imagery. Unfortunately, these systems require high
resolution, i.e. many pixels on target (narrow field-of-view), and are
susceptible to Camouflage, Concealment, and Deception (CC&D)
techniques. Multi/Hyperspectral
Imagery, on the other hand, requires much more effort to perform effective CC&D since the techniques
must be robust across many spectral bands.
Also, since spectral detection techniques do not require high spatial
resolution, wide field of view searches are possible. Tunable filter systems are of particular interest since they
possess the capability to collect data in spectral regions-of-interest rather
than gathering massive amounts of unutilized data. Unfortunately, there is not a common optic system that can
perform both tasks of spatial and spectral recognition. This effort will focus on a system that can
perform wide field of view spectral anomaly detection and narrow field of view
spatial confirmation.
PHASE
I: Draft a paper design system with
common fore-optics that allow: 1) Wide field-of-view with selective spectral
tuning from 400-1200nm and spectral bands having less than 5nm bandwidth. 2) Narrow field-of-view that has the
capability to pan, or search, within the wide field-of-view.
PHASE
II: Fabricate and demonstrate the
system designed in Phase 1.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The technology developed under this SBIR
effort can be utilized in the commercial sector to monitor such areas as
agricultural growth, geological formations, and water pollution.
KEYWORDS:
Automatic Target Recognition, Multispectral, Hyperspectral, Imaging
Spectroscopy, Remote Sensing.
REFERENCES:
1. Chavez,
P.S., Jr., Sides, S.C., and J.A. Anderson. (1991) Comparison of three different
methods to merge multiresolution and multispectral data: Landsat TM and SPOT
panchromatic. PE & RS., v. 57 (3), 295-303.
2. Ehlers,
M. (1991) Multi-sensor image fusion techniques in remote sensing. ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote
Sensing., v. 46, .19-30.
3.
Garguet-Duport, B., Girel, J., Chassery, J., and G. Pautou. (1996) The
use of multiresolution analysis and wavelets transform for merging SPOT
panchromatic and multispectral image data. PE &
RS., v. 62 (9), 1057-1066.
4. D. G.
Goodenough, D. Charlebois, S. Matwin, and M. Robson (1994) Automating Reuse of Software for Expert
System Analysis of Remote Sensing Data
IEEE Trans. on Geos. and Rem. Sens., 32:525-533.
5. Larsen,
M. (1997) Crown modelling to find tree top positions in aerial photographs.
International Airborne remote sensing Conference and Exhibition, Proceedings
II-428-435.
DARPA SB012-002 TITLE: Robust, No Power MEMS Sensors
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors, Electronics and Battlespace Environment.
OBJECTIVE:
To develop robust, no power, low cost MicroElectroMechanical
Systems (MEMS) sensors for missile guidance and missile health monitoring
applications.
DESCRIPTION:
With increasing developments in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS),
new sensing techniques and devices are emerging rapidly. However, three significant deterrents to military
application of many of these devices exist: 1) the miniature size and, in some
cases performance of the sensors, are nullified by the size and performance of
the power supply for the MEMS sensing devices; 2) the fabrication of different
sensors on a single substrate is often difficult or impossible due to the
incompatibility of certain processes; or 3) the devices cannot withstand
military environments (shock, vibration, humidity, temperature, etc.). There is significant technical risk in all
of the above areas; however, the pay-off if successful makes it well worth the
investment. The purpose of this topic
is to identify and develop MEMS sensing technologies that address these
issues. Techniques such as Rayleigh
surface wave detection or resetting latch banks have the potential for
providing good performance while providing robust, no power, low cost
sensors which can sense a variety of parameters and be fabricated in a single
device. A variety of sensors are
needed, including inertial (gyroscopes and accelerometers), temperature,
humidity, chemical/biological/ neurological agents, strain, shock, and
barometric pressure and wind speed sensors.
Proposals should address as many of these sensor types as possible in
accordance with each of the issues above.
Award consideration will be based heavily upon the completeness of addressing
the named concerns, the innovative nature of the technology proposed, the
economical advantages of the device(s) proposed, the applicability of the
devices to both military and commercial uses, and the performance
specifications/expectations of the sensor(s).
PHASE
I: Identify specific design and
fabrication techniques for MEMS sensors that address the enhancement of two or
more application issues. Develop a
detailed approach and schedule and develop a design concept for integration of
multiple sensor types. Analytically
demonstrate the capability of the proposed technology(ies) that will provide
robust, low-cost, no power MEMS sensing devices for military
applications. Define theoretical
limitations of, and any technological barriers to implementation of, your
design (including such parameters as performance, size, reliability, cost,
etc.). Quantify the advantages of your
approach, and conduct proof-of-principle experiments to verify proposed
techniques. Short-term performance
goals for inertial sensors must achieve a bias of 30 °/hr,
with a dynamic range of ± 2,000 °/sec,
over a temperature range of 0°C to +50°C.
Phase
II: Validate your robust, no
power MEMS sensors for military applications by fabricating and demonstrating a
brass-board prototype(s) of a no power m-sensor suite, m-Inertial
Measurement Unit and/or m-sensor components. Teaming with industry, or academia foundries
as necessary is encouraged. Confirm
performance through laboratory testing and quantify performance specifications for
the micro-devices. Component-only
demonstrations must be substantiated with judicious examination of integration
issues.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The dual use potential of the product(s)
from this effort is phenomenal. Markets
extend from numerous automotive, aeronautical and robotic applications to
mining and oil-drilling applications to medical and food industry
applications. Potential market sales of
small, low-cost conformal environmental and inertial sensing devices are
astronomical.
KEYWORDS:
MEMS, Sensors, Inertial Measurement Units, Rayleigh Waves.
REFERENCES:
1.
Department of Defense, “Microelectromechanical Systems: A DoD Dual Use
Technology Industrial Assessment,” December 1995.
2. Varadan,
V. K. and Varadan, V. V., “Wireless Smart Conformal MEMS-Based Sensors for
Aerospace Structures,” American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
AIAA-98-5244, 1998.
DARPA SB012-003 TITLE: New Approach to Wave Oriented Radio Propagation Modeling
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Information Systems Technology
OBJECTIVE:
Develop a new wave-oriented approach to the simulation of terrestrial
radio wave propagation in high bandwidth, high data rate channels, with greater
physical accuracy, which can predict relevant channel parameters for end-to-end
paths over a variety of terrain features and under different atmospheric
conditions.
DESCRIPTION:
The computation of radio wave propagation over terrain of military and
commercial wireless interest requires the simulation of end-to-end
electromagnetic propagation over a variety of terrain and manmade features:
hills, mountains, relatively flat earth, water bodies, rural areas, and
suburban and urban areas. Propagation
paths into buildings and into and through foliage need to be considered. Path configurations of interest include
ground-mobile-to-ground-mobile, tower-to-tower, tower-to-ground-mobile, air or
satellite-to-ground-mobile, and air-to-air.
Special cases such as propagation in tunnels also need to be modeled. Path parameters affecting high bandwidth,
high data rate communication channels must be simulated accurately. Path loss, polarization effects, and
multi-path effects, such as angle of arrival, path delay and delay spread,
coherence lengths, and fading statistics are potentially critical
parameters. Existing methods of
modeling such propagation paths include ray tracing approaches and the
approximate full wave Parabolic Equation Method. New propagation simulation approaches with greater physical
accuracy and greater computational efficiency need to be developed. Such approaches should be oriented to wave
field propagation, but allow the expedient transition between wave-like and ray
tracing or asymptotic techniques. A
suite of modeling EM engines should allow the selection of different levels of
physical accuracy, with correspondingly different computation times. The model must be capable of calculating the
effect of atmospheric conditions on the propagation. Interfaces must be provided for the major commercial and
government terrain, urban, and foliage databases. The model must be capable of analyzing narrow band frequency
waveforms and arbitrary ultra-wideband waveforms. The frequency range of interest is HF through 100 GHz.
PHASE
I: Demonstrate an EM computational
engine capable of predicting channel parameters in the limited case of hilly,
rural terrain. Demonstrate a graphical
user interface optimized for radio wave propagation and radio channel parameter
prediction.
PHASE
II: Demonstrate the full capability
propagation code, capable of predicting the channel parameters noted above for
end-to-end paths through a variety of terrain and manmade structures.
PHASE III: DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The resulting propagation code will be used
by commercial wireless companies and government and military activities to
design wireless communications networks and to design or procure the
communications hardware. It will be
used to test new network and systems concepts for both military and commercial
applications and to evaluate the ability of communications to support new
military warfighting concepts such as the Future Combat Systems. It will be used to develop and evaluate
communications plans for specific military operational areas and emergency and
disaster areas for government activities.
It will be used for en-route tactical communication planning by military
and government contingency elements. It
will be used to inject realistic communications path characteristics in war
gaming and training. The market is
expected to be wireless communications companies, government communications
contractors, military communications planning and training activities, and the
consultants supporting these activities.
KEY WORDS:
Radio Wave Propagation, Propagation Model.
REFERENCES:
None are provided because doing so will lead candidate proposals toward
the use of existing propagation models, rather than the desired innovation.
DARPA SB012-004 TITLE: Processing Techniques for Dynamic Sources
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors, Electronics, and Battlespace Environment
OBJECTIVE:
The work will develop innovative processing techniques for multiple
moving acoustic sources. The intent is
to be able to suppress a field of moving acoustic interferers while
simultaneously enhancing the signal from a weak source that is also
moving. The objective is to obtain
significant passive sonar gains by extending coherent integration times by
robustly compensating for source/receiver motion. The goal is to obtain 10 dB better interference rejection and a 6
dB or more improvement in signal gain for passive sonar.
DESCRIPTION:
One of the fundamental limitations of adaptive signal processing stems
from the need to estimate source statistics.
Standard techniques make stationarity assumptions that are demonstrably
inappropriate for passive sonar. In
shallow water, the expected acoustic environment will include many discrete
interferers that have appreciable range and bearing rates. Standard processing techniques have a
limited ability to suppress these interferers; weak signals of interest from
sources that are also in motion are also difficult to enhance. The goal here will be to develop processing
techniques that significantly improve processing performance in this situation. Motion compensation techniques have been
developed for radar sensors, imagery (the MPEG standard), and are emerging in
sonar, but complex propagation environments and the large number of sources
complicate the sonar problem. Emerging
techniques for motion compensation in sonar are focused on narrowband models;
the goal here is to develop compensation techniques that may be applied to
broadband source signals. There is
substantial risk, as evidenced by the fact that there are as of yet no standard
techniques for performing this function, and indeed it is unclear whether
practical optimum techniques exist, especially for broadband passive
sonar. Generally, adaptive signal
processing involves adaptively computing beam patterns by applying variable complex
gains (weights) to individual sensor outputs, then summing the results. The optimum adaptive weights require
knowledge of the data covariance matrix.
This matrix is usually unknown, and therefore, must be estimated. In a dynamic environment, the sources are
temporally non-stationary, so the problem is not ergodic, and covariance
estimates obtained by temporal smoothing are inherently mismatched. There have been two approaches to this
problem. First, there are a host of
techniques designed to more efficiently estimate the data covariance matrix. At some scale, the problem becomes
quasi-stationary; the amount of mismatch due to source/interferer mismatch
negligible, and optimum performance may be recovered. The issue for this approach is that coherent integration times
are not extended, so coherent gain on the signal of interest is not improved,
although interference may be adequately suppressed. The second approach is to incorporate models of the
source/receiver dynamics directly in the problem formulation. This model-based approach has been much less
explored. One such approach is to model
the time-varying behavior of the covariance matrix and incorporate this into
adaptive weight estimators. Regardless,
issues associated with a dynamic signal, as opposed to dynamic interference,
have not been thoroughly studied.
PHASE
I: This phase will develop a
feasibility concept and implement processing techniques that target source
fields that are known to be in motion.
A software implementation of the concept will be tested on simulated
data.
PHASE
II: The task in Phase II is to more
completely develop and test the processing developed in Phase I. A software prototype should be developed and
demonstrated on a sample data set.
PHASE
III: A real-time software module
suitable for production will be developed and tested at sea.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Candidate applications for the product of
this SBIR range from medical ultrasonic diagnostics and therapy, marine
biology/fisheries and non-invasive testing to military issues such as undersea
sound navigation, threat detection, and weapons guidance.
KEYWORDS:
Acoustics, Adaptive Signal Processing, Motion Compensation.
REFERENCES:
1. Rapidly
Adaptive Matched Field Processing for Nonstationary Environments and Active
Sonars, J. Ward and A. Baggeroer, Adaptive Sensor Array Processing Workshop
1998, MIT Lincoln Laboratories, 1998.
2.
Multi-Rate Adaptive Nulling of Moving Interferers, H. Cox, Adaptive
Sensor Array Processing Workshop 2000, MIT Lincoln Laboratories, 2000.
3. Theory of
Partially Adaptive Radar, S. Goldstein and I.S. Reed, IEEE Transactions on
Aerospace and Electonic Systems, Oct. 1997.
4.
Performance Analysis of the Derivative-Based Updating Method, M. Zatman,
Adaptive Sensor Array Processing Workshop 2001, MIT Lincoln Laboratories, 2001.
5.
Multi-Rate Adaptive Nulling of Moving Interferers, H. Cox, Adaptive
Sensor Array Processing Workshop 2000, MIT Lincoln Laboratories, 2000.
6. Theory of
Partially Adaptive Radar, S. Goldstein and I.S. Reed, IEEE Transactions on
Aerospace and Electonic Systems, Oct. 1997.
7.
Performance Analysis of the Derivative-Based Updating Method, M. Zatman,
Adaptive Sensor Array Processing Workshop 2001, MIT Lincoln Laboratories, 2001.
DARPA SB012-005 TITLE: RF Polymers for Integrated Sensors
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors
OBJECTIVE:
Develop innovative uses for radio frequency (RF) polymers with
application to integrated RF sensor technologies that provide increased
functionality to reduce physical size, power consumption, signal loss, weight,
and cost for structurally integrated apertures.
DESCRIPTION:
The research will explore revolutionary concepts and conduct feasibility
demonstration efforts of RF sensors that employ RF polymers to provide a low
cost manufacturing capability. The effort
will examine advanced RF polymer materials and RF aperture concepts for use on
affordable, structurally integrated apertures.
The effort will consider ideas that lead to a working aperture
demonstration at the end of Phase II.
This includes multi-function/integrated aperture concepts. Also, the effort could focus on the RF
polymer conductive, dielectric or magnetic properties that will dramatically
improve the above type of integrated apertures for final demonstrations. Limited material coupons or hardware
breadboards will be fabricated to verify modeling results required. Selection of the demonstration vehicles
shall be based on the developed RF polymers suitability for a specific
integrated aperture and the availability of suppliers transferring these
technologies from a research to a production environment. This program shall be divided into two
phases.
PHASE
I: Phase I will be the concept
exploration phase that includes the verification of the novel integrated
aperture architectures that make best use of the advanced RF Polymers. Concept Validation and Verification.
PHASE
II: Functional demonstration vehicles
and design of potential products shall be completed, such as an RF Polymer with
a magnetic property appropriate for use as part of a circulator in an
integrated aperture. It is expected
that fabrication capability of commercial and military RF Polymer products will
be established by end of Phase II.
PHASE III DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION POTENTIAL: Commercial applications include portable
electronics, wearable electronics, space-based systems, automotive electronics,
and RF tags.
KEYWORDS: RF
Polymers, Integrated Apertures, RF on Flex.
REFERENCES:
1. AFOSR
Polymer Workshop, Dr. Charles Lee, AFOSR, 7-8 Dec, Hyatt, Chicago, IL.
DARPA SB012-006 TITLE: Gun Launched Interceptors
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Weapons (Conventional Weapons)
OBJECTIVE:
Develop technologies to enable supersonic, highly maneuverable, gun
launched, guided medium caliber projectiles.
Leap-ahead improvements are sought for survivable actuation devices,
innovative flight control, inertial measurements and data links.
DESCRIPTION:
Dynamic engagement simulations have suggested that gun-based weapon
systems utilizing guided hit-to-kill projectiles have a number of militarily
significant applications. A new
generation of gun launched projectiles compatible with 12-40 millimeter weapons
may be possible using recent advances in actuation technologies
(materials/microfluidics/thrusters/synthetic jets), flight hardened electronics
and packaging for +100,000g setback accelerations and power sources. Advanced manufacturing processes and
multi-layer fabrication techniques may make it possible to fabricate the fins
or structure of the interceptor with embedded electronic or control
components. Of particular interest are
technologies which enable the development of interceptors with greater than
50g’s of lateral acceleration and less than 20 millisecond time constants.
PHASE
I: Develop a low fidelity, system-level
concept employing gun launched, supersonic projectiles having an outer diameter
less than or equal to 40 millimeters.
Demonstrate through analysis, models or detailed simulations the
feasibility of the projectile. Although
the emphasis is on enabling technologies, the devices must correlate back to
the constraints of the offerer-developed system level concept. The hypothetical system concept must predict
a system accuracy of less than 1 meter at 3000 meters downrange, be capable of
exceeding 50 g’s of controlled lateral acceleration within 300 meters of barrel
exit, survive over 100,000 g’s of firing setback and possess a minimum terminal
velocity of 1000 meters per second at 3000 meters while carrying approximately
750 grams of payload. The design must
then focus on one or more of the specific component technologies required by
the system concept to launch the projectile, track targets, provide fire
control and communicate with the projectile, etc. Continued development of the specified components will be the
focus for Phase II. The technical and
manufacturing risks associated with the concept must be identified in this
phase and a detailed risk reduction plan for follow-on development must be
presented.
PHASE
II: Design, fabricate and demonstrate
the performance of critical components needed to achieve the required
performance levels or a complete projectile.
Performance demonstrations will strive to utilize and demonstrate
prototypes that are consistent with the volume and mass requirements of the
offerer-developed system concept.
Teaming with munitions-related industrial partners who are funding
relevant internal R&D efforts is encouraged. Collaboration with munitions-related partners within government
labs (at no cost to the SBIR program) is encouraged as a means to; 1)
understand the launch and flight environments, 2) gain access to wind tunnels,
air guns or other valuable development tools, 3) leverage advanced technologies
developed under previous DoD-sponsored programs, and 4) facilitate
commercialization/Phase III opportunities.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The technologies for supersonic control,
drag reduction, inertial sensors, projectile communications and power can be
used as a basis to design civilian projectiles for law enforcement applications
and aerodynamic flight bodies for the civil and military aircraft industry.
KEYWORDS:
Guided Projectiles, Micro-Fluidics, Controllable Drag, Inertial Sensors,
Communications, Tracking, Fire Control, Supersonic Flight Control, High-G
Maneuvers, Hit-to-Kill Lethality, Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, Man Portable Air
Defense Systems, Embedded Electronics, Structurally Integrated Devices, Smart
Materials, Wind Tunnels, High-G Launch Setback.
DARPA SB012-007 TITLE: Multi-Modal Command Interaction
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE:
Develop multimode command interaction technology integrating speaking
and sketching protocols with maps; these innovative interaction techniques must
work in harmony with current command methods, significantly improving overall
performance.
DESCRIPTION:
Computer systems and digital information in command posts often go
unused or are used in tandem with paper-based systems because operators trust
the paper-based system to a greater degree.
This lack of confidence in digital systems can largely be attributed to
difficult-to-learn and difficult-to-use systems, or to the fact that systems go
down if you lose power. The overall
goal of this research and development effort is to develop and test innovative
new forms of multimodal human-computer interaction in command posts with a
focus on improving overall confidence and performance. Key factors that must be evaluated relative
to performance are productivity gains, ease of training, fewer errors, flexible
collaboration, and less susceptibility to power and communications
failures. In addition success will mean
that the command post staff has significant confidence in the digital system
and the specific user interface and interaction methods. Special emphasis must be given to multimodal
interfaces that allow users to speak and draw to maps in order to provide
normal modes of interaction for operators.
PHASE
I: Develop an architecture for
multimodal interaction with emphasis on combining speech and sketching on
maps. Perform initial implementation
experiments that provide evidence that the approach can be applied to map-based
command post tasks operating in diverse hardware platforms and form factors,
including wearable, wall-sized and paper-based systems. Develop a set of metrics and an experimental
paradigm for demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of the technology.
PHASE
II: Develop and conduct experiments
with a collaborative system based on the architecture from Phase I, which
supports multimodal interaction with map-based systems. The system should employ voice and sketching
technologies, accept military symbology found in Army and Marine Corps field
manuals, and should operate with a wide range of devices including: Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablets,
laptops, workstations, paper maps, and wall-sized systems. The system should be usable by inexperienced
military personnel, as well as by expert military users, with a minimum of
training. The system should be
evaluated in US Army or US Marine Corps exercises according to the experimental
paradigm established in Phase I.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The technology developed under this SBIR can be used
in the interfaces for a number of commercial technologies, including PDAs,
cell-phones, as well as desktop and pen-based computers. Applications that can utilize this
technology include executive information systems, commercial command and
control systems, and data-entry systems.
KEYWORDS:
Multimodal Interaction, Integrated Speech and Sketching.
DARPA SB012-008 TITLE: Genetically Engineered Biofilms
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Biomedical
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the efficacy of genetically engineering biofilms for the
detection of bacteriological warfare/chemical warfare (BW/CW) hazards and the
potential for immediate warning and intervention at the site of the event.
DESCRIPTION:
Biofilms are common in the environment and represent a unique non-
vegetative state of microbial existence.
In this state, many microbes exists in a lamellar protein matrix with
greatly expanded metabolic and functional characteristics including the natural
ability to sense other organisms via built-in signal transduction
pathways. Common occurrences of
biofilms include dental plaque, fouled ship hulls and cooling systems, the
protein matrix seen on indwelling catheters and the organic coating in most
irrigation and plumbing systems. Their
ubiquitous nature, hardiness, and potential for genetic engineering, makes them
a promising candidate for exploring their use as broad surveillance devices for
the presence of hazardous substances such as pathogens or environmental
contaminants. A secondary application
is in the potential to link detection and neutralization by the same genetically
engineered biofilm.
PHASE
I: Feasibility: Explore the ability of natural biofilms to
sense environmental contaminants and pathogens. Genetically modify the physiology, biochemistry and structural
features of biofilms to explore their possible use as simple detection systems;
demonstrate safety of biofilm-based system.
PHASE
II: Demonstration: Characterize biofilm systems for specific
detection; link detection and activation or neutralization; selection of
specific agents of interest; broaden application to chemical agents.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Genetically engineered biofilms which are
capable of detecting environmental hazards such as biological or chemical
agents and initiating a neutralization process would shorten the time between
detection and the safety of an area, food or water source. Commercially, biofilms are relatively
untapped and under utilized by both the medical and environmental
scientists. Applications include early
detection of exposure to disease, ecological contaminants and increased food
safety.
KEYWORDS:
Biofilm, Food Safety, Water Safety, Biological/Chemical Defense.
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/Cell-cell%20communication/default.htm.
2. Biofilms:
Community Interactions and Control (Biofilm Club Publications) by Martin Jones, Hilary Lappin-Scott (Editor), Peter Gilbert (Editor), Pauline Handley (Editor), Julian Wimpenny (Editor).
DARPA SB012-009 TITLE: Autogenous Repair of High Performance Materials
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Materials / Processes
OBJECTIVE:
Establish practical technology for fail-safe use of highly stressed
materials/components of military platforms by development of rapid means for
their automatic and autogenous repair or amelioration of damage.
DESCRIPTION:
All military platforms and weapons unavoidably contain inherent flaws in
the materials of their construction. It
is these flaws and other damage sites introduced while in service, which grow
and ultimately lead to either sudden catastrophic failures or to less dramatic,
but very costly and performance-limiting aging/wear-out failures. There is a need to avoid such failures for
the sake of successful mission performance, safety and reduction of life cycle
maintenance and repair costs. Current
means for achieving this are expensive, take assets out of service for
prolonged periods for maintenance and require retirement of parts based on
statistical criteria. None of these
deal with unanticipated conditions leading to failure while a system is in
service. To avoid all of these limitations,
methods and technologies are needed which cause materials to self-correct
damage features and damage effects automatically while in service. Achievement of this goal for high
performance materials requires innovations that can automatically and
internally reinforce or repair them while in operation. Materials to be considered must be relevant
to military systems and include metals, polymers and composites. Incorporation of capabilities into the
microstructure of a material for its self-modification upon experiencing damage
is to be emphasized. Modifications
leading to self-repair or self-patching of a material must be automatically and
locally triggered by in-service conditions/effects (e.g., damage features,
failure precursors, intensity of mechanical response, heat generation, chemical
reactions, etc.) Schemes that require
external intervention when damage occurs, rather than those that are automatic
and self-contained within a materials system are not included in this
program. Any such automatic schemes
must be capable of being effective rapidly enough to offer hope for avoidance
of catastrophic failure. Proposers must address this response/effectiveness
time explicitly for specific materials.
In addition to self-healing concepts, this program also includes
self-triggered, self-reinforcement considerations leading to increased
capabilities for damping, stiffening, deflection and vibration control which
would provide resistance to damage from dynamic loads. There are many phenomena, which might be
considered as the basis for self-repair/self-reinforcement of high performance
engineering materials. Practicality of
implementation of a specific modification mode should be a major consideration
in proposals.
PHASE
I: Demonstrate efficacy of phenomena
and approaches proposed to achieve automatically-triggered self-repair or
self-reinforcement of high performance materials, or bringing damage
propagation to a halt, or reinforcing sites undergoing damaging influences and
even the restoration of soundness to damaged specimens. Proposed approaches for self-healing and
related effects should consider triggering phenomena, the self-contained
character of a self-healing materials system, shelf life concerns and
measurements of the extent of restoration of property levels for materials
investigated. Laboratory specimens of
selected materials with seeded, controlled damage features (or potential damage
initiation sites) should be evaluated as demonstration of proof principle of
any proposed concepts. Analyze rate at
which triggering and self-repair can occur for the approach proposed.
PHASE
II: Demonstrate integrity of
self-repair/self-reinforced specimens by testing after their exposure, under
mechanical loads to relevant environmental conditions. Analyze load-carrying capability of
self-repaired/self-reinforced materials and functions of time and imposed
stress. Demonstrate best approach on
specimens damaged under simulated in-service conditions. Identify and evaluate most suitable
non-distractive evaluation (NDE) method for evaluation of
self-repaired/self-reinforced materials under practical (non-laboratory)
conditions. Modify approach to
self-repair/self reinforcement as needed. Document approach and test
procedures.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Successful development will result in
processes, methods and systems with multiple applications in military aircraft,
ships, and other vehicles. Commercial
applications can be found, among many others, in the aircraft and propulsion
industries, heavy machinery, chemical and other plants, power generation
systems, and civil structures which will be subjected to combined influences of
mechanical stresses, cyclic loads, humid and harsh chemical environments and
perhaps vibration and seismic loads.
KEYWORDS:
Materials Failure, Fracture, Self-Repair, Fatigue, Damage Accumulation,
Fail-Safe Operation, Reliability, Metals, Composites, Polymers, Crack Growth.
DARPA SB012-010 TITLE: Portable Lifts
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Development of a chemical-mechanical powered
machine that would enable a small unit of soldiers to scale buildings quietly
and quickly in the urban terrain.
DESCRIPTION:
Military doctrine in the urban
terrain recommends that buildings be cleared from the top down, allowing the
adversary to escape rather than force a confrontation. Current tactics rely on folding ladders,
which can be bulky and awkward to carry and assemble in battlefield conditions. Other more traditional approaches utilize
grappling hooks and a soldiers climbing ability. Either approach leaves soldiers exposed for an extended period of
time. The energy required for lifting a
soldier is rather modest, i.e., the potential energy change is equivalent to a
small amount of hydrocarbon fuel. The
Carnot efficiency of engines, power transmissions, heat transfer, noise
generation and engine controllers all contribute to the technical challenge and
will ultimately limit the achievable performance of such a machine. Creating a reasonably efficient and
power dense conversion device that is capable of creating 1-2 hp of mechanical
work quietly will be a tremendous challenge.
Designing and developing a
man-portable lifting device places stringent constraints on mass and
volume. Moreover, a device should not
exceed 50 decibels of volume and probably be less than 40 dB for special
operations. The device should be
capable of lifting soldiers with fighting load (~ 100 kg) at a rate of
approximately 1 meter per second. It
should be compact, approaching and exceeding 1 kWatt per kilogram and be
as efficient as possible to minimize the fuel weight and thermal
signature. There are a variety of new
approaches that can be developed for efficient and quiet operation of
chemical-mechanical devices utilizing advances in smart materials, Micro
Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), modern controls, computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) and materials technology to develop efficient, power dense,
quiet, mesoscale power plants.
PHASE
I: Design a power conversion device, providing
analysis that proves the feasibility of the overall design. Critical subsystems or a complete system
should be demonstrated.
PHASE
II: Demonstrate the use of the system
to carry the equivalent of a fire team of soldiers (e.g., 4) with fighting load,
~100 kg, up the side of a multiple story building.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This device would have a number of
applications in power generation, the construction industry, law enforcement,
fire fighting and rescue equipment.
Power generation is always a concern for the military. A quiet, nearly silent small efficient power
generation system could be developed from the power plant developed
herein. The recent development of
chemical-mechanical powered nail guns has given new capabilities to the
construction industry. Developing other
compact sources of power generation will enable other devices that could
operate without being tethered to power sources. Applications to rescue equipment such as the “jaws of life,”
could be created which are man-portable and are self-contained units, such
devices might include powered jacks and cutting devices.
KEYWORDS: Chemo-Mechanical
Power, Power Plant, Man-Portable.
DARPA SB012-011 TITLE: Use of Light Emitting
Diodes (LED) in Pathogen Elimination, Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Biomedical
OBJECTIVE:
To develop technology that ensures rapid elimination of skin or wound
pathogens and accelerates wound healing in a sterile environment.
DESCRIPTION:
Light emitting diodes (LED) are
semiconductor devices that convert electricity to colored light in a very
efficient fashion. The LED is currently
used in the commercial market for applications such as brake lights,
advertisement displays and stoplights.
There has been very little research of their use in clinical
medicine. However, because of the
ability to control their wavelength exposure, low temperatures and broad-beam
characteristics, LED’s might be useful in military medicine. For example, a major risk to military personnel
includes contaminated traumatic skin wounds.
Recent evidence has shown that LED might make a significant contribution in several critical areas for
protecting soldiers including the detection and/or elimination of bacteria and
the acceleration of wound healing. This
includes the use of LEDs for thermal, radiation and chemical burns. As compared to traditional suturing or
lasers, LED induced wound closure and healing would be superior because the
controlled coagulation, a painless procedure requiring no anesthesia, is a
desirable alternative to conventional treatment of open wounds. In addition, it might be possible to use
alternative wavelengths in conjunction with a light sensitive (chromophores)
topical detergent to show a physician or medic that bacteria has been
eliminated from the wound area prior to closure.
PHASE I: LEDs
will be studied at various wavelengths to display a skin presence of pathogens
and the elimination of bacterial agents.
The effective depth of penetration of the LED treatment will be
determined for cellular stimulation.
Particular bacterial agents contain color sensitive chemicals such as
chromophores that can be stimulated by LEDs to alert an exposed individual of a
physical presence. The use of LED’s for
wound healing would also be studied.
PHASE II: The inactivation of bacterial pathogens will
be determined at specific wavelengths.
This will lead to a mechanism for determining wound cleanliness to begin
the healing process. LEDs will be
studied at various wavelengths to find the effective in vivo stimulation of
tissue growth, factors such as keratinocyte growth factor, transforming growth
factor and platelet derived growth factor.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The
commercial application of LEDs includes newer products to be used in effective
sterilization of contact surfaces in a medical treatment facility without any
residual chemical by-products.
KEYWORDS: Light Emitting Diodes, Pathogens
Identification, Wound Healing, Tissue Growth Factors, Vascular Regeneration,
Tissue Regeneration.
DARPA SB012-012 TITLE: Electronic Market-Based Decision Support
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Information Systems Technology
OBJECTIVE:
Develop electronic market-based methods and software for decision
analysis, to aggregate information and opinions from groups of experts.
DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this SBIR topic is to demonstrate market-based methods
applied to analyses of interest to the DOD.
Strategic decisions depend upon the accurate assessment of the
likelihood of future events. This
analysis often requires independent contributions by experts in a wide variety
of fields, with the resulting difficulty of combining the various opinions into
one assessment. Market-based techniques
provide a tool for producing these assessments. Futures markets are used in the commercial world to mitigate
risks involving the future prices of commodities. As a side effect, they can provide accurate predictions of those
future prices, by aggregating the diverse knowledge and expertise of all market
participants. Experimental futures
markets have been successful in some non-financial contexts, such as election
predictions. Typically, the market
maker issues a basket of contracts covering a set of events that is mutually
exclusive and exhaustive. (In the
election context there would be one contract for each candidate, which pays off
if the candidate wins.) Market
participants trade the issued contracts freely, buying and selling individual
contracts through an electronic market.
When the outcome is known, the market maker pays off only the winning
contracts; before the outcome is known, the prices reflect market opinion of
the probability of each outcome.
Benefits of market mechanisms like this for aggregating the judgment of
experts include: incentives to make the
best judgments; self-selection by the experts themselves of the best-informed
market participants; and rapid reaction to events that occur during decision
analysis. These may include analysis of
the likelihood of events that motivate the Quadrennial Defense Review,
prediction of the timing and impact on national security of emerging
technologies, analysis of the outcomes of advanced technology programs, or
other future events of interest to the DOD.
PHASE
I: Design one or more
markets to predict events in a limited domain of interest to the DOD. This will include selection of a domain for
assessment, identification of a group of knowledgeable market participants,
design of an incentive system for experts in that domain, integration of
hardware and software for market operations and management, and establishment
of an electronic market among the participants.
PHASE
II: Manage the markets established in Phase I until the outcomes are known,
and analyze their performance. Evaluate
the accuracy of market predictions against predictions of the same events by
other institutions. Develop more
general techniques and software for motivating market participants, trading,
managing the market, and extracting information from market events. Prepare to establish markets in broader
contexts.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Technology
developed under this SBIR topic can be used in strategic analysis for business,
technology prediction for engineering, and other analyses of decision outcomes. Techniques and software for extracting
information from market events will be useful in commercial analysis of markets
in products, services, commodities and financial instruments.
KEYWORDS:
Decision Making, Electronic Markets
REFERENCES:
1. http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/iem/
DARPA SB012-013 TITLE: Robot Beacon Module for
Minimum-Resource Mapping and Navigation
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors, Electronics and Battlespace Environment (Phase I) and
Information Systems Technology (Phase II)
OBJECTIVE:
Develop a low-cost beacon transmitter/receiver module for robot
localization. Triangulation of beacons
mounted on individual robots will support a “minimum resource” approach to
indoor navigation and mapping by identifying areas of free space and areas
containing beacon-occluding obstacles.
DESCRIPTION:
The creation of a large number of small inexpensive mobile robots to
perform tasks has been motivated in part by the perceived “industry” of swarm
systems such as ant or bee colonies.
Research is still needed to achieve the simplicity of these systems in
order to be cost effective. One
approach to minimize resources is to eliminate the need for the detection or
perception of objects by mounting on each robot a beacon module that includes
an omni directional beacon (probably IR), and a beacon detection sensor that
can simultaneously detect multiple beacons on other robots and measure the
bearing of each to less than one degree.
Beacon triangulation (combined with knowledge of some baseline distance)
will allow the determination of the position of any robot (and any object next
to it) relative to the others.
Occlusion of a robot's beacon will indicate the presence of an
intervening object, while lack of occlusion identifies a “ray” of free
space. Parallels can be drawn to
coastal piloting (in the use of landmarks and navigational aids), aviation
navigation (from beacon to beacon), traditional pre-GPS surveying (networks of
triangulation stations), as well as robotic navigation using artificial
landmarks. Besides the beacon module,
each robot will include basic mobility, crude odometry, and very simple and
inexpensive contact or near-contact object/obstacle detection sensors, perhaps
implemented as an array of whiskers.
The focus of this topic is the development of a minimum cost high
performance beacon module itself. A
highly integrated module will incorporate the beacon transmitter (capable of
software-controlled modulation) and a beacon detection sensor coaxially mounted
in the same package, with optical elements that provide gain in the horizontal
plane for both the transmitter and detector.
Processing integrated with the annular photodetector focal plane array
will allow the module to provide the robot’s main processor with the beam width
and integrated intensity of each detected beacon, to provide some measure of
its distance and each detected beacon’s bearing and rate of change of bearing,
to support triangulation. In addition,
several modes of communication could be encoded in the beacon modulation,
including transmitter ID, signboard/pheromone display, and broadcast messaging,
as well as traditional connection-oriented communications services.
PHASE
I: Perform the required technology
tradeoffs and develop first the conceptual design and then the detailed design
for a highly integrated version of the beacon module. Through analysis, simulation, and/or subsystem bread-boarding,
determine the target performance specifications for the module in terms of
detection distance, bearing resolution, communications bit rate, power
requirements, etc.
PHASE
II: Design and fabricate an integrated
detector/processing chip, realizable with standard complementary metal oxide
semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technology, as the core for the beacon
module. In large quantities, the
manufacturing cost of the complete module should be targeted for less than $10.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The technology developed under this SBIR can
be used in a distributed system of very simple robots capable of performing a
useful real-world mission such as mapping the interior of a building overnight
with a swarm of possibly hundreds of cockroach-sized robots. This would provide rapid-response
information to groups such as emergency first responders, security guards, and
search and rescuers.
KEYWORDS:
Distributed, Robots, Navigation, Mapping, Beacon.
REFERENCES:
1. D. W.
Gage, “Minimum-resource distributed navigation and mapping”, SPIE Mobile Robots XV, Boston MA,
November 2000 (SPIE Proceedings Volume 4195)
2. A. M.
Flynn, “Gnat Robots (And How They Will Change Robotics)”, Proceedings of the IEEE Micro Robots and Teleoperators Workshop,
Hyannis MA, 9-11 November 1987. Also
appeared in AI Expert, December 1987, pp. 34 et seq.
3. L. E.
Parker, “Current State of the Art in Distributed Autonomous Mobile Robotics”,
in Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems
4, L. E. Parker, G. Bekey, and J. Barhen eds., Springer-Verlag Tokyo 2000, pp.
3-12.
4. N.
Stephenson, The Diamond Age, Bantam
Books, New York, 1995.
5. C. DeBolt
et al, “Basic UXO Gathering System (BUGS): Multiple Small Inexpensive Robots
for Autonomous UXO Clearance”, Proceedings
of Third International Symposium on Technology and the Mine Problem,
Monterey CA, 6-9 April 1998.
6. D. W.
Gage, "Command Control for Many-Robot Systems", AUVS-92, the Nineteenth Annual AUVS Technical
Symposium, Huntsville AL, 22-24 June 1992.
Reprinted in Unmanned Systems
Magazine, Fall 1992, Volume 10, Number 4, pp. 28-34.
7. H. R.
Everett, D. W. Gage, G. A. Gilbreath, R. T. Laird, and R. P. Smurlo,
"Real-world Issues in Warehouse Navigation," SPIE Mobile Robots IX, Vol. 2352, Boston MA, November 1994, pp.
249-259.
8. J. G.
Blitch, “The Tactical Mobile Robotics Program,” SPIE Mobile Robots XIV, Vol 3838, Boston MA, September 1999.
9. S. Thrun,
W. Burgard, and D. Fox, “A Real-time Algorithm for Mobile Robot Mapping with
Applications to Multi-Robot and 3D Mapping,” Proc. 2000 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation,
San Francisco CA, April 2000.
10. C. F. Chapman, Piloting, Seamanship, and Small Boat Handling, 51st
Edition, Hearst, New York, 1974.
11. R. E. Davis, F. S. Foote, J. EM. Anderson, and
E. M. Mikhail, Surveying Theory and
Practice (Sixth Edition), McGraw-Hill, New York, 1981.
12. R. Kurazume, S. Nagata, and S. Hirose.
“Cooperative Positioning with Multiple Robots”, Proc. 1994 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation,
Los Alamitos CA, 8-13 May 1994, volume 2, pp. 1250-1257.
13. R. Kurazume, S. Hirose, S. Nagata, and N.
Sashida. “Study on Cooperative Positioning System (basic principle and
measurement experiment), Proc. 1996 IEEE
International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Minneapolis MN, 22-28
April 1996, volume 2, pp. 1421-1426.
14. R. Kurazume, and S. Hirose. “Study on
Cooperative Positioning System: Optimum Moving strategies for cps-iii”, Proc. 1998 IEEE International Conference on
Robotics and Automation, Leuven Belgium, 16-20 May 1998, volume 4, pp.
2896-2903.
15. http://www.ri.cmu.edu/projects/project_343.html.
DARPA SB012-014 TITLE: Interaction with Experiences
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems Technology
OBJECTIVE:
Develop, demonstrate and evaluate methods that enable people to query
and communicate a captured record of shared human and robot experiences. The focus is on capturing experiences from
what one hears and sees, as well as from associated sensor data and electronic
communications. Specifically this work
should transform experience into a meaningful and accessible digital
information resource that can be used to augment the cognition of humans.
DESCRIPTION:
Military futurists are envisioning battlefields where humans work at a
distance to control events on the battlefield.
A key technical challenge is to improve the cognitive memory and
rehearsal abilities of operators. In
fact, interaction with experiences where the human can interact with past
experiences holds promise to increase the cognitive performance of humans. This improved performance must translate
into improved readiness and survivability for the research to pay off for the
military. A key technical challenge is
to focus on improving cognitive performance so that one operator can effectively
control and monitor multiple Knowbots to meet mission needs. Normally the cascading interruptions, or
mounting demands from complex operations will overcome the attention capability
of a human operator. However, there is
evidence that this situation may be reduced with information technology that
will augment the cognition capabilities of both the human operator and the
distributed 'bots. Needed is
information technology to provide efficient and effective means of integrating
groups of non-human systems into battlefield operations. Such a capability may indeed redefine the
nature of the battlefield, and ensure that a commander can influence events by
forcing future adversaries to react to us.
A specific concern is to enable human combatants be able to dynamically
task and monitor a large and diverse set of active assets, particularly under
the stresses of the battlefield. To
investigate this question, this innovative research will extend the conceptual
foundations of computer-human interfaces through exploring ways to augment
methods of tasking, monitoring, and communicating. A key interest is development of experimental methods to evaluate
adaptive trade-off strategies between humans and groups of non-human systems in
the presence of limited attention and bandwidth resources.
PHASE
I: Conduct a feasibility study focus on
an innovative information processing technology that enables the capture and
analysis of experiences, and then coordinates actions of distributed group
activity using multiple synchronized streams of incoming observations to
produce an effective schedule. For
example, one might use the setting of a medical crisis, with an associated
emergency response team to construct a collective experience, and then develop
a synchronized schedule for action. The
feasibility study should also identify the critical issues use for evaluating
performance gains due to augmented cognition factors.
PHASE
II: Develop a prototype system for
understanding experiences giving emphasis to methods and experiments used to
evaluate and augment the cognitive capabilities of both the human operator and
'bots. The focus of the prototype
should be on memory enhancement, perceptional off-load of cognition, and
context tracking. Specifically measure
and evaluate the effectiveness of enhanced memory of individuals gained from an
intelligent assistant utilized to tag and store information automatically
extracted from events and relationships.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This technology would enable systems
development of (1) medical crisis response teams controlling semi-autonomous
agents in disaster areas that are difficult to reach or cover large
geographical areas; (2) law enforcement officials operating in dangerous urban
areas to more effectively use remotely-operated systems; (3) automobile and
aircraft manufacturers developing safer navigation and control systems; and (4)
people with disabilities extending their capabilities to better interact with
mechanical and digital prostheses.
KEYWORDS:
Information Technology, Augmented Cognition, Human Systems Interface,
Mixed Initiative Interaction, Control and Monitoring.
DARPA SB012-015 TITLE: New Event Detection
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Information Systems Technology
OBJECTIVE:
Demonstrate technology able to detect new events and/or significant new
information about known events from continually flowing streams of news,
electronic correspondence, et cetera.
Sources may include audio and text data.
DESCRIPTION:
For many defense and intelligence applications, it would be extremely
helpful to find out quickly when new events occur or when new information
appears about known events. Traditional
information retrieval and search engine technology can help people locate
information that they know to look for, but cannot detect that something new
has happened. DARPA-sponsored research
in the area of Topic Detection and Tracking (TDT) has achieved good results on
Tracking (finding more stories about a known event) but has not done so well on
Detection, especially First Story Detection (finding the first reference to an
unexpected new event) and New Information Detection (identifying the new
information in a series of stories about an event). Innovative approaches are required to solve the latter two
problems. Robust, accurate,
general-purpose, language-independent approaches are desired. It is important to minimize both false alarm
and miss rates, and it would help to have a way to trade off those errors. The technical risk is high, but there are
many possible approaches, including a wide variety of statistical pattern
matching, clustering, language modeling, and content understanding
approaches. It may also be possible to
exploit multiple data streams simultaneously to good effect. We hope to stimulate creative thinking to
solve this important problem. Although
we are seeking high accuracy and a general approach, even a partial solution
could be quite valuable.
PHASE
I: Develop, then evaluate through an
appropriate test, a promising capability for new event detection using English
language data. (TDT corpora and
evaluation metrics may be used.)
PHASE
II: Extend work to include additional
sources and at least one foreign language.
Enhance algorithm as necessary.
Build a technology demonstration system. (Must work on flowing data rather than static corpora.)
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: New event detection technology would be very
useful in a wide variety of business applications (to alert decision makers to
threats and opportunities arising from economic developments and from actions
by competitors and government agencies), news gathering operations (to
determine what is newsworthy), trend analysis, e-mail filtering, and
call-center monitoring. Health applications
include the tracking of infectious disease outbreaks. Defense applications include message prioritization, force
protection, and intelligence gathering.
KEYWORDS:
Topic, Event, Language, Speech, Text, Alerting.
REFERENCES:
1. Wayne,
C. Multilingual Topic Detection and
Tracking: Successful Research Enabled by Corpora and Evaluation. Second International Conference on Language
Resources and Evaluation, May 2000.
Available at http://www.nist.gov/TDT/research_links/Wayne-LREC2000.ps
2. Allan, J. et al. First Story Detection in TDT is Hard. Ninth International Conference on
Information and Knowledge Management, November 2000. Available at http://ciir.cs.umass.edu/pubfiles/ir-206.pdf.
3. Allan, J. et al. Topic-based
Novelty Detection 1999 Summer Workshop at CLSP Final Report. August 1999. Available at http://www.clsp.jhu.edu/ws99/projects/tdt/final_report/report.pdf.
DARPA SB012-016 TITLE: Engineered Bio-Molecular Nanodevices
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Chemical/Biological Defense and Nuclear; Sensors, Electronics and
Battlespace Environment; Biomedical
OBJECTIVE:
Development and demonstration of hybrid bio-molecular assemblies that
operate as devices with controlled inputs and outputs. Input/Output (I/O) mechanisms may include
electrical, optical, chemical, mechanical, thermal or magnetic phenomena.
DESCRIPTION:
Ongoing leading edge nanotechnology research is enabling remarkable
precision in observing, manipulating and controlling phenomena at the molecular
scale. Cleverly engineered assemblies
of organic and inorganic molecules are starting to function as nanodevices that
have specific inputs and outputs.
Biological systems show remarkable sensitivity, specificity and
efficiency due to the selective evolution of molecular mechanisms over millions
of years. It is anticipated that hybrid
molecular assemblies involving bio-molecules would enable the exploitation of
these unique aspects of biological systems while affording the control that is
possible through nanotechnology. This
would lead to ‘smart’ bio-molecular assemblies with new functionalities (e.g.,
nanosensors, nanopower generators, nanochemical factories, etc.) and
significant advantages (over conventional engineering systems) in terms of
size, power consumption, efficiency and ease of fabrication. The development of this technology will
revolutionize sensing and detection, in-vivo diagnosis and drug delivery,
repair of tissue/cell damage, integrated mechanical/electronic/chemical devices
at the nanoscale, etc. This would also enable ‘smart’ large-scale integrated
systems consisting of several millions of such devices that will enable
automated adaptivity/reconfigurability, feedback control and compensation at
the system scale. This topic seeks
innovative ideas for designing, fabricating and demonstrating different kinds
of novel bio-molecular assemblies that form transducing elements between
chemical, electrical, optical and mechanical phenomena. These would typically result in many
functions at the molecular scale such as chemically induced nanomechanical motion,
optically/electrically induced chemical synthesis, chemically induced
optical/electrical reporting mechanisms, etc.
This topic emphasizes the ability to control and manipulate these
functions at the molecular scale.
Preference will be given to proposals that clearly identify target areas
of impact and present a plan to transition research results to these
applications.
PHASE
I: Demonstrate feasibility of
designing, fabricating and operating hybrid bio-molecular assemblies capable of
performing mechanical/chemical/electrical/optical transducing functions at the
molecular scale. Feasibility studies
may include experimental demonstrations as well as modeling and
simulation. Quantify performance
metrics of the proposed device in terms of efficiency and power
consumption. Phase I must demonstrate
feasibility of control of the device at the molecular scale.
PHASE
II: Demonstrate design, fabrication,
operation and control of devices developed during Phase I. Fabrication methods may include top-down
photolithographic methods as well as bottom-up self-assembly processes. Develop and demonstrate methodologies to
enable large-scale integration of the devices analyzed in Phase I. Demonstrate performance, controllability and
robustness of device/system during operation.
Complete documentation of the data, test cases, test results and the
demonstration studies must be delivered upon completion of the contract.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This effort will form the groundwork for the
development of a new generation of nanodevices that will perform desired
functions at the molecular scale, from altering molecular properties to
enabling active dynamic control of large scale systems consisting of integrated
nanodevices. These developments will
have a revolutionary impact on almost every discipline, especially health care
and medical treatment, sensing/diagnosis and actuation, micro and nanoscale
power generation, materials with controlled molecular properties, molecular
computing and information processing systems, etc.
KEYWORDS:
Molecular Assemblies, Bio-Molecules, Molecular Engineering, Large Scale
Integration, Self-Assembly.
REFERENCES:
1.
National Nanotechnology Initiative, internal NSTC/CT/IWGN report, reviewed by
the President’s Committee on Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) Nanotechnology
Panel ( http://www.nsf.gov/nano/ ).
2.
Nanostructure Science and Technology (NSTC report). R.W. Siegel, E. Hu, and M.C. Roco, eds. 1999. Worldwide study on status and trends;
available on the Web: http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/IWGN.Worldwide.Study/,
on CD-Rom from WTEC, and as hardcover publication from Kluwer Academic
Publishers (1999).
3.
Nanotechnology Research Directions: IWGN
Workshop Report. M.C. Roco, R.S.
Williams, and P. Alivisatos, eds. 1999, available on the Web: http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/IWGN.Research.Directions/
4.
Nanotechnology – Shaping the World Atom by Atom (NSTC report). I. Amato.
1999. Brochure for the public
(this report); available on the Web: http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/IWGN.Public.Brochure/.
5.
R&D Status and Trends in Nanoparticles, Nanostructured Materials,
and Nanodevices in the United States Proceedings published in January 1998, R.W. Siegel,
E. Hu and M.C. Roco, eds., WTEC, on the Web: http://itri.loyola.edu/nano/US.Review/.
DARPA SB012-017 TITLE: Nanoimprint Tooling
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Sensors, Electronics and Battlespace Environment
OBJECTIVE:
Develop nanoimprint machines that are suitable for patterning structures
with critical dimensions in the nanometer regime.
DESCRIPTION:
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is becoming an important method for
low-cost and high-throughput patterning of nanostructures. No imaging optics is needed so many of the
limitations associated with projection optical lithography are eliminated. In NIL, patterns are formed directly in a
thin deformable layer by pressing a master (stamp) into the layer. This is accomplished at elevated
temperatures (up to 150 C) and pressures (up to 300 pounds per square inch
(psi)). However, no commercial tools
are currently suitable or available for NIL.
For example, commercially available presses cannot achieve the
large-area uniformity needed for NIL and are not suitable for operation in a
clean room environment. Furthermore,
current commercial presses have a cycling time that is orders of magnitude
longer than that required for a reasonable throughput with NIL. To make NIL a real manufacturing technology,
it is essential to develop presses with the appropriate characteristics.
Phase
I: Perform a design study of NIL tools
that offer the needed large-area uniformity (>4”, scalable to 8”), cycling
time (<5 min, scalable to <2 min), imprint pressure (max 300 psi) and
imprint temperature (max 150 C), with clean-room compatibility. Identify the key parameters and application
areas for such tools. Perform key
sub-system proof of principle demonstration.
Phase
II: Develop the NIL tool prototype(s)
according to the design study in Phase-I.
Build and test prototype, and refine the design. Perform application driven
demonstration. Design and develop
automatic control system.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATION: The new NIL tools will enable the
manufacturing of many key military and civilian high-performance nanodevices,
which are currently too expensive to manufacture with conventional
technology. These devices include
high-frequency Metal Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MESFETs), mass
storage, optical filters, and other optical signal processing elements.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Nanostructures, Imprint,
Nanodevices.
REFERENCES:
1. Several
papers describing NIL can be found in the Journal of Vacuum Science of
Technology volumes B16(6), Nov/Dec 1998, and B17(6), Nov/Dec 1999.
DARPA SB012-018 TITLE: Virtual Ultrasound Transducer Control for Telemedicine, An
Application of Flexible MEMS Arrays
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Biomedical and Human Systems
OBJECTIVE:
Develop a flexible substrate of transducer elements suitable for
adaptive beam forming to serve as the foundation of a telemedical ultrasound
system.
DESCRIPTION:
Ultrasound is an extremely useful and prevalent medical diagnostic
technique. The value of diagnostic
ultrasound could be significantly extended with a carefully designed system to
enable a centrally located medical expert to remotely evaluate patients in both
civilian and military paramedical triage.
Critical to the utility of a telemedical ultrasound system is the
ability for the specialist to remotely manipulate a virtual transducer while
evaluating the ultrasonic image. In
echocardiography for example, the cardiologist requires subtle manipulation of
both the placement and orientation of the ultrasonic transducer to effectively
develop and interpret the diagnostic image.
This remote manipulation could be accomplished with a two-dimensional
transducer array applied to the patient’s skin, which is capable of remote
electronic beam steering. The
specialist at the centralized location could manipulate a “virtual reality”
pointing device which would transmit the required control signals to
electronically steer the ultrasound beam, effectively creating a virtual
transducer at the remote location. The
critical technology required to implement a telemedical ultrasound system is a
2-D array of transducers on a flexible substrate integrated with a signal
processing computer system capable of adaptive beamforming. A technician with limited specialized skills
could apply the flexible substrate, or sheet of transducers to a patient in the
general area for evaluation. Once the
transducer array is applied to the patient a specialist at a remote location
could transmit commands to the adaptive processor to remotely steer the
ultrasonic array, simulating the physical manipulation of a traditional
ultrasonic transducer array. In
addition, it may be possible to achieve a significant improvement in image
quality by the appropriate use of the full aperture of the adaptive array. Interactive manipulation of the transducer
while viewing the diagnostic image in real-time is an integral component of
diagnostic ultrasound. A preliminary
demonstration of this technology might start with the replacement of the
manually manipulated transducer of current systems with an advanced transducer
array capable of virtual manipulation via remotely transmitted commands. This transducer array can incorporate
MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology to achieve a flexible sheet
form factor, which would allow it to create an ultrasonic image equivalent to
the image acquired by a traditional transducer in almost any position or
orientation along the torso. The
flexible nature of the transducer array will readily conform to the shape of
the torso, and further will be able to move and flex as the torso moves, for
example, during respiration. Algorithms
and techniques will need to be developed in order to accomplish the required
beamforming in this dynamic environment.
PHASE
I: Develop a detailed performance
requirement specification for both the transducer array and the processing
system to achieve a sheet of electronically steerable transducers elements
compatible with diagnostic ultrasound.
Develop concepts and algorithms for achieving the adaptive beamforming
in a dynamic environment.
PHASE
II: Build and demonstrate a prototype
system which at a minimum includes a flexible substrate of transducer elements
and algorithms and a processing system capable of demonstrating adaptive
beamforming in a dynamic environment compatible with diagnostic ultrasound.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This technology has military implications
for distributing the expertise of well-trained personnel to the frontlines of
conflict when needed. The commercial
uses and benefits of this technology have the potential to surpass even those
of the military. Once the principles of
remote ultrasonic diagnostics have been demonstrated, the same thinking can
extend to other remote diagnostics and even correction of human ailment.
KEYWORDS: Telemedicine, Ultrasound Systems,
Beamforming Arrays, MEMS, Paramedical Triage, Echocardiography.
DARPA SB012-019 TITLE: Clutter-Limited, Collaborative Electromagnetic Sensors
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Sensors, Electronics and Battlespace Environment
OBJECTIVE:
Demonstrate self-orienting and calibrating, low frequency (emphasis
below 2 kilohertz), field-deployable electromagnetic sensors (B field and/or E
field) that perform near or below atmospheric noise levels and are
characterized as small (size and weight), low-power devices with supporting
algorithms.
DESCRIPTION:
Highly sensitive, low frequency electromagnetic sensors are needed for
military applications addressing target location, planning, and movement. Desired sensor measurements include both
total field and vector field components.
These devices and supporting algorithms must be capable of performing at
sensitivity levels near or below the natural (atmospheric) electromagnetic (EM)
clutter background. Some low-power
technologies are promising but still have sensitivities above the EM clutter
background. Examples include magneto-resistive
devices such as Spin-Dependent-Tunneling (SDT). Other sensors with adequate sensitivity such as Superconducting
Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) and conventional laser-pumped quantum
devices continue to be quite large or to consume significant power for
cooling. Responses are invited that are
capable of supporting long-baseline (100’s of meters) gradiometry, including
self-orientation and calibration (at a minimum, relative calibration among
spatially separated sensors) – whether by exploiting the background, by
absolute, independent calibration, or exploitation of a common reference. Critical noise performance elements to be
addressed include both self-noise and sensor-placement noise, such as coupling
to real-world vibrations (seismic, acoustics).
In addition, the sensors should address some or all of the following
performance goals: (A) Modest size: individual receivers should have maximum
dimension of 10 cm or less; (B) Low power: less than milliwatt of average power
per receiver; (C) Broad band: 10 Hertz
to 2000 Hertz (although higher frequencies – up to 30 KHz are of interest); (D)
High sensitivity: for B field, noise equivalent performance less than 5
picoTesla/root Hz in the 10 Hz to 300 Hz frequency range, noise equivalent
performance less than 0.5 picoTesla/root Hz in the 300 Hz to 2000 Hz frequency
range; noise equivalent performance of electric-field sensors should be below
the clutter background. (E) High
dynamic range: receiver linearity and dynamic range (not digitizer) - capable
of a linear output over a range of 80 dB; (F) Robust outdoor performance:
insensitive to likely levels of insitu vibrations (wind noise, seismic noise)
or to significant changes in ambient temperature (-20 degrees to 50 degrees C)
and humidity variations (5 -100% relative), and insensitive to shock (less than
100 g's). The characteristics presented
above do not include the power source (e.g. batteries), digitizing electronics,
local processing or communications.
Those responding may expand beyond the above listed desired capabilities
or justify a limited-performance concept.
PHASE
I: Develop self-calibrating, self
orientating concepts to measure magnetic field and/or electric field meeting or
approaching significant elements of the above goals. Identify critical technology elements and conduct laboratory-type
measurements to confirm the soundness of the highest risk elements for
prototype development. Present a
top-level design concept.
PHASE
II: Design, fabricate, and demonstrate
sensors and supporting algorithms (self-orienting, self-calibrating) to measure
magnetic field and/or electric field in robust outdoor environments. Demonstrate long-baseline (100’s of meters)
gradiometry, including independent, relative self-orientation and calibration. Demonstrate small size, low power, low
weight, impact tolerant packaging.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Low frequency electromagnetic sensors have
both military and commercial applications in detecting and monitoring
electrical machinery, vehicular traffic, and personnel movement. Commercial applications include law
enforcement, security surveillance, geophysical exploration, and planetary
exploration.
KEYWORDS:
Magnetic Field, Electric Field, Sensor, Low Frequency.
REFERENCES:
1. Lenz, J.
E.; “A review of Magnetic Sensors”, Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 78, p.
973-989, 1990.
2. ITU, report PI. 372-6, “Radio Noise”, circa
1994.
3.
Lanzerotti, L. and Maclennan, C. “Background Magnetic Spectra: 10^-5 to
10^5 Hz”, Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 17, no. 10, 1990.
DARPA SB012-020 TITLE: Inlet Injection of Oxidizer for Turbojet Acceleration
KEY TECHNOLOGY AREA: Space Platforms, Air
Platforms, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Develop, modify and test a conventional
afterburning turbojet engine to operate to higher Mach numbers, to higher
altitudes and with higher thrust by injecting oxidizer mass into its
inlet. Using older, surplus military
afterburning turbojet engines, this can be done within the scope of an SBIR
Phase I and II.
DESCRIPTION:
Despite numerous focused efforts at low-cost solutions, the high cost of
access-to-space remains a stressing mission constraint in developing the space
environment. One approach that has
received little attention to date concerns the use of compressor pre-cooling
resulting from inlet oxidizer mass injection into an afterburning
turbojet. An afterburning turbojet
engine modified in this way could be the propulsion for the first stage of a
reusable launch system. In short,
compressor pre-cooling resulting from inlet oxidizer mass injection will allow
a turbojet engine to fly to higher Mach numbers, have higher thrust, and
operate to higher altitudes. Turbojet
cycles have been previously investigated for use as the first stage engine in
both single-stage-to-orbit and two-stage-to-orbit systems. These mission studies have demonstrated that
the high specific impulse offered by turbojet engines nearly negates the
disadvantage of accelerating the turbo machinery to high speed during the
portion of a mission where the turbine engine is not operating. When consideration of aborts options and
powered landings are considered, the turbojet offers many benefits compared to
alternate concepts. One of the main
issues associated with operating a turbojet at high Mach number concerns the
excessive compressor outlet temperature (T3) that typically results. Similar problems with T3 occur under warm
day conditions at takeoff and climb with older turbojet engines. Pre-cooling with water injection for
take-off and climb performance under warm day conditions was very common in the
early history of turbojet operations.
Water injection not only provided pre-cooling of the compressor flow,
but also added mass to the flow that resulted in an increase in thrust. Mass injection of cryogenic oxidizer, or
expansion of compressed oxidizer, could be used in existing turbojets in the
same way as water injection was used in the past for pre-cooling to high Mach
Numbers and for enhancement of thrust.
The use of an oxidizer for pre-cooling also has the advantage of
allowing the turbojet combustor to remain in operation to higher altitude. The use of cryogenic propellants could
potentially allow the staging Mach number to be increased to Mach 6. The higher staging Mach number would also
allow the used of a more optimal rocket.
A turbojet engine that is modified to have inlet pre-cooling can be
operated at low altitude and Mach number conventionally, with pre-cooling
progressively increased with rising Mach number and altitude, where humidity will
be low (avoiding icing effects). As the
Mach number and altitude increases the injection of cryogenic propellant can be
added to both pre-cool the compressor, increase engine thrust, and to keep the
combustor lit. As more mass is added to
the flow, more fuel can be added to the combustor, again increasing
thrust. Also the addition of oxidizer
to the flow will result in more oxygen in the afterburner. This will allow the engine to produce yet
more thrust in the afterburner section.
Although several more complex engine cycles have been proposed, this
approach has the advantage of directly utilizing the significant technical and
economic investment made in existing turbojet engines for the last sixty
years. Assuming the reusable first
stage of a launch vehicle using this technology is basically a high-speed
airplane with a modified engine, this approach allows the launch vehicle’s
concept of operations to evolve from familiar aircraft type operations.
PHASE
I: Perform engine cycle analysis modeling engine behavior with various
candidate oxidizer injection fluids and schemes. Demonstrate basic feasibility on a small turbojet engine. An approach that avoids modifications to
existing engine bearings, seals and hot sections while providing reliable and smooth
operation is the primary challenge.
PHASE
II: Modify an existing afterburning turbojet engine and characterize
performance.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: An accelerator afterburning turbojet engine
that is capable of flight to high Mach number and high altitude has significant
commercial and military markets in space launch applications. This technology can also be applied to
high-speed, long-range, rapid response missiles. Super-sonic business jets also have the need to accelerate
quickly to their cruise altitude and speed.
This technology could enable the engines of these vehicles to be
optimized for cruise, while still have the capability to climb and accelerate
with the assistance of this technology.
KEYWORDS:
Afterburning Turbojet Engines, Pre-Cooling, Mass Injection, Air
Breathing Propulsion, Reusable Launch Vehicle.
REFERENCES:
1.
Henneberry, H.M, Snyder, C.A., “Analysis of Gas Turbine Engines Using
Water and Oxygen Injection to Achieve High Mach Numbers and High Thrust,” NASA
TM-106270, July 1993.
2. Burkardt,
L., Norris, R., “The Design and evolution of the Beta Two-Stage-To-Orbit
Horizontal Takeoff and Landing Launch System,” AIAA 92-5080, Dec. 1992.
3. Trout,
A.M., “Theoretical Turbojet Thrust Augmentation by Evaporation of Water During
Compression as Determined by use of Mollier Diagrams,” NASA TN 2104, June 1950.