Collection
Success Story records
| Success Story | Detail | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Biometric Security Systems ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | Current commercially available biometric systems are not accurate or robust enough to meet the demanding requirements of a field deployable, tactical-grade identification system for mission critical security applications. The solution developed by Ultra-Scan Corporation utilizes the proven effectiveness of ultrasonic fingerprint imaging technology pioneered by Ultra-Scan to simultaneously image and match two adjacent fingers for rapid and positive identification. | STORY-60086 |
| Natick Develops Power-Generating Textiles Through Photovoltaics NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | Photovoltaics (PVs) have been known for many years as a promising technology that converts (“free”) light energy into electricity with no noise, moving parts, fuel consumption or pollutant emissions. Natick Soldier Center (NSC) has been developing new lightweight and conformal solar cells through an Army Science Technology and Objective (STO) program. The development of a new and very promising dye-sensitized nanocomposite PV technology is at the forefront of this program. The technology is based on light-harvesting dyes that are adsorbed onto titanium dioxide nanoparticles | STORY-60064 |
| Intelligent Power Management System (IPMS) ARMY CERDEC - FORT MONMOUTH | The IPMS provides an automated monitoring and control capability for load management in Army shelters and vehicles, especially those found performing command and control missions. A flexible architecture for intelligent power management suitable across multiple vehicle or shelter platforms, IPMS provides on-the-fly intelligent circuit breaker functionality and system-level load management based on set priorities. Additional investment in IPMS and related technology developments as a direct result of transition from Phase II to Phase III now totals over $9.4M. The first Phase III commercialization success involves a contract for Customs Manufacturing & Engineering, Inc., CME to conduct System Development and Integration Testing of robust IPMS implementations for Program Manager Tactical Operation Centers (TOC) and Product Manager Platforms. These common IPMS implementations are being fully integrated into several platforms found in the Standardized Integrated Command Post System (SICPS) configuration. | STORY-60067 |
| Army Sergeant’s Inspiration Leads To Battlefield Medical System ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH AND MATERIEL COMMAND | Army medic Sgt. Tommy Morris was frustrated as he sat on a rocky hillside in Macedonia in 1993. Faced with keeping track of medical information on his warfighters, keeping up his stock of supplies, and hauling around heavy medical texts, he kept thinking to himself, “There has to be an easier way.” On the battlefield, it is crucial for first responders to have current medical information at the point of care. Soldiers were getting injured or sick for various reasons, and none of that information was captured unless the service member received care at a combat support hospital. Thus, Sgt. Morris created the BMIST. The BMIST is a point-of-care diagnostic tool for first responders. It captures basic data from a medical encounter. Medics put in the symptoms, and BMIST comes up with a treatment plan based on the user’s skill level. | STORY-60069 |
| Army Medical Researchers Invent Vaccine to Fight Anthrax ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES | Anthrax is considered the No. 1 biological weapon threat. It can be transmitted through inhaling the spores, a cut in the skin, or eating contaminated food. Inhaled anthrax is by far the most hostile form, with 90% or greater of these cases resulting in death. In 2001, five Americans died from anthrax inhaled from contaminated mail. Anthrax infection can be cured with antibiotics, but in cases of the inhaled form, by the time symptoms appear it is often too late to treat the patient. | STORY-60070 |
| Packaging Techniques for Liquid Crystal Polymers ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | — | STORY-60083 |
| Acoustically Intelligent Surfaces ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | Background noise in static and mobile headquarters enclosures presents a challenge to effective command and control within the Army’s Theaters of Operation. Fully equipped command and control shelters, both hard and soft walled, can become extremely noisy – to the point of jeopardizing control of current operations. Through the SBIR Program, QRDC, Inc. developed a unique energy and space efficient solution based on the development of Acoustically Intelligent Surfaces™ using Smart Skin technology. By adapting state-of-the-art proactive sound and vibration management technology into the walls of the shelters, sound energy is diverted and channeled to regions where it does not add overwhelming background noise. | STORY-60084 |
| Advanced Magnesium Corrosion Protection ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | — | STORY-60085 |
| Hydrogen Generation for Fuel Cell Applications ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | MesoSystems Technology, Inc. and MesoFuel, Inc., a subsidiary of Intelligent Energy, Inc., have developed a compact, ammonia-based hydrogen generator. This device is composed of a lightweight MesoChannel™ reactor, high-effectiveness heat exchangers, high-capacity ammonia adsorbent, and flow/temperature control components. Ammonia is reacted at approximately 600° Celsius to form a 75/25 mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen with trace quantities of ammonia remaining in the product gas. The ammonia is removed using an adsorbent and the remaining hydrogen/nitrogen mixture is fed to a fuel cell for the production of electrical energy. Additionally, a multi-fuel reactor was developed with integrated hydrogen separation, which allows production of high-purity hydrogen. | STORY-60087 |
| Dynamic Digital Sand Table ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | Xenotran Corporation has developed a 3-Dimensional (3-D) geospatial terrain data modeling tool. The tool called the XenoVisionTM Mark III Dynamic Sand Table uses digital elevation data with a corresponding image file, and produces a 3-D, full color terrain model in less than 3 minutes. This model can be reconfigured with fresh data within the same time frame. The Mark III displays the 3-D terrain data models in a 4’x3’ large table format and allows for quick visualization of scenarios to support current operations, mission planning and rehearsal, and general situational awareness. | STORY-60105 |
| Advanced Portable Power ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY - ABERDEEN | Advancements in telecommunications and electronic weaponry are key to a dismounted Soldier’s ability to leverage portable electronic equipment during combat. Laptops, GPS, night vision goggles, cellular phones, two way-radios, laser-designators, chemical-biological sensors, and other portable electronic devices require equally portable and sustainable DC power sources to maintain the Soldier’s technological advantage. Currently, primary batteries provide the majority of portable DC power for the dismounted Soldier; however, major drawbacks are added weight and low power density. For example, in a typical 72-hour mission, up to half of the rucksack weight for a dismounted Soldier outfitted with standard electronic gear is in primary batteries. This creates a logistical problem for Soldiers who must prioritize either extra batteries or adequate ammunition and supplies. The ever-growing power demands for the Soldier’s electronic gear exacerbates this dilemma. As this power gap widens and today’s Soldier becomes increasingly networked on the battlefield, portable DC power sources must provide much higher energy density than current state of the art can supply. | STORY-60107 |
| Low Cost, PC-Based Real-Time Dynamic Terrain U.S. ARMY GEOSPATIAL CENTER (AGC) | Realistic terrain dynamics is a requirement for training future Objective Force maneuver forces in a synthetic environment. Terrain dynamics, which includes mine breaching, defensive positioning, bomb damage, building damage, vehicle dynamics, soil dynamics, mobility, soil plowing, flood effects, and varying soil surfaces, enhances the quality of command decisions that rely on this critical input from a virtual environment. The Army’s terrain dynamics needs of the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer, Family of Simulations, and the Maneuver Support Battle Laboratory are different, yet contain similar requirements. | STORY-60134 |
| Photrodes™ for Medical Monitoring ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH AND MATERIEL COMMAND | Srico has developed innovative, optical sensors (Photrodes™) for electrocardiogram (EKG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. The key operational component of the sensor device is a miniature, specially designed optical chip. While electronic chips use electrical current (electrons) optical chips use light (photons) for measurement and transmission of signals. Photrodes™ play the same role as electrodes – to detect and communicate brain or heart activity to the EEG or EKG recording device. However, the Photrodes™ measure the electrical activity of the heart or brain using state-ofthe-art optical voltage sensing technology. They may also be used for electromyography (EMG) and electrooculography (EOG). | STORY-60136 |
| Electro-Optic Fabrics for the Future Warrior NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | Foster-Miller has developed and integrated network devices into wearable soldier garments, and fabricated and successfully demonstrated narrow, flexible electro-optic buses with overmolded end connectors that can be applied to existing garments to act as a personal area network. | STORY-60138 |
| Digital Biomechanics NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | Digital Biomechanics™ is the first physics-based human simulation to model equipment on soldiers engaged in actual tasks, from walking, running, and crawling to completing a virtual obstacle course. This technology uses robot-control technology and physics-based models to provide human simulation that obey the same laws of locomotion, balance, and loading as real people do in the physical world. | STORY-60157 |
| Portable Nanomechanical Test Instrumentation ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY - ABERDEEN | Advanced materials are an integral part in the development of new technologies that can benefit the Army. Nanotechnology contributes to the creation of many of these materials, and continued improvements in nanomechanical characterization are key to further development in this field. Hysitron develops and produces instrumentation for testing at nanoscale that facilitates the development of next generation overcoats, diamond like coatings, composites, alloys, polymers, biomaterials, and biomimetic materials. | STORY-60159 |
| Natick Soldier Reinvents the Camp Stove NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | In an age when camp stoves are mature devices based on proven technology, innovation has stalled while manufacturers compete for fastest boil time, a contest which has not led to smaller, more efficient designs. Meanwhile, the military has adopted as its single “battlefield fuel” JP-8, a kerosene-like turbine fuel that is much more difficult to burn in a camp stove than consumer-friendly performance fuels like white gas or propane. Long aware of the need for improved burner technologies, Leigh Knowlton and Don Pickard of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC) have researched several approaches ranging from the mundane (ceramic fiber wicks) to the exotic (electrostatic atomization). | STORY-60176 |
| TARDEC's Robot Helps Police, Bomb Squads TANK-AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER | Five police departments across the country have begun using the TALON robot with new recoil percussion actuated nonelectric (PAN) disrupter mounts developed by the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). Developed by the Army and designed for military use, these stateside explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) units have purchased the PAN-TALON to provide standoff disruption capability for carrying out homeland security missions. | STORY-60177 |
| Army Develops Inflatable Innovation NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC) has developed and transferred a flexible composite textile technology that provides for the building of extremely lightweight and rapidly deployable structures. The technology has led to products that weigh 66% less than conventional metal items, take up less than 25% of the volume when packed, and cut setup time by 60%. Flexible composite structures, also called airbeams, have extremely broad applications, including arches to support tents, inflatable antennas and booms for space applications, fins for aircraft ejection seats, and fenders for use in sea basing operations. Specialized design optimization tools have been implemented to take into account the complexity of inflation pressures and nonlinear fabric material kinematics. In addition, improved manufacturing technologies have been developed to optimize structural design and provide a competitive industrial base. | STORY-60179 |
| Special Medical Emergency Evacuation Device (SMEED) ARMY INSTITUTE OF SURGICAL RESEARCH | SFC Eric Smeed of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) has developed a patent-protected metal framework that attaches to evacuation litters and holds individual pieces of medical equipment needed for optimal patient transport. The Special Medical Emergency Evacuation Device (SMEED) stabilizes a variety of medical devices, such as ventilators and oxygen cylinders, replacing the traditional method of attaching such equipment directly to the transported patient. Lightweight and adjustable, the 14-inch by 22-inch SMEED adapts for use in any Department of Defense medical vehicle. | STORY-60184 |
| Enzyme-Based Decontamination Technology for Organophosphorus Nerve Agents and Pesticides RDEC EDGEWOOD CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER | With an increasing need to respond quickly and efficiently to real-world threats such as a deliberate chemical warfare agent attack or accidental release of toxic industrial chemicals, the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) developed a patented technology to neutralize organophosphorus chemical agents and pesticides. This enzyme-based technology simplifies and improves the process of decontaminating a class of highly toxic chemicals, including nerve agents. Other decontamination methods use corrosive chemicals that are more costly, less efficient, and generate a substantial amount of residual waste. The ECBC technology is nontoxic, noncorrosive, and environmentally safe. It can be applied using existing water-based application systems such as firefighting foams and sprays, and aircraft deicing solutions. In an incident where highly toxic chemicals are released, the enzymes quickly neutralize the chemicals before they can contaminate a wider area. | STORY-60189 |
| Low Package Volume Insulation NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER | With many Soldiers deployed and in temporary barracks for long periods of time, the Army has created entire cities of temporary shelters and tents. In order for Soldiers to live and effectively work in these sometimes extreme conditions, it is essential that environmental controls be adequate. In some cases, current systems have not worked effectively. At the request of Natick Soldier Center, L’Garde, Inc. developed a low package volume insulation that gives higher insulation value at a lower cost, and most importantly, at a fraction of the shipping volume and weight. | STORY-60192 |
| Array Repository Data Analysis System ARMY MEDICAL RESEARCH AND MATERIEL COMMAND | Today’s U.S. Army researchers employ high throughput functional genomic technologies to identify biomarkers to monitor early infection or exposure. Using this data, researchers develop strategies for rapid diagnosis, vaccine development, and/or therapeutic intervention for exposure and infection to pathogens and/or toxins of military importance. | STORY-60204 |
| ADASHI - Automated Decision-Aid System for Hazardous Incidents ADASHI | The Automated Decision-Aid System for Hazardous Incidents (ADASHI) software is a computer-based tool that allows emergency management authorities to manage a hazardous incident or Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) event. ADASHI was developed by the Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center by combining military tools, such as down-wind hazard prediction, into a user-friendly PC-based tool. The technology was further matured under a CRADA and a patent license agreement with OptiMetrics of Ann Arbor, MI. ADASHI is sold by ADASHI.org, a fully owned subsidiary of OptiMetrics. ADASHI software is compatible with Windows 2000 or Windows XP desktop, portable, or tablet computers. The functions of ADASHI include, but are not limited to: initial hazard assessment, hazard source analysis, mitigation alternatives, physical protection requirements, decontamination methods, hazard area prediction, detection planning and sampling, medical treatment, and triage criteria. Specific functional inputs are integrated with decision criteria, thus enhancing response management in a crisis situation. ADASHI automatically monitors the essential aspects of an event, whether a "what if" simulated event for training purposes, or a real event. ADASHI was developed by the Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center by combining military tools, such as down-wind hazard prediction, into a user-friendly PC-based tool. ADASHI is sold by ADASHI.ORG, a fully owned subsidiary of OptiMetrics, Inc. of Ann Arbor, MI as "First Response" and "First Response with ESRI". | STORY-60235 |
| A Nested, High Voltage Generator ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE | The Nested High Voltage Generator (NHVG) is a high voltage accelerator/power supply topology that can potentially satisfy a variety of requirements for a compact, reliable inexpensive DC accelerator in the 0.25 - 10 MeV range. | STORY-60135 |