A significant trend in electronics technology is the increasing ability to provide adaptive features into smaller and smaller electronic devices. An example of this technology trend are electronic motes. Electronic motes are devices that can:

• Support the collection and integration of data form a variety of miniature sensors.
• Analyze the sensor data as specified by system level controls.
• Wirelessly communicate the results of their analyzes to other motes, system base stations and the internet as specified by system automation.

Motes are also sometimes referred to as smart dust. One mote is composed of a small, low powered and cheap computer connected to several sensors and a radio transmitter capable of forming ad hoc networks. The computer monitors the different sensors in a mote. These sensors can measure light, acceleration, position, stress, pressure, humidity, sound and vibration. Data gathered are passed on to the radio link for transmission from mote to mote until data reaches the transmission node.

One of the original developers of motes was the DARPA. The defense angles are pretty obvious. For example, In conjunction with a remotely piloted vehicle, a GPS sensor, a magnetometer and a radio transmitter, battlefield commanders would have a clear picture of the field and enemy location and thus would be able to react accordingly without resorting to the use of mines. Other potential applications include intruder surveillance, robot-based sensor collections and manufacturing process surveillance.

To further military surveillance technology, Missouri S&T has been awarded $4.465 million through the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. According to an S&T press release, the funds will be spent developing motes that can detect the presence of various chemicals, electronic signatures and human activity.

Jagannathan Sarangapani, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at S&T and principal investigator for the project, says the motes are capable of sharing information with each other and even interacting with existing Wi-Fi networks to spread messages. In the battlefield, the motes would be deployed in dangerous areas to effectively “listen in the wind” for evidence that someone is in a sensitive or restricted area.

The sensor side of motes is pretty well figured out. However, since Sarangapan and others at Missouri S&T selected to work on this project are all experts in electrical and computer engineering, that suggests the hurdles now have to do with how to actually power the sensors, securely network them and extract useful real time data. That’s no small task. S&T will also be working with two small businesses to help make the technology more feasible: KalScott Engineering in Lawrence, Kan., and Avetec in Springfield, Ohio. The former is experienced in remote sensing and delivering UAV data; the latter brings expertise in computer modeling and integrating complex systems.

But, the ideas for possible application and use of motes in just about any field is limitless. They can be used in conjunction with power meters, water meters and other utility meters to transmit data automatically to a central node or to an electromagnetic truck capable of temporarily powering up the motes in a certain area. Moreover, they can be used in agriculture to give a clear picture of the temperature, humidity, water level, etc for a given location. Motes can be embedded into structures to give constant or periodic reports on structural integrity such as salt content levels in concrete. Furthermore, motes can be used in traffic management and monitoring by placing these devices on major intersections and streets.

One of the limiting factors in the development of motes is the battery. Although a bigger battery would mean a longer life for the mote and farther transmission capabilities for its radio link, smaller motes with smaller batteries are usually more versatile and flexible. Some form of energy scavenging is probably in the work for the motes.

Ultrasensitive Nanomechanical Transducers Based on Nonlinear Resonance, one of ORNL’s 2010 R&D 100 award winners. (Credit: ORNL.)

R&D Magazine awarded DOE and other federal labs with 50 of its R&D 100 Awards. The awards, sometimes referred to as the “Academy Awards of Science,” are presented to those labs and companies that have been a major contributor to the development of “one of the 100 most technologically significant new products of 2010.”

“The large number of winners from the Department of Energy’s national labs every year is a clear sign that our labs are doing some of the most innovative research in the world. This work benefits us all by enhancing America’s competitiveness, ensuring our security, providing new energy solutions, and expanding the frontiers of our knowledge. Our national labs are truly national treasures, and it is wonderful to see their work recognized once again,” says Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

U.S. federal labs have a history of being highly recognized for technological developments and materials innovation through these awards. Here are the labs that are winners this year:

• Ames National Lab
• Argonne National Lab
• Idaho National Lab
• Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
• Lawrence Livermore National Lab
• Los Alamos National Lab
• NASA Glenn Research Center
• National Energy Technology Lab
• National Renewable Energy Lab
• Oak Ridge National Lab
• Pacific Northwest National Lab
• Sandia National Lab
• Army Engineer R&D Center

The biggest winner is the Lawrence Livermore National Lab which is recognized with 10 awards.

ACerS Corporate Member Toyota Central R&D Labs was also recognized by R&D Magazine for their Permanently Engaged Gear Starting Mechanism for Stop and Start System (Mechanical Devices).

All of the award winners can be seen here.

I am hoping some of our readers may know what this is about. I get that it is generally possible to record what the background heat signature might be like, but I have my doubts about whether 1) the recording process can anticipate viewing angles, and 2) whether materials exist that can “broadcast” a rapidly changing signature that works from all angles.

No big deal. I’ve seen references (no details) to this several times and I am just curious.

Ceramic, glass and other small tech businesses, take notice! The National Academy of Science’s Board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy is hosting a free, day-long symposium on April 16, 2010 on getting the most from the federal Small Business Innovation Research program.

The meeting is organized around the theme, “Early-Stage Capital in the United States: Moving Research Across the Valley of Death and the Role of SBIR.” The STEP Board says meeting “will highlight the role of federal innovation programs, like SBIR and the Department of Commerce’s Technology Innovation Program… and will be complemented by an examination of some of the leading technology-based development programs underway at the state level.”

Some of the highlights on the agenda include

• SBIR at Defense and Energy

• Department of Defense SBIR Program: Innovation for Mission Needs

• New SBIR Initiatives at DARPA

• Panel on SBIR at NIH, NASA and NSF

• A European Perspective: Spain’s New Innovation Strategies

• Improving Access for Women and Minorities

• SBIR and Regional Economic Development: Building for Success

• Angel and Venture Funding

The SBIR program allocates 2.5 percent of 11 federal agencies’ extramural R&D budgets to fund R&D projects by small businesses, providing approximately $2 billion annually in competitive awards.

Organizers say breakfast will be available, lunch will be provided and there will be a networking reception following the conclusion of the day’s presentations and discussion. Interested participants are asked to please RSVP to Adam Gertz at (202) 334-1529 or agertz@nas.edu.

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Greg Hilmas and Bill Fahrenholtz, both professors at Missouri S&T, are working on developing ceramic materials that can withstand ultrahigh temperatures (1,600°C–3,000°C) that will be encountered by hypersonic planes of the future. Ultrahigh-temperature ceramic materials are particularly needed on the leading edges of acute flight surfaces to withstand the intense heat that will be generated as these vehicles dip in and out of the upper atmosphere (in the region known as the exosphere) at speeds of Mach 5 and above. Similar materials will be need in the propulsion engines under consideration, such as the Scramjet engine they mention.

Although the Space Shuttle is technically a hypersonic vehicle, the vehicles Hilmas and Fahrenholtz are working on are very different. Unlike the bulky, blunt shapes found on a Shuttle, future hypersonic planes – envisioned for commercial and military use – will have a sleek design to minimize air resistance.

Although this is still basic science stuff, Hilmas and Fahrenholtz have discovered an unexpected trove of previous research: Cold War-era data compiled by scientists in the U.S. and the former Soviet Union on nuclear research. The duo are still sifting through these old papers for clues about what to expect in the performance of new ultrahigh-temperature materials.

Materials that can withstand hypersonic flight are being developed across the globe. Recently we wrote about composite materials being developed in Australia that can withstand the heat produced at Mach 8.

16 minutes.