PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration STTR Phase I: T13

Description

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and Auburn University propose to develop a smart sensor module (SSM) to enable wireless sensing capabilities in liquid propulsion systems. An SSM would increase NASArsquo;s capabilities by eliminating labor-intensive tasks such as routing and securing cables. It would also improve sensor accessibility in locations that are difficult to diagnose, and enable advanced computing technologies such as machine learning. The SSM is designed to connect to trusted, flight-qualified, and commercially available sensors without altering the measurement technique. In Phase I, PSI will advance our existing long-term data logger to develop a SSM capable of wireless communication in a mesh network. Meanwhile, Auburnrsquo;s mesh topology and aggregation methods will be used to integrate the PSI sensor network. The Phase I program will conclude with demonstrations of Auburnrsquo;s gateway and a sensor mesh network utilizing PSIrsquo;s SSMs. During Phase II, the integrated network will be demonstrated on one of PSIrsquo;s rocket engine test stands.