Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A13-025

Description

To address the Army need for an on-the-move kinematic and kinetic monitoring system for indoor and outdoor environments, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has successfully developed a new Embedded Soldier Kinematics Acquisition and Analysis Platform (ESKAAP) and demonstrated a working Phase I prototype system with compact distributed modules that enable wireless data collection. In Phase II we propose to mature the ESKAAP technology including the incorporation of timing-critical operations controlled through precise clocking schemes to ensure that all data collected is appropriately registered to the same temporal sample space. ESKAAPs encapsulated electronics prevent sweat, humidity, debris, and outdoor exposure from affecting the sensor nodes performance. Its redundant microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor architecture helps to minimize noise and spurious measurements with the aid of Kalman filters, which improve estimation of sensor state and help to reject the noise. The miniature ESKAAP device can be used together with camera-based tracking solutions indoors and can take over when transitioning to outdoor environments. Based on POCs discussions with Raytheon and Boeing and the two prime contractors interest in integrating ESKAAP into their systems, we plan to work with them to transition the technology to military and civilian markets.