Lower limb forces have been measured in the laboratory on forceplate devices. these have several drawbacks, the most important being the inability to measure spatial variation of vertical forces (due to the stiffness of the forceplate) and the lack of foot-shoe contact forces. also,laboratory… More

Advances in micro-electronics have made computer-assisted vision possible, but expensive. even simple computer visionsystems cost in excess of $5,000, well out of the economic reach of the blind, who are generally low paid or dependent on government support. this project proposes to use mainly… More

The treatment of several eye conditions, glaucoma in particular, requires the measurement of intraocular pressure(tonometry). existing instruments are complicated by the need for contact with the cornea, or great expense. this proposal is to investigate the feasibility of a noncontacting cornea… More

The dod has expressed interest in a low-cost, passive, simple, and small device or technique that would allow quantitative assessment of peak acceleration achieved duringan air crash. these devices would be placed in all service aircraft and, in the event of a crash, could be used to cor-relate… More

Projectile pulse generator (ppg) has been conceived to satisfy anticiplated air force requirements. the ppg is explosively driven and is intended to meet the requirments stipulated in the sbir

Transmission line design is often governed by the need to resist the high longitudinal loads imposed by a line break. this rare event requires towers much stronger (and more costly) than needed for normal service. further, failure to resist a line break can lead to extremely costly "zipper" type… More

A blast overpressure dosimeter concept will be studied to ascertain its feasibility for general use as an individual protective device. feasibility testing will be performed in the contractor's facility, using a shotgun to generate the blast waves. the blast overpressure field will be mapped with… More

The naval medical research and development command desires to nondestructively measure the inertial properties of non-human primate bodies and limbs. these results can be used in building accurate bodydynamics models for crash and seat ejection studies and for assessing certain short term effects… More

As the world's prime mineral deposits dwindle and demand grows, technological innovation in mineral extraction becomes more important. the challenge takes many forms, but the need to extract leaner, more finely disseminated deposits is a common requirement. also, as the remaining deposits get… More

Continual monitoring of structural integrity and detection of damage and its subsequent compensation, repair, and control are important considerations for large, complex space structures. phase i is to research a system which will reduce this task to a module-by-module self-integrity monitoring… More

The blast dosimeter concepts proven for the u.s. army medical corps will be extended and proven to meet those of the u.s. army test and evaluation command. peak blast wave pressure and blast wave momentum will be recorded mechanically in a small, rugged, and accurate but inexpensive device. the… More

The feasibility and economics of using tethers for station-keeping or sling launch of payloads is highly dependent on the reliable control of the tether itself in anenvironment. the proposed tether deployment monitoring system (tdms) would provide data on the tether's condition, guidance… More

The objective of the phase i program is to establish the feasibility of a low resolution x-ray fluorescence instrument for measurement of the concentration of lead in the air. the instrument must be small enough to serve as a personal monitor for indoor firing range users. preliminary studies… More

Hydrodynamic pressure generated by meshing gears in an oil bath contribute to the self noise of torpedoes. as targets become "quiter," torpedo guidance systems must increase their sensitivity to the attenuated sound waves reflected by the target. in being more sensitive, they can be disturbed by… More

Modern tactical military installations require reliable electric power to perform their intended functions. the electric power distribution systems can benefit from the application of load management monitoring and control under the automatic supervision of a computerized expert system. the… More

The field simulation of radiation contours for military training without the use of actual radioactive material is proposed. radio location detection and transmission of contour characteristics will be used with a central base station and cpu, quadrature receivers, and small transponders… More

To further biomedical and clinical research into the aging process, a video-recording system permitting the generation of a video data library of fall events is needed. this proposal delineates the functional requirements of a video-recording system that would automatically record fall events. its… More

Quality assurance (qa) efforts during launch site processinginvolve inspection, surveillance, and implementation of standards to assure consistently safe results. a need exists for the creation of a system utilizing an instrumented torque wrench capable of automatically recording both the location… More

Considerable effort has been devoted by nasa and other organizations committed to the utilization of tethers in space. however, most tether deployment scenarios have a common denominator--they are dependent on the reusability of such tethers in order to be considered economically viable. the lack of… More

Currently, prosthetic fitting is very subjective. little exists in the way of transducers to aid the prosthetist. this project will develop a transducer, made of a thin piezoelectric film, that could measure loads at the stump/prosthetic interface. this film has the properties of flexibility,… More

It is well established that the sharing of syringes between infected and noninfected i.v. drug users has been a major cause in the spread of aids. the development of a single-use mechanism that could be incorporated into all disposable syringes would prevent them from being salvaged after legitimate… More

Two very different approaches to the sealing reliability probelm of reciprocating machines are to be investigated and compared. In one approach, bellows design improvements are the result of combining the excellent dead volume avoidance characteristics of welded bellows with the structural… More

Measuring the inherent optical properties of the ocean has historically been a very difficult problem. The most widely used in-situ sensor has been the transmissometer, which measures the transmission of a light beam over a short pathlength in the water. More recently, sensors have become… More

Military platforms expose personnel to extreme vertical vibrations. These vibrations can induce visual-vestibular disturbance or even permanent injury, resulting in spatial-disorientation-related mishaps or decreased performance due to motion-sickness. ANCO Engineers, Inc. proposes to investigate… More