Department of the navy (don) 17. 1 Small Business Innovation Research (sbir) Proposal Submission Instructions introduction

PHASE II: Based on the Phase I approach and the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW), a prototype software solution for shipboard Prognostic Health Management with the ability to integrate with and use structured and non-structured data as factors for maintenance planning will be developed and delivered. The prototype must be capable of demonstrating a method for utilizing disparate sources of data in the analysis and prognostication of maintenance decision paths according to the factors set forth in the description in a relevant shore-based test environment using representative maintenance and operational data sources. The GUI will be evaluated on the timeliness and accuracy of the data being displayed. The offeror will provide a detailed test plan to demonstrate that the deliverable meets the intent of advanced CBM+ efforts. A Phase III qualification and transition plan for Navy and potential commercial use will be provided at the end of Phase II.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: During Phase III, the company will support the Navy in the system integration and qualification testing for the Fusion Center/GUI for Shipboard Maintenance Activities and Supply Chain software technology developed in Phase II. This will be accomplished through land-based and ship integration and test events managed by PEO IWS to transition the technology into the CBM+ efforts for AEGIS surface combatants. Private Sector Commercial Potential: Many private sector organizations are working to implement CBM+ as a means for reducing operating costs and increasing uptime. Markets such as manufacturing and transportation will be able to exploit the results of this topic.

REFERENCES:

1. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics & Materiel Readiness. “Condition Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+).” April 2016. www.acq.osd.mil/log/mpp/cbm+.html.

2. Collum, P. H. “OPNAVINST 4790.16B Condition Based Maintenance and Condition Based Maintenance+ Policy.” 2015. 01 Oct 2015. https://doni.documentservices.dla.mil/Directives/04000%20Logistical%20Support%20and%20Services/04-700%20General%20Maintenance%20and%20Construction%20Support/4790.16B.pdf.-

KEYWORDS: GUI; CBM+; Maintenance Decision-making; Maintenance Planning Software; Maintenance Algorithm; Analytics Onboard Ship; Comprehensive View of Situational Awareness

Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.

N171-062

TITLE: 3D Image from Sensor Fusion

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Human Systems

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS495, Mine Warfare Program Office

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Develop software to fuse underwater sensor data into a 3D model to assist operators with target identification.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy needs an innovative software tool to assist operators with identifying undersea objects (particularly naval mines) based on available sensor data. In mine hunting operations, human operators identify mines before neutralizing them. The 2D images available are typically from poor angles and/or do not reveal characteristic 3D shapes. This requires an increased level of training and potentially a slow identification response time. In mine neutralization operations, the system presents the operator with a continuous, real-time, video image of the target. The video cannot be paused or rewound, except during post-mission analysis. Frequently the target and/or the mine neutralizer housing the camera will move in response to waves and currents. The operator must observe and remember salient features of the target and mentally recreate the 3D structure of the target to positively identify it as a mine. An innovative software tool will ensure rapid, positive target identification and reduce the time required for operations.

The desired state for target identification is a software tool capable of constructing a virtual 3D model of the target based on available sensor data, including visual and acoustic sources. The tool will run in parallel with the existing operator interfaces and enable the operator to zoom and rotate the model to ensure positive target identification. For Phase I and Phase II, the government will provide test data that may be used in the development and evaluation of the tool. For Phase III, design interfaces will be developed to allow the transfer of data and information between the tool and existing operator interfaces. For example, the software may allow the live feed and the model to appear in separate windows or allow a "picture in picture" arrangement.

The last five years have seen vast leaps in photogrammetry and related technologies, such as 3D scanning, for professional and amateur use. However, there are several gaps between existing technologies and the desired state to support warfighter needs. Existing Structure from Motion and Photogrammetry software systems require trained users with complex workflows. The technologies are too slow for real-time operational use, requiring processing on the order of tens of minutes. Further, the systems are optimized for processing images taken in the air rather than undersea. Technologies that fuse data from multiple sensors (such as optical and acoustic sensors) are unique solutions customized to the specific sensors.

The tool should be capable of providing a 3D model, rendered from optical images taken undersea. The ability to fuse data from additional sensors, such as sonar, is highly desired of the tool. For example, data from a sonar system may be used to “seed” the structure to be derived from the images, provide scaling, and/or to fill in structure that has not been imaged optically. The vendor may also use vehicle acceleration or position data, if available; however, this data should not be required to construct the 3D image. In order to support tactically relevant timelines, the tool should be capable of providing a 3D model of the target within 2 minutes of initial data collection. The tool should be capable of updating the model such that after a sensor observes a different part of the target, that information is added to the model. The tool should be compatible with multiple common data formats available from optical sensors (such as .jpeg, .mpeg, .mp4, .mov, .wmv, .bmp, .avi, .png). The tool should be compatible with multiple common data formats available from sonar sensors (such as .xtf). Ideally, the tool should provide dimensionality to the 3D model such as object lengths and diameters to aid in post-mission analysis and identification of specific mine types.

PHASE I: The company will develop a concept for an innovative software tool that is capable of creating a 3D Image from Sensor Fusion and that meets the requirements listed in the description section. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept in meeting Navy needs and will establish that the concept can be developed into a useful product for the Navy through software prototyping and analytical modeling. The Phase I Option, if awarded, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype in Phase II. The company will provide a Phase II development plan that addresses technical risk reduction and provides performance goals and key technical milestones, within the costs of a Phase II SBIR.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II Statement of Work, the company will develop and deliver a software prototype system capable of creating a 3D Image from Sensor Fusion for testing and evaluation. The company will develop the prototype and evaluate it to determine if it meets Navy performance goals described in the Phase II SOW. The company will use operationally representative data for the evaluation. The company will identify performance and technical requirements to be met during evaluation. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology for Navy and potential commercial use.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The company will support the Navy in transitioning the technology for Navy use. The company will further refine the software to ensure compatibility with existing mine warfare operator interfaces and workstations according to the Phase III development plan for evaluation to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The final state is a tool that will run in parallel with the existing operator interfaces and enable the operator to zoom and rotate the model to ensure positive target identification. The tool may run in parallel on a standalone system or may be incorporated into existing operator interface applications. The desired technology will be used in target identification in mine countermeasure systems. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for Navy use. Private Sector Commercial Potential: There are significant applications of near-real-time photogrammetry and structure from motion technologies based on fused undersea sensor data. Most significantly are commercial applications such as use by the oil and gas industry to plan, build, and inspect undersea structures. Municipal applications include port and harbor monitoring and undersea tunnel inspection. The US Bureau of Reclamation is already evaluating potential applications of photogrammetry from an ROV, for example. Scientific applications include undersea archeology and investigation of marine structures such as coral reefs and hydrothermal vents.

REFERENCES:

1. Drap, Pierre. “Underwater photogrammetry for archaeology.” INTECH Open Access Publisher, 2012. Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/special-applications-of-photogrammetry/underwater-photogrammetry-for-archaeology.

2. Singh, Hanumant, et al. "Sensor fusion of structure-from-motion, bathymetric 3D, and beacon-based navigation modalities." Robotics and Automation, 2002. Proceedings. ICRA '02. IEEE International Conference. Vol. 4. IEEE, 2002. Available from: http://robots.engin.umich.edu/publications/hsingh-2002a.pdf.

3. Skarlatos, Dimitrios, Demestiha, Stella, and Kiparissi, Stavroula. "An ‘open’ method for 3D modelling and mapping in underwater archaeological sites." International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era 1.1 (2012): 1-24. Available from: https://www.ucy.ac.cy/marelab/documents/Mazotos/Anaskafi/Publications_/Skarlatos_Demesticha_Kyparissi_2012.pdf.-

KEYWORDS: Underwater photogrammetry; Structure from Motion; Sensor fusion; 3D scanning; 3D point clouds; Mine Counter Measures (MCM)

Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: VIRGINIA-Class Shipbuilding Program, AN/BQQ-10 (V) Sonar Systems

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.

OBJECTIVE: Advance the state of 1550nm laser technology, and design and develop an LMA that will support current Lightweight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA) operation while lowering the module’s cost.

DESCRIPTION: The Lightweight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA) is part of the Sonar system installed on-board VIRGINIA-class Submarines. LWWAA uses fiber optic sensing technology to support detection of acoustic contacts. With the wide adoption of 1550nm laser technology, and the resulting end of life of select components associated with the current 1310nm laser technology, it will become harder and more expensive to maintain the production line for the current Laser Module Assembly (LMA) for both the new platforms under construction and the current platforms in the Fleet. As the VIRGINIA class platform has many years of service life remaining, any gaps in availability of replacement components and repair assets will cause a reduction in system performance, as failed LMAs will not be able to be repaired/replaced. The small business should develop an updated LMA that operates in the 1550nm region while meeting the system’s noise requirements and fitting within the existing LMA footprint.

Specific goals include:
• Develop an initial concept design, model the key elements, define the key component technological milestones.
• Demonstration of key technology milestones, which will include a laser that meets the noise requirements defined below
•Demonstrate a fully integrated 1550nm LMA that meets the assembly’s physical and performance requirements. When possible, utilize standard commercial components, while will allow for a wider base of potential suppliers along with a longer shelf life for support of in-service assets.

Basic Requirements Include:

PHASE I: Define and develop a concept to utilize state of the art telecommunications standards in updating the LWWAA LMA to meet the goals and requirements stated in the description. This would include assessing the feasibility of producing the described LMA and identifying the risks of meeting the specified performance. Testing and modeling results shall be provided to the Navy. The Phase I Option, if awarded, should include the initial layout and capabilities to build the LMA unit in Phase II.

PHASE II: The small business will develop and deliver prototypes based on the concept developed in Phase I and demonstrate the key capabilities specified. Two prototypes will be provided to the government for independent evaluation. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology for Navy and potential commercial use.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: In supporting the transition to Navy use, Phase III will further refine and develop a first article production unit that can undergo a full set of performance and environmental testing, including power, shock, and vibration testing. Full environmental qualification testing (EQT) will be conducted as specified by the Navy. Upon successful completion of EQT, the first article unit will be tested within the LWWAA processing string to certify against the performance metrics at the system level. Private Sector Commercial Potential: The work performed under this SBIR has the potential to be used in high-performance communication systems (e.g. telecommunication backhaul networks) that require high-performance, narrow-line width laser sources.

REFERENCES:

1. Strachan, David. "Designing Fiber Optic Systems.” Evertz Microsystems. 26 Feb 2016; http://www.evertz.com/resources/Designing-Fiber-Optic-Systems.pdf.

2. St. Arnaud, Bill. “1310nm vs. 1550nm window for 10GbE.” IEEE, 26 Feb 2016; http://www.ieee802.org/3/10G_study/email/msg00022.html.

3. Steenbergen, Richard. “Everything you always wanted to know about Optical Networking – but were afraid to ask.” NANOG 48.26 Feb 2016; https://www.nanog.org/meetings/nanog48/presentations/Sunday/RAS_opticalnet_N48.pdf.

4. C. K. Kirkendall and A. Dandridge, "Overview of high performance fiber-optic sensing," Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, vol. 37, pp. R197-R216, 2004.-

KEYWORDS: LWWAA; LMA; fiber optic sensor receiver; hybrid signal path technology; telecommunications laser; SONAR sensors.

Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.

N171-064

TITLE: Oil-less Cooking Deep Fat Fryer (DFF) Replacement

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials/Processes

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS397 – OHIO Replacement Program Office

OBJECTIVE: Develop Oil-less Cooking Deep Fat Fryer (DFF) to reduce maintenance and decrease fire risk in an effort to replace currently existing Deep Fat Fryers (DFF) in the OHIO Replacement (OR) galley design.

DESCRIPTION: The baseline OR galley design currently includes two legacy VIRGINIA CLASS DFFs and two electric combination ovens. New technologies/solutions including but not limited to infrared heating, radiant emitter and spectrally selective emitters are sought to replace the baseline DFF. Benefits of replacing the DFF include removal of cooking oil to eliminate the need for an Aqueous Potassium Carbonate (APC) system in the OR galley resulting in APC system cost and space savings; reduction in food preparation cost; and decreasing or eliminating fried foods for health reasons.

The high-level requirement for the OR galley as a whole is the ability to prepare, in one hour, enough food to feed two-thirds of the crew (those not on watch at any given time), during each of three meals in a twenty-four hour period. Since the nominal OR crew is 155 personnel, the required overall throughput is food for 104 personnel.

The most recently approved submarine force menu card includes nine items required to be cooked in the DFF in a twenty-eight day cycle:
- French fried potatoes

- Chicken fried steak

- Chicken cordon bleu
- Fried shrimp

- Fried chicken

- Home fried potatoes
- Fried fish portions

- Fried catfish

- French fried okra

The legacy DFF can cook French fries at the rate of approximately 80 pounds per hour. A replacement cooking system should be able to cook the same food in a comparable or shorter time than the DFF. Additionally, the proposed cooking system must fit in the physical space already allotted for the DFF in the OR galley arrangement (each existing DFF is 15” x 25” x 38”), as well as consume no more electrical power than already accounted for in the OR electrical distribution system (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) design is 30 kW). Existing commercially available oil-less cooking systems are not qualified for submarine operation.

PHASE I: The company will develop a conceptual design for an Oil-less Cooking Deep Fat Fryer appropriate for food preparation meeting the requirements described above. The company will demonstrate the feasibility of the concept of meeting Navy needs and will establish that the equipment can be reasonably developed into a useful system for the Navy. The Phase I Option, if awarded, should address technical risk reduction; and provide performance goals and key technical milestones.

PHASE II: Based on the results of Phase I and the Phase II Statement of Work (SOW), the company will develop an Oil-less Cooking Deep Fat Fryer prototype for testing and delivery on a lab scale under the appropriate conditions to simulate a submarine environment. The prototype will be evaluated to determine its capability in meeting the performance goals defined in Phase II SOW and the Navy requirements, as stated previously, for food preparation, including the Navy Standard Core Menu (NSCM) and associated Standard Navy Recipe Cards. System performance will be demonstrated through evaluation over the required range of parameters. Evaluation results will be used to finalize a system that will meet Navy requirements. The company will prepare a Phase III development plan to transition the technology to Navy and potential commercial use.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The company will be expected to support the Navy in transitioning the DFF replacement equipment for Navy use on Ohio Replacement Submarines, and potentially retrofitted onto prior classes of submarines. The company will finalize and fabricate the equipment to determine its effectiveness in an operationally relevant environment. The company will support the Navy for test and validation to certify and qualify the system for transition into operational Navy use. Following testing and validation, the technology is expected to produce results outperforming the current DFF in regard to meeting the Navy’s requirements for food preparation while eliminating the need for an APC system. Private Sector Commercial Potential: Innovations in food preparation equipment and techniques would have wide application in the private sector. Such technologies would operate under the same basic principles and technology developed under this SBIR.

REFERENCES:

1. Navy Surface Ship Electric Fryers (Installation, Operation, Service & Parts) Manual, August 2005 http://fm-xweb.frymaster.com/service/udocs/Manuals/819-6004%20AUG%2005.pdf

2. Chemistry of Deep-Fat Frying Oils, by E. Choe and D.B. Min http://nfscfaculty.tamu.edu/talcott/courses/FSTC605/Class%20Presentations-2014/Frying%20Oils.pdf-

KEYWORDS: Deep Fat Fryer; Combination Oven; Open Deep Fat Fryers; Infrared Heating; Radiant Emitters; Spectrally Selective Emitters.

Questions may also be submitted through DoD SBIR/STTR SITIS website.

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMS 485, Maritime Surveillance Systems Program Office

OBJECTIVE: Develop a cost-effective, innovative approach potentially using active broadband sonar techniques that will leverage today’s commercial high-frequency technology to enable the automatic detection of marine mammals, sea turtles, and other protected biologics; UUVs; potential hazards; and human swimmers/divers as an alternative to the current approach.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy currently uses high-frequency narrowband sonar systems to detect marine mammals, hazards, and other applications. Although equipped with effective custom-designed marine mammal sonar detection systems, these systems are aging and are very expensive to maintain. A next-generation marine mammal sonar is needed to replace currently fielded systems, which are fabricated from hardware that is being obsolete. This topic is intended to lead to the development of new innovative data processing algorithms and software to identify marine mammals, sea turtles, and other biologics and objects that must be avoided such as nets, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), and human swimmers. The algorithms and software can leverage Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) “fish finder” technology to minimize life-cycle costs. In addition to being more effective at biologic detection, this system is intended to reduce manning and operation costs by reducing the number of crew required to stand watch for biologics.