KCF Technologies Awarded Phase II SBIR Contract for Opportunistic Energy Harvesting for Submarine Wireless Sensors

State College, PA (PRWEB) August 07, 2011

On April 22, 2011 KCF Technologies was awarded Phase II of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project to tap waste electromagnetic energy on the U.S. Navy?s most modern class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines and ?harvest? it instead to perform other crucial functions on these state-of-the-art ships. The base contract is valued at $ 749,907.92 with an option of $ 249,932.81.

Advanced energy harvesting powered wireless sensors promise to reduce system costs by eliminating wiring and batteries, and making it possible to make system maintenance and replacement decisions based on continuous assessment of their condition as they operate, rather than based arbitrary maintenance timetables. A successful implementation of magnetic field energy harvesting technology lays the foundation for a wide range of energy-harvesting applications, including temperature sensors in electrical motors and generators, power line sag sensors, and electrical power usage monitoring sensors.

Follow-on applications will expand the deployment of wireless sensors on Navy shipboard and submarine systems for health monitoring, advanced detection, and manpower reduction. Since these potential commercial markets for these services dwarf those of submarines alone, they will serve as an essential means to reduce cost in production for applications including those of the Department of Defense.

?The development effort will be highly experimental,? states KCF Technologies President Jeremy Frank, ?and will yield several improved versions of increasingly refined hardware before we arrive at technical solutions that will meet the Navy?s needs.?

The company?s two-year plan will conclude with an energy harvester-powered wireless sensor demonstration under simulated real world conditions. The six-month Phase II option covers the research and development needed to turn mature prototype technology into working devices ready for production and operation on U.S. submarines.

This Phase II contract is one of four new SBIR contracts recently won by KCF Technologies, which marked its tenth year of operation last November at its recently expanded facilities in State College, Pennsylvania, near The Pennsylvania State University campus.

KCF Technologies develops and commercializes a wide range of products and solutions for industry and defense, capably and efficiently bridging the gap between initial concept and successfully completed product by establishing strategic partnerships.

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