SOCOM FY08.1 SBIR Solicitation Topics

UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

SBIR FY08.1 Proposal Submission

The United States Special Operations command (USSOCOM) is seeking small businesses with strong R&D capabilities to develop and commercialize technology to provide the Special Operations Forces enhanced training and equipment. Topics have been selected on their potential to transition to an acquisition program.

USSOCOM will only accept proposals for those topics stated in this solicitation. The USSOCOM Program Executive Officers (PEOs) responsible for the research and development in these specific areas initiated the topics and are responsible for the technical evaluation of the proposals. The Phase I and Phase II proposal evaluation factors are listed below. Each proposal must address each factor in order to be considered for an award. Phase I and Phase II funding is limited, therefore USSOCOM will select and fund only those proposals considered to be superior. USSOCOM may fund more than one proposal on a specific topic if the technical quality of the proposal is deemed superior, or it may fund no proposals on a topic.

Proposal Submission

Potential offerors must submit proposals in accordance with the DoD Program Solicitation at www.dodsbir.net/solicitation. A proposal must contain the following documents: a cover sheet, a technical proposal and a cost proposal. Offerors must complete the cost proposal using the cost proposal form posted on SOCOM section of the www.dodsbir.net/solicitation site. All firms shall include as part of the Phase I proposal transportation costs to travel to Tampa, Florida for two separate meetings. The first travel requirement shall be the Phase I kick-off meeting and the second travel requirement shall be for the Phase I out brief. (Note: individual topics may require these meetings to occur at another location. Please refer to the topic write up for a change in location.) The meetings shall take less than four hours and at least the Principal Investigator is required to attend both meetings. Notwithstanding the requirement for the Principal Investigator to attend both meetings, any other individual needed to discuss all aspects of the firm's approach to address the SBIR topic shall also attend the meetings.

All proposal information must be received electronically via the DOD SBIR/STTR Submission site. To submit, proceed to http://www.dodsbir.net/submission. Once registered, a firm must prepare (and update) Company Commercialization Report Data, prepare (and edit) Proposal Cover Sheets, complete the Cost Proposal form, and upload corresponding Technical Proposal(s). The proposal submission, exclusive of the Company Commercialization Report, must not exceed 25 pages.

Paper copies will not be considered. A complete electronic submission is required for proposal evaluation. An electronic signature is not required on the proposal. The DoD SBIR/STTR Submission site will present a confirmation page when a technical proposal file upload has been received. The upload will be available for viewing on the site within an hour. It is in your best interest to review the upload to ensure the server received the complete, readable file.

For additional information about electronic proposal submission, including uploading your technical proposal, refer to the instructions on the solicitation and the on-line help area of the DoD SBIR/STTR Submission site, or call the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at 866-SBIRHLP (866-724-7457).

Phase I

The maximum amount of SBIR funding for a USSOCOM Phase I award is $100,000 and the maximum time frame for a Phase I proposal is 6 months.

Phase II

USSOCOM may invite a Phase II proposal from any Phase I contractor, based on the results of the Phase I effort using the evaluation criteria below. A Phase II proposal is awarded with a period of performance of 24 months and for $750,000. USSOCOM may elect to increase the Phase II award amount when it is deemed to be in its best interest. Proposals should be based on realistic cost and time estimates, not on the maximum time (months) and dollars. In preparing the proposal, firms should consider that workload and operational tempo will preclude extensive access to government and military personnel beyond established periodic reviews.

USSOCOM does not participate in the Fast Track program and does not have a Phase II enhancement policy. In some cases, USSOCOM will assist the small business as necessary to further/transition the results of a Phase II.

Evaluation Criteria – Phase I & II

1) The soundness, technical merit, and innovation of the proposed approach and its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution.

2) The qualifications of the proposed principal/key investigators supporting staff, and consultants. Qualifications include not only the ability to perform the research and development but also the ability to commercialize the results.

3) The potential for commercial (Government or private sector) application and the benefits expected to accrue from this commercialization.

The three evaluation criteria are listed in order of importance. Criterion 1 comprises 50% of the points, criterion 2 comprises 30% of the points, and criterion 3 comprises 20% of the total points.

Site Visits

Site visits will not be permitted during the pre-release and open stages of the solicitation.

Security

All of the topics in the solicitation are UNCLASSIFIED and only UNCLASSIFIED proposals will be accepted.

Foreign Nationals

Reference Section 3.5.b (7), if you plan to employ NON-US Citizens in the performance of a USSOCOM SBIR contract, identify those individuals in the appropriate section of your proposal.

Communications with USSOCOM

During the pre-release period of this solicitation, any technical inquiries must be submitted in writing through SOCOMSBIR@brtrc.com. All requests must include the topic number in the subject line of the email. During the solicitation open period all questions must be submitted through the SBIR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS) at www.dodsbir.net/SITIS listed in section 1.5c of the program solicitation.

During the source selection period e-mail is the only method of communication that will be used by the Government contracting officer to notify the submitter/proposer if they have or have not been selected for an award.

Source Selection

NOTICE: The offeror's attention is directed to the fact that Contractor consultants/advisors to the Government may review and provide support in proposal evaluations during source selection. Non-government advisors may have access to the offeror's proposals, may be utilized to review proposals, and may provide comments and recommendations to the Government's decision makers. They would not establish final assessments of risk, rate, or rank offerors' proposals. These advisors would be expressly prohibited from competing for SBIR awards. All advisors would be required to comply with procurement Integrity Laws and would sign Non-Disclosure and Rules of Conduct/Conflict of Interest statements.

Inquiries concerning the SBIR program should be addressed to Shawn.Martin@socom.mil.

SOCOM SBIR 08.1 Topic Index

SOCOM08-001 Small Team Command, Control, Communications and Situational Awareness (C3SA)

SOCOM08-002 Deep Submergence Rated Flexible Hoses and Piping System Connectors

SOCOM08-003 Embedded Stress/Strain Sensors for Deep Submergence System Fairing Panels

SOCOM08-004 Wireless Low Probability of Detection (LPD) Capability Onboard Surface Combatant Craft

SOCOM08-005 Lightweight, Compact Atmospheric Gas Sensor

SOCOM SBIR 08.1 Topic Descriptions

SOCOM08-001 TITLE: Small Team Command, Control, Communications and Situational Awareness (C3SA)

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NSW Under Water Mobility

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Small combat diving teams require situational awareness and low probability of detection (LPD) communications both underwater and on shore in nighttime conditions. The objective of this project is to develop a capability for communications and real time tracking of divers’ locations in both environments.

DESCRIPTION: A common operational picture must be available to support undersea and surface mobility platforms, and tactical commanders in both environments. A solution for this requirement must include the ability to transmit information with a low probability of detection among these mobility platforms, as well as Special Operations teams in/under the water and on land. The system must be small, rugged and have the capability to visually depict personnel locations and allow for LPD communications both underwater and on shore. Although functionally similar systems are currently available for use in commercial recovery diving and offshore drilling platform operations, they are frequently large fixed mounted installations utilizing shipboard power. The system described here is instead a low power system that operates in a much more complex acoustical environment and is capable of both underwater and surface communication. Individual team member’s locations should be presented graphically and include range, bearing, and if possible depth (or altitude) information. The system should be able to provide seamless underwater and surface communication when the operator changes environments. Capability to communicate by pre-programmed text messaging and voice are desired. The system should be capable of operating over a 10 hour (threshold) mission period without changing batteries and have easily user changed batteries for longer duration missions. The system shall have ranges of at least one km (threshold)/ 10 km (objective) on the surface and 0.3 km (threshold)/5 km (objective) underwater and be water proofed to 66 fsw (threshold) and 195 fsw (objective).

PHASE I: The contractor shall conduct a feasibility study consisting of requirements and design analysis to include surface and underwater frequencies of operation, display and battery technologies, user interfaces, and initial hardware/software design and provide a detailed report on the approach. Vendors shall submit a business plan for the commercialization of the technology developed under this topic. The Small Business Administration's web site www.sba.gov provides guidance, examples as well as contact information for assistance.

All firms shall include as part of the Phase I proposal transportation costs to travel to Tampa, Florida for two separate meetings. The first travel requirement shall be the Phase I kick-off meeting and the second travel requirement shall be for the Phase I out brief. The meetings shall take less than four hours and at least the Principal Investigator is required to attend both meetings. Notwithstanding the requirement for the Principal Investigator to attend both meetings, any other individual needed to discuss all aspects of the firm's approach to address the SBIR topic shall also attend the meetings.

PHASE II: The contractor shall provide a complete prototype system that meets the approved requirements. The contractor shall demonstrate a prototype system that includes firmware/software development, circuit, displays, user interfaces, and packaging design. The UW and RF subassemblies should be able to be evaluated by operational divers, integrated and testable prototypes able to be evaluated in laboratory and open water/on shore environments. The system should be able to demonstrate the ability to transition from an underwater to on shore environment and back.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The contractor shall provide a production-ready field-able system that meets the approved requirements and incorporates identified Phase II changes. The ability to track and communicate with multiple operators, or vehicles, on land and underwater has a variety of potential applications. Remotely Operated Vehicle, commercial diving, and underwater construction applications could easily be adapted from this core technology.

REFERENCES: None.

KEYWORDS: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, ACOUSTICS, UNDERWATER COMMUNICATIONS

SOCOM08-002 TITLE: Deep Submergence Rated Flexible Hoses and Piping System Connectors

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NSW Maritime Systems

OBJECTIVE: Develop flex hoses for hydraulic and other piping system interfaces that can withstand high pressure environments, hydrodynamic, and other forces unique to deep submergence system operating environments.

DESCRIPTION: There are many commercially available flexible hoses for use in non-rigid coupling of hydraulic, air and other piping systems. However, these systems are currently not designed for operating under extreme hydrostatic and dynamic pressures. Due to varying configurations and tolerances on different host platforms, rigid piping systems and connectors create difficulties when installing or moving Deep Submergence Systems from one host ship to another. While providing flexible connections would significantly reduce this complexity and facilitate easier installation on additional platforms, further development and safety testing of this technology is needed to ensure system integrity and performance in the extreme operating environment of Deep Submergence Systems. Advanced materials and structural design efforts are needed to provide flexible connectors that can be easily inserted into existing air and hydraulic piping systems, but can withstand wide ranges of pressures without bursting or collapsing. Corrosion resistant and galvanically compatible materials are also critically important. Additionally, the materials selected may be used in diver’s air piping systems, so selection of advanced materials that do not off-gas toxic materials under pressure is of critical concern. These flexible hoses will need to range between one foot to ten feet in length, and from 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter (inner). The hoses will either contain hydraulic fluid or diver quality air. The hose internal pressure can vary from 1 atmosphere up to 4,500 PSI. The hoses must be able to withstand pressure differentials (internal to external) of up to 6,500 PSI (threshold) and 7,000 PSI (objective). The external pressure varies, but the hoses must withstand pressure differentials (external to internal) of 1,000 PSI (threshold) and 1,100 PSI (objective). The hose ends shall be standard nine inch bolted flange connections with a single O-Ring (details and drawings are available by written request sent via email to Robert.Preisser@navy.mil, or mailed to Robert Preisser, PMS399A41, 614 Sicard Street, S.E., Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376). For further ease of installation, the hose flange connections should rotate freely relative to the hose body.

PHASE I: Conduct feasibility study. Design flexible hose/piping system(s) with sufficient strength and toughness to meet the threshold and objective pressure differentials listed above, while retaining flexibility, that would be able to fully function as part of the overall hydraulic and air systems within the Scope of Certification boundary for Deep Submergence Systems. Requirements for piping within this boundary are governed by NAVSEAINST SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290, System Certification Procedures and Criteria Manual for Deep Submergence Systems. (Prospective bidders may request a copy of this document with a written request sent via email to Robert.Preisser@navy.mil, or mailed to Robert Preisser, PMS399A41, 614 Sicard Street, S.E., Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376.) Down select potential designs based on factors including strength, toughness, weight, reliability, allowed range of motion, and inherent safety of the connector itself under extreme pressures. Develop prototype piping segments incorporating best features and/or components of advanced materials to allow system installation within existing piping systems while continuing to meet all shock, Scope of Certification, and other Navy-unique requirements (A listing of the specific technical requirements is also available upon request to the address above). Build prototype/mock-up of new system, and conduct proof-of-concept testing in a laboratory environment.

Vendors shall submit a business plan for the commercialization of the technology developed under this topic. The Small Business Administration's web site www.sba.gov provides guidance, examples, and contact information for assistance.

PHASE II: Conduct further development of prototype. Demonstrate shipboard installation using flexible connectors between a deep submergence vehicle/asset and a host platform’s piping systems, and perform suitability, performance and reliability analysis of the prototype system. Perform all testing required to ensure modified system continues to meet shock, vibration, and Scope of Certification requirements for unrestricted Navy Deep Submergence System operations. Develop installation drawings, required Objective Quality Evidence, (as defined in NAVSEAINST SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290 under Material Control Divisions) and commercialization, and transition plans for full-scale shipboard implementation.

PHASE III: Conduct refinement of the prototype to support operational test and evaluation. Develop technical and user manuals, end-user training programs, logistics/ repair support plans, and troubleshooting and repair guides. Conduct initial end-user training and operator certification. Field validated system.

PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The developed hoses and connectors would be applicable to other commercial submersibles, hyperbaric chambers, or possibly in space applications. Other applications include industrial environments under high pressure, such as certain types of manufacturing plants as well as undersea or underground drilling applications.

KEYWORDS: Ground and Sea Vehicles, Submarines

SOCOM08-003 TITLE: Embedded Stress/Strain Sensors for Deep Submergence System Fairing Panels

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NSW Maritime Systems

OBJECTIVE: Develop process for embedding stress/strain sensors in composite, fiberglass, and metal surfaces exposed to the stress of wave slap, hydrodynamic, and other loads to track cumulative stresses and provide real-time inspection to warn the operator when the surface is getting close to fatigue or other failures.

DESCRIPTION: Swimmer delivery systems are mounted on the top of submarines, where they are subject to hydrodynamic flow and wave-slap irregular loads when at or near the surface. These result in unsteady, alternating, and impact loads that can cause damage to sensitive surfaces. Since the maximum magnitude of the forces is not well understood, a means of tracking cumulative stresses is needed to provide warning when the materials are close to failing. Currently, no commercially available stress/strain sensors exist that are integrally installed within the composite material itself. Several small stress sensors exist that can be attached to the surface of materials, but these may become damaged or lost during operations of these assets, and they are not typically rated for underwater operations at depth. The goal of this effort is to design stress/strain sensors that can be embedded within the composite, fiberglass and metal materials of swimmer delivery system components at risk of failure due to wave-slap and hydrodynamic loads, without compromising the structural strength of the composite. The effort shall also provide small, compact data logging equipment capable of providing a continuous cumulative record of the stresses experienced in various components, while meeting all Scope of Certification requirements of NAVSEAINST SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290 to be installed safely. (Prospective bidders may request a copy of this document with a written request sent via email to Robert.Preisser@navy.mil, or mailed to Robert Preisser, PMS399A41, 614 Sicard Street, S.E., Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376.) Finally, this effort will require advanced testing and modeling efforts to develop analysis algorithms and software to take the recorded data and provide a prediction of remaining service life of the panel. The stress/strain sensors shall be able to measure the stress imposed by pressures ranging from 0-70 PSI due to wave impacts on fairing panels. The panels will also be exposed to stresses due to hydrodynamic flows of up to 25 knots. The accuracy shall be within +/- 5% of the measured reading. The strain value will be material dependent; however, for design purposes, materials of interest primarily consist of fiberglass and carbon fiber composite materials. The data loggers shall have sufficient capacity to record one week’s worth of readings at 15 second intervals. Preferably, to save storage capacity, the data logger should have a built-in discriminator that will only record stress and strain values greater than a pre-determined threshold. The vendor shall establish those cut-off criteria based on their analysis of each material’s fatigue and failure properties. The analysis software shall include charts or graphs of historical data, cumulative stress and fatigue experienced to date, and remaining service life for each panel.

PHASE I: Conduct feasibility study. Down select potential designs based on factors including accuracy, weight, cost, range of stress/strain detection capability, and inherent safety of the sensor under high pressure/hydrodynamic flow. Develop proposed design for system to include embedded sensor and data logger design to allow system installation within existing fairing and structural systems, while continuing to meet all shock, Scope of Certification, and other Navy-unique requirements. Additionally, develop software capable of analyzing the stress data to determine cumulative effect of stresses experienced, and provide a warning to operators when failure of component is likely. If feasible, build a prototype or mock-up of new system, and conduct proof-of-concept testing in a laboratory environment.

PHASE II: Develop/Refine prototype designed in Phase I. Demonstrate potential for shipboard installation by using the embedded sensor system within one component, and perform suitability, performance and reliability analysis of the prototype system. Perform all testing required to ensure modified system continues to meet shock, vibration, and Scope of Certification requirements for unrestricted Navy Deep Submergence System operations. Develop installation drawings, required Objective Quality Evidence (as defined in NAVSEAINST SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290 under Material Control Divisions), and commercialization, and transition plans for full-scale shipboard implementation.

PHASE III: Further development as necessary and field system. Develop technical and user manuals, end-user training programs, logistics and repair support, and troubleshooting and repair guides. Conduct initial end-user training and operator certification.

PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: This technology can have benefit in all applications where composite materials are subjected to varying stresses of unknown frequency and magnitude. Commercial airline industry, commercial submarines, and possibly space applications would benefit from the ability to provide advanced warning of material failures.

KEYWORDS: stress; strain; embedded; sensors; fatigue; failure

SOCOM08-004 TITLE: Wireless Low Probability of Detection (LPD) Capability Onboard Surface Combatant Craft

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Combatant Craft Program Office

OBJECTIVE: Design and build a system for SOCOM combatant craft that enables a wireless LPD broadband capability. Design should complement or existing legacy communication systems as well as replace any current broadband "WiFi" systems.

DESCRIPTION: Advances in communications technology have shown significant progress in design and operation of high-speed, broadband radio frequency (RF) systems capable of operating at extremely low power levels over a significant spectral space. Such technology not only limits exposure to interference, but also avoids creating detectable levels of RF emissions. Along with the advantage of limited RF propagation, the same technologies lend themselves to high throughput. This capability could supplement existing communication systems onboard SOCOM combatant craft, and could potentially replace some legacy RF systems onboard the craft. To be effective, the RF systems should be capable of at least 5 Mbps throughput of secure voice, data, and video onboard the combatant craft. Additionally, the system must be designed to withstand the harsh environment of such craft, including shock, vibration, spray, and brief periods of immersion. The system must also interface with existing SOCOM combatant craft electronics and power.

PHASE I: Develop and demonstrate a prototype system design that includes fixed and mobile capability that supports data, voice, and video applications while maintain data integrity and transmission security. Submit testing data that quantifies the level of LPD achieved. Provide analysis that proves system can be scalable across the family of combatant craft. Vendors shall submit a business plan for the commercialization of the technology developed under this topic. The Small Business Administration's web site www.sba.gov provides guidance, examples, and contact information for assistance.

PHASE II: Demonstration of actual operating system onboard an existing combatant craft platform that supports multiple communications channels on the designated combatant craft and meets or exceeds the LPD standard defined in Phase I.

PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Provide pre-production systems that can be installed and survive onboard a government provided test platform. Systems shall be easily integrated onto multiple platforms. Technology will also have applications for homeland security and first responders dealing with sophisticated threats that require responders to communicate using secure LPD broadband communications.

REFERENCES: None.

KEYWORDS: LPD; Broadband; VOIP; streaming video

SOCOM08-005 TITLE: Lightweight, Compact Atmospheric Gas Sensor

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Sensors, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NSW Maritime Systems

OBJECTIVE: Develop lightweight and compact atmospheric and trace gas sensors that can be safely used within the Scope of Certification boundary to provide real-time monitoring of CO2, O2 and trace contaminant levels in manned compartments or within piping systems onboard submersibles.

DESCRIPTION: There are many commercially available small gas impurity sensors that work in confined spaces, currently being used in the mining industries to detect potential unsafe breathing atmospheres to ensure the survival of the mineworkers. U. S. Navy closed circuit breathing systems (MK 16, MK 25) also make use of gas sensors to regulate the partial pressure of O2 for breathing. However, these sensors do not typically work well in high humidity environments, or under wide ranges of pressure. Additionally, the sensors need to be resistant to inadvertent submersion in water, without requiring extensive time or effort to remove the water and recalibrate the sensors. Finally, current small-scale sensors do not provide true real-time monitoring, many requiring warm-up periods of 5-10 minutes before readings can be taken. This effort would require significant advances in miniaturized portable gas chromatography/analysis to monitor the enclosed and recirculated atmosphere in manned compartments on submersibles, and also within the air piping systems themselves. Sensors installed within these piping systems and any electrical penetrations must meet the Scope of Certification requirements of NAVSEAINST SS800-AG-MAN-010/P-9290 to be installed safely. (Prospective bidders may request a copy of this document with a written request sent via email to Robert.Preisser@navy.mil, or mailed to Robert Preisser, PMS399A41, 614 Sicard Street, S.E., Washington Navy Yard, DC 20376.)The data from the sensors must be processed by a portable analyzer that must be able to: measure and record levels of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide in the enclosed atmosphere, and trigger an alarm when the percentages or partial pressures of these gasses fall out of predetermined ranges; and measure and trigger an alarm when other atmospheric contaminants (e.g. Carbon Monoxide, formaldehyde, ozone, and other Hazardous Air Pollutants as defined in 40 CFR 63) that constitute a health risk to the embarked sailors are detected above preset thresholds (the Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) limits set by NIOSH). The analyzer shall automatically adjust all readings for pressurized compartments to the Surface Equivalent Value (SEV). As a design basis, assume the pressure in the compartment may vary between 1 to 6 atmospheres. For Oxygen readings, the analyzer shall be able to measure a range of 0 to 300,000 ppm SEV (0-30%), with an accuracy within +/- 5% of the measured reading. The low Oxygen alarm setpoint shall be set at 170,000 (17%) and the high alarm at 230,000 (23%). For Carbon Dioxide, the detector shall be able to measure a range of 0 to 25,000 ppm SEV (0-2.5%) at an accuracy of +/- 5% of the measured reading. A high Carbon Dioxide alarm shall be set at 20,000 ppm SEV (2.0%). The sensors must meet these accuracy requirements for all temperatures between 32 „aF and 105 „aF and all pressures between 1 and 6 atmospheres absolute.

For trace contaminants, at a minimum, the sensors and associated analyzer need to be able to detect and sound an alarm if the following limits are exceeded:

Compound Minimum Detection Threshold (ppm) Maximum Allowable Limit (ppm)

Carbon Dioxide 500 1000

Carbon Monoxide 2.0 10.0

Ammonia 1.0 4.0

Trichloroethane 0.5 2.5

Trichloroethylene 0.05 0.1

Benzene 0.01 0.1

Formaldehyde 0.03 0.1

Vinyl Chloride 0.1 1.0

Total Hydrocarbons 5 25

Total Halogenated Hydrocarbons 2 10

Note: These limits are based on one atmosphere absolute pressure in a compartment. The analyzer must automatically adjust these limits by dividing the above limit by the pressure (in atmospheres absolute) in the manned space being monitored. As a design basis, assume the pressure in the compartment may vary between 1 to 6 atmospheres.

PHASE I: Conduct feasibility study. Develop design for new miniaturized atmosphere sensors and portable analyzer able to be safely used to monitor enclosed atmospheres within the Scope of Certification boundary, and analyze potential designs based on factors including accuracy, ease of use, weight, reliability, range of gasses able to be detected/measured, and inherent safety of the device itself.

PHASE II: Develop prototypes incorporating best features of potential designs examined during Phase I. Build prototype of new system, and conduct proof-of-concept testing in a laboratory environment. Validate accuracy and sensitivity of prototype system at detecting known concentrations of atmospheric gasses and contaminants in simulated atmospheres. Conduct shipboard testing and suitability analysis of the prototype system, including shock, vibration, and Scope of Certification testing for Navy Deep Submergence System use. Validate accuracy and sensitivity of prototype system at detecting shipboard atmospheric gasses and contaminants. Develop commercialization, and transition plans for full-scale shipboard implementation.

PHASE III: Field final system. Develop technical and user manuals, end-user training programs, logistics/ repair support plans, and troubleshooting and repair guides. Conduct initial end-user training and operator certification.

PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The developed sensor would be applicable to other commercial enclosed atmosphere systems, such as submersibles, hyperbaric chambers, or space applications, as well as industrial settings for gas measurement or commercial contaminant or air quality warning systems.

KEYWORDS: sensor; carbon dioxide; atmospheric; analyzer; oxygen; airborne contaminants