A developer of acoustic wave based sensor systems for the measurement of humidity, chemical vapor and temperature in defense, aerospace, industrial and civil engineering applications, Applied Sensor Research & Development has announced the completion of two NASA Phase 1 projects as part of the Small Business Technology Transfer for Research (STTR) program.
The two NASA projects were a result of the collaborative efforts between the researchers at Philadelphia’s Temple University, the University of Maine and Applied Sensor.
In the first project, the researchers developed and demonstrated a chemical vapor measurement technology to detect hypergolic fuel leaks in real-time. Hypergolic fuels such as nitrogen tetroxide are used as rocket propellants and are hazardous. The chemical sensors can detect real-time monitoring for these chemicals, at levels low enough to enable alarm system operation. Such low-cost sensors with RFID capability would also be valuable in facilities that manufacture, store, transport or use the hypergolic compounds.
The second Phase 1 project led to the development of 100 identifiable sensor-tags for wirelessly measuring pressure and strain. The researchers tested and fabricated the battery-less sensor devices featuring RFID-like coding for their use with other sensors. The 100 surface acoustic wave RFID sensor-tags were developed for remote monitoring of other conventional sensors. The wireless interface devices can be used for aerospace and commercial applications including inventorying and tracking of industrial assets. The sensor-tags can significantly reduce the wiring infrastructure required for structure and vehicle monitoring systems
The President of Applied Sensor, Jackie Hines stated that the sensor-tags can facilitate distributed sensing wirelessly for several applications.