Adaptable, Low Cost Sensors
Abstract
The objective of the Adaptable, Low Cost Sensor program is to leverage commercial technology and commercial manufacturing techniques to improve the development time and significantly reduce the cost of sensors and sensor systems. Military sensors are currently developed as unique designs that fully integrate mission specific hardware required for sensing, with all of the other non-mission specific capabilities, including supporting sensors (GPS), processing, memory storage and communications into a single device. Not only does this approach significantly increase the cost of the device, it makes changing requirements and the upgrading of any specific component extremely difficult. Commercial processes, such as those used in the smart phone industry, create reference designs for common system functions and features to accelerate system development time, and make it easier to change requirements and upgrade capability. Adopting commercial processes makes it possible to create a mission-independent, designed-to-cost "commercial smart core" that can be combined with an appliqué of mission-specific hardware to provide the overall sensor system. The core can be upgraded independently of any particular sensor; sensors can make use of the advances and decreasing cost that is inherent in commercial technology. Commercial technology can be used in the core and commercial development and manufacturing techniques can also be leveraged to further improve the cost and development time of sensor systems. In addition, this program will enable effective distributed sensor systems that were previously infeasible due to high cost of individual sensors. The Smart Munitions effort will use ADAPT's sensing, processing, communications, and location capabilities to provide positive identification and man-in-the-loop control of distributed unattended ground sensor systems. The Smart Munitions effort will develop a reference design used to demonstrate capability and develop tactics for unattended sensors. This program will transition to the Services.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 4ac7d12742b22d734dc7ddf33acdd131
Related Documents
- Root: SENSOR TECHNOLOGY