Hiawatha OnBoard Electronic Sensing

Safety and reliability of avionics equipment is crucial to the aviation industry, as failure of a single avionic component can lead to a catastrophic accident. This is especially true of unmanned vehicles in which a fault or failure can rapidly lead to an unsafe state. By implementing a system which can unobtrusively monitor the electronic health of the unmanned vehicle in real-time, routine aging leading to end of life failure or any transient high stress events which can affect the ongoing health and safety of the system can be identified and measures can be implemented to prevent system failure or unsafe conditions. Nokomis’ approach to identify functionality and health diagnostic data relies on identifying changes in unintended RF emissions and characterizing them using a hybrid of spectral quantification metrics and machine learning algorithms. Avionics electronics and other complex systems are comprised of multiple discrete components, each of which experiences failure due to aging in a different way. Unintended emission signatures for avionics contain features, which have a direct relationship to the health of individual components as well as the health of the entire system. The proposed application of a miniatured, ultra-sensitive RF sensor allows for automatically identifying the detected RF sources as a standalone capability within the sensor unit itself, thereby reducing communication link traffic necessary to processing power within the warfighter interface.

The primary application is intended for use in by unmanned vehicles to provide a safety system to identify any threats to vehicle performance and mission. The real-time threat analysis system will enhance vehicle safety without the need for an operator to either identify issues or initiate measures to compensate for unsafe operating states. There are multiple additional NASA programs which could benefit from the technology proposed herein. These include the Integrated Vehicle Health Management and Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.

Nokomis has identified a significant need in the commercial market for aircraft safety. Safety and system health is an important issue for vital electronics used in aerospace, the system proposed in this effort has the ability to meet the needs of a billion-dollar commercial market space. The market and application of unmanned aerial platforms for a wide variety of commercial applications.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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