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DOT SBIR DTRT57-15-R-SBIR1
NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which will take you directly to the appropriate agency server where you can read the official version of this solicitation and download the appropriate forms and rules.
The official link for this solicitation is: http://www.volpe.dot.gov/work-with-us/small-business-innovation-research
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Available Funding Topics
- 15.1-FH1: Driver Engagement/Status Monitoring Technologies for Vehicle Automation Applications
- 15.1-FH2: Community College - Technical School Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Curricula
- 15.1-FH3: Roadway Hazard Alert System for Motorcycles
- 15.1-FH4: From Vehicle Performance to Transportation System Performance - Systems Impacts of Automated Vehicles
- 15.1-FR1: Wireless Compatible Digital Train Line (WiDTL) for Passenger Type Vehicles in a Train Consist
- 15.1-FR2: Active Personal Safety System for Train Yard and Road Crewworkers
- 15.1-FR3: Next Generation Freight Truck for Autorack Cars
- 15.1-FR4: Smart Phone Application for Onboard Railroad Passenger Information System
- 15.1-FR5: Browser-Based Application for Locomotive Inspection Data Collection
- 15.1-FR6: Locomotive Flashing Light for Trespassers and Pedestrian Warning
- 15.1-FR7: Long Range ROW Detection and Warning System
- 15.1-FR8: Passive Rail Temperature Control Technology
- 15.1-FR9: Portable Rail Suspension Displacement
- 15.1-FT1: Innovative Transit Technology Devices, Applications, or Solutions Focused on Safety, Mobility, or Energy and Sustainability
- 15.1-NH1: Improving the Ventilation of Motorcycle Helmets
Monitoring rail car suspension deflection is important for a number of reasons including model
validation, qualification testing, and to ensure that suspension systems are maintained in fit for service
condition and operate as intended. It can be accomplished using one of many different sensors
technologies from which to choose including linear potentiometers, non-contact sensors, and LVDT
position sensors. Historically, installation and use of such instrumentation was expensive and
cumbersome. Advances in electronics and data acquisition systems have made such instrumentation
cheaper, portable, and easier to use. The FRA seeks to develop a portable system for monitoring
deflection of rail car suspensions. It is highly desirable that the system is designed using wireless
technology and such that it can be integrated into existing portable systems currently being used for
monitoring suspension performance (in particular accelerometer based ride quality systems).
Wearing a motorcycle helmet that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 2181, “Motorcycle helmets,” is one of the most effective measures available to a rider to reduce the risk of a fatality or serious brain injury in the event of a crash. Nonetheless, many riders choose not to wear a helmet for a variety of reasons, one of them being that they find wearing a helmet to be uncomfortable. Helmets may be especially uncomfortable when worn in warm weather. Manufacturing helmets with ventilation systems that improve comfort and also meet safety standards is challenging. For example, helmets that have ventilation holes may not withstand the “penetration test” required by FMVSS No. 218. There are ventilation systems, however, that do not rely on holes in the outer shell.
