KCF Technologies was granted Phase II of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program on April 22, 2011 to draw waste electromagnetic energy on nuclear-powered fast attack submarines of the U.S. Navy and harvest the energy to carry out other critical functions on these modern ships. The contract was signed for $749,907.92 with an alternative of $249,932.81.
Energy-harvesting powered sophisticated wireless sensors minimize system costs as they do not have batteries and wiring, and making system replacement and maintenance decisions rooted on incessant assessment of their status as they function, instead of arbitrary maintenance timetables. A magnetic field energy harvesting technology, when implemented successfully, sets the base for an extensive range of energy-harvesting applications such as power line sag sensors, electricity usage monitoring sensors and temperature sensors.
Immediate applications will enlarge placement of wireless sensors on Navy submarine and shipboard systems for advanced detection, manpower reduction and health monitoring.
KCF Technologies’ two-year plan will end with a demonstration of energy harvester-powered wireless sensors in simulated real world conditions. The company’s six-month Phase II choice includes research and development required to change prime prototype technology to working devices fit for operation and enable production on US submarines. This Phase II SBIR contract is one of four new contracts gained by KCF Technologies in recent months.
Source: http://www.kcftech.com/