SBIR-STTR Award

This Phase 1 SBIR will design, develop, and test a software defined acoustic communications system with an open-source hardware platform, software architecture, and integrated development environment enabling end-users to operate in any subsea operational environment. This will be accomplished through 1) development of electromechanical and computing platforms and transducers that span from below 10Hz to over 10MHz at the required sound pressure levels 2) design, prototyping and testing small form-factor, smart, software-defined transducers with user-programmable beampatterns and transmit/receive sensitivity, and 3) prototyping and testing equalization/beamforming, open-source modulation/keying methods, and creation of an open-source software integrated development environment interface to the modem architecture.

This Phase II SBIR will design, develop, and test a software defined acoustic communications system with an open-source hardware platform, software architecture, and integrated development environment enabling end-users to operate in any subsea operational environment. This Phase II will mature this technology from proof of concept to a fully qualified acoustic modem product that meets or exceeds the specified size, weight, and power target and is compatible with any UUV with space and interface similar to the Government UUV as outlined in the provided interface control document. At the conclusion of the period of performance, acoustic modems will be available for testing on the Government UUV. Phase II in-water testing will convincingly demonstrate the robustness to environmental effects such as multipath propagation and its ability to perform in the littoral and deep ocean environments of interest. The specific technical objectives needed to accomplish these goals are as follows: 1) Modularize the transmitter electronics to enable plug-and-play compatibility of the modem hardware with the transducers needed to meet or exceed the stated frequency and minimum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) requirements, 2) Productize a small-form-factor, software-defined transducer combined with FPGA based real-time array processing enabling user-programmable beam patterns and transmit/receive sensitivities, 3) Integrate our transmit and receive electronics with a low-cost COTS single board computer with a high-level Linux operating system that is capable of running the SDAM software in real-time, 4) Complete the SDAM implementation to provide a full suite of modules for creating keying methods and protocols, and port the SDAM to the COTS single board computer, 5) Perform software and hardware integration of the SDAM into a UUV for testing and demonstration of the SDAM, and 6) Conduct field-tests with the SDAM throughout its development, and perform final field-testing and demonstration of the SDAM integrated UUV.