SBIR-STTR Award

United Mesh Solutions proposes developing an interactive wireless sensor mesh prototype to enable Navy to better track, monitor and report the identity, location, and health/condition of critical/high interest items. These same attributes have significant value to the commercial logistics industry. The prototype will feature a mist microchip tag with advanced software, extended memory, encryption, E-ink display, and low-energy Bluetooth capability. We will suggest use cases and develop a bench-top demonstration to show what the tags can display, how they can support Navy logisticians and forward-deployed personnel; and how they can feed data to NAVSUPs Naval Autonomous Data Collection System. This project provides an ideal opportunity to demonstrate in Phase II how Navy can achieve a hands-free, enterprise-wide, and autonomous system, providing timely secure asset visibility ensuring dynamic data availability and earlier response actions. Use cases could include F-35 or submarine components, and medical or expeditionary force assets. Our prototype offers remote programming, continuous hands-off reporting; sensors for event reporting; extended battery life; a bi-directional network protocol allowing autonomous operation; FIPS-140 security; HERO approved; and self-healing/reconfiguration capability. Use cases will validate whether mist can improve workflow, save money, reduce risk, and enhance logistics response to Naval and USMC forces worldwide.

Benefit:
Proposal cost is $150,000.00. Our proposed mist wireless sensor mesh research and development initiative can provide significant benefits to enable the Navy to accelerate the deployment of dynamic, hands-free logistics systems in a secure and reliable manner. This will allow managers to better track, monitor and report the identity, health, and status of high interest items. The result is lower operational and manpower costs, reduced risk, better management and utilization of limited assets, timelier and more accurate data, and enhanced support to the fleet, facilities and expeditionary forces. These attributes are of value to government and commercial entities who track assets and personnel. US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency and US Postal Service have expressed an interest in using mist to enhance their workflow processes as have commercial entities such as the cruise lines for tracking crew and passengers for safety, health and security purposes; and ranchers for tracking the health and location of cattle. With more commercial and government users, and as Moore's Law leads to further chip technology advancements and lower costs, more uses will surface, such as integration with supply chain ordering systems, maintenance scheduling systems, medical and emergency response efforts.

Keywords:
Wireless Sensor Mesh, Wireless Sensor Mesh, E-ink display, FIPS-140 security, low-energy Bluetooth, Naval Autonomous Data Collection System (NADACS), asset tracking, mist, extended memory

United Mesh Solutions proposes in Phase II to build on the mist technology researched and developed during Phase I by demonstrating how its interactive wireless sensor mesh prototype can enable Navy to better track, monitor and report the identity, location, and health/condition of critical/high interest items and personnel. These same attributes have significant value for commercial industry applications. The demonstration will be conducted at the Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station Oceana to test the mist microchip tag with the e-ink display and low-energy Bluetooth capability that was researched, developed and featured during the Phase I benchtop demonstration. We will acquire and apply the mist devices to key assets and emergency response personnel to track their location and status in three use case scenarios selected by the Navy Program manager and functional stakeholders. The demonstration will show how the mesh can support Navy logisticians and safety personnel; and how they can feed data to NAVSUPs Naval Autonomous Data Collection System. This project provides an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how Navy can achieve a hands-free, enterprise-wide, and autonomous system, providing timely secure asset visibility ensuring dynamic data availability and earlier response actions. Use cases will include Navy (1) yellow gear, (2) small boats and (3) emergency response personnel as determined by the Navy program manager and functional stakeholders using a three-phase approach. Our prototype will offer remote programming, continuous hands-off reporting; sensors for event reporting; extended battery life; a bi-directional network protocol allowing autonomous operation; FIPS-140 security; HERO approved; and self-healing/reconfiguration capability. The use case demonstrations will validate whether mist can improve workflow, save money, reduce risk, and enhance logistics and emergency response in support of Naval operations worldwide.

Benefit:
Our mesh provides Navy leaders, managers, logisticians, and safety and security personnel real time visibility for managing and monitoring the location, condition and status of critical assets and personnel without the need for extensive human resources or handheld infrastructure. The real time mesh data provides timely, actionable information necessary for managers to take immediate steps to better manage assets and personnel and take immediate steps in the event of an incident. Specific to Naval Station Norfolk and forklifts, which has hundreds of forklifts and replaces them periodically, mist mesh will allow for assessment of replacement requirements based on actual usage, avoiding significant asset replacement costs. Not replacing 25 forklifts at $150K each would save $3.75M. Other key benefits include allowing Navy to have visibility of assets its never had before and allow logisticians to better manage and react to evolving logistics situations worldwide. This is a major operational gap today and will allow Navy to better manage limited assets and the ability to take immediate steps to reallocate or redirect critical assets on short notice to meet fleet demands, reduce inventory and save defense dollars. For the first time, mist mesh will provide the Navy actionable real time visibility and condition of key assets not just where an asset was but where it currently is to allow logisticians and other managers to act quickly and decisively to evolving and changing logistics requirements. Commercial applications are unlimited and include logistics-related markets such as material handling equipment, end items, containers and pallets. However, market research shows there are many other commercial use cases such as warehouse and distribution operations, condition-based maintenance and safety and security applications. Initial customers are government, supply chain and distribution-related industries along with travel (cruise lines), agricultural (cattle tracking), manufacturing and automotive industries. The potential market size is significant given the types and sizes of industries in need of this evolving technology to solve many of their asset management and personnel tracking requirements.

Keywords:
Sensors, mist mesh, NADACS, event reporting, asset monitoring, Emergency response, Small boats, yellow gear