Summary

Description

During our Phase I STTR effort, Balcones Technologies, LLC and The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics (CEM) successfully achieved all Phase I objectives and developed a concept design for an active Vibration Isolation System (VIS) that fully meets all requirements defined or implied in STTR 2007-1 Subtopic T6.02. Now the Balcones Technologies - CEM team proposes to develop, test, and deliver a prototype version of our active VIS. Furthermore, the delivered prototype system, coupled with our proposed Phase II commercialization activities, will be substantially advanced from a proof-of-principle system and will embody the critical aspects of pre-production systems, ready to quickly transition to the NASA qualification process and finished product. Our Phase I effort yielded a high performance, cost effective, highly reliable, actively controlled Vibration Isolation System (VIS) for ground support electronics racks or groups of racks on the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP). Some features are listed below. ? does not rely on predictable vibration input ? applies across broad range of ground support electronics or other sensitive systems ? does not depend on detailed knowledge or testing of the components being protected ? is compatible with operation from a self-contained power supply if desired by NASA ? offers up to 18x reduction in payload peak accelerations compared to passive approaches and up to 5x reduction compared to semi-active approaches ? can be configured to isolate electronics racks individually, in small groups, or via an isolation system for an entire floor ? is modular in both hardware and software, exploiting COTS and previously developed CEM technology to facilitate rapid development and commercialization ? exploits approximately $24M of highly successful active suspension R&D at CEM for military vehicles for the controls, architecture, and actuator development technology.