A

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 merica from its founding has provided a climate for its

citizens to seek out innovative solutions to technical problems

and directly enjoy the rewards these bring in the marketplace.

While there are few bars on innovation, transitioning good ideas

to marketplace success is very much more elusive and uncertain.

The Armys Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Program, since its inception in 1982, has focused on solving this

transition problem, i.e. the rapid and successful progression of

innovative ideas through to the commercialization phase (in

SBIR parlance: Phase III).

The SBIR Program is also a major part of the Armys overall

Science and Technology program. Through SBIR, small

business innovators solve the Armys problems today and thus

alleviate many of Americas concerns tomorrow. Congress has

steadily supported the Army in this by continuing to strengthen

and expand the SBIR Programs dual-use and technology

transfer opportunities.

We are proud to present to you a sampling of Army SBIR Phase

III Success Stories for Fiscal Year 1996. These stories

demonstrate the viability of the Army SBIR Program and

illustrate the valuable return on the Armys investment in the

small business community. Ever mindful of Americas great

contributions to science and technology, we also provide you a

glimpse of some of the most famous innovators from Americas

past. It is our hope that the Army SBIR Program captures and

furthers the spirit which drove these remarkable pioneers.

Settling America. First permanent

settlement in St. Louis, MO.
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The History

of SBIR...

The United States Congress initiated the

SBIR Program in 1982 to increase small

business involvement in federal research

and development (R&D). Recent SBIR

legislation extended the program to the

year 2000, emphasizing four objectives:

Stimulate technology innovation,

Increase small business participation in

federal R&D,

Increase private sector commercialization

of technological advances developed

through federal R&D, and

Increase participation by woman-owned

and by socially and economically

disadvantaged small businesses.

Declaring

Independence.

Congress signs

the Declaration

of Independence.

Archive Photos
Phase IFeasibility Study

Phase I contracts are awarded to small businesses

to study the feasibility of innovative concepts.

The SBIR Program is competitiveapproximately

one in ten proposals is funded. Phase I awards are

generally limited to six-month, $100,000 efforts.

Phase IIDevelopment

Successful Phase I efforts may result in Phase II

contracts for research, development, and

prototype production. Phase II awards are for up

to two years, with a funding ceiling of $750,000.

Phase IIICommercialization

Phase III culminates all SBIR initiatives. In Phase

III, a product, process, or service developed in Phase

II is marketed outside the SBIR Program. Small

firms achieve Phase III success by private sector

commercialization or through non-SBIR

government follow-on contracts.

Successful SBIR research efforts move through three phases:

Improving Inventors Rights. In 1790, the

first patent law was passed by the U.S. Congress.

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1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810

Navigating the Hudson.

Robert Fulton propels a boat

down the Hudson River by

steam power.

Alternative System Concepts, Inc.

U.S. Army Research Laboratory

Quality Computer Chips

Computers use chips with millions of transistors.

Traditional probes cant be used for testing the chips

due to their dense features. ASC has solved this

problem using a new technology called boundary

scan. Boundary scan circuitry acts like a virtual

test probe.

Under the Army SBIR Program, ASC successfully

developed the VBITTM Boundary Scan Insertion tool

that meets the Armys microelectronics

manufacturing and testing needs for the 21st century.

Microcircuit engineers can use such tools to reduce

design time and cost.

With the support of the Army SBIR program

we were able to develop this technology into

a product.

Impacts

n OEM partnership with Mentor Graphics

n One patent pending

n Sales to date exceeding $300,000

n Commercially, ASCs VBITTM licenses have been

installed for over 75 design seats

Based on the VHSIC Hardware Description

Language (VHDL), a DoD standard, designs can be

cut-and-pasted from known good commercial offthe-shelf (COTS) parts, supporting component

reuse. VBITTM tools will allow reverse engineering

of circuit boards and subsystems with outdated

components.
Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc.

U.S. Army Research Office

Eliminating Biohazards

We brought a new product to the industrial

and municipal HazMat community and

satisfied Army training needs.

Some hazardous materials (HazMats) are so toxic

that a few drops on the skin can cause serious harm,

or even death. HazMat spill responders wear special

protective clothing to prevent contact with these

materials. To prevent accidental exposure during

suit removal, the suit must first be thoroughly

cleaned (decontaminated). Previously, soap,

water, and a brush were commonly used during such

decontamination procedures; however, it is easy to

miss spots with this method - a potentially fatal mistake.

TRI Austins Decon-CheckTM system combines

nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners and thickeners

with an ultraviolet disclosing agent which shows

areas on the suit which have been cleaned. This

system even works with notoriously hard-to-wet

materials such as TeflonTM.

The technology is available in the US and Canada.

Customers include Eli Lily, Monsanto, Union Camp,

McDonnell-Douglas, and the DoD Military Fire

Academy.

Impacts:

n First to provide immediate assessment of decon

effectiveness

n Users include over 35 industrial and municipal

HazMat teams

n 12 nationwide US distributors

n Generated $13,000 sales in first six months

Bridging Gaps.

The Erie Canal was

completed, linking

the Hudston River

and Lake Erie.

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AFR has developed a new compact, rugged FT-IR

spectrometer for the semiconductor industry which

could save millions of dollars annually in reduced

material waste. High-speed electronics for the

device were developed under an SSDC-managed,

BMDO-funded SBIR Phase II effort. Critical

interferometer hardware, and advanced analysis

methods and software used in the spectrometer were

developed with DOE and Air Force SBIR support,

respectively. The spectrometer is vibration-tolerant,

thermally stable, extremely sensitive, and, compared

with extant systems, provides a 50-fold improvement

in absolute accuracy in measuring film thickness of

epitaxial silicon (ES) wafers.

Based on this technology, two new products have

already been produced for the semiconductor

industry. The first is an in-line tool which has

demonstrated excellent speed and accuracy in

analyzing ES wafers without interfering with or

delaying the fabrication process. The second

product is an advanced in-line mapping tool.

Compared with commercially available tools, the

prototype unit has demonstrated significantly

improved accuracy in mapping thin ES layers used in

the fabrication of computer chips.

Reducing Computer Chip Waste

Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.

U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command

These improvements will help the

semiconductor industry grow to an expected

$331 billion per year by 2000.

Moving forward in physics. American

physicist John Henry constructs an early

version of the electromagnetic motor.

Impacts

n $830K for 13 units sold to date, $800K for

contract with Gas Research Institute

n 4 patents, 5 pending

n Customers include SEMATECH, TI, W. R.

Grace, Factory Mutual, ADE Corporation, and

Applied Materials, Inc.

CTK/Eastfoto
Delving into the Ocean.

American Naval Officer

Matthew F. Maury begins

research in oceanography.

At-Sea Search Operations

Daniel H. Wagner Associates

U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command

Its like finding a needle in a haystack. Only

the needle is in four pieces, 1000 feet down,

and the haystack covers 300 square miles.

As the recent tragic TWA800 incident shows,

underwater searches are among the most frustrating

and hazardous tasks known to man. Clues can lead

one in dozens of directions covering hundreds of

square miles of the ocean floor - where there are few

landmarks to work from. Wagner Associates

MELIAN II Search System offers a solution to this

difficult and hazardous problem. This

comprehensive software tool is specifically designed

to expedite at-sea search and recovery operations.

MELIAN II can be used to plan the search with

remarkable precision. During the actual at-sea

search, it can assist by steering the search craft along

specified turn diameters. It allows sonar,

magnetometer, and metal detector data to be

captured real-time, recorded and marked for easy

retrieval, and provides on-demand full color data

displays. Data analysis capabilities are also provided

to assist in deciphering contacts and constructing

recovery plans.

MELIAN II is a comprehensive software package

which was initially designed for sidescan or

magnetometer search/survey applications. It is

written in C and is currently supported for the

UNIX and X-windows computing environments.

Impacts

n Customers include nations such as Canada and

Bangladesh

n A search consulting contract with a foreign client

n Sales to date exceed $200,000

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Critical Patient Care

Microwave Medical Systems, Inc.

U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command

Improving Medical Treatments.

Alexander Wood uses hypodermic

syringe for subcutaneous injections.

MMS has employed microwave technology in its

ThermoStat 900TM system for in-line warming of

physiologic fluids. This is the first time that passive

microwave radiometry has been used for

noninvasive measurement and control of the

temperature of liquids in motion. The device

provides in-line warming of blood and IV fluids to

meet the needs of patients in operating and

emergency rooms. When changes to inlet

temperature or flow rate occur, the device responds

quickly by adjusting the power level. Unlike

conventional dry warmers which are inadequate at

high flow rates, ThermoStat 900TM operates

efficiently in these flow regimes.

Before ThermoStat 900TM, rapid infusion required

the use of a warm water bath (which has increased

risk of contamination), resulting in increased

pathlength and large priming fluid volume. In 1993,

FDA granted MMS permission to market this

system. Since then, MMS has continued developing

a family of products to address related market needs,

including portable devices for use onboard

emergency vehicles.

Impacts

n Sales to date exceed $1.25M

n Passive, noninvasive attributes allow for

additional features and improvements

n MMS earned the 1995 Massachusetts Small

Business Innovation Award for development of

ThermoStat 900TM

Maintaining a stable and normal body

temperature is cruicial to human survival,

especially during life saving procedures.
Opening the Lines of

Communication.

Alexander Graham Bell

invents the telephone.

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Smarter & Faster Decisions

SRS Technologies

U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command

Effective display concepts were also

conceived as a result of this SBIR project for

non-real-time Army display applications.

Impacts

n $700 K sales of Phase III technology to Army

n Army customers include Program Executive

Office for Missile Defense (Theater High Altitude

Area Defense and Ground-Based Radar Program)

n Patent pending on Scrollodex prototype

SRS has developed a software package to drive

advanced computer displays for use by military

and civilian decision-makers. Human-factors

engineering principles have been incorporated in

the system, for example, touch screens, colorcoded alerts, 3D visualization, and expert systemtype decision aids. The goal here is to produce

information display technology which maximize

the decision-makers performance, but avoids

information overload.

While SRS Phase III work has focused on Army

problems, there is spin-off potential for a broad

range of applications in private-sector and other

government computer display and decisionmaking venues.

One such idea has matured into a prototype

display, named Scrollodex (patent pending),

which is an alternative to standard scroll bar

displays for PCs.

Archive Photos
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Capturing the World on Film.

George Eastman manufactures

coated photographic paper.

Motion Analysis Made Easy

Integrated Sensors, Inc.

U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command

ISI has successfully combined hardware and software

to create the easy-to-use turnkey motion analysis

workstation ImageExpress. Detection, tracking, and

image display algorithms were developed and

incorporated into ImageExpress. ImageExpress may be

used to automatically digitize monochrome or color

images, and provides tools needed to analyze motions

depicted in a sequence of live or pre-recorded video

images at rates of up to 30 frames per second.

ImageExpress easy-to-understand icons and intuitive

graphical interface design make motion analysis easy.

Quick mouse-driven plotting of point and line

segment kinematics, fast playback of digitized and

recorded image sequences, and automatic markedobject tracking (up to 50 marked objects per frame)

features are provided. The current product is being

sold to the international automobile industry, to

high-speed process machine manufacturers, and to

the DoD for munitions separation testing.

Impacts

n ISI took this product from concept to first unit

production in 22 months

n Production started in 1994; sales reached $525K

n ISI secured a minimum guaranteed order of

$1.2M for 1995 and $2.24M for 1996; sales

expected to grow over the next three years

Critical detection, tracking, and image

display algorithms developed under an SBIR

contract helped make the product

immediately competitive in the marketplace.

Richard Pasley
Listening from Far Away.

R.A. Fressenden transmits

human speech via radio waves.

Teleconferencing

Delta Information Systems

U.S. Army Research Laboratory

Information can make the difference between

success and failure, excellence and

mediocrity. With telephones, computers, and

electronic data transfer systems, information

can be sent to others almost instantly worldwide.

Delta Information Systems has developed DESTEL,

a low-cost personal desktop video teleconferencing

system. DESTEL is IBM PC-compatible and allows

two or more conferees to see and hear each other

while collaborating on creating documents, spreadsheets, transferring files, and other tasks. Besides

greatly reducing the need to travel, DESTEL can be

used for one-on-one or group meetings, briefings,

help desk/diagnostic/trouble-shooting transactions,

and as an efficient means of accessing remotely

located experts. Since it takes advantage of the

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)

protocol, DESTEL replaces the telephone for

everyday communication needs.

All of DESTELs collaborative tools can be used

during a given live audio/video session. Video images

are displayed within a movable, scalable, and

resizable window on the PC screen. DESTEL also

lets users share programs running on their PCs with

other conferees. Users can also share an electronic

whiteboard in which flipcharts, images, or other

screens can be loaded. Users can write on the

whiteboard to annotate images displayed on the screen.

Impacts

n Recently awarded a three-year $15M Indefinite

Delivery-Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Army

n Over 20 systems delivered to date

n Orders for over 150 additional systems anticipated

Classie PIO Partners

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Prospective Computer Analysts

U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command

Flying Safely

Beginning Space Flight.

Robert H. Goddard begins

his rocketry experiments.

PCAs Expert System for Quality Assurance (ESQA)

is a state-of-art Microsoft Windows-based tool for

conducting quality assurance (QA) analyses of

automatic test system (ATS) software. ATS software

is used for testing electronics systems in the factory

and field. Prior to 1992, DoD had no such automated

QA tools for this purpose, yet invested some $35

billion in ATS inventory from 1980-1992, and an

estimated additional $18 billion in testing software.

ESQA not only reduces the time to analyze

test software tenfold, but has improved the

quality, safety, and reliability of our

electronics.

ESQA tests software against 23 metrics used to check

code functionality, accuracy, and completeness. A

quality assurance task once requiring many hours to

complete now can be done in just minutes. ESQA

automatically scans code, identifies existing structural

problems, ensures that the test software can detect

and isolate failed components, and ensures that

repaired electronics systems will operate reliably and

safely when re-installed.

ESQA has been used to analyze test software for

testing electronics in systems ranging from

automobiles to B-1B aircraft and Tomahawk cruise

missiles. Time and time again it has found latent

problems in test software which would probably never

have been found by manual approaches.

Impacts

n PCA plans to expand ESQAs domain to include

operational flight programs for commercial and

government aircraft

n Is in use at every continental US Navy and Air

Force Depot - has been applied to more than 15

DoD and commercial aircraft types

n Over $30M in contracts received from the

Services; more than $4M in commercial sales
Studying Human Behavior.

J.B. Watson presents new

studies in psychology focusing

on human actions, feedback

and rewards.

Automating Feedback

LB&M Associates, Inc.

U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command

The Army is using the After-Action Review (AAR)

process to gather feedback from unit training

exercises. During AAR sessions, trainers use video

displays and other AAR aids to help players establish

cause-effect relationships and sift out lessons

learned for the particular battle scenario treated in

the exercise. One key problem is organizing

information and producing AAR aids quickly after

the exercise concludes.

LB&M has developed the Automated Training

Analysis and Feedback System (ATAFS) to assist

AAR trainers with this laborious task. ATAFS

records AAR data as the exercise runs and provides

the trainer a completely editable AAR presentation

package immediately at the close of the exercise.

While the exercise is on, ATAFS allows the trainer

to observe events in near real-time as well as to

examine past events. Voice communications can be

played back synchronously with top-down views of

unit activities. ATAFS will also provide a takehome AAR videotape for the training unit.

Feedback promotes discussion and selfdiscovery that will identify performance

strengths and weaknesses.

Impacts

n DoD is currently beta-testing ATAFS at seven

locations

n Customers include the Army and the Army

National Guard

n Phase III funding has exceeded $1.2M Peter Vandermark

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Performing Under Pressure

Texas Microsystems, Inc.

U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command

The HardbodyTM handheld PC is a commercial

offspring of the Soldiers Computer. The

HardbodyTM fills a real market need for a rugged,

reliable, handheld PC suitable for all-weather day/

night field use. Though this is a pen-based

WindowsTM computer, any desktop WindowsTM

application will run on it without having to be penaware or pen-enabled.

At only 3 lbs 2 oz, the HardbodyTM sports the

features of a full-blown desktop PC, including Intel

486DX processor running at 75Mhz, 8 to 32 MB of

RAM, 260 MB hard drive, 2 PC card slots, and a full

complement of serial, parallel, VGA, and keyboard

ports. It can run up to 8 hours on rechargeable

NiMH batteries.

Typical commercial field applications so far include

aircraft flight-line maintenance, engine test support,

mobile factory automation, on-site building

inspections, and utility resource inventory support.

A government contractor is being asked to deliver

HardbodyTM PCs to support our troops in Bosnia in

charting minefield locations and managing convoys.

Understanding Pressure.

P.W. Bridgman conducts

research on materials at

pressures up to 100,000

atmospheres.

The drop-it, bang-it, view-it-in-the-sun,

use-it-in-the-rain, and toss-it-around

handheld PC.

Impacts

n 167 units sold as of December 1995; $650K in sales

n 500 more units delivered during first quarter of

1996; $2.9M in sales
Defusing the Timebomb

Creating the Bomb.

First Atomic bomb

detonated near

Alamogordo, N.M.

Intelligent Microsystems, Inc. (Scandura)

U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command

While not having the potential physical destructive

power of chemical or nuclear bombs, software

timebombs are everywhere inexorably ticking away,

ready to explode at 12:00:00 PM, December 31,

1999, at which point the year digits will flip from

1999 to 2000. The problem is by no means trivial -

it is estimated that up to 30% of the governments

computers are unprepared for this timebomb, and

preparations could cost as much as $30 billion.

Within the DoD, this Year 2000 problem is being

handled as if it were a deadly computer virus.

IMS-Scandura is tackling this software challenge

and many more with its highly customizable Flexsys

system. Flexsys contains code re-engineering,

conversion, and integration capabilities to solve a

wide variety of software problems - including the

Year 2000 problem. Other recent SBIR-supported

research dealt with process improvement in

modernizing large Army software systems.

You cant overestimate the advantages of

easy to maintain software which is designed

correctly the first time, minimizing the need

for testing and re-design.

Impacts

n 600,000 to 1,000,000-line code conversion

projects routinely completed on time and within

budget

n Patent received for FLOWform display process

n Patent pending on provably correct software

design guaranteed to meet specifications

American Stock

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Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.

Dr. Peter Solomon, President

87 Church Street

East Hartford, CT 06108

Phone: (203) 528-9806 ext. 103

FAX: (203) 289-7975

E-Mail: prs@afr-olt.com

Alternative System Concepts, Inc.

Mr. Jake Karrfalt, President

22 Haverhill Rd., P.O. Box 128

Windham, NH 03087

Phone: (603) 437-2234

FAX: (603) 437-2722

E-Mail: info@ascinc.com

Daniel H. Wagner Associates

Joseph Discenza, Vice President

2 Eaton Street

Suite 500

Hampton, VA 23669

Phone: (757) 727-7700

FAX: (757) 722-0249

E-Mail: joe@dhwa.com

Delta Information Systems

Mr. Charles Ziegler, Program Manager

300 Welsh Road, Bldg. 3

Suite 120

Horsham, PA 19044-2273

Phone: (215) 657-5270

FAX: (215) 657-5273

E-Mail: cziegler@delta-info.com

Integrated Sensors, Inc.

Mr. Michael Krumme

502 Court Street, Suite 210

Utica, NY 13502

Phone: (315) 798-1377

FAX: (315) 798-8950

E-Mail: krumme@sensors.com

Intelligent Microsystems, Inc.

(Scandura)

Dr. Alice Scandura, Director of Marketing

1249 Greentree

Narberth, PA 19072

Phone: (610) 664-1207

FAX: (610) 664-7276

E-Mail: scandura@scandura.com

Home page: http://www.scandura.com

These two pages contain a listing of the companies

highlighted within this brochure. If you would like more

information, please feel free to contact them directly...

Legend
LB&M Associates, Inc.

Mr. Bill Brown, Project Manager

211 SW A Avenue

Lawton, OK 73501-4051

Phone: (405) 355-1471

FAX: (405) 357-9360

E-Mail: brownb@lbm.com

Microwave Medical Systems, Inc.

Kenneth Carr, President

310-312 School Street

Acton, MA 01720

Phone: (508) 266-9900

FAX: (508) 266-1216

E-Mail: fac@tiac.net

Prospective Computer Analysts

Ed Wenger, President

400 Garden City Plaza

Suite 301

Garden City, NY 11530-3336

Phone: (516) 742-9100

FAX: (516) 742-0600

E-Mail: edwenger@aol.com

 74111.3146@compuserve.com

SRS Technologies

Mr. Joe Thurman, Vice President, System Engineering

& Technology Directorate

500 Discovery Drive, N.W.

Huntsville, AL 35806

Phone: (205) 971-7000

FAX: (205) 971-7067

E-Mail: stgset2@aol.com

Texas Microsystems, Inc.

Julian Hernandez, Regional Manager

43000 Nine Mile Road

Novi, MO 48375

Phone: (810)344-8675

FAX: (810)344-9565

E-Mail: julianh@texmicro.com

Texas Research Institute Austin, Inc.

Michael Dingus, Senior Scientist

9063 Bee Caves Road

Austin, TX 78733-6201

Phone: (512) 263-2101

FAX: (512) 263-3530

E-Mail: mdingus@texasresearchintl.com
Army SBIR Program Management Office

United States Army Research Office

ATTN: AMXRO-W, Room 8N31

5001 Eisenhower Avenue

Alexandria, Virginia 22333-0001

Phone: (703) 617-7425 FAX: (703) 617-8274

http://www.aro.ncren.net/arowash/rt/
1996

Creating

Tomorrows

History

Army SBIR Successes
America is a land of wonders, in

which everything is in constant

motion and every change seems an

improvement. The idea of novelty is

there indissolubly connected with the

idea of amelioration. No natural

boundary seems to be set to the efforts

of man; and in his eyes what is not

yet done is only what he has not yet

attempted to do.

Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835