| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | April 4, 2024 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | April 4, 2024 |
| Award Number: | 2341560 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Samir M. Iqbal
smiqbal@nsf.gov (703)292-7529 TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | April 15, 2024 |
| End Date: | March 31, 2026 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $275,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $275,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
18842 MONTALVO OAKS CIR LOS GATOS CA US 95030-3091 (202)664-4895 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1041 RELLIS Parkway Bryan TX US 77807-3476 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | STTR Phase I |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The broader impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is in developing innovative technologies that have the potential to improve indoor occupancy sensing devices significantly. It will enable new features and approaches in applications like occupancy-centered lighting, temperature control systems, surveillance, etc. To address challenges associated with standard passive infrared (PIR) sensors, the company has developed ActiveLens, a lens technology with advanced features overcoming issues related to mechanical shutters. ActiveLens sensors use artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and processing to achieve improved detection capabilities. This project will expose fresh graduating students, particularly women, first-generation college students, and other underrepresented minorities, to valuable skills in areas like semiconductor chip design, data processing, and quality control. This project fosters collaboration between researchers, business leaders, and other organizations. The team has already refined prototypes and is now discussing with commercial users to develop customized solutions.
This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will support research activities for PIRvision Lens LLC to bring the proprietary solid-state ActiveLens technology to the market by overcoming technical challenges in optimizing infrared energy transmittance, differentiating human signals from other warm objects, and modularizing AI algorithms to enable minimum viable product development. Today, buildings are equipped with PIR sensors for occupancy detection, owing to their low cost, low energy consumption, wide field of view, and high reliability. Despite these advantages, PIR sensors only detect motion, not stationary occupancy. This long-standing limitation has hindered applications that demand high-accuracy occupancy detection. If successful, the proposed semiconductor modulator will enable novel capabilities for standard PIR sensors, including stationary occupancy detection, human infrared signal differentiation, occupancy counting, activity identification, and classification - representing the first true technological innovation in PIR sensing in over 40 years. It is a disruptive, innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solution that can be combined with any standard PIR component sensor to identify underutilized spaces and minimize operating costs.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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