Maritime Sensing

The Maritime Sensing program conducts multidisciplinary science and technology, research and development of acoustic and non-acoustic sensors and transduction systems as a means to provide next-generation sensing technologies for the Navy’s tactical surveillance and undersea warfare missions.

These systems may be carried as on-board equipment for Navy surface ships, submarines, aircraft, and unmanned vehicles; they may also be deployed from those platforms as mobile, drifting, or fixed ocean surveillance systems operating under autonomous or remote control.

Project scopes may range from component-level research and development to system-level technology demonstrations.

Research Concentration Areas

• Autonomous sensors with in-sensor signal processing
• Computationally intelligent sensor systems
• Automated system employment and command-and-control decision aids
• System design and system performance assessment tools
• Deployable sensor components, technology, and concepts of operations
• Deployable transduction source components, technology, and concepts of operations
• Energy storage technology, especially high-power/high-energy density technology
• Environmental adaptation for acoustic sensors
• Environmental sensors in support of acoustic and non-acoustic systems
• High-power, high-efficiency, low-cost, low-weight/volume transduction materials or designs
• High-efficiency, high-performance, non-acoustic sensor technologies, components, and assemblies
• Innovative sensor and/or communication/telemetry systems
• Innovative sensor delivery and deployment concepts
• Acoustic and non-acoustic sensors and sources for tactical and surveillance applications
• Volume and weight efficient power components

Research Challenges and Opportunities

• Persistent undersea acoustic surveillance
• Transducer technology
• Sensor system adaptation and control
• Acoustic and electromagnetic vector sensors
• Novel optical sensors
• Object and environmental sensing
• Non-acoustic mine and undersea warfare
• Deployable autonomous distributed systems and infrastructure
• Stand-off sensors
• Communication technologies and methodologies

Type of Funding Available

• Basic Research
• Applied Research
• Advanced Technology Development
• Advanced Component Development and Prototypes