The Department of Defense, specifically the Navy, is seeking innovative solutions through the SBIR program for the development of a non-intrusive sensing system aimed at monitoring shipboard machinery and spaces. The objective is to create a comprehensive sensor suite capable of monitoring various metrics such as acceleration, vibration, thermal, and acoustic responses, while ensuring compatibility with existing Navy systems and compliance with NAVSEA Cybersecurity requirements. This initiative is crucial for enhancing the Navy's ability to conduct battle damage assessments and improve machinery health monitoring on legacy ships. Interested parties should note that the solicitation is set to open on August 27, 2025, with a closing date of September 24, 2025, and can find more information at the provided source link.

## Description

The current state of shipboard monitoring is that there is a lack of existing sensors on legacy ships or systems that have sensors and are not linked to a standardized and comprehensive closed loop feedback monitoring system.. Current commercial solutions are successful because they use new technology that is built into new systems. However, because the Navy’s systems will need to be retrofit and nonintrusive systems, current commercial systems do not sufficiently answer this problem. Additionally, the current state of shipboard monitoring systems is insufficient at capturing certain types of data, including high speed vibration. As a result, the Navy seeks to develop a combination of heterogeneous, nonintrusive sensing methods to better develop prognostic and diagnostic tools for shipboard machinery monitoring.&nbsp;The proposed system shall be capable of monitoring machinery systems, machinery subsystems, and full platform spaces through non-intrusive wired and/or wireless sensing. The proposed system shall be integrated either individually on Navy systems or as a dedicated package for space monitoring. Data flow from all sensors shall be stored, processed, and managed at a centralized node for continuous monitoring with automated data collection methods. The centralized node shall allow for data transfer and exfiltration through direct connection, removable media, and wireless transfer. Data transfer methods shall be standard and non-proprietary. The proposed system shall be capable of ingesting, processing, and analyzing the aggregated data to provide diagnostic and prognostic assessments of space characterization and machinery health. One potential application the Navy plans to potentially use this data for is battle damage assessment and repair to quickly identify and categorize issues in a monitored space.&nbsp;The proposed system shall be capable of operating in a minimally intrusive and/or non-invasive capacity with limited local power. The sensor suite shall target machinery/space health characterization through a combination of metrics including, but not limited to, acceleration, vibration, thermal, acoustic, ultrasonic, optical, pressure, power, and electrical responses. Collected data should be in standard, non-proprietary formats for accessible management and processing through third-party and Navy-owned data processing systems. The proposed system shall meet NAVSEA Cybersecurity requirements for data acquisition, storage, and transmission.&nbsp;The following should be addressed: (1) a sample shipboard machinery space should be selected as the monitoring target, (2) an itemized bill of materials for the necessary sensors, mounting, and electrical hardware needed to satisfy aforementioned solution requirements, (3) a breakdown of the data structure including sensor nomenclature/data ontology, flow, and handling protocols for transmission to the centralized node and beyond, and (4) a full system feasibility analysis and conceptual design proposal.

## Objective

Develop a non-intrusive comprehensive sensor suite that has the capability to monitor a machinery/shipboard space in its entirety, including machinery health monitoring for equipment within the space.

## Phase I

Develop a concept and demonstrate the feasibility of a proposed sensor suite for shipboard space/machinery health monitoring. This sensor suite shall ensure that all sourced hardware and software solutions are capable of performing within the operating conditions of the identified shipboard machinery space. The Phase I Option, if exercised, will include the initial design specifications and capabilities description to build a prototype solution in Phase II.

## Phase II

Following a detailed assessment of the conceptual design proposal, develop and deliver a prototype capable of demonstrating the system&rsquo;s capability for shipboard space/machinery health monitoring. This entails: (1) procuring the necessary hardware components as identified in the validated bill of materials, (2) instrumenting the target machinery space/equipment with hardware using the planned wired/wireless transmission modes to the centralized node, (3) collecting simulated &ldquo;healthy&rdquo; and &ldquo;anomalous&rdquo; data to detail handling procedure, and (4) sample continuous monitoring demonstration which includes detection and simultaneous notification/correction of anomalous machinery behavior. Detailed documentation of the relevant costs for procurement, software development, and labor shall be presented in a cost benefit analysis. The deliverables for Phase II include developing a plan to obtain a Navy Certification for shipboard installation, which shall justify a further investment for scaling the proposed solution for installation in a Navy-owned land-based or shipboard facility. A plan for Phase III installation, testing, and validation shall be developed.

## Phase III: Dual Use Applications

Construct a full-scale prototype for installation onboard a Navy ship and/or land-based test facility. This entails (1) adapting Phase II prototype to conform to target space and machinery, (2) installation of full-scale prototype in the identified space, and (3) conduct performance testing to verify and validate system operation. This system can be used for private sector or commercial activity that has a need to maintain health monitoring and assessments of products.

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