Information Systems Laboratories (ISL) has been awarded a Phase 2 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop and test electric field (E-field) sensors and signal processing algorithms for the purpose of reducing the risk of collision when a submarine is proceeding to periscope depth. ISL has shown that E-field signals are visible in acoustically blind zones, such as littoral, high traffic ambient noise, and multiple thermal layer environments, and would help prevent collisions.

Under this contract, ISL will install a set of hydrodynamic E-field sensors (HES) on a submarine and conduct testing and data collection to validate the performance characteristics of these sensors in an at sea environment. The data collected during these tests will be analyzed to develop signal-processing algorithms to cancel the effects of noise and improve signal-processing techniques to detect and track potential collision threats.

The period of performance for the ECAS contracts is four years with a total value, including options, of more than $1M.