Erallo Awarded SBIR Phase II to Develop a Smart
Sensor Monitoring System for Bridges
LITTLETON, MA., February
22, 2012 - Erallo Technologies, Inc. (Erallo) announces
the award of a $730,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) contract from the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army
Contracting Command and Bridge Engineering Team (RDECOM-TARDEC)
to develop a smart sensor monitoring system for the Army’s
Line of Communications Bridges. The goal of this research is to
develop an integrated structural-health monitoring system to identify
and quantify structural damage, like micro-cracks, as well as
determine the “remaining life” for safe crossings over
the bridge. In the future, this technology could also be used
on temporary bridges in place across the US.
The purpose of this bridge monitoring system
is to prevent warfighters from prolonged exposure to hostile attacks
during in-depth and time consuming visual Army bridge inspections
– and to ensure the safe crossing of Army vehicles, especially
heavy equipment, like the M1 Abrams tank. The objective of the
system is to identify structural damage normally missed by visual
inspection and to record the volume and weight of traffic passing
over the bridge. The system will use real-time data captured from
ruggedized strain gauge sensors and embedded, on-board computers
to process the data. Mathematical models and algorithms to identify
the signature of micro-cracks and extrapolate a bridge’s
“remaining life” are under development. The aim is to
develop a sensor system that can operate as a low-cost, low-power,
and low-maintenance bridge monitoring system.
The system is being developed by Erallo Technologies,
which specializes in wireless sensor network for critical remote
monitoring needs; and the Constructed Facilities Center at West
Virginia University (CFC-WVU), known for their research and expertise
in bridges, damage detection systems, and structural evaluation
algorithms.
Raj Zambre, CEO/CTO of Erallo Technologies,
commented: “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to
further the research and development of this smart sensor monitoring
system. Our ambition is that the system will provide an accurate
and inexpensive way to determine the condition of bridges.”
Dr. Hota GangaRao, Professor and Director of WVU-CFC, commented
further: “Visual inspections are time consuming, subjective,
expose soldiers in hostile environments – and can’t
achieve a reliable determination of early crack detection at a
mili-level, much less evaluate an entire bridge system for the
remaining number of safe crossings. With the number of US Army
controlled bridges in place, a reliable, remote monitoring system
could help safeguard the lives of our warfighters.”
About Erallo Technologies,
Inc.
Erallo Technologies is an 8(a) certified small business specializing
in wireless sensor networks for critical monitoring needs. Their
solutions provide unique sensor-based processing and automated
remote monitoring capabilities for real-time detection, surveillance,
and reporting to meet the demands for defense and industry applications.
* Disclaimer: Reference herein to any specific
commercial company, product, process or service by trade name,
trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute
or imply its endorsement recommendation or favoring by the United
States Government or the Department of the Army (DoA). The opinions
of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect
those of the United States government or the DoA, and shall not
be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
