Sentient Connectors for Enhanced, Integration, Test, and Mission Assurance

The MDA SBIR organization encourages exploiting of technologies to meet critical requirements. MSI, working with Deutsch, a leading connector manufacturer, has developed a new mil-spec electrical cabling connector with an integral electronics suite called the “Sentient Connector”, made with fiber composites. In a 2007 MDA SBIR MSI engineers developed and demonstrated a software application that runs in the Sentient Connector for configuration managed safety and integrity assurance of MDA missiles and support systems. We propose new research to exploit the features of the Sentient Connector to create a new cabling and harness connector that will survive in the tough Interceptor environment and provide revolutionary value added functions that reduce production and life cycle costs through support of configuration management, signal monitoring, test instrumentation, ambiguity reduction for troubleshooting, training, mission reliability, integration and mission surety.