Smart Automatic Jettisoning Device for Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS)

Various helmet mounted display systems (HMDS) are currently used on aircrew helmets to enhance night vision and provide targeting and aircraft systems information.  Safety concerns regarding HMDS typically center on the additional weight to the helmet and the change to the helmet center of gravity that can increase the probability of injury under eject conditions or crash landings. The objectives of this solicitation are to perform analysis of helmet motions during standard air combat maneuvers, ejections, and crashes and develop an algorithm to differentiate between these conditions.  A prototype electronic system will then be developed, exposed to these environments and tested to see if the conditions can be differentiated.  To meet these objectives, this Phase I proposal is for a Real Time Sensing System (RTSS) that contains a triaxial accelerometer, a microprocessor and associated electronic circuits and is designed to monitor acceleration in real time to reliably detect whether an eject or crash event has occurred.  The RTSS will be an ultra small, lightweight, low power electronic device that can be integrated into the HMDS mount and contains a sophisticated algorithm that can release the HMDS if an eject or crash event is detected. BENEFIT: In addition to the application in military aircrew helmets, there is also potential for broader commercial application for a smart sensor event detection system.  Applications include sports equipment (football, hockey, etc.) and personal safety equipment.  The prediction of potential mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) would be tremendously valuable as TBI is not well understood, but it affects millions of children and adults in the U.S. each year.