An Expert Sensor Chemical Sensor System Using Porous Silicone for Advanced Multimedia Imaging Helmets

The proposed projet is to prove the universal capabilities of the Expert Sensor technology by applying it to a novel chemical sensor suite composed of an array of the newly developed porous silicon chemical sensors. The Expert Sensor architecture provides a standard intelligent interface between various sources of sensor data being input into the multimedia imaging helmet and the high level information processors needed within the helmet to generate images. Embedding the Expert Sensor architecture into advanced imaging helmets allows the creation of a single general purpose helmet; the same helmet can be used for many diverse and normally unassociated applications. Recent work has shown that the energy maximum and intensity of the photoluminescence of porous silicon can be reversibly modified by chemical adsorbates. By applying different surface treatments the porous silicon, the material can be tailored to respond to differently towards specific chemicals, however the sensitivity and selectivity to various chemicals is complex and highly interrelated. ExperChem uses the Expert Sensor architecture to deconvolve the complex non-specific luminescence of the porous silicon into the component concentrations of complex gas mixtures. Anticipated Benefits: When used in conjunction with a multimedia imaging helmet, ExperChem provides the user with immediate reliable information about local gas concentrations. The expected benefits of this capability to the federal government and private sector include: air quality monitoring to protect personnel from toxic, flammable, or otherwise dangerous gases; information for on-line machinery maintenance, process control, and damange control; and immediate on-site environmental monitoring and chemical detection.