MEMS RF-IMS-based Monitor for Personal Exposure Monitoring

"Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) offer a particularly insidious threat to both military and civilian populations. The U.S. DOD uses a series of tools at the troop level including individual detection, point detection, and standoff detection to warn of CWAattack. These technologies are prone to various problems, including scuffs, lack of selectivity, and lack of sensitivity to gas-phase CWAs. Of particular interest to the Army under this SBIR solicitation is a lightweight, wearable device for detecting andalerting the wearer of low-level exposure to Chemical Warfare Agents and high priority Toxic Industrial Compounds, TICs.ADA Technologies proposes under this multi-phase SBIR project to develop and demonstrate a miniature device that would identify, measure, and log low-level exposure to CWAs and TICs along with basic environmental parameters such as temperature andhumidity. The device will be robust, lightweight (under 1 lb.), and highly selective to multiple compounds. The unit will incorporate 1) the appropriate alarms (audible and silent), 2) self-diagnostics and 3) night vision compatible display. The enablingsensor technology is a High Field Radio Frequency Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometer. This technology lends itself well to miniaturization and is 1) highly selective and sensitive, and 2) has a linear calibration. Phase I success will set the stage for a Phase II prototype/field demonstration and ultimate Phase