Power Generation/Recovery Systems

"Modern soldiers are increasingly burdened with state-of-the-art electronic components that require batteries for operation. The added weight of these systems can exceed 80 pounds, excluding provisions required for prolonged equipment operation. Currently,sustained field operations require personnel to carry additional batteries or for logistic planners to ensure remote drops. Without this replenishment, even the most technologically advanced gadget becomes worthless and a mere nuisance for the soldier inthe field. Replenishment becomes a non-issue for scenarios where motorized vehicles are accessible but for remote and /or small teams, guaranteeing a steady supply of batteries for these devices becomes a serious logistics problem.Luna Innovations proposes to ease this logistics problem with the development of a power generation device that captures the excess energy from small caliber gunfire. This device will utilize a very small portion of the excess kinetic energy generatedduring the firing of the weapon, will have no significant impact on the mechanical reliability or performance and will integrate easily into host platforms. The proposed device to be developed and integrated is a miniature linear alternator. The linearalternator approach provides the highest possible energy producing capability for a given size and can be integrated into existing sub-assemblies. The technologies and methods developed in this program can be