SBIR Phase II: Radar-based Building Automation

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is in significantly reducing wasted energy in multi-dwelling and residential buildings while improving occupant living experiences. The research proposes the development of advanced sensor technologies and machine learning algorithms to enable an inexpensive hardware infrastructure to control indoor space conditions autonomously. This concept will foster broader adoption of advanced automation technologies among buildings, especially multi-dwelling and residential buildings. One main benefit of indoor automation is its deep energy savings. The Department of Energy estimates that if all residential units deploy energy-saving features offered by building automation solutions, 1-3 quadrillion units of energy will be saved yearly. This can reduce the nation's annual energy budget by $18-$36 billion and eliminate the release of 60-120 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Alongside energy efficiency, the associated societal benefits of the proposed project can potentially save lives. The proposed solution integrates a higher level of security protection in residential spaces in addition to its ability to monitor occupants' health in real time. These life-saving features can significantly limit the impacts of intrusion events and medical emergencies. The proposed project will advance the scientific knowledge required to approach full autonomous control in indoor spaces. Today’s building automation solutions utilize a primitive sensor infrastructure, which has high deployment costs and limits the solution benefits. This leads to a diminished value proposition and a small adoption rate. This project proposes the utilization of advanced perception sensors in buildings. The rich data stream these sensors offer allows for a compact hardware infrastructure to autonomously control indoor spaces and improve the living experience within buildings. Advances in sensing technologies were fundamental to the recent exponential growth in the autonomous driving industry and the realization of a generation-old dream. This research project aims to instigate a similar technological evolution in the autonomous control of indoor spaces. An upgraded implementation of the Phase I evaluation study will be developed to mitigate Phase I learnings. The project also aims to develop a production-ready implementation of the developed sensor technology to prepare it for commercialization and market introduction. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.