CCAT Awards Grants To New Security Technologies

The Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) in San Diego, Calif. announced that the Center has awarded business development grants and business support awards to three companies and one university that have developed technologies for use in military, security and commercial operations. Dr. William Tong, Distinguished Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry at San Diego State University, was granted a $75,000 product development award, a market study and commercialization planning assistance for his methodology using laser wave mixing as a detector that can identify trace explosives and/or elements in dirty bombs. The technology offers a sensitivity level that has never been available in a portable unit. A $75,000 product development grant, a market study and commercialization planning assistance was also awarded to Daylight Solutions of Poway, California. Daylight Solutions is in the process of creating high performance, portable molecular detection and imaging systems used for identification of explosives, harmful gasses and illegal drugs. The system utilizes tunable lasers with specialized lenses and can be discretely deployed in a variety of environments, providing early warning to otherwise undetectable threats. Armadar LLC of Hoboken, New Jersey was awarded a $75,000 product development award for its TW-LODAR technology. The palm-sized TW-LODAR system transmits low power radio-frequency signals for through-the-wall motion detection of humans and other large living organisms concealed by non-metal structures or barriers. Intended for use in military, police and search-and-rescue operations, the TW-LODAR system emits a silent readout upon detection of movement, including cardio-vascular and respiratory functions. A San Francisco company, Acceleron Technologies LLC, was also granted a product development award, a market study, intellectual property protection service, and commercialization planning assistance for its G-Trax™ technology. Acceleron’s proprietary G-Trax system utilizes Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) to piggyback on a Global Positioning System (GPS) processor to significantly improve positioning and location tracking accuracy, particularly when the GPS system becomes unavailable. The G-Trax is small enough to be worn on the shoe of a First Responder and can be used for locating and tracking personnel, providing critical information in the event individuals become trapped or are unable to respond. Funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), the CCAT program identifies, evaluates, funds and fast-tracks the development of technologies for use by the DoD, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the private sector.