SBIR Phase I: Proposal for Research into Low-Cost Distributed Wireless Sensing of Operational Condition in Industrial Electric Motors

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This SBIR Phase I research proposal proposes research to develop an ultra-compact, low costsystem for wirelessly monitoring motors that will cost manufacturers less than $300/ motorto implement. The research will leverage existing patent-pending energy-efficientalgorithms for determining motor condition based on vibration and temperature data to developwireless nodes capable of autonomously determining the condition of any motor to which theyare attached. The research will result in a prototype system of wireless nodes implementedat an industrial partner, which will provide the necessary incentive for future investmentin the company and technology.The broader impact of this research will be to enable a wireless system to facilitatecondition-based maintenance of electric motors in industrial facilities at a cost of lessthan $300 per motor to manufacturers, which is about 10% of the cost of current systems.At this price point, tens of thousands of facilities around the United States will be ableto afford the initial investment to implement condition-based maintenance on their motor systems.Since condition-based maintenance has been shown to maximize up-time and minimize yearly maintenancecosts, this will increase the competitiveness of American manufacturing and ultimatelyhelp create more manufacturing sector jobs. Additionally, the prototype system produced asa result of the research will provide an important proof-of-concept for low-cost, low-powerwireless sensor nodes that should help spur future development and investment in this field,which is in turn instrumental for the development of "smart grids", "smart cities", and otherintelligent infrastructure.