SBIR Phase I: Air Quality Analysis by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是为市场带来一种更快，更便宜的方法来收集高度准确的当地空气质量。 这将通过使用无人机携带的化学传感器的小型化来实现。 通过实施这种收集数据的手段，不仅将克服技术障碍，而且以这种方式使用无人机将以前所未有的方式在城市地区使用无人机。 社会和商业影响将是减少在时间和空间上获得空气质量的成本和时间，从而使空气质量测量对政府，组织和公司的财政和技术负担减少。 这一进展将有助于确保社区能够通过收集的数据解决空气质量问题。STTR第一阶段项目提议实施一种新方法，将低成本技术结合起来，使用无人机检测空气中化学成分何时达到给定阈值作为将传感器运送到指定位置的手段。 传感器技术利用化学品的比色检测。 现成的比色传感器与独特的算法相结合，可以在有毒工业化学品的允许暴露水平（PEL）浓度下生成色差图。 该研究的目的是确定所提出的方法是否允许对精确位置进行准确的化学传感。 预计将利用的技术将允许一个精确的捕捉范围广泛的污染物和化合物沿着浓度levels.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project will be to bring to the market a faster and cheaper means of gathering highly accurate local air quality. This will be done through the use of miniaturization of chemical sensors that are carried by UAVs. Not only will there be technical hurdles that will be overcome through the implementation of this means of gathering data, the use of UAVs in this manner pushes the boundaries of their use in urban areas in a way that has not been done before. The societal and commercial impact will be to reduce cost and time in obtaining air quality at a point in time and space, thereby making air quality measurements less of a financial and technical burden to governments, organizations and corporations. This progress will help ensure that communities can address air quality concerns through the data gathered.This STTR Phase I project proposes to implement a novel means to couple a low-cost technology to detect when chemical components reach a given threshold in the air with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as a means of delivering the sensors to a specified location. The sensor technology utilizes colorimetric detection of chemicals. Off-the-shelf colorimetric sensors, combined with a unique algorithm, produce color difference maps for toxic industrial chemicals at their permissible exposure level (PEL) concentrations. The objective of the research is to determine if the proposed approach will allow for accurate chemical sensing for a precise location. It is anticipated that the technology to be utilized will allow for an accurate capture of a broad range of pollutants and chemical compounds along with concentration levels.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.