"We couldn't have developed this remote diagnostic system at a better time," says Rochester Institute of Technology's Nabil Nasr. "Issues like overheating in Light Armored Vehicles in Iraq are exactly what this new technology addresses."
Nasr, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies at RIT, and his team of researchers are working with the U.S. Office of Naval Research developing an "asset health management" system. The system employs remote sensing and satellite communications to continuously monitor vehicle health.
Remote sensors wired into equipment provide feedback on the vehicles' state of operation and their predicted performance, sending data to computers either at base camp or back in the U.S. via satellite. The information then can be used to diagnose problems and to recommend repairs.
CIMS researchers are developing software and new devices that can track temperature, noise, vibration, contaminants in oil, fuel consumption and other variables. The system works on single units within a fleet of vehicles. The data from all units is then aggregated and used by commanders to direct resources and dispatch support, says Nasr.
CIMS has been working with the Navy for the past six years developing technology for the remanufacture, conversion and modernization of military vehicles.