Current precision aiming systems for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) disrupters rely on expensive lasers that may not survive certain recoil forces or explosive conditions, making them not only costly but also burdensome for quick a setup. To overcome this problem, we propose the use of lightweight, low-cost and compact single use battery-operated diode lasers that will all the operational requirements put forth in this SBIR solicitation. We show that our approach will enable an aim-spot accuracy of better than 0.955 over a distance of 50 feet with minimal setup time and without any tools. Our proposed laser aiming device (LAD) can also be integrated into a variety of multiple EOD disrupters/tools given its small form factor. Our proposed Phase I design can also be used for different laser diodes that operate at different wavelengths (green, blue, red and near infrared) for varying degrees of ambient light. In this proposal, we demonstrate that our technology can readily meet all the Phase 1 objectives, and our proposed Phase 1 effort will be geared towards field testing and validifying its performance on an inert 155-mm round fuze target.
Benefit: In addition to EOD disrupters and munitions, the development of a low-cost, robust but precise laser aiming device for EOD disrupters will greatly benefit applications that require very accurate laser beam pointing and tracking. These include machine vision, light display, directed light, as well as scientific applications.
Keywords: Single-use, Single-use, Low-cost, disrupter, LASER, Precision Aiming Device, EOD
