National Science Foundation Awards Grant for Drone Monitoring of Global Warming

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) of the National Science Foundation recently awarded Bakman Technologies Inc. a grant to develop a low-cost, high-performance, UAV mounted Terahertz (THz) spectrometer. These ‘THz Drones’ will be employed to perform spot measurements of the concentrations of a broad range of gases that contribute to pollution and global warming. They can make measurements right at the point of emission allowing location-specific, real-time, detection.

“We are extremely grateful to the NSF for recognizing the importance and potential our Terahertz technology has for combating the global problem of air pollution,” states Dr. Joseph R. Demers, the CEO of Bakman Technologies. “Because of the atmospheric science that has already occurred, our ‘THz Drones’ will be able to make an impact in a very short amount of time.”

“The National Science Foundation supports small businesses with the most innovative, cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to become great commercial successes and make huge societal impacts,” said Barry Johnson, Director of the NSF’s Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships. “We hope that this seed funding will spark solutions to some of the most important challenges of our time across all areas of science and technology.”

The Phase I SBIR/STTR grant award enables Bakman to become eligible to apply for a Phase II grant (up to $750,000). If obtained, Bakman could then obtain up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.

NSF accepts Phase I proposals from small businesses twice annually in June and December. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program undergo a rigorous merit-based review process.

Here is a video courtesy of Bakmna Technologies: