MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Small Airport Surveillance Sensor (SASS), which won a 2016 R&D 100 award, displays the location of surface and airborne aircraft under all visibility conditions, including nighttime and bad weather. It is intended as a low-cost system for deployment at small airports that lack this capability.
The revolutionary development here is the ability to have a modern phased-array radar capability at very low cost. Instead of the typical millions of dollars for such systems, the product delivers the capability at less cost. The key advancement is a high accuracy phased-array antenna implemented with commercial components. The technology employs a novel phased array antenna to determine the angle of arrival (AOA) of beacon transponder replies with high accuracy. Two SASS sensors are installed on the airport surface near the ends of the longest runway. These sensors measure the AOA and time of arrival of transponder replies and forward these detections to a remote unit at the control tower.
Each year for more than 50 years, R&D Magazine has honored the 100 best innovations in research and development. We are currently accepting applications for the 2017 R&D 100 Awards. Innovators with an exceptional product developed between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 should apply. Submissions close April 14, 2017
For information on the 55th Annual R&D 100 Awards and to enter visit http://www.rd100conference.com
