Reducing the cost of launching payloads into low earth orbit by a factor of 10 or 100 requires revolutionary changes in launching architectures. The Laser Lightcraft holds the potential for such savings by placing the bulk of the propulsion system on theground by using a ground-based laser to… More

Reducing the cost of launching payloads into low earth orbit by a factor of 10 or 100 requires revolutionary changes in launching architectures. The Laser Lightcraft holds the potential for such savings by placing the bulk of the propulsion system on theground by using a ground-based laser to… More

Polarization continues to gain interest as a means to complement the information obtained through radiometric detection. Understanding the phenomenology of polarization through modeling is key to exploiting polarimetry in these application areas. However polarimetric modeling requires credible and… More

The proposed Pulse Coupled Neural Network (PCNN) algorithm presents a robust method for quickly analyzing generalized imagery while requiring very few control inputs. Processor bandwidth is reduced by locating and eliminating pixels with no information content before the pixel field is processed. … More

There are a growing number of scenarios where remote equipment and vehicles must be operated in environments unsafe for human presence. Ideally the remote vision system should mimic physical presence as much as possible. Steadily, the demand for stereoscopic (3D) viewing increases, in order to… More

There are a growing number of scenarios where remote equipment and vehicles must be operated in environments unsafe for human presence. Ideally the remote vision system should mimic physical presence as much as possible. Steadily, the demand for stereoscopic (3D) viewing increases, in order to… More

Polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger polarization signal than natural… More

The Army has a need for an Urban Missile, a missile that will be small, lethal, and low-cost. As currently envisioned, the Urban Missile will be a 50-mm round with kinetic performance similar to a Russian rocket propelled grenade (RPG). A key advantage over the RPG, however, will be a semi-active… More

The ability for polarization to provide additional information in difficult detection scenarios has strong potential to address a variety of hypervelocity interceptor applications. The targeting of a boost phase missile requires a sensor that can both acquire the target and perform plume / hardbody… More

Field tests in a variety of scenarios indicate significant advantages to using polarization for enhancing target detection in cluttered backgrounds or backgrounds with countermeasures. Polarization provides additional information in these difficult detection scenarios and has strong potential to… More

Traditional seeker optics are composed of domes, gimbals, and other expensive components that can be difficult to integrate into the missile. A concept in which the seeker components are more easily integrated and conformal to the missile airframe is desirable. The proposed concept utilizes a… More

Polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger polarization signal than natural… More

Detection of contaminants in petroleum is highly desirable in order to prevent devastating effects of sabotage or to prolong the life and enhance the efficiency of engines. Analysis of the chemical composition of a fluid can provide an abundance of information on quality, by allowing for the… More

Polaris Sensor Technologies proposes to combine an innovative crossover-free Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) sensor coil winding configuration, which is based on low cost single mode fiber and retains built-in thermal symmetry, with an opto-mechanical model of this novel device to enhance FOG… More

An avionics architecture that eliminates false targets, null signals, and noise at the ROIC is proposed. Smart ROICs mask data from being read-out which is critical for larger and multi-color FPAs that flood the processing pipeline with data of no interest. The proposed approach tasks the four MIPS… More

Photon detectors operating at long and very long wavelength infrared detection suffer from high leakage currents because of the small band gap inherently needed at that spectral range. Typical formats of present ROICs are 320 x 256 with a pitch of 30 ¿m. Thus, the absolute impedance of the… More

An architecture that eliminates false targets, null signals, and noise from IR missile seeker data is proposed. Smart algorithms mask false targets and data of no interest from the seeker image processing pipeline. The approach leverages algorithms developed for medicine and military programs… More

One of the more expensive components of a precision guided rocket is the seeker. As repeatedly demonstrated by the Hellfire missile, SAL seeker technology is quite mature, but it is far too expensive for use on a low-cost guided missile. Several programs have been established at various times to… More

This proposal will discuss the technical objectives of the Phase II research and the technical approach that will be used to meet these objectives. The technical goal of the Phase II effort is to model, develop, assemble and test a Compound Integrated Seeker (CIS) prototype, and to present the… More

Intuition and some limited data sets suggest that polarization has strong potential to provide additional information in difficult detection scenarios in a variety of hypervelocity interceptor applications. The targeting of a boost phase missile requires a sensor that can both acquire the target… More

Polaris Sensor Technologies, Inc. places image preprocessing into the Read Out Integrated Circuit for next generation focal planes. The FPGAs within the ROIC/SEA present opportunities to qualify data during read out. This effort builds a flight-like algorithm testbed to determine how to divide image… More

The deliverable for this effort will be a coded algorithm to run on LMSSCs SPAR-16X processor that is targeted for the prime contractor's architecture for mid-term THAAD. The algorithms generated herein offer an opportunity to eliminate or reduce transformations and frame sums in the THAAD… More

The Air Force requires a low-cost, accurate Thermal Mapping Device (TMD) to quickly detect a fire and precisely pinpoint its location. Currently, the TMDs in use are quite expensive and are sometimes at risk of loss when used to instrument general tests conducted by the 46th Test Wing. Cost… More

High resolution imaging of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has long been a goal. With increased interest in Space Situation Awareness, new of Safety of Flight concerns, and an increase in commercial satellites the ability to image satellites has become even more important. The ability to form… More

Detection of fuel quality and fuel additive status in petroleum at multiple points in the fuel delivery chain is highly desirable in order to prevent military vehicles from being disabled by low quality fuel. Polaris Sensor Technologies will develop a small portable sensor comprising spectral,… More

Polaris Sensor Technologies proposes a Phase I study to design a novel Multi-Spectral Imaging Polarimeter (MSIP) capable of simultaneously collecting spectral and polarimetric data products in high resolution at frame rates in excess of 200Hz. The MSIP will enable collecting target signatures for… More

Polarization can offer opportunities for additional discriminants for a variety of space based applications including SSA, tracking threat missiles in the boost and mid-course phases of their trajectory, target detection and discrimination, surveillance, communications, and earth remote sensing. A… More

Intuition and some limited data sets suggest that polarization has strong potential to provide additional information in difficult detection scenarios in a variety of hypervelocity interceptor applications. The targeting of a boost phase missile requires a sensor that can both acquire the target… More

Previous investigations into the geometrical and polarization properties of spiraled bend insensitive optical fiber layers indicate that coils made of many such layers can potentially facilitate inexpensive, high accuracy fiber optic gyroscopes (FOG). The proposed research will assess the… More

An ongoing need exists within the defense community to image resident space objects (RSO) in low earth orbit (LEO). Proposed herein is the Polarization based Imaging Correlography Sensor Array (PICS Array) for measurements of LEO objects. A laser source reflects off an RSO and the returning light… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the research proposed here is to develop and apply an in-vivo spectral optical imaging technique called confocal polarimetric imaging for the diagnosis of human skin lesions. The broader objectives inc lude correlating the pathology of skin… More

Polaris Sensor Technologies, Inc. is proposing in the Phase I to demonstrate the feasibility of polarization imaging by developing target detection and recognition algorithms that exploit the information contained in polarization imagery. Once the feasibility is established, Polaris will develop… More

Detection of fuel quality and fuel additive status in petroleum at multiple points in the fuel delivery chain is highly desirable in order to prevent military vehicles from being disabled by low quality fuel. In the Phase I, Polaris Sensor Technologies investigated a large number of analytical… More

Polaris will first design, construct, and integrate a scene projector polarization controller (SPPC) that will be able to produce an arbitrarily defined linear polarization state, both in magnitude and orientation, for IR scenes. Development of the system through a successful Phase II will result in… More

This Phase II proposal describes our approach to the development of a system that is capable of measuring the beginning location of a fire in all three dimensions within less than 10fYs, continue monitoring the 3D position of the visible fire components (flames, sparks, etc.) at time increments of… More

Remote sensing technologies are used to identify activities associated with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Remote sensing requires the extraction of as much information as possible from the available measured energy, in order to identify objects of interest in the scene.… More

Polaris Sensor Technologies is proposing to use quantum dot technology that has been recently developed which has the ability to tune the spectral response of a sensor in real-time. In the Phase I we will study the feasibility of integrating such a focal plane to either fixed or adaptive… More

Electro-Optical Seekers that utilize a novel GNC Particle Flow processes may better address maneuvering targets and improve track and discrimination functions over traditional solutions. Particle flow processes track objects by estimating the global motion as a function of time. Traditional tracking… More

Polarization imaging has the potential benefit target detection, discrimination, and tracking applications as well as applications for characterizing and identifying short duration phenomena such as muzzle flash and rocket launches. Spectro-polarimetric systems offer the most comprehensive types of… More

Polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast and background clutter rejection in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger… More

Remote sensing technologies are used to identify activities associated with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Remote sensing requires the extraction of as much information as possible from the available measured energy, in order to identify objects of interest in the scene.… More

This Phase II effort will further develop a technique to improve current seeker discrimination and tracking capabilities using a unique particle filter algorithm (PFA) approach. The advancement represents a significant upgrade to current and future seekers facing advanced threats in stressing… More

Nanoscale infrared detectors are emerging as a potentially powerful alternative to traditional infrared detector technologies. The University of New Mexico has developed dots in a double well (DDWELL) quantum dot infrared photodetectors which have a spectral responsivity that can be tuned by… More

MWIR and LWIR polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger polarization signal… More

Accurate calculation of vehicle motion is difficult to accomplish; especially when travelling on rough terrain at high speeds. Motion sensing devices, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) and an Inertial Navigation System (INS), are readily available but have undesirable disadvantages. Numerous… More

The Active Protection System for a ground vehicle should provide protection from the full spectrum of threats. Based on our experience in developing optical fuzes, we present our notional concept for a highly accurate active optical fuze that not only requires minimal volume and weight but the… More

Station keeping platforms represent significant new capability for the Navy and for various PMs in PEO LMW specifically. In order to make best use of these platforms for surveillance applications, Polaris Sensor Technologies is proposing to integrate proven imaging polarimeter technology that is… More

The objective of this research is to develop materials that may replace the current generation of visible smoke formulations used by the U.S. military. In particular the materials must produce low flame so that they do present a fire hazard, have relatively low toxicity, and are efficient. The… More

Recent developments in polarimetric imaging have shown that polarization can offer significant advantages in target detection in difficult detection scenarios. However, many of the systems used to demonstrate these performance enhancements are used in situations where signal to noise is not an… More

The 7V and 10V space chambers at Arnold Air Force Base are deep space environment simulators developed to test high performance interceptors and surveillance sensors in deep space conditions (20K background temperature). The chambers operate over the visible to Long Wave Infrared portions of the… More

Polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger polarization signal than natural… More

The unique spectral reflectance signature of a diffusely scattering solid material is known to be related to its unique physical properties including its complex refractive index (RI) and surface roughness. This is also true of single particulate scatterers, in which case particle size … More

Current acquisition, tracking and pointing (ATP) technology typically incorporates algorithms, such as the Kalman filter, known to be poorly suited to the tracking of nonlinearly moving targets. Nonlinearities may be due to target motion (e.g., agile target) but targeting platform induced jitter… More

Polaris proposes to make use of currently available sensor suites on AUGV/MAV platforms to implement a Kalman filter-based integrated solution to the autonomous localization problem in GPS-denied environments, titled Stereo Camera Absolute Localization and Map correlation System (SCALMS). This… More

Dual MWIR/LWIR polarization imaging holds promise for providing significant improvements in contrast in a number of target detection and discrimination applications. In several recent development efforts, it has been demonstrated that manmade objects have a significantly stronger polarization signal… More

The polarimetric signatures of various representative targets in a representative marine environment from a stable platform of a representative height will be collected across two (threshold) to four (objective) wavebands from the following: Vis, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR. The data will be analyzed to… More