Award Data

The major challenge in constellation-wide deployment of tactical payloads in low-Earth orbit (LEO) lies in achieving the performance requirements that are imposed by constellation dynamics while maintaining a design simplicity that is compatible with large-scale production, along with typical constraints on size, mass, and power consumption. Cesium’s proposed solution is a small reconfigurable p ...

To address the Navy need for a holographic optical element (HOE) that enables enhanced functionality of free space optical (FSO) communication among mobile platforms, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (ISI) proposes to develop a new Holographic Lens Optical-Element for Laser Inter-Node Communication (HoloLINC) technology based on the integration of three key technological components developed by ISI: (1) ...

Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWAP-C) are significant influencers in the design and operation of mobile Free Space Optical (FSO) communications hardware. As FSO technology evolves to applications for smaller vehicles such as Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV), the need for reduced size and weight optics becomes critical. Large, heavy glass optical elements are required in today’s FSO units to acquire t ...

Under this proposal, we will use both thick and thin holograms, using PQ-PMMA, to realize three different types of HOEs that would enhance significantly the capabilities of the Free Space Optical Communication System (FSOCS) on portable platforms, while reducing significantly the SWaP-C parameters. The first HOE will realize a WDM transmitter and receiver system with six independent channels, all ...

The tactical weaknesses of Radio Frequency (RF) communications have been thoroughly established and adversaries are becoming increasingly capable of exploiting them. Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) are particularly vulnerable to the limitations of RF communication because of the need for continuous communication links. Missions involving RAS have a lower chance of success in RF denied enviro ...

Traditional RF (Radio Frequency) communications are increasingly susceptible to jamming, interception, and even detection. Free space optics can mitigate these issues while adding benefits such as bandwidth and a highly directional nature. In order to make this happen, a highly developed system must be constructed consisting of exceedingly precise control systems and novel beam steering techniques ...

Addressing the Navy’s need for high-speed, broadband, secure communications in RF-denied environments between manned platforms and Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), Intellisense Systems, Inc. (ISI) proposes to develop new Robotic Optically Based Autonomous Communications (ROBACOMS). Incorporating laser communication, which is not susceptible to jamming, interception, or detection, ROBACOMS ...

The next generation Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) is currently undergoing an upgrade to integrate new Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) capabilities. The high-power processors required generate more heat than previous shop replaceable units (SRUs). The upgraded MIDS JTRS radio terminal will generate up to approximately 30% higher ...

Current LIDAR systems utilize photon shot noise limited detectors but the overall systems performance and application space is hindered with readout electronics that are lacking in terms of temporal resolution, dynamic range, SWAP or cost. In order to overcome this limitation, Systems and Technology Research (STR) will be applying a novel ADC architecture to create a 2 GSPS, 19-bit digitizer for L ...

Crossfield proposes a high dynamic range digitizer for Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). In order to achieve the performance, functional and size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) objectives, the digitizer will use a state-of-the-art field programmable gate array (FPGA) system-on-chip (SoC) with integrated ultra-high-performance analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The latest generation of the ...