WASHINGTON — The U.S. Protection Superior Analysis Tasks Company has awarded 10 groups greater than $18 million whole in first-round contracts for a program geared toward making evening imaginative and prescient glasses much less cumbersome and extra highly effective.
The company introduced the Enhanced Night time Imaginative and prescient in Eyeglass Type program final 12 months, calling on business and academia to submit proposals in two technical tracks. The primary focuses on creating prototypes to scale back the dimensions of the eyepieces and intensifiers on present evening imaginative and prescient glasses. The second explores new strategies for changing infrared gentle mirrored into seen photos.
The ENVision program is supposed to leverage a decade’s price of funding in evening imaginative and prescient know-how, together with new supplies and processes. The know-how, DARPA mentioned, might get rid of the necessity for cumbersome intensifiers that may trigger neck accidents for customers and end in goggles the dimensions and weight of typical eyeglasses.
DARPA awarded the Part 1 contracts in October and November, asserting them publicly in a Jan. 12 information launch. The interval of efficiency extends into 2023, at which period the company will think about choices for Part 2 awards, spokesman Eric Butterbaugh informed C4ISRNET.
For the primary know-how monitor, DARPA chosen:
- Raytheon Applied sciences Analysis Middle
- SRI Worldwide
- College of California, San Diego
- College of Washington
- Bodily Sciences Inc.
To sort out the second technical focus space, DARPA selected:
- Raytheon BBN
- Stanford College
- College of Central Florida
- College of Melbourne
- College of Pennsylvania.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s area and rising know-how reporter. She beforehand lined the U.S. Air Drive and U.S. Area Drive for Inside Protection.