Electro-Optic and Infrared Situational Awareness Display Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2013.2 Topic No.: N132-110 Topic Title: Electro-Optic and Infrared Situational Awareness Display Proposal No.: N132-110-0388 Firm: Photonica, Inc 468 North Camden Drive, Suite 200 Beverly Hills, California 90210 Contact: Sutherland Ellwood Phone: (845) 233-0996 Web Site: www.photonica-inc.com Abstract: Proposed is the application of Photonica's "telecom-structured display architecture," "network optics" and components developing a concept for an EO/IR SA Display System meeting specified requirements. Phase I Base Effort: demonstrate feasibility in meeting Navy needs, establish that a useful product can be successfully developed. Feasibility established through analytical modeling, simulation of Graphical User Interface (GUI) using simulated/real imagery, demonstrating representative material samples. Phase I Design Development: realize design based on optimized combination of fiber-optics (passive fiber-optic or fiber-device components); optical elements in a complex solid fiber-optic textile-composite optical transport; employing hi-speed, sub-10 micron hybrid pixel generation components (including hybrid magneto-photonics); implement pixel signal aggregation and channel optimization; decouple scale (potentially, relative location) of image generation components (modulation stage) from the structures and scale of image output optics (display face/output stage). The Photonica Phase I Option will be focused upon design development integrating the various components and sub-assembles/sub-systems identified in the Phase I Option period with the primary design development of Phase I Base Tasks, to prepare for the prototyping and other work in Phase II and Phase III. Benefits: The objective of this proposal seeks innovation to improve Situational Awareness displays that optimize human interface for Navy personnel, ships, and crafts. The development and production of the Photonica EO/IR SA Display System as envisaged in this proposal will provide a display that conforms to operator space such that the sensors ultimately become an extension of the operator's visual experience. The EO/IR SA Display will provide a virtual reality of color and full motion video that the operator will see as if in the natural world. An omni-directional FOV will provide the operator with the ability to be able to resolve details necessary to detect, track, classify, identify, and target threats while accommodating the natural function of the eye so that eyestrain is minimized, just as in the natural world. As threats exist in both the natural and virtual threat world spatial awareness of the natural physical surroundings is necessary during mission conflicts while performing operator functions; as such toggling between virtual reality and reality is essential to both job function and survival and will be a feature of the Photonica display. The configuration proposed will allow the user to persistently scan the entire threat area in a more natural way than is possible with existing display technologies, while accommodating space limitations and viewer equipment such as night vision goggles and eye glasses. A size, weight, and power combination that will meet consumer energy star standards will result in a solution to this topic in a lighter weight form factor than current fielded solutions. One of the many advantages of Photonica's technology is that it is inherently scalable. This is further enhanced by Photonica's capacity in other consumer/industrial mass manufacture markets such as gaming, medical etc. This principle presents ever-improving cost economics through commercial deployment to Navy/DOD and consumer/industrial by means of a greater prevalence of modular and common interchangeable parts and is a powerful advantage of the Photonica system solution and architecture. Whereas other technologies frequently require unique form-factors and custom tooling solutions Photonica's fabrication paradigm scales to all sizes with relatively little variation in the basic parts dimensions and tooling requirements. Photonica's solution will benefit the military COTS procurement program from both the concurrent mass-market pathway for less-demanding display products to be marketed by Photonica during the display program cycle, employing shared components of the display systems, and building on that, from the later mass-market potential that exists for the display system application itself. Commercial non-DOD development and fabrication ability/capacity enhances COTS (RCOTS) and supports rapid prototyping, testing, evaluation and deployment for further enhancement of technology to Navy/DOD needs; all reducing costs and increasing ROI. Return