AOS has designed a Modular AR&D System (HYDRA®) and built an initial prototype with selected (near field and docking) capabilities and expansion capabilities to accommodate time of flight and far field sensors. Lessons from DART and Orbital Express have been applied to the proposed HYDRA® design. Some of the key factors considered in the proposed HYDRA® system are:

• Redundancy
• Radiation tolerance
• Flexibility
• Dynamic re-configurability.

The design consists of three elements

• The sensor head and/or camera which is/can be mounted external to the spacecraft,
• The processing electronics which will/can be mounted internal to the spacecraft and
• The HYDRA® target which is mounted on the target spacecraft at/near the docking
  interface.

The initial HYDRA® system designed by AOS includes an AVGS sensor head and an ULTOR® sensor head respectively shown below.

The initial HYDRA® system also utilizes the target configuration shown below which consists of retroreflector targets and a visible target.

Although the initial HYDRA® system has been designed as a ground demonstration unit, design methods and component selection will enable a straightforward path for building a space qualified HYDRA® system. See our HYDRA® techbrief for more details. Also see elements of the HYDRA® system in action in the following videos:

• Closing the loop with the MDA Robot Arm
• Lighting variation demo
• Extreme lighting variation demo

ECLIPSE builds on our previous work in Automatic Target Recognition (ATR).  In this SBIR phase II project we designed, built, and tested a new, all digital system that is just as fast as our previous electro-optical hybrid system. The advantages of the ECLIPSE system are that it is cheaper, potentially smaller, and more flexible than the previous ULTOR ®AOC.

We have applied ECLIPSE technology to the problem of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection. Although we can’t discuss it here, ECLIPSE has a demonstrated capability in this area.

NASA is applying our ECLIPSE-developed technology to the problem of Automatic Rendezvous and Docking. The ULTOR® Passive Pose Position Engine (P3E) runs on the ECLIPSE hardware. P3E  makes precise real-time measurements of target pose and position (six degrees of freedom) using imagery from a camera. See our ULTOR® (P3E) techbrief for more details.  AOS has developed a portable desk-top demonstration of P3E. Contact Keith Farr for details.

The Advanced Video Guidance Sensor is a space-based sensor for autonomous rendezvous and docking. It uses lasers to illuminate and image a cooperative retro-reflecting target on a spacecraft, and then uses the image to determine the spacecraft's distance, bearing, and
pose. AOS designed and built the prototype hardware, then worked with Orbital Sciences Corporation to transition the technology from prototype to flight-qualified hardware. AVGS flew on the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, and on the Orbital Express mission. See our AVGS techbrief for more details!

The Wide-Angle LIDAR for Direction and Distance is another space-based AR&D sensor. It uses lasers to measure the distance and bearing of a target spacecraft. Through advanced signal processing, WALDD has a working range in space of 5 km. We have built a prototype ground-test
unit as part of a Phase II SBIR program.

The objective of the Generic Electronics for Microbolometers (GEM) project is to provide the Government with the freedom to select the best uncooled Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) sensor for use in applicable missile seekers. Currently, proprietary interfaces restrict sensor selection for missile seeker systems. This issue limits healthy competition between vendors and increases risk. GEM is an innovative concept intended to provide the interface between the seeker electronics and any appropriate LWIR sensor.

AOS will transition parts of the SBIR work done as part of the NightOwl SBIR Phase II and the Rocketball Phase II Plus efforts into the GEM project. The objective of NightOwl was to develop a universal, inexpensive, optical testbed utilized in the lab evaluation of uncooled infrared detectors. This project was successful and the resulting testbed is in use by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). For the Phase II Plus effort, AOS developed two prototype seekers based on requirements that allow the collection of uncooled infrared imagery at velocities representative of missile applications. 

The GEM work plan is geared to develop a prototype circuit board set for interfacing different sensors into the Precision Attack Missile (PAM) seeker. The benefits of this effort would be directly applicable to seeker program objectives at AMCOM.

The HERMES system allows helicopter crews to acquire external slingloads without having to have the ground crew manually attach the slingload's clevis to the helicopter's cargo hook. It uses multiple sensors to allow pilots and helicopter crew chiefs to locate loads even through whiteout or
brownout conditions, and its unique mechanical structures brings the clevis to the hook automatically. HERMES uses the existing helicopter cargo hooks and clevises, which have been proven through many years of operation. Although designed for the CH-47 Chinook, HERMES could be modified to work on other existing military helicopters such as the CH-53 Sea Stallion and the UH-60 Blackhawk. We have completed the HERMES initial design and are building a prototype system for demonstration.

The Navy currently has an objective to develop new technologies that will provide direct support to the warfighter at lower cost. Innovative electro-optical systems such as the optical processor can be effective in the areas of Automatic Target Recognition (ATR), cueing for Joint Fires Network (JFN), ship self-protection, and future weapon systems. This technology is also applicable to other compact optical systems such as those used on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The objective of the Significant Optical Manufacturing Advancement (SOMA) process is to develop and validate an improved method for manufacturing electro-optical systems. The approach being taken by AOS to accomplish this objective is:
•  Study Design for Assembly (DFA) concepts and their application to precision optical systems
•  Study the impact of optical components on system cost, assembly, and performance
•  Apply DFA principles and validate with the optical system of the AOS correlator.

Advanced Optical Systems (AOS) has developed processes and techniques that help reduce the manufacturing cost of optical assemblies. Our Design for Deterministic Alignment (DDA(TM)) analysis and Single Position Assembly (SPA(TM)) hardware tools incorporate Design for Assembly (DFA) principles in the early stages of development. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has asked AOS to apply our techniques and processes to seeker subsystems for missiles such as Ground Based Interceptor Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (GBI EKV), Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV), and Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI).