US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) today announced Ascension Technology Corporation (Milton, VT) has been awarded a $2,359,000 USAF contract for additional development of its phasorBIRDTM optical tracker. phasorBIRD instantly tracks a pilot's head movements (using emitters on a helmet or headset) for target acquisition and reception of mission-critical information.
Under the direction of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Ascension will focus R&D on both military and commercial applications of the tracking technology. The program will continue work, enabling phasorBIRD to meet rigorous flight safety, logistical support, and performance demands of new tactical aircraft. It will also jumpstart development of cost-effective phasorBIRD variants for use in commercial aircraft, flight simulators, virtual reality, and medical devices.
Ascension project engineer Vlad Kogan, right, explains the operation of the phasorBIRD helmet tracker to US Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
In announcing the contract, Senator Patrick Leahy cited Ascension's continued leadership in developing cutting-edge 3D tracking technology for a wide range of applications. "The hard-working scientists and engineers at Ascension are developing technologies that will help pilots operate more safely and more efficiently as part of a state-of-the-art defense system," said Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. Leahy previously secured two separate contracts for the development of the phasorBIRD totaling $2.3 million. "This type of contract is critical to keeping Vermonters employed and developing Vermont's high tech industries."
Earlier phasorBIRD developments funded, in part, by Department of Defense contracts have advanced phasorBIRD from a laboratory prototype to a ruggedized system that will be flight-tested this summer in an F-16 VISTA aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base. The new round of work will notably expand phasorBIRD's utility in multiple markets. Jack Scully, Ascension's Vice President for New Product Development, states: "Thanks to Senator Leahy, Ascension will now develop 'dual purpose' uses for the phasorBIRD tracker. Its small form factor, low cost, and scalability lend itself to varied military and commercial uses, which we will fully exploit with this funding."
Ascension Technology Corporation, based in Burlington, Vermont, USA, makes magnetic, optical, and hybrid location and angle tracking devices for a wide range of military, commercial, and medical applications. For more information, visit www.ascension-tech.com.
Source: Ascension