Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF171-030

Description

To address Air Force needs for a low-latency multispectral helmet-mountable near-to-eye augmented-reality system, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new See-through All-weather Laser-projection Augmented-Reality Digital Multispectral Vision Goggles (STALAR-DMVG) with a wide field of view (FOV) and a high-resolution multispectral imagery overlay via common-aperture sensor blending, enabling low-latency performance with low size, weight, and power (SWaP) in a rugged structure. STALAR-DMVG is based on unique integration of key POC technologies: (1) a thin see through ellipsoidal off-axis collimator lens; (2) a scanning laser projector light engine providing high definition resolution, wide-FOV three-color imagery with near eye-limiting-resolution; (3) an integrated common-aperture multispectral imaging sensor based on an extremely compact wide FOV monocentric objective lens; and (4) a field programmable gate array-based low-power parallel-pipeline electronic processor providing low latency computing hardware and software. Innovated use of scanning laser display and narrowband coatings allows simple distortion correction and low light leakage enhancing situation awareness. In Phase I, POC plans to develop a low-SWaP, high-performance STALAR-DMVG design suitable for battlefield airman use, demonstrating the feasibility of meeting Air Force needs. In Phase II, POC will develop a working proof-of-concept prototype and demonstrate its capabilities for integration into Battlefield Airman Operation (BAO) kit.