JANUARY 4, 2008--The US Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Goodrich Corporation (Princeton, NJ, USA) to develop next-generation night-vision sensor technology for helmet-mounted and micro vehicle applications. A three-year contract released under DARPA's MicroSensors for Imaging (MISI) program to Goodrich's ISR Systems division covers engineering and initial prototypes of highly sensitive lightweight imaging cameras based on the company's commercially successful shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensors. Work will be performed in Princeton, NJ, USA.
In the MISI program, Goodrich's Sensors Unlimited (SUI) team will develop its indium gallium arsenide-night vision (InGaAs-NV) SWIR sensors into a 640 x 512-pixel resolution camera weighing less than 10 grams, intended for hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, the company will deliver a 1280 x 1024-pixel head-mounted monocular.
SWIR technology detects reflected light at wavelengths that the human eye cannot see. It works in wavelength bands between visible and thermal cameras, an area that current night vision technology cannot see. The extremely small and lightweight size of the Goodrich system is due to the use of advanced materials and circuitry that allow it to run without cooling, unlike other night vision technologies that needs cumbersome cooling systems. The company's technology is currently used on a diverse array of applications, from noninvasive medical examinations to silicon wafer inspection.
Goodrich's ISR Systems division designs and builds high performance custom engineered electronics, optics, shortwave infrared cameras and arrays, intelligence exploitation systems and electro-optical products for defense, scientific, and commercial applications. Sensors Unlimited pioneered the design and production of SWIR cameras and systems utilizing advanced InGaAs imaging technology for industrial, commercial, military, agricultural and scientific markets. For additional information on InGaAs-based imaging detectors, arrays and systems visitwww.sensorsinc.com.
For more information visitwww.goodrich.com.
