Elphel, Inc. has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Direct-to-Phase II $1.25M contract focused on Advanced LWIR 3D Imaging System for Foliage Penetration and Counter-UAS (LWIR-FOPEN-C-UAS) to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
“Elphel is excited to start this journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen U.S. national defense,” said Olga Filippova, Elphel vice president.
The project presents an excellent opportunity for Elphel. It aligns with the company’s expertise and addresses a significant technological need within the U.S. Air Force. This strong alignment suggests a high potential for commercialization and would contribute meaningfully to our defense capabilities.
Elphel engaged the services of the Utah Innovation Center for assistance with its proposals. “The Utah Innovation Center with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity has been an invaluable partner in our efforts, offering crucial resources and expert guidance as we navigated the SBIR process,” said Filippova.
Elphel has performed several contracts for the U.S. Air Force and NASA to develop long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensor systems for advanced air mobility, head-mounted 3D augmentation for dismounted airmen, and improving the missile seeker’s capability with LWIR. The current project expands the use of LWIR imaging for defense.
The company launched in 2001 in Salt Lake City, and specializes in high- performance cameras, advanced image processing algorithms, and thermal 3D imaging. Elphel cameras were used in Google Books and Google Street View projects as well as by NASA, National Laboratories, and universities around the world, with multiple applications in robotics, machine vision, and photogrammetry.
The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
If your Utah small business has questions about SBIR/STTR funding opportunities, please contact the Utah Innovation Center at [email protected].