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Aerospace/Military/HS

Physical Optics Corporation (POC) Awarded SBIR Project

February 1, 2012

The HECAD Phase II award is for an embedded heads-up display for emergency responders, designed to provide personal situational awareness.


TORRANCE, CA -- /PRNewswire/ -- Physical Optics Corporation (POC), a systems integrator of advanced technology serving military, defense, and homeland security markets, announces the recent Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for Phase II of the Helmet Embedded Conformal Augmented Display (HECAD) system. In collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), the HECAD Phase II award will provide two-year funding for continued work on an embedded "heads-up" display to increase personal situation awareness for emergency responders.

The HECAD system is based on a modular design that integrates miniature commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) micro displays and includes POC's see-through, low-profile waveguide optics, and lightweight, wearable, processing electronics and sensors. The next development segment builds on the success of Phase I, during which Physical Optics Corporation provided tangible and practical see-through display results, including longwave-infrared (LWIR) sensor data in real time for demonstrating augmented reality capability, while consuming very low power. POC also developed the appropriate support electronics, software, and end-user-driven symbology, by working closely with end users and equipment manufacturers. Other Phase I accomplishments included the successful design of lightweight and compact mechanical packaging. This resulted in the advanced mockup and the first in-mask, active-matrix display with full-motion video.

In Phase II, POC will continue development of HECAD prototypes to enable advanced situation awareness by selectively displaying potentially life-saving information and real-time video from imaging sensors. The real-time data from LWIR cameras and sensors will be shown on a see-through, heads-up display that will not occlude the user's visual field-of-view. Testing and evaluating performance in realistic field environments to determine the functionality, cost, and ease of use will also be addressed. Throughout Phase II, POC will continue to work closely with the local emergency responders and commercial equipment manufacturers to create the next-gen helmet.

About Physical Optics
Physical Optics Corp., celebrating their 26th year as a private, employee-owned company, is a small systems integrator and manufacturer of advanced technologies. With five buildings and 100,000 sq. ft., POC houses the most advanced and unique research laboratories, prototyping, demonstration, and production facilities. The company has active security clearance and complies with all applicable ITAR provisions. Physical Optics Corporation's quality control management has been certified ISO 9001 for the past ten years and recently received certification to AS9100 and AS9110 standards. The company has launched 6 spin-off companies and holds over 91 U.S. Patents covering 40+ technologies.






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